Familiarize yourself with how the present tense is used in modern English. The simple present is used in two specific instances: to describe actions which occur habitually, for example, "every day I buy a newspaper," and also to articulate generalization or facts, like "birds fly south for the winter." Fictional events, emotions and dialog which occur in literary works are regarded as timeless, as people will read them as long as the work continues to exist, others have read them in the past and anyone in the present who has access to the work can read them. The simple present is therefore required.
Avoid using the simple present when detailing biographical information about the author and the times. The present tense is required when describing events in a literary work, but not for contextual information. Events that may have influenced the author occurred in the real world, as opposed to the fictional world, and so cannot be re-experienced as a reader might revisit a novel. The past tense is therefore required when talking about these historical factors.
Use the third person form for present tense verbs. Use "the reader" instead of "we" or "you" when making arguments in the paper. Instead of "we sympathize with the character of Tom," say "the reader sympathizes." Some English courses stipulate third person as the only viable use of pronouns and tenses but most allow for occasional use of the first person in concluding arguments or at crucial points of contention in the paper. Don't use the first person for casual commentary, however, only when summing up key arguments in the paper.