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Ask Interpretive Questions

The foundation for analysis is a question that is open to interpretation. For example, asking whether you have enough money to purchase a ticket to the latest Robert Downey Jr. movie would not require an interpretive response. Either you have enough money or you don’t. Asking whether Downey’s performance breaks new ground, however, would require an analysis of his work in the film. Similarly, while a driver wouldn’t need to conduct an analysis to determine whether a car has a full tank of fuel, a city planner might find it necessary to carry out an analysis to anticipate how high the cost of fuel must rise before commuters leave their cars at home and take public transportation.

You can generate potential interpretive questions about promising topics by brainstorming, freewriting, or clustering in response to the following prompts. Each prompt focuses your attention on a general topic in a different way, and each provides a useful starting point for an analytical essay. Depending on your topic, you’ll find that some prompts are more productive than others.

Elements. Think about the subject in terms of its parts. How does it break down into smaller pieces, or how can it be divided in different ways? Which parts are most important, and which are less significant?
Categories. What groups does the subject belong to? How is it similar to or different from other subjects in a particular group? How can comparing the subject to related subjects help you and your readers understand it in a new way?
History. Look into the origins of the subject. What recent events are related to the subject, and what are the implications of those events? Does your subject build on previous events? Will it continue to have influences in the future, and if so, how will it do so?
Causes and effects. What caused the subject, and why is it the way it is? What are the subject’s influences on people, events, and objects? Who or what affects the subject? What effects is the subject likely (or unlikely) to cause in the future?
Relationships. How is the subject connected to other ideas, events, or objects? For example, are changes in the subject related to changes in related ideas, events, or objects?
Meaning. What is the subject’s significance and implications? Can different people find different meanings in the subject, and if so, why? Does a close examination of the subject reveal a new way of looking at it?

As you ponder ways to turn a general topic area into the subject of your analytical essay, spend time learning about other people’s answers to the most promising questions you’ve generated. You can discuss the subject with people you know, skim sources published on the subject, or even observe the subject firsthand. You can learn more about gathering information in Chapter 2 and in Part Three.