Strong writers in the humanities use the findings from their close examination of a text or artifact to develop an argument or to construct an analysis.

Assignments

Common assignments that make use of these skills of close reading, analysis, and argument include summaries, response pieces, position papers, critical analyses of primary and secondary sources, and research-based projects. A philosophy student, for example, might need to summarize an argument, critique a text’s logic and effectiveness, or discuss a moral issue from a particular philosophical perspective. A literature assignment may ask a reader to look very closely at a particular text (“Examine the role of chocolate in Toni Morrison’s Tar Baby”) or to go well beyond a primary text (“Discuss the impact of agribusiness on modernist novels”). History students often write books or articles (“Write a critical review of Jane Addams’s Twenty Years at Hull-House, paying special attention to the writer’s purpose and goals and relating these to the larger settlement house movement in America”) along with primary source analyses or research papers.

For papers in literature, modern languages, and philosophy, writers often use the documentation style of the Modern Language Association; see Chapters 49–52 for advice on using MLA style. For papers in history and other areas of the humanities, writers often use the documentation style of the University of Chicago Press; see Chapter 54 for advice on using Chicago style.

Analysis and critical stance

To analyze a text, you need to develop a critical stance—the approach you will take to the work—that can help you develop a thesis or major claim (see 5d and 7b). To evaluate the text and present a critical response to it, you should look closely at the text itself, including its style; at the context in which it was produced; and at the audience the text aims to reach, which may or may not include yourself.

A close look at the text itself includes considering its genre, form, point of view, and themes, and looking at the stylistic features, such as word choice, use of imagery, visuals, and design. Considering context means asking why the text was created—thinking about the original (and current) context and about how attitudes and ideas of its era may have influenced it. Considering audience means thinking about who the intended audience might be, and about how people outside this intended group might respond. Think about your personal response to the text as well. (See also Chapters 5, 12, and 13.)

Carrying out these steps should provide you with plenty of material to work with as you begin to shape a critical thesis and write your analysis. You can begin by grounding your analysis in one or more important questions you have about the work.

Writing a literary analysis

When you analyze or interpret a literary work, think of your thesis as answering a question about some aspect of the work. The guiding question you bring to the literary work will help you decide on a critical stance toward the work. For example, a student writing about Shakespeare’s Macbeth might find her curiosity piqued by the many comic moments that appear in this tragedy. She could build on her curiosity by turning the question of why Shakespeare uses so much comedy in Macbeth into the following thesis statement, which proposes an answer to the question: “The many unexpected comic moments in Macbeth emphasize how disordered the world becomes for murderers like Macbeth and his wife.”