Writing Guide: Analytical Essay

Analytical Essay

Writing Guide: Analytical Essay

An analysis of a text allows you to examine the parts of a text to understand what it means and how it makes its meaning. Your goal is to offer your judgment of the text and to persuade readers to see it through your analytical perspective. (See the sample analysis paper in 4e.)

Key features

Thinking ahead: Presenting and publishing

You may have the opportunity to present or publish your analysis in the form of a multimodal text such as a slide show presentation. Consider how adding images or sound might strengthen your analysis or help you to better reach your audience. (See section 5.)

Writing your analytical essay

Explore
Generate ideas for your analysis by brainstorming responses to questions such as the following:
  • What is the text about?
  • What do you find most interesting, surprising, or puzzling about this text?
  • What is the author’s thesis or central idea? Put the author’s thesis to the “So what?” test. (See 4a.)
  • What do your annotations of the text reveal about your response to it?
Draft
  • Draft a working thesis to focus your analysis. Remember that your thesis is not the same as the author’s thesis. Your thesis presents your judgment of the text.
  • Draft a plan to organize your paragraphs. Your introductory paragraph will briefly summarize the text and offer your thesis. Your body paragraphs will support your thesis with evidence from the text. Your conclusion will pull together the major points and show the significance of your analysis. (See 1d.)
  • Identify specific words, phrases, and sentences as evidence to support your thesis.
Revise
Ask your reviewers to give you specific comments. You can use the following questions to guide their feedback.
  • Is the introduction effective and engaging?
  • Is summary balanced with analysis?
  • Does the thesis offer a clear judgment of the text?
  • What objections might other writers pose to your analysis?
  • Is the analysis well organized? Are there clear topic sentences and transitions?
  • Is there sufficient evidence? Is the evidence analyzed?
  • Have you cited words, phrases, or sentences that are summarized or quoted?