How to start an explication?

Well, if I may be allowed to quote from an expert on you, “my english teacher says i can write well so… yeah.” Start with some ideas; I am sure that there are many good summaries somewhere. Let your fingers do the walking.

Outline; Topic sentence, thesis (evidence), conclusion. Don’t start with your conclusion.
(Hope that you actually read the text.)

Good luck.

Unless you were given specific instructions, maybe try using this format

1. A brief overview of what happened literally— not figuratively
2. The structuring of the literature (e.g. Was it a sonnet? What kind?) and the tone throughout the piece
3. The poetic devices used throughout the literature (e.g. personification)
4. Conclusion. You can finally include the deeper side of the literature— the actual meaning of it

this actually makes it sound easy, not accounting for the language used in Beowulf

Um, what about the stuff that is going on behind the literal stuff?

I would start with the emotional heart of the piece, whatever you think that is. Then follow the outline above, but adding a second layer of explication, which is your interpretation of the literal meaning.

Here’s an example of a short EXPLICATION