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.

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.