Explore Your Surroundings
Analysis is largely a search for patterns — and searching for patterns is something we do on a daily basis. As we learn to drive, for example, we start noticing the typical behaviors of other drivers as they approach an intersection. It doesn’t take long to learn that we can reliably predict whether other drivers are planning to go through the intersection, stop, turn left, or turn right — even when they fail to use turn signals. When we see behaviors that are unusual or unexpected, we go on alert, making sure that we aren’t hit by a driver who isn’t paying attention. Similarly, we look for patterns in everything from playing tennis (noticing, for instance, how a player grips the racket before returning a shot) to reading the newspaper (learning where we can find stories that interest us or how to distinguish news from advertisements).
Humans are quite good at identifying and responding to patterns. But it takes time to notice them and even more time to figure out how they work. Before choosing a specific focus for your analytical essay, identify general topics that might interest you enough to explore in depth. One good way to begin is to brainstorm, freewrite, or loop about the objects and events that surround you.
- Your shelves. Scan your collection of music, books, and movies, and think about anything you’ve listened to, read, or watched that grabbed your attention. You might be rewarded by looking beneath the surface for meaning or themes, or you might find yourself intrigued by a plot line or a style that appears to be part of a larger trend.
- The daily news. Whether you follow current events in newspapers, on television, or on the Web, recent and ongoing news stories offer rich opportunities for analysis: Why were some groups offended by a magazine cover? Is third-party health insurance to blame for the high cost of medical care? How do “bad girl” celebrities influence children’s behavior? Be alert to the questions that occur to you as you read, to reactions (other people’s and your own) that surprise you, and to themes that seem to pop up from one day to the next. You’re likely to notice something you want to investigate further.
- Your leisure activities. No matter what you do for fun — participate in a sport, play video games, take photographs — you can probably find some aspects of your lifestyle that raise questions or suggest a trend. For instance, perhaps you’ve wondered whether the X Games will become more popular than the Olympics, or noticed that massively multiplayer online games have become more popular than first-person shooters.
- Your physical environment. Take a look around you. A favorite poster in your bedroom, for instance, might be a good candidate for interpretation. A new bank in town might inspire questions about interest rates, community service, or architectural style. An overflowing trash bin might suggest an analytical essay on recycling or municipal waste management.
As you consider possible topics for your writing project, look for new or surprising ideas that interest you and your readers and lend themselves to analysis. If you come across a subject or a question that makes a good candidate for your essay, add it to your writer’s notebook.
You’ll find additional writing project ideas at the end of this chapter.