Writing an analytical essay can seem difficult, especially if you've never done it before. But don't worry! Take a deep breath, buy a caffeinated drink, and follow the steps below to create a good analytical essay.
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Method 1 of 3: Preparing to Create an Essay
Step 1. Understand the purpose of the analytical essay
Writing an analytical essay means that you need to present some type of argument or claim about what is being analyzed. Often you will have to analyze a piece of writing or a film, but you can also be asked to analyze an issue or idea. To do so, you must break down the topic into sections and provide evidence, either from the text/film or from your own research, that supports the claim.
For example, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining uses the motif of repetition of Native American culture and art to describe the history of the colonization of Native American lands in America” is an analytical thesis. This paper analyzes a particular text and states an argument about it-in the form of a thesis statement
Step 2. Decide what to write
If writing an essay for a class assignment, the teacher will usually assign a topic to write about. Read the instructions carefully. What does the hint ask for? However, sometimes you have to have your own topic.
- If you're writing an analytical essay about fiction, you can focus your argument on what motivates a particular character or group of characters. Or, you could argue why a particular line or paragraph is central to the work as a whole. For example: Analyze the concept of revenge in the epic poem Beowulf.
- When writing historical events, try to focus on the forces that contributed to what happened.
- If you are writing research or scientific discoveries, follow the scientific method to analyze the results.
Step 3. Understand it well
You may not immediately know what a thesis statement should look like, even if you have chosen the topic. It does not matter! A good understanding can help find out what you think about the topic. Think about the topic from as many points of view as possible.
- Look for repeated parables, metaphors, phrases, or ideas. Repeated things are often important. See if you can interpret why these things are so important. Is it repeated in the same way or differently?
- How does the text work? For example, if you are writing a rhetorical analysis, you might analyze how the author uses logical statements to support his argument and determine whether you think the argument is effective. When analyzing creative work, consider things like imagery, visualizations in films, and so on. When analyzing research, you need to consider the methods and results and analyze whether the experiment is a good pattern.
- Mind maps can be helpful for some people. Start with a central topic and organize small ideas in a schematic. Connect the schemas to identify patterns and how things relate.
- Good understanding can be irregular in order. In fact, it can be a great way to start! Don't lose any ideas. Write down any elements or facts that you think of as when studying the topic.
Step 4. Write a thesis statement
A thesis statement is a sentence or two that concludes the claim you made in the essay. The sentence tells the reader what the essay is about. Avoid: writing an overly broad thesis like "Revenge is the main theme in Beowulf."
Instead: make specific arguments such as "Beowulf describes different types of revenge in the Anglo-Saxon era, as distinct from the venerable dragon vengeance in response to Grendel's mother."
- This is an analytical thesis because it studies the text and makes certain claims.
- A claim that is “debatable” means it is not a sentence of pure fact that no one can argue with. An analytical essay will support as well as provide arguments.
- Make sure the thesis is thorough enough to fit your assignment. “Revenge in Beowulf could be a dissertation to achieve a Doctorate degree, this is too broad. Maybe too big to be an essay for students. However, debating the revenge of a character who is more honorable than another can be made in a shorter essay for students.
- Avoid a “three-pronged” thesis that presents the three points described later, unless assigned to write such a thesis. A thesis statement like this usually limits the analysis too much and makes the argument feel stiff. It's fine to state in general terms what your argument will be like.
Step 5. Look for supporting evidence
You may need to work only with primary sources (the text being analyzed) or with primary and secondary sources, such as books or journal articles, depending on the assignment. The task will explain what types of resources are needed. Good evidence supports the claim and makes your argument more convincing. List the supporting evidence, listing where it came from, and how it supports your claim.
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Examples of supporting evidence: To support the claim that dragon revenge is more honorable than Grendel's mother, look at the passages in the verse that discuss the events that trigger each monster attack, the attacks themselves, as well as the reactions to those attacks. Avoid: ignoring or manipulating evidence to fit your thesis.
We recommend: adapt the thesis so that it is more flexible as you get deeper into the topic.
Step 6. Draw an outline
An outline will help structure your essay and make writing it easier. Make sure you understand how long the essay needs to be. While some teachers can accept the standard “5 paragraph essay” (introduction, 3 main paragraphs, conclusion), others prefer essays that are longer and explore topics more deeply. Outline well.
- If you're not quite sure how all of the evidence fits together, don't worry! Outlining can help you understand how the argument develops.
- You can also create a more informal outline that groups all the ideas into large groups. From there, you can decide what you want to decipher and where to start.
- The essay will be as long as it takes to adequately describe the topic. A common mistake that students often make is to choose a big topic and then only follow 3 main paragraphs to describe it. This makes the essay feel shallow or rushed. Don't be afraid to spend time going over every detail!
Method 2 of 3: Writing an Essay
Step 1. Write an introduction
The introduction should provide the reader with background information on the topic. Try to make the introduction interesting but not too overwhelming. Avoid concluding clues-it is best to state arguments. Also avoid dramatic introductions (starting the essay with a statement or exclamation is best avoided). In general, don't use first person (I) or second person (you) in essays. State the thesis, generally as the last sentence in the first paragraph.
- Preliminary example: Revenge was considered legal in ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The abundance of revenge in Beowulf's heroic poetry shows that revenge was an important part of the Anglo-Saxon period. However, not all revenge is done the same. The poet's depiction of revenge shows that the dragon is more valued in its act of revenge than Grendel's mother.
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This introduction provides the information the reader should know that they must understand your argument and then presents the argument about the complexity of a general topic (revenge) in the verse. This type of argument can be interesting because it shows that the reader needs to understand the text carefully and not just at a glance. Avoid: including opening sentences such as "in the modern era" or "over time".
We recommend that: briefly state the title, author and date of publication of the text you are analyzing.
Step 2. Write the main paragraphs
Each main paragraph should have 1) a topic sentence, 2) a partial analysis of the text, and 3) text evidence that supports the analysis and the thesis sentence. The topic sentence tells the reader what the main paragraph is about. Text analysis is where you make arguments. The evidence you provide supports the argument. Remember, any claim you make must support the thesis.
- Example topic sentence: The key to distinguishing between the two attacks is the view of excessive revenge.
- Example of analysis: Grendel's mother does not want revenge, according to the medieval concept of "life for life". Instead, he wanted to take one life for another while also throwing the Hrothgar kingdom into chaos.
- Example of evidence: Instead of killing Aeschere and then taking revenge, he "quickly snatched" the nobleman and in his "tight grip", he went to the swamp (1294). He did this to keep Beowulf away from Heorot, so that he too could kill him.
- The “CEE” formula can help you remember: Claim-Evidence-Explanation (Claim-Evidence-Explanation). Whenever you make a claim, make sure you provide evidence to support the claim and explain how the evidence relates to the claim.
Step 3. Know when to quote or paraphrase
Quoting means you take the exact text and place it in quotes, inserting it into the essay. Quoting is a great way if you use the statement something appropriate to support a claim. Be sure to use the correct form of citation, depending on whether you are using the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, the American Psychological Association (APA) style, or the Chicago style. On the other hand, paraphrasing is when you conclude a text. Paraphrasing can be used to provide background or to emphasize a lot of details briefly. It's best if you have a lot of information or need to quote a large section of text to make something clear. Avoid: quoting more than two sentences per paragraph.
We recommend: support subtle or controversial claims with quotes or paraphrases.
- Example quote: Instead of killing Aeschere and then taking revenge, he "quickly snatched" the nobleman and in his "tight grip", he went into the swamp (1924).
- Example of a paraphrased sentence: The female Grendel enters Heorot, grabs one of the men sleeping in it, and runs into the swamp (1294).
Step 4. Write a conclusion
Conclusion is your part reminding the reader of how you support the argument. Some teachers also want you to make broader connections in the conclusion. This means they want you to make a 'bigger world connection'. This could mean stating how an argument affects other claims about the text or how your claim might change the view of someone reading the text you are analyzing. Avoid: adding a completely different new argument in the conclusion.
It's best: don't go beyond the thesis statement by discussing its implications or the broader context.
- Example conclusion: The concept of 'life for life' is very real in the early medieval world, by comparing Grendel's mother attack and dragon attack, the perception of honorable revenge against unfair revenge in the medieval world is clearly stated. When the dragon acts in the only way it knows of, Grendel's mother attacks instead with evil intent.
- Example conclusion with 'bigger world relations': The concept of 'life for life' was very real in the early medieval world. However, by comparing Grendel's mother attack and dragon attack, the perception of honorable revenge against unfair revenge in the medieval world is clearly stated. When the dragon acts in the only way it knows of, Grendel's mother attacks instead with evil intent. This depiction might suggest that the early medieval world viewed women as inherently more evil than men.
Method 3 of 3: Completing the Essay
Step 1. Correct spelling or grammatical errors in the essay
Essays that have a lot of errors usually get a lower score than those that have been corrected and corrected. Do a spell check, look for run-on sentences (sentences with two or more clauses without a conjunction) and check for punctuation errors.
Also make sure to format the essay correctly. For example, using a standard 12 pt/4.23 mm font (such as Arial or Times New Roman) and 1 inch/2.5 cm margins is the standard size
Step 2. Read the essay aloud
Reading your essay aloud helps you find areas in your essay that may sound strange. It's also an excellent way to find run-on sentences that you might not have noticed before.
Step 3. Make sure all characters, titles, places, and so on are spelled correctly
Teachers will often give low marks if the name of the main character in the essay is misspelled. Reread the text or article and make sure the words are spelled correctly.
If you're analyzing a movie, look online for a list of characters. Check two or three sources to make sure the spelling is correct
Step 4. Read the essay as if you were the teacher
Do you understand the meaning clearly? Is the structure of your essay easy to understand? Does your essay explain why the topic is important?
Step 5. Ask someone else to read your essay
Is there anything he thinks needs to be added or removed? Does he understand what you wrote?
Tips
- Ask yourself, "What am I trying to prove?" The answer must be in the thesis. If not, fix it.
- If you are writing analysis or formal criticism, then avoid using colloquial writing. While informal language gives an essay color, you don't want to risk weakening an argument by influencing it using verbal slang.
- Avoid obscurity. Vagueness leads to misinterpretation and in logical analytical essays, the emergence of misinterpretations reduces the effectiveness of the argument.
