Gathering Information and Building Your Argument
Review your assignment carefully. Before you begin working on your analysis, make sure you have a clear understanding of what you are supposed to do. If you’re writing an analysis for a class, your instructor probably provided detailed instructions for completing the assignment. If not, don’t hesitate to ask them questions about what they expect of you. Try to find out: If your analysis is supposed to answer a specific question or focus on a particular aspect of the document you are analyzing. If there are any length or formatting requirements for the analysis. The citation style your instructor wants you to use. On what criteria your instructor will evaluate your analysis (e.g., organization, originality, good use of references and quotations, or correct spelling and grammar).
Gather basic information about the subject of your analysis. Most analysis assignments involve picking apart a single document. You could be asked to analyze a textual document, such as a book, a poem, an article, or a letter. Some analyses focus on visual or auditory sources, such as a painting, a photograph, or a film. Identify exactly what it is you will be analyzing, and gather basic information, such as: The title of the document (if it has one). The name of the creator of the document. For example, depending on the type of document you’re working with, this could be the author, artist, director, performer, or photographer. The form and medium of the document (e.g., “Painting, oil on canvas”). When and where the document was created. The historical and cultural context of the work.
Do a close reading of the document and take notes. Once you’ve gathered some basic information, examine the document closely. If your analysis is supposed to answer a specific question or address a particular aspect of the document, keep that in mind. Write down your thoughts and impressions. For example, if you’re analyzing an advertisement poster, you might make note of: Who you believe the intended audience is for the advertisement. What rhetorical choices the author made to persuade the audience of their main point. What product is being advertised. How the poster uses images to make the product look appealing. Whether there is any text in the poster, and, if so, how it works together with the images to reinforce the message of the ad. What the purpose of the ad is or what its main point is.
Determine which question(s) you would like to answer with your analysis. An analytical piece of writing should have a clear, narrow focus. It should also answer specific “how” or “why” questions about the document you are analyzing, rather than merely summarizing its contents. If your assignment doesn’t already ask you to focus on a specific question or aspect of the document, you’ll need to select one. For example, if you’re analyzing an advertisement poster, you might focus on the question: “How does this poster use colors to symbolize the problem that the product is intended to fix? Does it also use color to represent the beneficial results of using the product?”
Make a list of your main arguments. Once you’ve narrowed down the focus of your analysis, decide how you plan to answer the relevant question(s). Briefly note your major arguments. These will form the main body of your analysis. For example, you might write, “This poster uses the color red to symbolize the pain of a headache. The blue elements in the design represent the relief brought by the product.” You could develop the argument further by saying, “The colors used in the text reinforce the use of colors in the graphic elements of the poster, helping the viewer make a direct connection between the words and images.”
Gather evidence and examples to support your arguments. Simply presenting your arguments will not be enough. In order to convince the reader, you’ll need to provide supporting evidence. Most of this evidence should come from within the document that you’re analyzing, although you can also cite contextual information that might offer further support.Tip: If you’re analyzing a text, make sure to properly cite any quotations that you use to support your arguments. Put any direct quotations in quotation marks (“”) and be sure to give location information, such as the page number where the quote appears. Additionally, follow the citation requirements for the style guide assigned by your instructor or one that's commonly used for the subject matter you're writing about. For example, if you’re arguing that the advertisement poster uses red to represent pain, you might point out that the figure of the headache sufferer is red, while everyone around them is blue. Another piece of evidence might be the use of red lettering for the words “HEADACHE” and “PAIN” in the text of the poster. You could also draw on outside evidence to support your claims. For example, you might point out that in the country where the advertisement was produced, the color red is often symbolically associated with warnings or danger.
Organizing and Drafting Your Analysis
Write a brief thesis statement or topic sentence. Most analyses begin with a brief summary of the main points that the analysis will make. Writing your thesis first will help you stay focused as you plan out and draft the rest of your analysis. In 1 or 2 sentences, summarize the major argument(s) you will be making. Be sure to include the name and author (if known) of the document you are analyzing.Tip: Your instructor might have specific directions about which information to include in your thesis statement (e.g., the title, author, and date of the document you are analyzing). If you’re not sure how to format your thesis statement or topic sentence, don’t hesitate to ask. For example, “The poster ‘Say! What a relief,’ created in 1932 by designer Dorothy Plotzky, uses contrasting colors to symbolize the pain of a headache and the relief brought by Miss Burnham’s Pep-Em-Up Pills. The red elements denote pain, while blue ones indicate soothing relief.”
Create an outline for your analysis. Building on your thesis and the arguments you sketched out while doing your close read of the document, create a brief outline. Make sure to include the main arguments you would like to make as well as the evidence you will use to support each argument. For example, your outline might follow this basic structure: I. Introduction a. Background b. Thesis II. Body a. Argument 1 i. Example ii. Analysis/Explanation iii. Example iv. Analysis/Explanation b. Argument 2 i. Example ii. Analysis/Explanation iii. Example iv. Analysis/Explanation c. Argument 3 i. Example ii. Analysis/Explanation iii. Example iv. Analysis/Explanation III. Conclusion
Draft an introductory paragraph. Your introductory paragraph should provide basic background information about the document you are analyzing, as well as your thesis or topic sentence. You don’t need to provide a detailed summary of the document, but do provide enough information that your audience will have a basic understanding of what you are talking about. For example, “In the late 1920s, Kansas City schoolteacher Ethel Burnham 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. The poster ‘Say! What a relief,’ created in 1932 by designer Dorothy Plotzky, uses contrasting colors to symbolize the pain of a headache and the relief brought by Miss Burnham’s Pep-Em-Up Pills.”
Use the body of the essay to present your main arguments. Following the guidance of your outline, flesh out the major arguments you would like to make. Depending on the length and complexity of your analysis, you might devote 1 or more paragraphs to each argument. Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence summarizing what it is about, along with 2 or more sentences expanding on and supporting the topic sentence. Make sure to include specific examples and evidence to support each argument. Make sure to include clear transitions between each argument and each paragraph. Use transitional words and phrases, such as “Furthermore,” “Additionally,” “For example,” “Likewise,” or “In contrast . . .” The best way to organize your arguments will vary based on the individual topic and the specific points you are trying to make. For example, in your analysis of the poster, you might start with arguments about the red visual elements and then move on to a discussion about how the red text fits in.
Compose a conclusion that sums up your analysis. In your concluding paragraph, summarize the main ideas and arguments that you made in your analysis. Try to avoid simply restating your thesis, however. 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. For example, you might end your essay with a few sentences about how other advertisements at the time might have been influenced by Dorothy Plotzky’s use of colors.
Avoid presenting your personal opinions on the document. An analytical essay is supposed to present arguments based on clear evidence and examples. Don’t focus on your opinions or subjective reactions to the document. For example, in your discussion of the advertisement, avoid stating that you think the art is “beautiful” or that the advertisement is “boring.” Instead, focus on what the poster was supposed to accomplish and how the designer attempted to achieve those goals.
Polishing Your Analysis
Check that the organization of your analysis makes sense. Once you’ve drafted your analysis, read it over and make sure that it flows in a logical way. Make sure that there are clear transitions between your ideas and that the order in which you present your ideas makes sense. For example, if your essay currently skips around between discussions of the red and blue elements of the poster, consider reorganizing it so that you discuss all the red elements first, then focus on the blue ones.
Look for areas where you might clarify your writing or add details. When you’re writing an analysis, it’s easy to accidentally leave out details that might make your arguments clearer. Read over your draft carefully and look for any areas where you might have left out relevant information. For example, you might look for places where you could provide additional examples to support one of your major arguments.
Cut out any irrelevant passages. Check your essay for tangents or extraneous details that don’t support the main focus of your analysis. Remove any sentences or passages that aren’t directly relevant to what you’re trying to say. For example, if you included a paragraph about Dorothy Plotzky’s previous work as a children’s book illustrator, you may want to cut it if it doesn’t somehow relate to her use of color in advertising. Cutting material out of your analysis may be difficult, especially if you put a lot of thought into each sentence or found the additional material really interesting. Your analysis will be stronger if you keep it concise and to the point, however.
Proofread your writing and fix any errors. Once you’ve spotted any major organizational issues, go over your analysis carefully. Look for any problems with spelling, grammar, or punctuation, and correct them. This is also a good time to make sure that all of your citations are correctly formatted.Tip: When you’re reading silently, it’s easy to miss typos and other small errors because your brain corrects them automatically. Reading your work out loud can make problems easier to spot. You may find it helpful to have someone else go over your essay and look for any mistakes you might have missed.
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