Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Preparation
• Part 2 of 3: Writing an essay
• Part 3 of 3: The Final Stage
• Tips

Writing an analytical essay is not an easy task, especially if this is your first time encountering it. Take a deep breath, have a refreshing drink, and read this article to write a thoughtful analytical essay.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Preparation

1. 1 You need to understand for yourself what is the subject of an analytical essay. As a rule, such an essay contains an in-depth analysis of a certain problem or presents an opinion based on a specific fact. Often times, you have to analyze a piece of literature or film, but you may also be asked about the main idea or problem. To cope with this, you need to break the task into several components and provide arguments taken either from the book / film, or resulting from your research and supporting your opinion.
   • For example, "The Shining" by Kubrick often refers us to the culture and art of the native people of America, with the help of which the history of American colonization of Indian lands is revealed "- quite an analytical thesis. Analyzing a specific text and putting forward arguments (in the form of a thesis statement) is what you, in essence, will be doing.
2. 2 Decide what you will write about. If you are completing an assignment for a lesson, then the teacher, as a rule, has already identified the topic (or topics) for you. Read the assignment carefully. What are you being asked to do? Sometimes you have to choose your own theme.
   • If you are writing an analytical essay about a work of fiction, you can base your opinions on the actions of a certain hero or a number of characters. You can also discuss why this or that stanza / part is the main motive. An example of a topic for literature analysis: "Expand the concept of" Retribution "in the epic poem" Beowulf ".
   • If you are writing about a historical event, try to pay attention to the driving forces that influenced the course of events.
   • If you are analyzing a scientific study / results, use the scientific method to analyze the findings.
3. 3 Tighten your head. Of course, you may not immediately come up with a thesis - and even after choosing a topic. And that's okay! Tighten your head, think about the topic, look at it from different angles.
   • Look for repetitive images, metaphors, phrases, or ideas. What is often repeated throughout the text can be very important. Think if you can understand why all this is important, is it the same repetition, or is it different every time?
   • How does text work? If you are working on rhetorical analysis, then you can analyze the author's use of logical arguments in support of his thesis, and then consider whether you think this approach works. If you are analyzing creative work, pay attention to the imagery, and if you are working on research, then study the methods and results presented, and then consider whether the experiment was set up correctly.
   • A flowchart doesn't hurt - draw the main theme and the additional themes that branch off from it. Connect themes together to reveal patterns and relationships.
   • Think well - do half the job. Well, it's also a great way to get started! Do not sweep aside a single thought or even a thought that comes to your mind, write down everything you think about while researching the topic.
4. 4 Start with a thesis statement. A thesis is a sentence or multiple sentences that summarize your statements in an essay. The thesis should tell the reader what will be discussed in your work.
   • Example of a thesis statement: "Comparing the concept of" Retribution "of the mythological character Grendel and the dragon's revenge showed an example that the belief in just punishment was an integral part of the early Middle Ages, and the dragon was a model of dignity and part of the act of revenge."
   • This is a completely analytical thesis - it examines the text and allows you to make a certain statement.
   • Statements are not axioms, they can be disputed. In an analytical essay, you seem to choose the side from which you approach the study of the issue, and from this position you put forward this or that statement.
   • For example, "Revenge is the main plot line in the poem" Beowulf "" is not an analytical thesis, since it is a fact and an indisputable fact.
   • Your thesis should be narrow enough to fit the assignment. "The theme of revenge in the poem" Beowulf "" is rather a topic for a dissertation, it is too voluminous for an ordinary essay, for which the study of the question of whose revenge is more worthy is much more suitable.
   • Unless you have received such an assignment, do not use theses, which immediately outline three aspects that will be paid attention to in the essay - this approach gives off too much formalism. There is nothing wrong with a more general description.
5. 5 Find additional arguments. Review the material you are working with. A book, film, and research material that complements your statement can be used to support your thesis statement. List secondary arguments, tag the pages they appear on, and find out how they support your opinion.
   • An example of an optional argument: To prove that the dragon's revenge was more just than the vengeance of Grendel's mother, pay attention to those passages of the poem, which describe the events that unfold before the attack of the monster, the attacks themselves and the reactions to these attacks.
6. 6 Write an outline of your essay. An outline will help you structure your essay and make it easier to write. Typically, an analytical essay consists of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion, but many teachers require longer and more detailed essays. Organize your plan accordingly.
   • If you are not yet very clear about how all of your arguments support each other, do not worry - the plan will help you determine what should go in the text and when.
   • You can make the plan less strict and combine your ideas into groups in it, on the basis of which you can work further.
   • Your essay should be long enough to adequately cover the topic under discussion. Alas, many students make the same mistake - they take a voluminous topic, but write three paragraphs on it ... The impression of such work remains well, simply no! Don't be afraid to spend more time working through each item!

Part 2 of 3: Writing an essay

1. 1 Write an introduction to your essay. The introduction should give the reader basic information about the problem. You should also write your thesis statement in the first paragraph.Try to make the introduction fun, but don't overdo it. Avoid summarizing events - it's better to just state your arguments. Avoid dramatic introductions (it is best not to use question marks and exclamation marks at the very beginning). Don't write in the first and second person. State your thesis in the last sentence of the first paragraph.
   • Intro example: During the Early Middle Ages, the German people adhered to the following rule: if a person suffered misfortune, he had the right to revenge. In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist Beowulf must fight against two antagonistic forces that want to take revenge on all of humanity. Comparisons between the act of vengeance of Grendel's mother and the dragon prove that belief in just retribution was a characteristic feature of the Early Middle Ages. Considering the reasons for the attack, the act of revenge and Beowulf's reaction to the attacks, it can be concluded that the dragon's actions were more just.
   • This introduction gives readers all the information they need to understand your thesis, and then points out the complexity and complexity of the poem's main theme (revenge). And this is interesting, since it implies that the reader should think about the text, and not "go through it tangentially."
   • Do not spill water. It is not necessary to start a paragraph with general words, in which there are many sounds, but little essence. Get straight to the point.
2. 2 Write body paragraphs. Each paragraph should consist of 1) the main sentence, 2) analysis of a part of the text, 3) an argument from the text, which confirms the analysis of the work and the thesis statement. The main sentence contains information about the content of the paragraph. You are analyzing the text when you give your arguments. The facts mentioned should support your argument. Remember, every statement must support the thesis.
   • Example of a main sentence A: The main difference between the two attacks is the concept of “exorbitant retribution”.
   • Analysis example: Grendel's mother is not just hungry for revenge, according to the medieval "eye for an eye" statement. Instead, she wants to take life for life, turning the kingdom of Hrothgar into ruins.
   • Example argument: Instead of just killing the warrior Escher, and committing an act of revenge, she quickly grabs the noble warrior in her mouth and returns to the swamp (1294). The female monster does this to lure Beowulf away from Heorot and kill him.
   • Remember: "statement - confirmation - clarification." Any statement must be based on evidence, while the relationship between the first and the second must be clarified.
3. 3 Know when to insert quotes and rephrase thoughts. Quoting means that a certain passage of text is taken in quotation marks and inserted into the essay. Quoting is good when you want to clarify the essence of the work and support your argument. Make sure you are using the correct citation form depending on the style you choose: MLA, APA, or Chicago. Paraphrasing is summarizing text. Generally, summing up is used when you select basic information from the text to make an argument persuasive.
   • Example quote: “She rushed forward, not paying any attention to them, and, issuing a victory cry, grabbed Asher, whom Hrothgar loved most of all, and the next moment disappeared with him into the night. (1294).
   • Example of a paraphrased sentence: Grendel's mother invaded Heorot's domain, grabbed one of the sleeping men and disappeared into the night. (1294).
4. 4 Draw your own conclusions. In the conclusion, you should remind the reader of the process of proving the argument. You can also rephrase the thesis, but do it in such a way that you do not just repeat the thesis statement from the introduction word for word. Some teachers want you to formulate the connection between the events in the conclusions. This means that you need to submit “integrated solutions”. You must show how your arguments relate to the main idea of ​​the work, and how your opinion can influence the changes in the reader's judgment.
   • Output example: The tit for tat concept had a huge impact during the Early Middle Ages. Only by comparing the attacks of Grendel and the dragon can one find out what is the difference between the perception of just revenge and unfair revenge. The dragon acts on a whim, and Grendel's attack has evil intentions.
   • An example of integrated output: The tit for tat concept had a huge impact during the Early Middle Ages. Only by comparing the attacks of Grendel and the dragon can one find out what is the difference between the perception of just revenge and unfair revenge. The dragon acts on a whim, and Grendel's attack has evil intentions. This analysis should lead the reader to the side of the dragon, since the description of Grendel's actions proves that he is an immoral, evil creature.

Part 3 of 3: The Final Stage

1. 1 Check your essay for grammar and spelling errors. As a rule, an essay in which there are many mistakes is evaluated with a lower score than one that has been checked and improved. Check your spelling, look for complex rhetorical sentences in the text, check punctuation marks.
   • Make sure you format your essay the way the teacher requires - for example, 12 point size, standard font, and standard margins.
2. 2 Read the essay out loud. Reading aloud helps you to find those passages in the essay that do not fit the ear. You can also find independent complex sentences that have been overlooked.
3. 3 Make sure the names of characters, titles, and places are spelled correctly. Teachers will lower the grade if they notice that the name of the main character is spelled incorrectly several times. Go back to work or article and make sure you wrote everything correctly.
   • If you are analyzing a movie, find a list of characters on the Internet. Use two or three sources to make sure you wrote everything correctly.
4. 4 Imagine you are a teacher and reread the essay. Have you expressed your opinion clearly? Is the structure of the essay easy to understand? Does the essay cover a given topic?
5. 5 Ask someone else to reread your essay. Maybe this person thinks that certain episodes should be added or removed? Is the main idea of ​​your work clear?

Tips

• Ask yourself, "What am I trying to prove?" The answer to this question should fit in your thesis statement. If this is not the case, go back to the beginning of the essay and change the thesis.
• If you are writing formal or critical analysis, avoid everyday speech. Informal speech can add variety to your writing, but you risk the power of your arguments by using verbal jargon.
• Do not spread your thoughts along the tree. The nebulousness of thinking implies false conclusions. If you want to write a deliberate analytical essay, but do not provide clear arguments, you reduce its impact on the reader.