An analysis is a piece of writing that looks at a document in detail.To write a good analysis, you need to ask yourself questions about how and why the document works.It is possible to start the process by gathering information about the subject of your analysis.Look for specific evidence to support your main arguments once you have outlined them.It is possible to put your analysis together into a coherent piece of writing.
Step 1: Carefully review your work.
Make sure you understand what you are supposed to do before you start analyzing.If you are writing an analysis for a class, your instructor may have detailed instructions for completing the assignment.Don't hesitate to ask them questions about what they expect from you.If your analysis is supposed to answer a specific question or focus on a particular aspect of the document, try to find out.There are requirements for the analysis.Your instructor wants you to use a citation style.Your instructor will evaluate your analysis on a number of criteria.
Step 2: Information about the subject of your analysis should be gathered.
Picking apart a single document is one of the most common analysis assignments.You can be asked to analyze a book, a poem, an article, or a letter.Some analyses look at visual or audio sources, such as a painting, a photograph, or a film.Get basic information, such as the title of the document, if it has one, when you identify exactly what you will be analyzing.The document's creator has a name.Depending on the type of document you are working with, this could be the author, artist, director, performer, or photographer.The medium and form of the document.When and where the document was made.There is a historical and cultural context to the work.
Step 3: Take notes while reading the document.
Look closely at the document once you have gathered some basic information.If your analysis is supposed to answer a specific question, keep that in mind.Write down your thoughts and feelings.If you are analyzing an advertisement poster, you might notice who the intended audience is.What rhetorical choices the author made to get their point across.The product is being advertised.The poster uses images to make it look good.If there is any text in the poster and how it meshes with the images to reinforce the message of the ad.What is the main point of the ad?
Step 4: Determine which question you would like to answer with your analysis.
A piece of writing should have a narrow focus.Specific questions about the document you are analyzing should be answered by it.If your assignment does not ask you to focus on a specific question or aspect of the document, you will need to select one.If you are analyzing an advertisement poster, you might ask the question, "How does this poster use colors to symbolize the problem that the product is intended to fix?"Is color used to represent the beneficial results of using the product?
Step 5: List your main arguments.
Decide how you plan to answer the question once you have narrowed down the focus of your analysis.Write down your major arguments.The main body of your analysis will be these.You could write, "This poster uses the color red to symbolize the pain of a headaches."The blue elements in the design represent the relief brought by the product.
Step 6: You should gather evidence and examples to support your argument.
It is not enough to simply present your arguments.Supporting evidence is needed in order to convince the reader.You can cite contextual information that may offer further support, but most of the evidence should come from within the document that you are analyzing.If you argue that the advertisement poster uses red to represent pain, you might point out that everyone around them is blue.The text of the poster has the words "HEADACHE" and "PAIN" written in red lettering.Outside evidence could support your claims.In the country where the advertisement was produced, the color red is often associated with warnings or danger.
Step 7: A thesis statement or topic sentence is what you should write.
A brief summary of the main points is what most analyses begin with.As you plan out and draft the rest of your analysis, writing your thesis will help you stay focused.The major argument you will be making should be summarized in 1 or 2 sentences.You should include the name and author of the document you are analyzing.The poster says "Say!"What a relief, created in 1932, uses contrasting colors to symbolize the pain of a headaches and the relief brought by Miss Burnham's pep-Em-Up pills.The red elements show pain, while the blue ones show relief.
Step 8: An outline can be created.
A brief outline is used to build on the arguments you sketched out while reading the document.Make sure to include the main arguments as well as the evidence you will use to support them.Your outline might follow the basic structure: I.The introduction a.There is a background to the thesis.Body a.Argument 1 i.The example isii.There is an analysis and an explanation.The example is iv.There is an analysis and an explanation.Argument 2 i.The example isii.There is an analysis and an explanation.The example is iv.There is an analysis and an explanation.The example isii.There is an analysis and an explanation.The example is iv.Analysis/Explanation III.Conclusion.
Step 9: An introductory paragraph should be written.
Basic background information about the document you are analyzing, as well as your thesis or topic sentence, should be provided in your introductory paragraph.Your audience will have a basic understanding of what you are talking about if you provide enough information.In the late 1920s, a Kansas City teacher developed a patent headache medication that quickly achieved commercial success throughout the American Midwest.The popularity of the medicine was largely due to a series of simple but eye-catching advertising posters that were created over the next decade.There is a poster for 'Say!'What a relief, created in 1932, uses contrasting colors to symbolize the pain of a headaches and the relief brought by Miss Burnham's pep-Em-Up pills.
Step 10: The main arguments can be presented in the body of the essay.
You should flesh out the major arguments you want to make.Depending on the length and complexity of your analysis, you might devote more than one paragraph to each argument.2 or more sentences expanding on and supporting the topic sentence should be included in each paragraph.It's important to include specific examples and evidence for each argument.Make sure the transitions between each argument and paragraph are clear.For example, use the words "Likewise" or "In contrast"..The best way to organize your arguments depends on the topic and the points you are trying to make.In your analysis of the poster, you might start with arguments about the red visual elements and then discuss how the text fits in.
Step 11: Write a conclusion.
The main ideas and arguments from your analysis should be summarized in your concluding paragraph.Try not to restate your thesis.Instead, you might end with 1 or 2 sentences discussing further work that might be done based on your analysis, or look for a way to tie your conclusion in to the opening of the essay.You could end your essay with a few sentences about how other advertisements at the time might have been influenced by the use of colors.
Step 12: Don't give your personal opinions on the document.
The purpose of an analytical essay is to present arguments.Don't focus on what you think about the document.If you're talking about the advertisement, don't say that it's boring or that the art is beautiful, instead focus on what the poster was supposed to accomplish.
Step 13: The organization of your analysis makes sense.
Make sure that your analysis flows logically once you have drafted it.The order in which you present your ideas makes sense if there are clear transitions between them.If your essay currently skips around between discussing the red and blue elements of the poster, consider reorganizing it so that you focus on the blue ones first.
Step 14: Look for areas where you can clarify your writing.
It is easy to leave out details when you are writing an analysis.Look for areas where you might have left out information in your draft.You could look for places where you could provide additional examples to support a major argument.
Step 15: Cut out any passages that aren't relevant.
The main focus of your analysis should be supported by extraneous details in your essay.You should remove any sentences or passages that aren't relevant to what you're saying.If you include a paragraph about her previous work as a children's book illustrator, you may want to cut it if it doesn't relate to her use of color in advertising.If you put a lot of thought into each sentence or find the additional material really interesting, it may be difficult to cut material out of your analysis.Keep your analysis concise and to the point.
Step 16: Fix any errors by Proofreading your writing.
Go over your analysis after you see any major organizational issues.Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation if you can.It's a good time to make sure your citations are formatted correctly.It's helpful to have someone else look over your essay to make sure you didn't make any mistakes.