how do you write an analytical thesis

Module 8: Analysis and Synthesis

Analytical thesis statements, learning objective.

Describe strategies for writing analytical thesis statements
Identify analytical thesis statements

In order to write an analysis, you want to first have a solid understanding of the thing you are analyzing. Remember, when you are analyzing as a writer, you are:

Breaking down information or artifacts into component parts
Uncovering relationships among those parts
Determining motives, causes, and underlying assumptions
Making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations

You may be asked to analyze a book, an essay, a poem, a movie, or even a song. For example, let’s suppose you want to analyze the lyrics to a popular song. Pretend that a rapper called Escalade has the biggest hit of the summer with a song titled “Missing You.” You listen to the song and determine that it is about the pain people feel when a loved one dies. You have already done analysis at a surface level and you want to begin writing your analysis. You start with the following thesis statement:

Escalade’s hit song “Missing You” is about grieving after a loved one dies.

There isn’t much depth or complexity to such a claim because the thesis doesn’t give much information. In order to write a better thesis statement, we need to dig deeper into the song. What is the importance of the lyrics? What are they really about? Why is the song about grieving? Why did he present it this way? Why is it a powerful song? Ask questions to lead you to further investigation. Doing so will help you better understand the work, but also help you develop a better thesis statement and stronger analytical essay.

Formulating an Analytical Thesis Statement

When formulating an analytical thesis statement in college, here are some helpful words and phrases to remember:

What? What is the claim?
How? How is this claim supported?
So what? In other words, “What does this mean, what are the implications, or why is this important?”

Telling readers what the lyrics are might be a useful way to let them see what you are analyzing and/or to isolate specific parts where you are focusing your analysis. However, you need to move far beyond “what.” Instructors at the college level want to see your ability to break down material and demonstrate deep thinking. The claim in the thesis statement above said that Escalade’s song was about loss, but what evidence do we have for that, and why does that matter?

Effective analytical thesis statements require digging deeper and perhaps examining the larger context. Let’s say you do some research and learn that the rapper’s mother died not long ago, and when you examine the lyrics more closely, you see that a few of the lines seem to be specifically about a mother rather than a loved one in general.

Then you also read a recent interview with Escalade in which he mentions that he’s staying away from hardcore rap lyrics on his new album in an effort to be more mainstream and reach more potential fans. Finally, you notice that some of the lyrics in the song focus on not taking full advantage of the time we have with our loved ones. All of these pieces give you material to write a more complex thesis statement, maybe something like this:

In the hit song “Missing You,” Escalade draws on his experience of losing his mother and raps about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in order to connect with his audience.

Such a thesis statement is focused while still allowing plenty of room for support in the body of your paper. It addresses the questions posed above:

The claim is that Escalade connects with a broader audience by rapping about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in his hit song, “Missing You.”
This claim is supported in the lyrics of the song and through the “experience of losing his mother.”
The implications are that we should not take the time we have with people for granted.

Certainly, there may be many ways for you to address “what,” “how,” and “so what,” and you may want to explore other ideas, but the above example is just one way to more fully analyze the material. Note that the example above is not formulaic, but if you need help getting started, you could use this template format to help develop your thesis statement.

Through ________________(how?), we can see that __________________(what?), which is important because ___________________(so what?). [1]

Just remember to think about these questions (what? how? and so what?) as you try to determine why something is what it is or why something means what it means. Asking these questions can help you analyze a song, story, or work of art, and can also help you construct meaningful thesis sentences when you write an analytical paper.

Key Takeaways for analytical theses

Don’t be afraid to let your claim evolve organically . If you find that your thinking and writing don’t stick exactly to the thesis statement you have constructed, your options are to scrap the writing and start again to make it fit your claim (which might not always be possible) or to modify your thesis statement. The latter option can be much easier if you are okay with the changes. As with many projects in life, writing doesn’t always go in the direction we plan, and strong analysis may mean thinking about and making changes as you look more closely at your topic. Be flexible.

Use analysis to get you to the main claim. You may have heard the simile that analysis is like peeling an onion because you have to go through layers to complete your work. You can start the process of breaking down an idea or an artifact without knowing where it will lead you or without a main claim or idea to guide you. Often, careful assessment of the pieces will bring you to an interesting interpretation of the whole. In their text Writing Analytically , authors David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen posit that being analytical doesn’t mean just breaking something down. It also means constructing understandings. Don’t assume you need to have deeper interpretations all figured out as you start your work.

When you decide upon the main claim, make sure it is reasoned . In other words, if it is very unlikely anyone else would reach the same interpretation you are making, it might be off base. Not everyone needs to see an idea the same way you do, but a reasonable person should be able to understand, if not agree, with your analysis.

Look for analytical thesis statements in the following activity.

Using Evidence

An effective analytical thesis statement (or claim) may sound smart or slick, but it requires evidence to be fully realized. Consider movie trailers and the actual full-length movies they advertise as an analogy. If you see an exciting one-minute movie trailer online and then go see the film only to leave disappointed because all the good parts were in the trailer, you feel cheated, right? You think you were promised something that didn’t deliver in its execution. A paper with a strong thesis statement but lackluster evidence feels the same way to readers.

So what does strong analytical evidence look like? Think again about “what,” “how,” and “so what.” A claim introduces these interpretations, and evidence lets you show them. Keep in mind that evidence used in writing analytically will build on itself as the piece progresses, much like a good movie builds to an interesting climax.

Key Takeaways about evidence

Be selective about evidence. Having a narrow thesis statement will help you be selective with evidence, but even then, you don’t need to include any and every piece of information related to your main claim. Consider the best points to back up your analytic thesis statement and go deeply into them. (Also, remember that you may modify your thesis statement as you think and write, so being selective about what evidence you use in an analysis may actually help you narrow down what was a broad main claim as you work.) Refer back to our movie theme in this section: You have probably seen plenty of films that would have been better with some parts cut out and more attention paid to intriguing but underdeveloped characters and/or ideas.

Be clear and explicit with your evidence. Don’t assume that readers know exactly what you are thinking. Make your points and explain them in detail, providing information and context for readers, where necessary. Remember that analysis is critical examination and interpretation, but you can’t just assume that others always share or intuit your line of thinking. Need a movie analogy? Think back on all the times you or someone you know has said something like “I’m not sure what is going on in this movie.”

Move past obvious interpretations. Analyzing requires brainpower. Writing analytically is even more difficult. Don’t, however, try to take the easy way out by using obvious evidence (or working from an obvious claim). Many times writers have a couple of great pieces of evidence to support an interesting interpretation, but they feel the need to tack on an obvious idea—often more of an observation than analysis—somewhere in their work. This tendency may stem from the conventions of the five-paragraph essay, which features three points of support. Writing analytically, though, does not mean writing a five-paragraph essay (not much writing in college does). Develop your other evidence further or modify your main idea to allow room for additional strong evidence, but avoid obvious observations as support for your main claim. One last movie comparison? Go take a look at some of the debate on predictable Hollywood scripts. Have you ever watched a movie and felt like you have seen it before? You have, in one way or another. A sharp reader will be about as interested in obvious evidence as he or she will be in seeing a tired script reworked for the thousandth time.

One type of analysis you may be asked to write is a literary analysis, in which you examine a piece of text by breaking it down and looking for common literary elements, such as character, symbolism, plot, setting, imagery, and tone.

The video below compares writing a literary analysis to analyzing a team’s chances of winning a game—just as you would look at various factors like the weather, coaching, players, their record, and their motivation for playing. Similarly, when analyzing a literary text you want to look at all of the literary elements that contribute to the work.

The video takes you through the story of Cinderalla as an example, following the simplest possible angle (or thesis statement), that “Dreams can come true if you don’t give up.” (Note that if you were really asked to analyze Cinderella for a college class, you would want to dig deeper to find a more nuanced and interesting theme, but it works well for this example.) To analyze the story with this theme in mind, you’d want to consider the literary elements such as imagery, characters, dialogue, symbolism, the setting, plot, and tone, and consider how each of these contribute to the message that “Dreams can come true if you don’t give up.”

You can view the transcript for “How to Analyze Literature” here (opens in new window) .

UCLA Undergraduate Writing Center. "What, How and So What?" Approaching the Thesis as a Process. https://wp.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/UWC_handouts_What-How-So-What-Thesis-revised-5-4-15-RZ.pdf ↵
Keys to Successful Analysis. Authored by : Guy Krueger. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
Thesis Statement Activity. Authored by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/research/thesis-or-focus/thesis-or-focus-thesis-statement-activity/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
What is Analysis?. Authored by : Karen Forgette. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY: Attribution
How to Analyze Literature. Provided by : HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr4BjZkQ5Nc . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

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Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

Explain the analysis of the college admission process
Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

How To Write an Analytical Essay

If you enjoy exploring topics deeply and thinking creatively, analytical essays could be perfect for you. They involve thorough analysis and clever writing techniques to gain fresh perspectives and deepen your understanding of the subject. In this article, our expert research paper writer will explain what an analytical essay is, how to structure it effectively and provide practical examples. This guide covers all the essentials for your writing success!

What Is an Analytical Essay

An analytical essay involves analyzing something, such as a book, movie, or idea. It relies on evidence from the text to logically support arguments, avoiding emotional appeals or personal stories. Unlike persuasive essays, which argue for a specific viewpoint, a good analytical essay explores all aspects of the topic, considering different perspectives, dissecting arguments, and evaluating evidence carefully. Ultimately, you'll need to present your own stance based on your analysis, synthesize findings, and decide whether you agree with the conclusions or have your own interpretation.

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How to Structure an Analytical Essay

Crafting an excellent paper starts with clear organization and structuring of arguments. An analytical essay structure follows a simple outline: introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introduction: Begin by grabbing the reader's attention and stating the topic clearly. Provide background information, state the purpose of the paper, and hint at the arguments you'll make. The opening sentence should be engaging, such as a surprising fact or a thought-provoking question. Then, present your thesis, summarizing your stance in the essay.

Body Paragraphs: Each paragraph starts with a clear topic sentence guiding the reader and presents evidence supporting the thesis. Focus on one issue per paragraph and briefly restate the main point at the end to transition smoothly to the next one. This ensures clarity and coherence in your argument.

Conclusion: Restate the thesis, summarize key points from the body paragraphs, and offer insights on the significance of the analysis. Provide your thoughts on the topic's importance and how your analysis contributes to it, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Meanwhile, you might also be interested in how to write a reflection paper , so check out the article for more information!

How to Write an Analytical Essay in 6 Simple Steps

Once you've got a handle on the structure, you can make writing easier by following some steps. Preparing ahead of time can make the process smoother and improve your essay's flow. Here are some helpful tips from our experts. And if you need it, you can always request our experts to write my essay for me , and we'll handle it promptly.

Step 1: Decide on Your Stance

Before diving into writing, it's crucial to establish your stance on the topic. Let's say you're going to write an analytical essay example about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work. Before you start writing, you need to decide what your opinion or viewpoint is on this topic.

Do you think remote work offers flexibility and improved work-life balance for employees?
Or maybe you believe it can lead to feelings of isolation and decreased productivity?

Once you've determined your stance on remote work, it's essential to consider the evidence and arguments supporting your position. Are there statistics or studies that back up your viewpoint? For example, if you believe remote work improves productivity, you might cite research showing increased output among remote workers. On the other hand, if you think it leads to isolation, you could reference surveys or testimonials highlighting the challenges of remote collaboration. Your opinion will shape how you write your essay, so take some time to think about what you believe about remote work before you start writing.

Step 2: Write Your Thesis Statement

Once you've figured out what you think about the topic, it's time to write your thesis statement. This statement is like the main idea or argument of your essay.

If you believe that remote work offers significant benefits, your thesis statement might be: 'Remote work presents an opportunity for increased flexibility and work-life balance, benefiting employees and employers alike in today's interconnected world.'

Alternatively, if you believe that remote work has notable drawbacks, your thesis statement might be: 'While remote work offers flexibility, it can also lead to feelings of isolation and challenges in collaboration, necessitating a balanced approach to its implementation.'

Your thesis statement guides the rest of your analytical essay, so make sure it clearly expresses your viewpoint on the benefits and drawbacks of remote work.

Step 3: Write Topic Sentences

After you have your thesis statement about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work, you need to come up with topic sentences for each paragraph while writing an analytical essay. These sentences introduce the main point of each paragraph and help to structure your essay.

Let's say your first paragraph is about the benefits of remote work. Your topic sentence might be: 'Remote work offers employees increased flexibility and autonomy, enabling them to better manage their work-life balance.'

For the next paragraph discussing the drawbacks of remote work, your topic sentence could be: 'However, remote work can also lead to feelings of isolation and difficulties in communication and collaboration with colleagues.'

And for the paragraph about potential solutions to the challenges of remote work, your topic sentence might be: 'To mitigate the drawbacks of remote work, companies can implement strategies such as regular check-ins, virtual team-building activities, and flexible work arrangements.'

Each topic sentence should relate back to your thesis statement about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work and provide a clear focus for the paragraph that follows.

Step 4: Create an Outline

Now that you have your thesis statement and topic sentences, it's time to create an analytical essay outline to ensure your essay flows logically. Here's an outline prepared by our analytical essay writer based on the example of discussing the benefits and drawbacks of remote work:

Step 5: Write Your First Draft

Now that you have your outline, it's time to start writing your first draft. Begin by expanding upon each point in your outline, making sure to connect your ideas smoothly and logically. Don't worry too much about perfection at this stage; the goal is to get your ideas down on paper. You can always revise and polish your draft later.

As you write, keep referring back to your thesis statement to ensure that your arguments align with your main argument. Additionally, make sure each paragraph flows naturally into the next, maintaining coherence throughout your essay.

Once you've completed your first draft, take a break and then come back to review and revise it. Look for areas where you can strengthen your arguments, clarify your points, and improve the overall structure and flow of your essay.

Remember, writing is a process, and it's okay to go through multiple drafts before you're satisfied with the final result. Take your time and be patient with yourself as you work towards creating a well-crafted essay on the benefits and drawbacks of remote work.

Step 6: Revise and Proofread

Once you've completed your first draft, it's essential to revise and proofread your essay to ensure clarity, coherence, and correctness. Here's how to approach this step:

Check if your ideas make sense and if they support your main point.
Make sure your writing style stays the same and your format follows the rules.
Double-check your facts and make sure you've covered everything important.
Cut out any extra words and make your sentences clear and short.
Look for mistakes in spelling and grammar.
Ask someone to read your essay and give you feedback.

What is the Purpose of an Analytical Essay?

Analytical essays aim to analyze texts or topics, presenting a clear argument. They deepen understanding by evaluating evidence and uncovering underlying meanings. These essays promote critical thinking, challenging readers to consider different viewpoints.

They're also great for improving critical thinking skills. By breaking down complex ideas and presenting them clearly, they encourage readers to think for themselves and reach their own conclusions.

This type of essay also adds to academic discussions by offering fresh insights. By analyzing existing research and literature, they bring new perspectives or shine a light on overlooked parts of a topic. This keeps academic conversations lively and encourages more exploration in the field.

Analytical Essay Examples

Check out our essay samples to see theory in action. Crafted by our dissertation services , they show how analytical thinking applies to real situations, helping you understand concepts better.

With our tips on how to write an analytical essay, you're ready to boost your writing skills and craft essays that captivate your audience. With practice, you'll become a pro at analytical writing, ready to tackle any topic with confidence. And, if you need help to buy essay online , just drop us a line saying ' do my homework for me ' and we'll jump right in!

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Give us your assignment to uncover a deeper understanding of your chosen analytical essay topic!

How to Write an Analytical Essay?

What is an analytical essay.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

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How to Write an Analytical Essay

Last Updated: February 2, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD . Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,989,754 times.

Writing an analytical essay can seem daunting, especially if you've never done it before. Don't worry! Take a deep breath, buy yourself a caffeinated beverage, and follow these steps to create a well-crafted analytical essay.

Prewriting for Your Essay

Step 1 Understand the objective of an analytical essay.

For example, "Stanley Kubrick's The Shining uses a repeating motif of Native American culture and art to comment on America's history of colonizing Native Americans' lands" is an analytical thesis. It is analyzing a particular text and setting forth an argument about it in the form of a thesis statement.

If you're writing an analytical essay about a work of fiction, you could focus your argument on what motivates a specific character or group of characters. Or, you could argue why a certain line or paragraph is central to the work as a whole. For example: Explore the concept of vengeance in the epic poem Beowulf .
If you're writing about a historical event, try focusing on the forces that contributed to what happened.
If you're writing about scientific research or findings, follow the scientific method to analyze your results.

Look for repeated imagery, metaphors, phrases, or ideas. Things that repeat are often important. See if you can decipher why these things are so crucial. Do they repeat in the same way each time, or differently?
How does the text work? If you're writing a rhetorical analysis, for example, you might analyze how the author uses logical appeals to support her argument and decide whether you think the argument is effective. If you're analyzing a creative work, consider things like imagery, visuals in a film, etc. If you're analyzing research, you may want to consider the methods and results and analyze whether the experiment is a good design.
A mind map can be helpful to some people. Start with your central topic, and arrange smaller ideas around it in bubbles. Connect the bubbles to identify patterns and how things are related.
Good brainstorming can be all over the place. In fact, that can be a good way to start off! Don't discount any ideas just yet. Write down any element or fact that you think of as you examine your topic.

This is an analytical thesis because it examines a text and makes a particular claim.
The claim is "arguable," meaning it's not a statement of pure fact that nobody could contest. An analytical essay takes a side and makes an argument.
Make sure your thesis is narrow enough to fit the scope of your assignment. "Revenge in Beowulf could be a PhD dissertation, it's so broad. It's probably much too big for a student essay. However, arguing that one character's revenge is more honorable than another's is manageable within a shorter student essay. [3] X Research source
Unless instructed to write one, avoid the "three-prong" thesis that presents three points to be discussed later. These thesis statements usually limit your analysis too much and give your argument a formulaic feel. It's okay to state generally what your argument will be.

Example of supporting evidence : To support a claim that the dragon’s vengeance was more righteous than Grendel's mother's, look at the passages in the poem that discuss the events leading up to each monster’s attack, the attacks themselves, as well as the reactions to those attacks. Don't: ignore or twist evidence to fit your thesis. Do: adjust your thesis to a more nuanced position as you learn more about the topic.

If you're not quite sure how all your evidence fits together, don't worry! Making an outline can help you figure out how your argument should progress.
You can also make a more informal outline that groups your ideas together in large groups. From there, you can decide what to talk about where.
Your essay will be as long as it needs to be to adequately discuss your topic. A common mistake students make is to choose a large topic and then allow only 3 body paragraphs to discuss it. This makes essays feel shallow or rushed. Don't be afraid to spend enough time discussing each detail!

Writing Your Essay

Example introduction : Revenge was a legally recognized right in ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The many revenges in the epic poem Beowulf show that retribution was an essential part of the Anglo-Saxon age. However, not all revenges are created alike. The poet's portrayal of these revenges suggests that the dragon was more honorable in his act of revenge than Grendel's mother.
This introduction gives your readers information they should know to understand your argument, and then presents an argument about the complexity of a general topic (revenge) in the poem. This type of argument can be interesting because it suggests that the reader needs to think about the text very carefully and not take it at face value. Don't: include filler and fluff sentences beginning with "In modern society" or "Throughout time." Do: briefly mention the title, author, and publication date of the text you're analyzing.

Example topic sentence : The key to differentiating between the two attacks is the notion of excessive retribution.
Example analysis : Grendel's mother does not simply want vengeance, as per the Medieval concept of ‘an eye for an eye.’ Instead, she wants to take a life for a life while also throwing Hrothgar’s kingdom into chaos.
Example evidence : Instead of simply killing Aeschere, and thus enacting just revenge, she “quickly [snatches] up” that nobleman and, with him “tight in her clutches,” she leaves for the fen (1294). She does this to lure Beowulf away from Heorot so she can kill him as well.
The formula "CEE" may help you remember: Claim-Evidence-Explanation. Whenever you present a claim, make sure you present evidence to support that claim and explain how the evidence relates to your claim.

Step 3 Know when to quote or paraphrase.

Example of a quote : Instead of simply killing Aeschere, and thus enacting just revenge, she “quickly [snatches] up” that nobleman and, with him “tight in her clutches,” she leaves for the fen (1294).
Example of a paraphrased sentence : The female Grendel enters Heorot, snatches up one of the men sleeping inside it, and runs away to the fen (1294).

Example conclusion : The concept of an ‘eye for an eye’ was very present in the early Medieval world. However, by comparing the attacks of both Grendel's mother and the dragon, the medieval world’s perception of righteous vengeance versus unjust revenge is made clear. While the dragon acts out in the only way he knows how, Grendel's mother attacks with evil intent.
Example conclusion with a ‘bigger world connection’: The concept of an ‘eye for an eye’ was very present in the early Medieval world. However, by comparing the attacks of both Grendel's mother and the dragon, the medieval world’s perception of righteous vengeance versus unjust revenge is made clear. While the dragon acts out in the only way he knows how, Grendel's mother attacks with evil intent. As we saw from the study of other characters, these portrayals may tie into an early Medieval perception that women had greater potential for evil.

Finalizing Your Essay

Step 1 Proofread your essay for spelling or grammar mistakes.

Make sure to also format your essay correctly. For example, using a 12-pt standard font (like Arial or Times New Roman) and 1" margins is standard.

If you are analyzing a film, look up the list of characters online. Check two or three sources to make sure that you have the correct spelling.

Step 4 Read your paper as if you were your teacher.

Analytical Essay Writing Help

Community Q&A

Ask yourself "What am I trying to prove?" The answer should be in your thesis. If not, go back and fix it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
If you are writing a formal analysis or critique, then avoid using colloquial writing . Though informal language may bring some color to a paper, you do not want to risk weakening your argument by influencing it with verbal slang. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Avoid being too vague. Vagueness leaves room for misinterpretation and in a coherent, analytical essay, leaving room for misinterpretation decreases the effectiveness of your argument. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://www.stetson.edu/other/writing-center/media/Handout%20-%20Analytical%20Essay.pdf
↑ https://www.bucks.edu/media/bcccmedialibrary/pdf/HOWTOWRITEALITERARYANALYSISESSAY_10.15.07_001.pdf
↑ http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/rsrchppr.html
↑ https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-can-i-create-stronger-analysis-.html
↑ https://academics.umw.edu/writing-fredericksburg/files/2011/09/Basic-Outlines.pdf
↑ https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-do-i-write-an-intro--conclusion----body-paragraph.html
↑ https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-do-i-incorporate-quotes-.html
↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/proofreading/proofreading_suggestions.html
↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/proofreading

About This Article

To write an analytical essay, first write an introduction that gives your reader background information and introduces your thesis. Then, write body paragraphs in support of your thesis that include a topic sentence, an analysis of some part of the text, and evidence from the text that supports your analysis. You can use direct quotes from the text that support your point of view or paraphrase if you’re trying to summarize information. Finally, complete your essay with a conclusion that reiterates your thesis and your primary support for it. To learn from our English reviewer how to come up with your thesis statement and find evidence that supports it, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Do you need to write an analytical essay for school? What sets this kind of essay apart from other types, and what must you include when you write your own analytical essay? In this guide, we break down the process of writing an analytical essay by explaining the key factors your essay needs to have, providing you with an outline to help you structure your essay, and analyzing a complete analytical essay example so you can see what a finished essay looks like.

What Is an Analytical Essay?

Before you begin writing an analytical essay, you must know what this type of essay is and what it includes. Analytical essays analyze something, often (but not always) a piece of writing or a film.

An analytical essay is more than just a synopsis of the issue though; in this type of essay you need to go beyond surface-level analysis and look at what the key arguments/points of this issue are and why. If you’re writing an analytical essay about a piece of writing, you’ll look into how the text was written and why the author chose to write it that way. Instead of summarizing, an analytical essay typically takes a narrower focus and looks at areas such as major themes in the work, how the author constructed and supported their argument, how the essay used literary devices to enhance its messages, etc.

While you certainly want people to agree with what you’ve written, unlike with persuasive and argumentative essays, your main purpose when writing an analytical essay isn’t to try to convert readers to your side of the issue. Therefore, you won’t be using strong persuasive language like you would in those essay types. Rather, your goal is to have enough analysis and examples that the strength of your argument is clear to readers.

Besides typical essay components like an introduction and conclusion, a good analytical essay will include:

A thesis that states your main argument
Analysis that relates back to your thesis and supports it
Examples to support your analysis and allow a more in-depth look at the issue

In the rest of this article, we’ll explain how to include each of these in your analytical essay.

How to Structure Your Analytical Essay

Analytical essays are structured similarly to many other essays you’ve written, with an introduction (including a thesis), several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Below is an outline you can follow when structuring your essay, and in the next section we go into more detail on how to write an analytical essay.

Introduction

Your introduction will begin with some sort of attention-grabbing sentence to get your audience interested, then you’ll give a few sentences setting up the topic so that readers have some context, and you’ll end with your thesis statement. Your introduction will include:

Brief background information explaining the issue/text
Your thesis

Body Paragraphs

Your analytical essay will typically have three or four body paragraphs, each covering a different point of analysis. Begin each body paragraph with a sentence that sets up the main point you’ll be discussing. Then you’ll give some analysis on that point, backing it up with evidence to support your claim. Continue analyzing and giving evidence for your analysis until you’re out of strong points for the topic. At the end of each body paragraph, you may choose to have a transition sentence that sets up what the next paragraph will be about, but this isn’t required. Body paragraphs will include:

Introductory sentence explaining what you’ll cover in the paragraph (sort of like a mini-thesis)
Analysis point
Evidence (either passages from the text or data/facts) that supports the analysis
(Repeat analysis and evidence until you run out of examples)

You won’t be making any new points in your conclusion; at this point you’re just reiterating key points you’ve already made and wrapping things up. Begin by rephrasing your thesis and summarizing the main points you made in the essay. Someone who reads just your conclusion should be able to come away with a basic idea of what your essay was about and how it was structured. After this, you may choose to make some final concluding thoughts, potentially by connecting your essay topic to larger issues to show why it’s important. A conclusion will include:

Paraphrase of thesis
Summary of key points of analysis
Final concluding thought(s)

5 Steps for Writing an Analytical Essay

Follow these five tips to break down writing an analytical essay into manageable steps. By the end, you’ll have a fully-crafted analytical essay with both in-depth analysis and enough evidence to support your argument. All of these steps use the completed analytical essay in the next section as an example.

#1: Pick a Topic

You may have already had a topic assigned to you, and if that’s the case, you can skip this step. However, if you haven’t, or if the topic you’ve been assigned is broad enough that you still need to narrow it down, then you’ll need to decide on a topic for yourself. Choosing the right topic can mean the difference between an analytical essay that’s easy to research (and gets you a good grade) and one that takes hours just to find a few decent points to analyze

Before you decide on an analytical essay topic, do a bit of research to make sure you have enough examples to support your analysis. If you choose a topic that’s too narrow, you’ll struggle to find enough to write about.

For example, say your teacher assigns you to write an analytical essay about the theme in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath of exposing injustices against migrants. For it to be an analytical essay, you can’t just recount the injustices characters in the book faced; that’s only a summary and doesn’t include analysis. You need to choose a topic that allows you to analyze the theme. One of the best ways to explore a theme is to analyze how the author made his/her argument. One example here is that Steinbeck used literary devices in the intercalary chapters (short chapters that didn’t relate to the plot or contain the main characters of the book) to show what life was like for migrants as a whole during the Dust Bowl.

You could write about how Steinbeck used literary devices throughout the whole book, but, in the essay below, I chose to just focus on the intercalary chapters since they gave me enough examples. Having a narrower focus will nearly always result in a tighter and more convincing essay (and can make compiling examples less overwhelming).

#2: Write a Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is the most important sentence of your essay; a reader should be able to read just your thesis and understand what the entire essay is about and what you’ll be analyzing. When you begin writing, remember that each sentence in your analytical essay should relate back to your thesis

In the analytical essay example below, the thesis is the final sentence of the first paragraph (the traditional spot for it). The thesis is: “In The Grapes of Wrath’s intercalary chapters, John Steinbeck employs a variety of literary devices and stylistic choices to better expose the injustices committed against migrants in the 1930s.” So what will this essay analyze? How Steinbeck used literary devices in the intercalary chapters to show how rough migrants could have it. Crystal clear.

#3: Do Research to Find Your Main Points

This is where you determine the bulk of your analysis--the information that makes your essay an analytical essay. My preferred method is to list every idea that I can think of, then research each of those and use the three or four strongest ones for your essay. Weaker points may be those that don’t relate back to the thesis, that you don’t have much analysis to discuss, or that you can’t find good examples for. A good rule of thumb is to have one body paragraph per main point

This essay has four main points, each of which analyzes a different literary device Steinbeck uses to better illustrate how difficult life was for migrants during the Dust Bowl. The four literary devices and their impact on the book are:

Lack of individual names in intercalary chapters to illustrate the scope of the problem
Parallels to the Bible to induce sympathy for the migrants
Non-showy, often grammatically-incorrect language so the migrants are more realistic and relatable to readers
Nature-related metaphors to affect the mood of the writing and reflect the plight of the migrants

#4: Find Excerpts or Evidence to Support Your Analysis

Now that you have your main points, you need to back them up. If you’re writing a paper about a text or film, use passages/clips from it as your main source of evidence. If you’re writing about something else, your evidence can come from a variety of sources, such as surveys, experiments, quotes from knowledgeable sources etc. Any evidence that would work for a regular research paper works here.

In this example, I quoted multiple passages from The Grapes of Wrath in each paragraph to support my argument. You should be able to back up every claim you make with evidence in order to have a strong essay.

#5: Put It All Together

Now it's time to begin writing your essay, if you haven’t already. Create an introductory paragraph that ends with the thesis, make a body paragraph for each of your main points, including both analysis and evidence to back up your claims, and wrap it all up with a conclusion that recaps your thesis and main points and potentially explains the big picture importance of the topic.

Analytical Essay Example + Analysis

So that you can see for yourself what a completed analytical essay looks like, here’s an essay I wrote back in my high school days. It’s followed by analysis of how I structured my essay, what its strengths are, and how it could be improved.

One way Steinbeck illustrates the connections all migrant people possessed and the struggles they faced is by refraining from using specific titles and names in his intercalary chapters. While The Grapes of Wrath focuses on the Joad family, the intercalary chapters show that all migrants share the same struggles and triumphs as the Joads. No individual names are used in these chapters; instead the people are referred to as part of a group. Steinbeck writes, “Frantic men pounded on the doors of the doctors; and the doctors were busy. And sad men left word at country stores for the coroner to send a car,” (555). By using generic terms, Steinbeck shows how the migrants are all linked because they have gone through the same experiences. The grievances committed against one family were committed against thousands of other families; the abuse extends far beyond what the Joads experienced. The Grapes of Wrath frequently refers to the importance of coming together; how, when people connect with others their power and influence multiplies immensely. Throughout the novel, the goal of the migrants, the key to their triumph, has been to unite. While their plans are repeatedly frustrated by the government and police, Steinbeck’s intercalary chapters provide a way for the migrants to relate to one another because they have encountered the same experiences. Hundreds of thousands of migrants fled to the promised land of California, but Steinbeck was aware that numbers alone were impersonal and lacked the passion he desired to spread. Steinbeck created the intercalary chapters to show the massive numbers of people suffering, and he created the Joad family to evoke compassion from readers. Because readers come to sympathize with the Joads, they become more sensitive to the struggles of migrants in general. However, John Steinbeck frequently made clear that the Joads were not an isolated incident; they were not unique. Their struggles and triumphs were part of something greater. Refraining from specific names in his intercalary chapters allows Steinbeck to show the vastness of the atrocities committed against migrants.

Steinbeck also creates significant parallels to the Bible in his intercalary chapters in order to enhance his writing and characters. By using simple sentences and stylized writing, Steinbeck evokes Biblical passages. The migrants despair, “No work till spring. No work,” (556). Short, direct sentences help to better convey the desperateness of the migrants’ situation. Throughout his novel, John Steinbeck makes connections to the Bible through his characters and storyline. Jim Casy’s allusions to Christ and the cycle of drought and flooding are clear biblical references. By choosing to relate The Grapes of Wrath to the Bible, Steinbeck’s characters become greater than themselves. Starving migrants become more than destitute vagrants; they are now the chosen people escaping to the promised land. When a forgotten man dies alone and unnoticed, it becomes a tragedy. Steinbeck writes, “If [the migrants] were shot at, they did not run, but splashed sullenly away; and if they were hit, they sank tiredly in the mud,” (556). Injustices committed against the migrants become greater because they are seen as children of God through Steinbeck’s choice of language. Referencing the Bible strengthens Steinbeck’s novel and purpose: to create understanding for the dispossessed. It is easy for people to feel disdain for shabby vagabonds, but connecting them to such a fundamental aspect of Christianity induces sympathy from readers who might have otherwise disregarded the migrants as so many other people did.

The simple, uneducated dialogue Steinbeck employs also helps to create a more honest and meaningful representation of the migrants, and it makes the migrants more relatable to readers. Steinbeck chooses to accurately represent the language of the migrants in order to more clearly illustrate their lives and make them seem more like real paper than just characters in a book. The migrants lament, “They ain’t gonna be no kinda work for three months,” (555). There are multiple grammatical errors in that single sentence, but it vividly conveys the despair the migrants felt better than a technically perfect sentence would. The Grapes of Wrath is intended to show the severe difficulties facing the migrants so Steinbeck employs a clear, pragmatic style of writing. Steinbeck shows the harsh, truthful realities of the migrants’ lives and he would be hypocritical if he chose to give the migrants a more refined voice and not portray them with all their shortcomings. The depiction of the migrants as imperfect through their language also makes them easier to relate to. Steinbeck’s primary audience was the middle class, the less affluent of society. Repeatedly in The Grapes of Wrath , the wealthy make it obvious that they scorn the plight of the migrants. The wealthy, not bad luck or natural disasters, were the prominent cause of the suffering of migrant families such as the Joads. Thus, Steinbeck turns to the less prosperous for support in his novel. When referring to the superior living conditions barnyard animals have, the migrants remark, “Them’s horses-we’re men,” (556). The perfect simplicity of this quote expresses the absurdness of the migrants’ situation better than any flowery expression could.

In The Grapes of Wrath , John Steinbeck uses metaphors, particularly about nature, in order to illustrate the mood and the overall plight of migrants. Throughout most of the book, the land is described as dusty, barren, and dead. Towards the end, however; floods come and the landscape begins to change. At the end of chapter twenty-nine, Steinbeck describes a hill after the floods saying, “Tiny points of grass came through the earth, and in a few days the hills were pale green with the beginning year,” (556). This description offers a stark contrast from the earlier passages which were filled with despair and destruction. Steinbeck’s tone from the beginning of the chapter changes drastically. Early in the chapter, Steinbeck had used heavy imagery in order to convey the destruction caused by the rain, “The streams and the little rivers edged up to the bank sides and worked at willows and tree roots, bent the willows deep in the current, cut out the roots of cottonwoods and brought down the trees,” (553). However, at the end of the chapter the rain has caused new life to grow in California. The new grass becomes a metaphor representing hope. When the migrants are at a loss over how they will survive the winter, the grass offers reassurance. The story of the migrants in the intercalary chapters parallels that of the Joads. At the end of the novel, the family is breaking apart and has been forced to flee their home. However, both the book and final intercalary chapter end on a hopeful note after so much suffering has occurred. The grass metaphor strengthens Steinbeck’s message because it offers a tangible example of hope. Through his language Steinbeck’s themes become apparent at the end of the novel. Steinbeck affirms that persistence, even when problems appear insurmountable, leads to success. These metaphors help to strengthen Steinbeck’s themes in The Grapes of Wrath because they provide a more memorable way to recall important messages.

John Steinbeck’s language choices help to intensify his writing in his intercalary chapters and allow him to more clearly show how difficult life for migrants could be. Refraining from using specific names and terms allows Steinbeck to show that many thousands of migrants suffered through the same wrongs. Imitating the style of the Bible strengthens Steinbeck’s characters and connects them to the Bible, perhaps the most famous book in history. When Steinbeck writes in the imperfect dialogue of the migrants, he creates a more accurate portrayal and makes the migrants easier to relate to for a less affluent audience. Metaphors, particularly relating to nature, strengthen the themes in The Grapes of Wrath by enhancing the mood Steinbeck wants readers to feel at different points in the book. Overall, the intercalary chapters that Steinbeck includes improve his novel by making it more memorable and reinforcing the themes Steinbeck embraces throughout the novel. Exemplary stylistic devices further persuade readers of John Steinbeck’s personal beliefs. Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath to bring to light cruelties against migrants, and by using literary devices effectively, he continuously reminds readers of his purpose. Steinbeck’s impressive language choices in his intercalary chapters advance the entire novel and help to create a classic work of literature that people still are able to relate to today.

This essay sticks pretty closely to the standard analytical essay outline. It starts with an introduction, where I chose to use a quote to start off the essay. (This became my favorite way to start essays in high school because, if I wasn’t sure what to say, I could outsource the work and find a quote that related to what I’d be writing about.) The quote in this essay doesn’t relate to the themes I’m discussing quite as much as it could, but it’s still a slightly different way to start an essay and can intrigue readers. I then give a bit of background on The Grapes of Wrath and its themes before ending the intro paragraph with my thesis: that Steinbeck used literary devices in intercalary chapters to show how rough migrants had it.

Each of my four body paragraphs is formatted in roughly the same way: an intro sentence that explains what I’ll be discussing, analysis of that main point, and at least two quotes from the book as evidence.

My conclusion restates my thesis, summarizes each of four points I discussed in my body paragraphs, and ends the essay by briefly discussing how Steinbeck’s writing helped introduce a world of readers to the injustices migrants experienced during the dust bowl.

What does this analytical essay example do well? For starters, it contains everything that a strong analytical essay should, and it makes that easy to find. The thesis clearly lays out what the essay will be about, the first sentence of each of the body paragraph introduces the topic it’ll cover, and the conclusion neatly recaps all the main points. Within each of the body paragraphs, there’s analysis along with multiple excerpts from the book in order to add legitimacy to my points.

Additionally, the essay does a good job of taking an in-depth look at the issue introduced in the thesis. Four ways Steinbeck used literary devices are discussed, and for each of the examples are given and analysis is provided so readers can understand why Steinbeck included those devices and how they helped shaped how readers viewed migrants and their plight.

Where could this essay be improved? I believe the weakest body paragraph is the third one, the one that discusses how Steinbeck used plain, grammatically incorrect language to both accurately depict the migrants and make them more relatable to readers. The paragraph tries to touch on both of those reasons and ends up being somewhat unfocused as a result. It would have been better for it to focus on just one of those reasons (likely how it made the migrants more relatable) in order to be clearer and more effective. It’s a good example of how adding more ideas to an essay often doesn’t make it better if they don’t work with the rest of what you’re writing. This essay also could explain the excerpts that are included more and how they relate to the points being made. Sometimes they’re just dropped in the essay with the expectation that the readers will make the connection between the example and the analysis. This is perhaps especially true in the second body paragraph, the one that discusses similarities to Biblical passages. Additional analysis of the quotes would have strengthened it.

Summary: How to Write an Analytical Essay

What is an analytical essay? A critical analytical essay analyzes a topic, often a text or film. The analysis paper uses evidence to support the argument, such as excerpts from the piece of writing. All analytical papers include a thesis, analysis of the topic, and evidence to support that analysis.

When developing an analytical essay outline and writing your essay, follow these five steps:

Reading analytical essay examples can also give you a better sense of how to structure your essay and what to include in it.

What's Next?

Learning about different writing styles in school? There are four main writing styles, and it's important to understand each of them. Learn about them in our guide to writing styles , complete with examples.

Writing a research paper for school but not sure what to write about? Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you.

Literary devices can both be used to enhance your writing and communication. Check out this list of 31 literary devices to learn more !

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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5.7: Analytical Thesis Statements

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Learning Objective

Describe strategies for writing analytical thesis statements
Identify analytical thesis statements

In order to write an analysis, you want to first have a solid understanding of the thing you are analyzing. Remember, this means:

Breaking down information or artifacts into component parts
Uncovering relationships among those parts
Determining motives, causes, and underlying assumptions
Making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations

“Escalade’s hit song “Missing You” is about being sad after a loved one dies.”

There isn’t much depth or complexity to such a claim because the thesis doesn’t give much information. In order to write a better thesis statement, we need to dig deeper into the song. What is the importance of the lyrics? What are they really about? Why is the song about being sad? Why did he present it this way? Why is it a powerful song? Ask questions to lead you to further investigation. Doing so will help you better understand the work, but also help you develop a better thesis statement and stronger analytical essay.

Formulating an Analytical Thesis Statement

When formulating an analytical thesis statement in college, there are three words/phrases to remember:

What? What is the claim?
How? How is this claim supported?
So what? In other words, “What does this mean, what are the implications, or why is this important?”

Telling readers what the lyrics are might be a useful way to let them see what you are analyzing and/or to isolate specific parts where you are focusing your analysis. However, you need to move far beyond “what.” Instructors at the college level want to see your ability to break down material and demonstrate deep thinking. The claim in the thesis statement above said that Escalade’s song was about being sad, but what evidence do we have for that, and why does that matter?

“In the hit song ‘Missing You,’ Escalade draws on his experience of losing his mother and raps about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in order to connect with a broad audience.”

Such a thesis statement is focused while still allowing plenty of room for support in the body of your paper. It addresses the questions posed above:

The claim is that Escalade connects with a broader audience by rapping about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in his hit song, “Missing You.”
This claim is supported in the lyrics of the song and through the “experience of losing his mother.”
The implications are that we should not take valuable things for granted.

Through ________________(how?), we can see that __________________(what?), which is important because ___________________(so what?). [1]

Key Takeaways for analytical theses

Look for analytical thesis statements in the following activity.

https://lumenlearning.h5p.com/content/1290920118213584118/embed

Using Evidence

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/20272

Key Takeaways about evidence

You can view the transcript for “How to Analyze Literature” here (opens in new window) .

UCLA Undergraduate Writing Center. "What, How and So What?" Approaching the Thesis as a Process. https://wp.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/UWC_handouts_What-How-So-What-Thesis-revised-5-4-15-RZ.pdf ↵

Contributors and Attributions

Keys to Successful Analysis. Authored by : Guy Krueger. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
Thesis Statement Activity. Authored by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/research/thesis-or-focus/thesis-or-focus-thesis-statement-activity/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
What is Analysis?. Authored by : Karen Forgette. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY: Attribution
How to Analyze Literature. Provided by : HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr4BjZkQ5Nc . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

8.5 Writing Process: Creating an Analytical Report

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Identify the elements of the rhetorical situation for your report.
Find and focus a topic to write about.
Gather and analyze information from appropriate sources.
Distinguish among different kinds of evidence.
Draft a thesis and create an organizational plan.
Compose a report that develops ideas and integrates evidence from sources.
Give and act on productive feedback to works in progress.

You might think that writing comes easily to experienced writers—that they draft stories and college papers all at once, sitting down at the computer and having sentences flow from their fingers like water from a faucet. In reality, most writers engage in a recursive process, pushing forward, stepping back, and repeating steps multiple times as their ideas develop and change. In broad strokes, the steps most writers go through are these:

Planning and Organization . You will have an easier time drafting if you devote time at the beginning to consider the rhetorical situation for your report, understand your assignment, gather ideas and information, draft a thesis statement, and create an organizational plan.
Drafting . When you have an idea of what you want to say and the order in which you want to say it, you’re ready to draft. As much as possible, keep going until you have a complete first draft of your report, resisting the urge to go back and rewrite. Save that for after you have completed a first draft.
Review . Now is the time to get feedback from others, whether from your instructor, your classmates, a tutor in the writing center, your roommate, someone in your family, or someone else you trust to read your writing critically and give you honest feedback.
Revising . With feedback on your draft, you are ready to revise. You may need to return to an earlier step and make large-scale revisions that involve planning, organizing, and rewriting, or you may need to work mostly on ensuring that your sentences are clear and correct.

Considering the Rhetorical Situation

Like other kinds of writing projects, a report starts with assessing the rhetorical situation —the circumstance in which a writer communicates with an audience of readers about a subject. As the writer of a report, you make choices based on the purpose of your writing, the audience who will read it, the genre of the report, and the expectations of the community and culture in which you are working. A graphic organizer like Table 8.1 can help you begin.

Summary of Assignment

Write an analytical report on a topic that interests you and that you want to know more about. The topic can be contemporary or historical, but it must be one that you can analyze and support with evidence from sources.

The following questions can help you think about a topic suitable for analysis:

Why or how did ________ happen?
What are the results or effects of ________?
Is ________ a problem? If so, why?
What are examples of ________ or reasons for ________?
How does ________ compare to or contrast with other issues, concerns, or things?

Consult and cite three to five reliable sources. The sources do not have to be scholarly for this assignment, but they must be credible, trustworthy, and unbiased. Possible sources include academic journals, newspapers, magazines, reputable websites, government publications or agency websites, and visual sources such as TED Talks. You may also use the results of an experiment or survey, and you may want to conduct interviews.

Consider whether visuals and media will enhance your report. Can you present data you collect visually? Would a map, photograph, chart, or other graphic provide interesting and relevant support? Would video or audio allow you to present evidence that you would otherwise need to describe in words?

Another Lens. To gain another analytic view on the topic of your report, consider different people affected by it. Say, for example, that you have decided to report on recent high school graduates and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the final months of their senior year. If you are a recent high school graduate, you might naturally gravitate toward writing about yourself and your peers. But you might also consider the adults in the lives of recent high school graduates—for example, teachers, parents, or grandparents—and how they view the same period. Or you might consider the same topic from the perspective of a college admissions department looking at their incoming freshman class.

Quick Launch: Finding and Focusing a Topic

Coming up with a topic for a report can be daunting because you can report on nearly anything. The topic can easily get too broad, trapping you in the realm of generalizations. The trick is to find a topic that interests you and focus on an angle you can analyze in order to say something significant about it. You can use a graphic organizer to generate ideas, or you can use a concept map similar to the one featured in Writing Process: Thinking Critically About a “Text.”

Asking the Journalist’s Questions

One way to generate ideas about a topic is to ask the five W (and one H) questions, also called the journalist’s questions : Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Try answering the following questions to explore a topic:

Who was or is involved in ________?

What happened/is happening with ________? What were/are the results of ________?

When did ________ happen? Is ________ happening now?

Where did ________ happen, or where is ________ happening?

Why did ________ happen, or why is ________ happening now?

How did ________ happen?

For example, imagine that you have decided to write your analytical report on the effect of the COVID-19 shutdown on high-school students by interviewing students on your college campus. Your questions and answers might look something like those in Table 8.2 :

Asking Focused Questions

Another way to find a topic is to ask focused questions about it. For example, you might ask the following questions about the effect of the 2020 pandemic shutdown on recent high school graduates:

How did the shutdown change students’ feelings about their senior year?
How did the shutdown affect their decisions about post-graduation plans, such as work or going to college?
How did the shutdown affect their academic performance in high school or in college?
How did/do they feel about continuing their education?
How did the shutdown affect their social relationships?

Any of these questions might be developed into a thesis for an analytical report. Table 8.3 shows more examples of broad topics and focusing questions.

Gathering Information

Because they are based on information and evidence, most analytical reports require you to do at least some research. Depending on your assignment, you may be able to find reliable information online, or you may need to do primary research by conducting an experiment, a survey, or interviews. For example, if you live among students in their late teens and early twenties, consider what they can tell you about their lives that you might be able to analyze. Returning to or graduating from high school, starting college, or returning to college in the midst of a global pandemic has provided them, for better or worse, with educational and social experiences that are shared widely by people their age and very different from the experiences older adults had at the same age.

Some report assignments will require you to do formal research, an activity that involves finding sources and evaluating them for reliability, reading them carefully, taking notes, and citing all words you quote and ideas you borrow. See Research Process: Accessing and Recording Information and Annotated Bibliography: Gathering, Evaluating, and Documenting Sources for detailed instruction on conducting research.

Whether you conduct in-depth research or not, keep track of the ideas that come to you and the information you learn. You can write or dictate notes using an app on your phone or computer, or you can jot notes in a journal if you prefer pen and paper. Then, when you are ready to begin organizing your report, you will have a record of your thoughts and information. Always track the sources of information you gather, whether from printed or digital material or from a person you interviewed, so that you can return to the sources if you need more information. And always credit the sources in your report.

Kinds of Evidence

Depending on your assignment and the topic of your report, certain kinds of evidence may be more effective than others. Other kinds of evidence may even be required. As a general rule, choose evidence that is rooted in verifiable facts and experience. In addition, select the evidence that best supports the topic and your approach to the topic, be sure the evidence meets your instructor’s requirements, and cite any evidence you use that comes from a source. The following list contains different kinds of frequently used evidence and an example of each.

Definition : An explanation of a key word, idea, or concept.

The U.S. Census Bureau refers to a “young adult” as a person between 18 and 34 years old.

Example : An illustration of an idea or concept.

The college experience in the fall of 2020 was starkly different from that of previous years. Students who lived in residence halls were assigned to small pods. On-campus dining services were limited. Classes were small and physically distanced or conducted online. Parties were banned.

Expert opinion : A statement by a professional in the field whose opinion is respected.

According to Louise Aronson, MD, geriatrician and author of Elderhood , people over the age of 65 are the happiest of any age group, reporting “less stress, depression, worry, and anger, and more enjoyment, happiness, and satisfaction” (255).

Fact : Information that can be proven correct or accurate.

According to data collected by the NCAA, the academic success of Division I college athletes between 2015 and 2019 was consistently high (Hosick).

Interview : An in-person, phone, or remote conversation that involves an interviewer posing questions to another person or people.

During our interview, I asked Betty about living without a cell phone during the pandemic. She said that before the pandemic, she hadn’t needed a cell phone in her daily activities, but she soon realized that she, and people like her, were increasingly at a disadvantage.

Quotation : The exact words of an author or a speaker.

In response to whether she thought she needed a cell phone, Betty said, “I got along just fine without a cell phone when I could go everywhere in person. The shift to needing a phone came suddenly, and I don’t have extra money in my budget to get one.”

Statistics : A numerical fact or item of data.

The Pew Research Center reported that approximately 25 percent of Hispanic Americans and 17 percent of Black Americans relied on smartphones for online access, compared with 12 percent of White people.

Survey : A structured interview in which respondents (the people who answer the survey questions) are all asked the same questions, either in person or through print or electronic means, and their answers tabulated and interpreted. Surveys discover attitudes, beliefs, or habits of the general public or segments of the population.

A survey of 3,000 mobile phone users in October 2020 showed that 54 percent of respondents used their phones for messaging, while 40 percent used their phones for calls (Steele).

Visuals : Graphs, figures, tables, photographs and other images, diagrams, charts, maps, videos, and audio recordings, among others.

Thesis and Organization

Drafting a thesis.

When you have a grasp of your topic, move on to the next phase: drafting a thesis. The thesis is the central idea that you will explore and support in your report; all paragraphs in your report should relate to it. In an essay-style analytical report, you will likely express this main idea in a thesis statement of one or two sentences toward the end of the introduction.

For example, if you found that the academic performance of student athletes was higher than that of non-athletes, you might write the following thesis statement:

student sample text Although a common stereotype is that college athletes barely pass their classes, an analysis of athletes’ academic performance indicates that athletes drop fewer classes, earn higher grades, and are more likely to be on track to graduate in four years when compared with their non-athlete peers. end student sample text

The thesis statement often previews the organization of your writing. For example, in his report on the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Trevor Garcia wrote the following thesis statement, which detailed the central idea of his report:

student sample text An examination of the U.S. response shows that a reduction of experts in key positions and programs, inaction that led to equipment shortages, and inconsistent policies were three major causes of the spread of the virus and the resulting deaths. end student sample text

After you draft a thesis statement, ask these questions, and examine your thesis as you answer them. Revise your draft as needed.

Is it interesting? A thesis for a report should answer a question that is worth asking and piques curiosity.
Is it precise and specific? If you are interested in reducing pollution in a nearby lake, explain how to stop the zebra mussel infestation or reduce the frequent algae blooms.
Is it manageable? Try to split the difference between having too much information and not having enough.

Organizing Your Ideas

As a next step, organize the points you want to make in your report and the evidence to support them. Use an outline, a diagram, or another organizational tool, such as Table 8.4 .

Drafting an Analytical Report

With a tentative thesis, an organization plan, and evidence, you are ready to begin drafting. For this assignment, you will report information, analyze it, and draw conclusions about the cause of something, the effect of something, or the similarities and differences between two different things.

Introduction

Some students write the introduction first; others save it for last. Whenever you choose to write the introduction, use it to draw readers into your report. Make the topic of your report clear, and be concise and sincere. End the introduction with your thesis statement. Depending on your topic and the type of report, you can write an effective introduction in several ways. Opening a report with an overview is a tried-and-true strategy, as shown in the following example on the U.S. response to COVID-19 by Trevor Garcia. Notice how he opens the introduction with statistics and a comparison and follows it with a question that leads to the thesis statement (underlined).

student sample text With more than 83 million cases and 1.8 million deaths at the end of 2020, COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. By the end of 2020, the United States led the world in the number of cases, at more than 20 million infections and nearly 350,000 deaths. In comparison, the second-highest number of cases was in India, which at the end of 2020 had less than half the number of COVID-19 cases despite having a population four times greater than the U.S. (“COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic,” 2021). How did the United States come to have the world’s worst record in this pandemic? underline An examination of the U.S. response shows that a reduction of experts in key positions and programs, inaction that led to equipment shortages, and inconsistent policies were three major causes of the spread of the virus and the resulting deaths end underline . end student sample text

For a less formal report, you might want to open with a question, quotation, or brief story. The following example opens with an anecdote that leads to the thesis statement (underlined).

student sample text Betty stood outside the salon, wondering how to get in. It was June of 2020, and the door was locked. A sign posted on the door provided a phone number for her to call to be let in, but at 81, Betty had lived her life without a cell phone. Betty’s day-to-day life had been hard during the pandemic, but she had planned for this haircut and was looking forward to it; she had a mask on and hand sanitizer in her car. Now she couldn’t get in the door, and she was discouraged. In that moment, Betty realized how much Americans’ dependence on cell phones had grown in the months since the pandemic began. underline Betty and thousands of other senior citizens who could not afford cell phones or did not have the technological skills and support they needed were being left behind in a society that was increasingly reliant on technology end underline . end student sample text

Body Paragraphs: Point, Evidence, Analysis

Use the body paragraphs of your report to present evidence that supports your thesis. A reliable pattern to keep in mind for developing the body paragraphs of a report is point , evidence , and analysis :

The point is the central idea of the paragraph, usually given in a topic sentence stated in your own words at or toward the beginning of the paragraph. Each topic sentence should relate to the thesis.
The evidence you provide develops the paragraph and supports the point made in the topic sentence. Include details, examples, quotations, paraphrases, and summaries from sources if you conducted formal research. Synthesize the evidence you include by showing in your sentences the connections between sources.
The analysis comes at the end of the paragraph. In your own words, draw a conclusion about the evidence you have provided and how it relates to the topic sentence.

The paragraph below illustrates the point, evidence, and analysis pattern. Drawn from a report about concussions among football players, the paragraph opens with a topic sentence about the NCAA and NFL and their responses to studies about concussions. The paragraph is developed with evidence from three sources. It concludes with a statement about helmets and players’ safety.

student sample text The NCAA and NFL have taken steps forward and backward to respond to studies about the danger of concussions among players. Responding to the deaths of athletes, documented brain damage, lawsuits, and public outcry (Buckley et al., 2017), the NCAA instituted protocols to reduce potentially dangerous hits during football games and to diagnose traumatic head injuries more quickly and effectively. Still, it has allowed players to wear more than one style of helmet during a season, raising the risk of injury because of imperfect fit. At the professional level, the NFL developed a helmet-rating system in 2011 in an effort to reduce concussions, but it continued to allow players to wear helmets with a wide range of safety ratings. The NFL’s decision created an opportunity for researchers to look at the relationship between helmet safety ratings and concussions. Cocello et al. (2016) reported that players who wore helmets with a lower safety rating had more concussions than players who wore helmets with a higher safety rating, and they concluded that safer helmets are a key factor in reducing concussions. end student sample text

Developing Paragraph Content

In the body paragraphs of your report, you will likely use examples, draw comparisons, show contrasts, or analyze causes and effects to develop your topic.

Paragraphs developed with Example are common in reports. The paragraph below, adapted from a report by student John Zwick on the mental health of soldiers deployed during wartime, draws examples from three sources.

student sample text Throughout the Vietnam War, military leaders claimed that the mental health of soldiers was stable and that men who suffered from combat fatigue, now known as PTSD, were getting the help they needed. For example, the New York Times (1966) quoted military leaders who claimed that mental fatigue among enlisted men had “virtually ceased to be a problem,” occurring at a rate far below that of World War II. Ayres (1969) reported that Brigadier General Spurgeon Neel, chief American medical officer in Vietnam, explained that soldiers experiencing combat fatigue were admitted to the psychiatric ward, sedated for up to 36 hours, and given a counseling session with a doctor who reassured them that the rest was well deserved and that they were ready to return to their units. Although experts outside the military saw profound damage to soldiers’ psyches when they returned home (Halloran, 1970), the military stayed the course, treating acute cases expediently and showing little concern for the cumulative effect of combat stress on individual soldiers. end student sample text

When you analyze causes and effects , you explain the reasons that certain things happened and/or their results. The report by Trevor Garcia on the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is an example: his report examines the reasons the United States failed to control the coronavirus. The paragraph below, adapted from another student’s report written for an environmental policy course, explains the effect of white settlers’ views of forest management on New England.

student sample text The early colonists’ European ideas about forest management dramatically changed the New England landscape. White settlers saw the New World as virgin, unused land, even though indigenous people had been drawing on its resources for generations by using fire subtly to improve hunting, employing construction techniques that left ancient trees intact, and farming small, efficient fields that left the surrounding landscape largely unaltered. White settlers’ desire to develop wood-built and wood-burning homesteads surrounded by large farm fields led to forestry practices and techniques that resulted in the removal of old-growth trees. These practices defined the way the forests look today. end student sample text

Compare and contrast paragraphs are useful when you wish to examine similarities and differences. You can use both comparison and contrast in a single paragraph, or you can use one or the other. The paragraph below, adapted from a student report on the rise of populist politicians, compares the rhetorical styles of populist politicians Huey Long and Donald Trump.

student sample text A key similarity among populist politicians is their rejection of carefully crafted sound bites and erudite vocabulary typically associated with candidates for high office. Huey Long and Donald Trump are two examples. When he ran for president, Long captured attention through his wild gesticulations on almost every word, dramatically varying volume, and heavily accented, folksy expressions, such as “The only way to be able to feed the balance of the people is to make that man come back and bring back some of that grub that he ain’t got no business with!” In addition, Long’s down-home persona made him a credible voice to represent the common people against the country’s rich, and his buffoonish style allowed him to express his radical ideas without sounding anti-communist alarm bells. Similarly, Donald Trump chose to speak informally in his campaign appearances, but the persona he projected was that of a fast-talking, domineering salesman. His frequent use of personal anecdotes, rhetorical questions, brief asides, jokes, personal attacks, and false claims made his speeches disjointed, but they gave the feeling of a running conversation between him and his audience. For example, in a 2015 speech, Trump said, “They just built a hotel in Syria. Can you believe this? They built a hotel. When I have to build a hotel, I pay interest. They don’t have to pay interest, because they took the oil that, when we left Iraq, I said we should’ve taken” (“Our Country Needs” 2020). While very different in substance, Long and Trump adopted similar styles that positioned them as the antithesis of typical politicians and their worldviews. end student sample text

The conclusion should draw the threads of your report together and make its significance clear to readers. You may wish to review the introduction, restate the thesis, recommend a course of action, point to the future, or use some combination of these. Whichever way you approach it, the conclusion should not head in a new direction. The following example is the conclusion from a student’s report on the effect of a book about environmental movements in the United States.

student sample text Since its publication in 1949, environmental activists of various movements have found wisdom and inspiration in Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac . These audiences included Leopold’s conservationist contemporaries, environmentalists of the 1960s and 1970s, and the environmental justice activists who rose in the 1980s and continue to make their voices heard today. These audiences have read the work differently: conservationists looked to the author as a leader, environmentalists applied his wisdom to their movement, and environmental justice advocates have pointed out the flaws in Leopold’s thinking. Even so, like those before them, environmental justice activists recognize the book’s value as a testament to taking the long view and eliminating biases that may cloud an objective assessment of humanity’s interdependent relationship with the environment. end student sample text

Citing Sources

You must cite the sources of information and data included in your report. Citations must appear in both the text and a bibliography at the end of the report.

The sample paragraphs in the previous section include examples of in-text citation using APA documentation style. Trevor Garcia’s report on the U.S. response to COVID-19 in 2020 also uses APA documentation style for citations in the text of the report and the list of references at the end. Your instructor may require another documentation style, such as MLA or Chicago.

Peer Review: Getting Feedback from Readers

You will likely engage in peer review with other students in your class by sharing drafts and providing feedback to help spot strengths and weaknesses in your reports. For peer review within a class, your instructor may provide assignment-specific questions or a form for you to complete as you work together.

If you have a writing center on your campus, it is well worth your time to make an online or in-person appointment with a tutor. You’ll receive valuable feedback and improve your ability to review not only your report but your overall writing.

Another way to receive feedback on your report is to ask a friend or family member to read your draft. Provide a list of questions or a form such as the one in Table 8.5 for them to complete as they read.

Revising: Using Reviewers’ Responses to Revise your Work

When you receive comments from readers, including your instructor, read each comment carefully to understand what is being asked. Try not to get defensive, even though this response is completely natural. Remember that readers are like coaches who want you to succeed. They are looking at your writing from outside your own head, and they can identify strengths and weaknesses that you may not have noticed. Keep track of the strengths and weaknesses your readers point out. Pay special attention to those that more than one reader identifies, and use this information to improve your report and later assignments.

As you analyze each response, be open to suggestions for improvement, and be willing to make significant revisions to improve your writing. Perhaps you need to revise your thesis statement to better reflect the content of your draft. Maybe you need to return to your sources to better understand a point you’re trying to make in order to develop a paragraph more fully. Perhaps you need to rethink the organization, move paragraphs around, and add transition sentences.

Below is an early draft of part of Trevor Garcia’s report with comments from a peer reviewer:

student sample text To truly understand what happened, it’s important first to look back to the years leading up to the pandemic. Epidemiologists and public health officials had long known that a global pandemic was possible. In 2016, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) published a 69-page document with the intimidating title Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents . The document’s two sections address responses to “emerging disease threats that start or are circulating in another country but not yet confirmed within U.S. territorial borders” and to “emerging disease threats within our nation’s borders.” On 13 January 2017, the joint Obama-Trump transition teams performed a pandemic preparedness exercise; however, the playbook was never adopted by the incoming administration. end student sample text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: Do the words in quotation marks need to be a direct quotation? It seems like a paraphrase would work here. end annotated text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: I’m getting lost in the details about the playbook. What’s the Obama-Trump transition team? end annotated text

student sample text In February 2018, the administration began to cut funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; cuts to other health agencies continued throughout 2018, with funds diverted to unrelated projects such as housing for detained immigrant children. end student sample text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: This paragraph has only one sentence, and it’s more like an example. It needs a topic sentence and more development. end annotated text

student sample text Three months later, Luciana Borio, director of medical and biodefense preparedness at the NSC, spoke at a symposium marking the centennial of the 1918 influenza pandemic. “The threat of pandemic flu is the number one health security concern,” she said. “Are we ready to respond? I fear the answer is no.” end student sample text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: This paragraph is very short and a lot like the previous paragraph in that it’s a single example. It needs a topic sentence. Maybe you can combine them? end annotated text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: Be sure to cite the quotation. end annotated text

Reading these comments and those of others, Trevor decided to combine the three short paragraphs into one paragraph focusing on the fact that the United States knew a pandemic was possible but was unprepared for it. He developed the paragraph, using the short paragraphs as evidence and connecting the sentences and evidence with transitional words and phrases. Finally, he added in-text citations in APA documentation style to credit his sources. The revised paragraph is below:

student sample text Epidemiologists and public health officials in the United States had long known that a global pandemic was possible. In 2016, the National Security Council (NSC) published Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents , a 69-page document on responding to diseases spreading within and outside of the United States. On January 13, 2017, the joint transition teams of outgoing president Barack Obama and then president-elect Donald Trump performed a pandemic preparedness exercise based on the playbook; however, it was never adopted by the incoming administration (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020). A year later, in February 2018, the Trump administration began to cut funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leaving key positions unfilled. Other individuals who were fired or resigned in 2018 were the homeland security adviser, whose portfolio included global pandemics; the director for medical and biodefense preparedness; and the top official in charge of a pandemic response. None of them were replaced, leaving the White House with no senior person who had experience in public health (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020). Experts voiced concerns, among them Luciana Borio, director of medical and biodefense preparedness at the NSC, who spoke at a symposium marking the centennial of the 1918 influenza pandemic in May 2018: “The threat of pandemic flu is the number one health security concern,” she said. “Are we ready to respond? I fear the answer is no” (Sun, 2018, final para.). end student sample text

A final word on working with reviewers’ comments: as you consider your readers’ suggestions, remember, too, that you remain the author. You are free to disregard suggestions that you think will not improve your writing. If you choose to disregard comments from your instructor, consider submitting a note explaining your reasons with the final draft of your report.

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The Ultimate Guide to Analytical Essay Writing: How to Craft an A-Grade Paper?

25 January, 2021

17 minutes read

Author: Kate Smith

An analytical essay is often considered the most challenging piece of writing. However, those who have dealt with it at least once are a step closer to calling themselves masters of essay writing. This type of paper requires plenty of analytical skills to carry out an in-depth analysis of the assigned topic. Yet, the main goal of an analytical essay is not only to demonstrate your ability to learn the basics of the theme.

You also need to think critically, analyze facts, express your standpoint, and clearly show a deep understanding of key concepts. In short, your main task as an author is to prove the validity of your views by coming up with strong arguments that do not beg any questions.

The given guide provides a full analytical essay definition, as well as specifies its features and structural aspects. The following information will help you properly start your paper, choose a relevant topic, and come up with compelling conclusions.

What is an Analytical Essay?

An analytical essay is a piece of writing aimed to provide a thorough analysis of a definite phenomenon using persuasive arguments and supporting assertions. Analysis in the analytical essay writing process stands for a method of research that allows one to study specific features of an object. Analytical papers also have to do with analysis of a specific problem; that is consideration of the problem itself and identification of its key patterns. The subject matter of analysis can be a well-known or little-studied scientific phenomenon, artistic work, historical event, social problem, etc.

The content of an analytical essay will totally depend on the object that has been chosen for analysis. Thus, when shedding light on any kind of scientific work, an analytical essay can be devoted to the analysis of research credibility, its relevance, or the adequacy of conclusions. When considering a work of art, an essay writer can focus on the analysis of the author’s artistic techniques or issues raised in the book. For this reason, it is essential to accurately determine the topic and subject matter of your future analytical essay.

Steps to Take Before Writing

The preparational stage of analytical essay writing cannot be omitted. It lays the basis for the A-grade paper and should be carefully completed. If you don’t know how to start an analytical essay, read a few handy tips that will ensure a solid foundation for your paper.

Define a subject matter

You first need to clearly understand the issue you will base your essay on. Since analytical essays imply an in-depth analysis of a specific problem, you need to define its core. Try to split the analysis into several components and provide arguments taken either from a book, a research, a scientific work, or a movie (depending on the subject matter of your analysis), and support your views comprehensively.

Decide on the content of your analytical essay

If you are a student who was given an analytical essay topic, read the task several times before you are 100% sure that you clearly understand the requirements as to the analytical essay format. In case you were lucky to choose the topic of the analytical paper by yourself, make sure the theme you will be dealing with is familiar or at least seems interesting to you.

Remember that different subject matters require a different approach to their analysis. If you examine some literature work, you can prove your opinion based on the deeds of a certain or several characters. But if you have been assigned the task to elaborate on some historic events, analyze their main causes, driving forces that have affected their course, and their global consequences.

Take care of the proper start

Don’t forget to start your analytical essay with a thesis statement. It is a sentence or a couple of sentences that aim to summarize the key statements of your paper. A thesis statement should provide readers with a preliminary idea of what your essay is all about.

Find extra reasoning

Make sure your thesis is supported by compelling arguments. To find enough evidence, you should carry out a thorough analysis of the assigned topic. List the crucial points of your research and ponder over the ways they can be used to prove your final opinion.

Elaborate the outline

A sound outline elaborated at the preparation stage will help you ensure a proper analytical essay structure and make the overall writing process easier. As a rule, an analytical essay consists of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your outline plan should include the key arguments you want to discuss in each paragraph.

Analytical Essay Thesis

A thesis statement represents the central idea of your paper and must serve as strong proof of your standpoint. While elaborating your thesis statement, it is crucial to include it at the end of the first paragraph and thus set a direction for the overall paper.

Analytical Essay Outline

An outline is not a required element of analytical essays writing and should not be included in the text, but it can greatly facilitate the whole process of paper writing.

The analytical essay structure looks as follows:

Introduction

In the introduction of an analytical essay, you will need to identify your paper’s subject matter. Mention the purpose of your work and specify its scope of research. Don’t forget to include a thesis to let readers know what your work is about.

Body Section

As has already been mentioned, the body section covers three or more main paragraphs, each being supported with arguments and details. Besides, you need to provide a small conclusion to each statement to make your essay sound professional and persuasive.

At this stage, you need to summarize the points elucidated in your paper and make sure there is a smooth and logical transition from the body section to the concluding part of the text. If you don’t know how to conclude an analytical essay, try to restate the thesis statement without copying it word for word.

Analytical Essay Examples

Writing an analytical essay may seem to be a thorny way. If you are still not sure how to properly craft one, try to find some examples that will help you go in the right direction. Below, there are some great examples of analytical essays. Take a look at their structure and try to write something similar based on your views and ideas:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JeR4i4RIZIj448W3KVFyHP-eS3QPN7gW/view

https://stlcc.edu/docs/student-support/academic-support/college-writing-center/rhetorical-analysis-sample-essay.pdf

https://www.germanna.eduhttp://handmadewriting.com/wp-content/uploads/tutoring/handouts/Literary-Analysis-Sample-Paper.pdf

30 Analytical Essay Topics

If you were allowed to choose the theme for your paper by yourself, check on the following analytical essay topics. Each of them can bring you the highest score:

General topics

The influence of social networks on the life of teens
Are salaries of football players too high?
Wearing uniforms in schools should be banned
A person in society: the problems of loneliness and privacy
Sociology of corporate relationships
Does the observation of space need more investments?
Should the voting age in the UK be decreased?
Reasons why capital punishment should be brought back in the UK
A world with no rules: a new human era or a road to the global collapse?
Life without technologies: will modern people survive?
Should scientists test drugs on animals to fight cancer?
The problem of keeping the balance between career and family life
The importance of listening to your body
Problems caused by the lack of communication
Food addiction and the problems it causes
Problems of vaccination in the XXI century
Does evil really rule the world?
How does body size affect life quality?
Pros and cons of video games
The role of a family model in the life and career of a person

Analytical Essay Topics on Literature

“Robinson Crusoe”: fantasy vs reality
Observation of the artistic uniqueness in the comedy by W. Shakespeare “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Observe the social problems in the novel by John Steinbeck “The Grapes of Wrath”
Convulsions and death of the “little man” in the networks of impersonal, alienated forces in the novel “The Metamorphosis”
Observation of the problems of a man on a plagued land in the novel “The Plague”
Revolt of the protagonist in the novel by J. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”
Observation of friendship and love in the fate of humanity in the XX century
The triumph of immorality in the novel by F. Sagan “Hello Sadness”
Observation of the personality of an American student in the novel by J. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”
Eternal tragedies of humanity in the tragedy by W. Shakespeare “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”

How to Write a Well-Structured Analytical Essay With a Solid Argument

Writing an analytical essay with a clear structure might be challenging unless you are thoroughly prepared. We decided to help you out and create a detailed guide listing the main things to consider when creating an analytical essay outline. You need to explain your main idea in a concise way to bring your point across. As analytical writing has high requirements, it pays off to find an analytical essay example and analyze how this text was written. It will allow you to understand the analytical essay format better and learn how to provide substantive analysis on various topics. Read on to learn how to write a top-level analytical paper and submit it on time.

Main Tips for Writing an Analytical Essay

An analytical essay should provide a comprehensive analysis of a chosen topic. What makes an analysis essay different from other assignments is that it includes a personal opinion of an author. This is why analytical writing should be persuasive.

Below, we have rounded up the key tips you need to follow when producing an analytical essay outline and the main body of your text. Read on to learn more about the analytical essay format and create a text that will fully meet the requirements.

Select an Analytical Essay Topic

Before creating an analytical essay outline, make sure to pick a topic that you are interested in. It should be provocative enough to engage your readers. A widely-debated topic will help you write an analytical essay that grabs the attention of a wide audience.

Consider your goals and conduct thorough research to see if you have enough sources to support the main thesis of your analysis essay.

Come Up With a Strong Analytical Thesis Statement

When writing an analytical essay, start by formulating a thesis statement that includes the topic and the main goal of your text. It will help you create an analytical essay outline and show your readers what you will discuss in your analysis essay.

Add it to the last paragraph of your analytical essay introduction. Due to this, your analytical essay outline will look better structured. Look at any analytical essay example to see how you can introduce your subject. In most cases, one sentence will suffice to state your analysis essay’s goal. However, a complex analytical essay outline might require you to use two sentences for a thesis statement.

Write an Analytical Essay Body with a Clear Structure

Your analytical essay outline should include 3-4 paragraphs. However, a literary analysis essay usually consists of 5 paragraphs. When it comes to analytical writing, it is important to cover a different point in each section of the main body of an analysis paper.

After writing an analytical essay, check whether each paragraph contains an introduction and the main point. Besides, it should contain evidence. An expertly written analytical essay outline will help you reach out to your target audience more effectively.

Conduct Research Before Writing an Analytical Essay Outline

While this step is preparatory, it is a must for those who want to write a well-grounded analytical paper.

First, select the best ideas for your essay
Then, emphasize the problems with works written by other researchers
Finally, write your analytical essay outline to demonstrate what approach you want to take

Examine the context and find examples to illustrate the scope of the issue. You may draw parallels to emphasize your point and make your topic more relatable.

Analyze the Implications of the Evidence

After listing your pieces of evidence and demonstrating how it is related to your thesis, show why it is important. You need to explore it deeply and use it to support your argument. It will make your analytical essay outline well-grounded facts.

Write an Analytical Essay Conclusion

Whether you write a literary analysis essay or other types of assignments, there is no need to add any new data at the end of your analysis paper. Instead, summarize the arguments you mentioned in your analytical essay outline. The conclusion of your analysis essay should be short and clear. Here, you need to demonstrate that you have achieved your goals.

Analytical Essay Writing Tips

If you want to get the highest grade for your analytical essay, you need to know a little bit more than just the basics of paper writing. Read these handy tips to write a perfect essay you will be proud of:

Double-check your paper for spelling and grammar mistakes. In case your essay contains too many errors, neither an in-depth analysis nor the elaborate writing style will make it look any better. Situations when essays of great value in terms of research and a message they convey are poorly assessed because of the abundance of mistakes are not rare. Make sure you have enough time to proofread your paper before submission. Also, you may consider asking somebody to take a fresh look at your essay and check it for you.
Reading your analytical essay out loud helps you discover all types of errors or weak phrases. This method might seem a bit uncomfortable, but it has proved to be very effective for many students. Note that silent reading of your paper isn’t even half as helpful as reading it aloud.
Another great idea to check on the rhythm and flow of your paper is to ask someone to read it for you. While listening to the text, you could perceive it from another perspective and discover even more inconsistencies and mistakes.
Double-check the facts you use in your analytical essay. The names of people, books, research, publications, as well as dates of historical events are too important to be misspelled. Things like these show your professionalism and the way you treat your readers.

Write an Analytical Essay with HandmadeWriting

Writing an analytical essay requires time, strong writing skills, great attention to detail, and a huge interest in the assigned topic. However, life can be unpredictable sometimes, and students might find themselves at risk of failing their creative assignments. Stress, family issues, poor health, and even unwillingness to work on a certain topic may become significant obstacles on their way to the A-grade work.

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Great Explanatory Thesis Esamples

Analytical Thesis Statement Examples for You

There are different types of thesis statements, each one performing different functions to reach similar goals in writing. Analytical writing as the name implies is a form of writing that analyses a topic or subject matter from different points of view. If you’re writing an analytical essay, it is required that you include the pros, cons, good, bad, and ugly. This form of writing would require an analytical thesis statement to help lay the foundation for you to begin writing. There are some analytical thesis statement examples here that you may find helpful as you write

What is an Analytical Thesis Statement?

An analytical thesis statement is a thesis that is often used in analytical writings to introduce the topic. The primary function of the analytical essay thesis is to critically examine your write-up, and guide you as you write. This is achievable through:

Expanding the topic into smaller parts

Usually, your topic is supposed to be included in your thesis statement. This is because it introduces the work. However, in analytical thesis statements, your topic is broken into smaller parts that the body of your writing would cover. This includes the themes, scene, characters, etc. An analytical thesis example on the topic “racism” should include features like the negative effects of racism, the characteristics of racism, an occasion when racism has been exhibited, etc.

Linking the different parts to achieve your goal

Your analytical thesis statement is useless if there is no connecting factor between the sections that you wish to examine. You must understand that each part plays a role to achieve a goal. Using the sample of explanation essay on the topic “dieting”, you should not input themes that have to do with child abuse into your work. In the same vein, your thesis statement is incomplete without stating the reason for including something beyond what is written in your topic. Always remember that each word carries a meaning.

Addressing already existing analysis

If you’re analyzing a topic, the chances that someone already analyzed similar topics is extremely high. This could be taken as an added advantage to make references to existing research and if you want you could study some analytical thesis examples. It could also pose a problem of presenting something different from what has been laid down. Either way, it is important to make an analysis strictly on facts and evidence to back up your thesis statement.

The Role of Analytical Thesis Statements in Analytical Writing

Analytical thesis statements play different roles in your write-up. The primary aim of this kind of thesis is to answer the questions why, how, when, what next? Keep in mind that it is like making inquiries and providing answers to these questions asked.

It guides your writing

The thesis helps you outline what your writing should cover, and how to cover them. The body of your work is each point in your thesis given more light. Hence, your thesis and the body of your writing must complement each other. It is for this reason that the thesis is open for revision while writing. Sometimes, people find that they have steered away from the goal of their writing and will have to re-edit their thesis statement.

It gives your reader an insight into your work

Many things can be analyzed about a topic. An explanatory example on the topic of rape can be seen as follows:

WHY do people still rape despite the punishment involved
WHO is to blame for rape; the victims or criminals?
WHAT is the best way to punish rapists?
WHEN did the rape crime start?

You’ll find that the subject of discussion is a broad one, and there are many angles to approach it. The thesis tells your reader which areas your writing aims to cover, and why you chose to go through that route.

Features of Analytical Thesis Statements

Some of the features of an analytical thesis statement include;

It is Analytical

An analytical thesis statement must be analytical. That is, it is a combination of different components of a subject. It could be unlike this example of explanatory thesis statement:

“The existing problem of racism lingers and is fuelled by socio-ethnic discrimination.”

Rather a good analytical thesis statement sample may be written as:

“The result of the existing problem of racism is seen in the economical and sociopolitical aspect of the world. The socio-ethnic discrimination among a people continues to play a primary role in fuelling this problem.”

While both of the above statements address racism, the analytical statement expands the topic. It further talks about how ethnicity affects the world and is a primary cause of the problem.

It is Critical

You might find that as you create your thesis, you are more critical. An analytical thesis leaves no part of the topic untouched and it depends on you to narrow your research to a specific area. This is why your topic needs to be selected with utmost care.

It is Informative

An analytical thesis statement is often informative because it breaks down a topic into smaller bits. This pattern helps get the most out of a given topic. Be that as it may, all of the information that the thesis statement gives is important. You do not want your thesis to be too long and boring.

Like other thesis examples, an analytical thesis statement could be one or two sentences. Some sample explanatory essays have up to three sentences thesis statements. Below are analysis thesis statement examples that could be one or more than one sentence. The explanatory examples depend on the complexity of the topic being handled or analyzed.

The fast-rising trend of intermittent fasting is a result of certain health and mental benefits; it promotes weight loss, improves mental alertness to carry out day-to-day activities, and it helps ward off chronic diseases.
The invention of human realistic robots is proof that technology has advanced over the years in perfection and durability. The future of technology cannot nearly be checkmated and contained by human imagination.
The sizzling tension between the power blocs could stir a third world war, but the attainment of mutual acquired arms plays a primary role in keeping these nations in check.
Educational values cannot be sidetracked as one of the important necessities of molding children into adopting better thinking strategies and behavior.
The practice of child marriage, molestation, and abuse in rural areas is a result of a lack of exposure and enlightenment amongst the people of the region.
Many underaged people will get away with the use of fake identity cards in clubs because their bodies and mentality are more mature than their ages.
The role religion plays in the reduction of criminal activities in society is one of the leading reasons why it is important in our society today.
The hibernation period in animals is one of the most critical moments in their lives because they are in a state of weakness and are exposed to the dangers of the environment.
Water is extremely important for human survival, but consuming contaminated water is equally dangerous as it puts you at risk of diseases that could threaten your life.
The communication attitude in relationships affects the longevity, strength, and intimacy of relationships, and is important for people to enjoy a healthy relationship.
The techniques of journalists in reporting their stories are frowned at by many people. This is because most times, the media’s perspective on certain events only blows a simple event out of proportion.

Your analytical writing is incomplete without a well-structured thesis statement. It is hence important that you take your time in crafting out a thesis statement. The guidelines and analytical essay thesis examples in this article will help make your work easier.

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Analytical essays are a common type of writing that focuses on examining a single topic to draw conclusions or prove theories. Most students know that this type of writing is widely used to analyze films, books, art pieces, or (more rarely) scientific literature. Since it’s such a common type of essay, learning how to craft it properly is not something to skip on. So, if you want to improve your analytical writing skills, this is your chance. Just go ahead and read the article below.

Analytical Essay: Structure & Characteristics

As you already know (or at least learned now), analytical essays closely look into the arguments or theories trying to explain them. This is exactly the reason why they are so popular for analysis of creative works like art, literature, film, or music as they can help dissect the creator’s themes and reveal hidden meanings. However, analytical essays can also address issues in science, politics, and society. Unlike many other types of writing, what makes analytical essays stand out is that they stick to facts and logic, minimizing personal bias or opinion . After all, it is one of many manifestations of expository writing.

Now, as to the structure, the general rules are simple: your analytical essay should have an introduction posing the topic, a few body paragraphs explaining the arguments, and a conclusion that draws the final line. Even though the overall outline may seem, clear, each of these parts has its own specifics.

Introduction

The introduction of an analytical essay sets the stage for your analysis. It starts with a hook to grab the reader’s attention, followed by some background information to provide context. The introduction concludes with a clear thesis statement that outlines the main argument or focus of the essay. For example, if you’re analyzing a character from a novel, your thesis might focus on the character’s development throughout the story.

Overcoming Challenges in Analytical Essay Writing

Body Paragraphs

The body of an analytical essay is where you can get into the detailed analysis. This section is typically composed of several paragraphs, each focusing on a specific point or piece of evidence that supports the thesis. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea, followed by analysis and evidence. For instance, if you are analyzing a film, one paragraph might focus on the use of lighting to convey mood, while another examines the character’s dialogue. Try to keep every paragraph focused and organized so that all points relate to the thesis.

The conclusion wraps up the essay by summarizing the main points and restating the thesis in light of the evidence presented. This section should not introduce new information but rather reinforce the arguments made in the body paragraphs. The conclusion provides a final perspective on the topic, leaving the reader with a clear understanding of the analysis. For example, after analyzing a piece of literature, you might conclude by discussing how the themes explored in the essay relate to broader societal issues.

How to Start an Analytical Essay: Introduction Tips

Great introduction matters. That’s it, that’s all we are going to say. Gotcha! No, of course, we will explain ourselves. You see, everything’s logical: an introduction i the first thing your readers see and that’s why it’s important to capture their attention right then and there. And one way to do it is to write a good hook.

For analytical essays, choosing a joke as a hook may not be as suitable. Thus, we recommend you choose either rhetorical questions, bold statements, or intriguing facts.

As you can see, the examples of well-written hook sentences draw in the readers attention by posing intriguing questions. The bad examples are too bland and fail to engage even us in reading further (and we wrote them!).

After a good hook, provide some background information or global context for your topic. This helps the reader understand the broader picture of your analysis and prepares them for the specific points you will discuss. For instance, if you’re analyzing Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ , you might briefly discuss the historical context of the 1930s and the plight of migrants in that context.

Writing a Strong Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the basis of your essay. It should tell the readers what you’re going to look at and discuss. Hence, it must be simple and clear. A good thesis is specific, arguable, and can basically navigate the reader through your essay

As you can gather from the examples above, the good thesis statement is specific and indicates exactly what the essay will cover, whereas the bad thesis statement is too vague and doesn’t provide a clear direction for the essay.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write an Analytical Essay

Now that you’ve learned the basics, it’s time to move onto the more intricate stage of creating an analytical essay – writing it. We hope that this step-by-step guide will walk you through the entire process, and help you cover all the necessary elements to create an interesting and well-structured essay.

Step 1: Choose Your Topic

Choosing your topic is a vital first step in writing an analytical essay. If your topic hasn’t been assigned, select one that balances between being specific enough to allow for thorough discussion and broad enough to find enough research material.

For example, a topic like “love in Victorian novels” is too broad because it includes a wide range of works and themes. Instead, narrow it down to something more manageable, like “love in Jane Austen’s novels.” This focus allows you to use specific examples and provide a detailed analysis of love as portrayed in this particular novel. However, be cautious about making your topic too specific. A topic like “the use of red roses as a symbol in one chapter of Pride and Prejudice” may be too fixed, leaving you with insufficient material to analyze. Stay at the middle ground that allows for detailed discussion but provides enough scope to find relevant evidence and supporting material.

No matter what topic you choose, your entire analytical essay should revolve around a singular thesis statement. This thesis will guide your analysis and provide a clear point of view for your writing.

Step 2: Research Your Topic

Before finalizing your topic, do some preliminary research to make sure there are enough examples and resources to support your analysis. This step can save you time and effort later on by confirming that your chosen subject is viable and rich with material to analyze.

Once you are sure that you are going on the specific theme, you can dive into the materials you have already found and search for other sources. Gather all the information and evidence to support your analysis. Review the primary work and consider reading critiques or analyses to inspire new ideas. Keep detailed notes on where your information comes from to help with citations and references later.

At this writing stage, it is also a good idea to outline 3 or 4 key arguments you want to highlight in your text. You can even create a table chart to sort out all the evidence you found to each individual point.

Step 3: Create an Outline

By the time you reach this step, you should have completed your research and made notes of everything you want to say in your analytical essay. An outline allows you to arrange these points in the optimal order, ensuring a logical flow of ideas.

An outline is typically broken down by paragraph, with each paragraph exploring a single point. This structure not only helps in organizing your thoughts but also ensures that each point is thoroughly discussed and supported by evidence. For instance, if you are analyzing themes in a novel, one paragraph might focus on symbolism, another on character development, and so on.

Don’t be afraid to move around or rearrange the order of paragraphs. This step is designed to identify and fix structural problems before you start writing. If you find that some points need more elaboration or that some paragraphs are too dense with information, consider breaking them into smaller sections.

Here, you will mostly be focused on structuring the body of your essay. Keep in mind that Each body paragraph should serve the main goal of supporting your thesis statement. Depending on the scope of your essay, the number of body paragraphs will vary. Carefully plan each section so that it either provides background information, highlights the details, or offers contrasting viewpoints, all while supporting your thesis. For example, in an essay analyzing literary devices in a novel, one paragraph could focus on the use of metaphors, while another might examine the symbolism in the text. And don’t forget – each point should be backed by substantial evidence and analysis!

Step 4: Write Your First Draft

With your outline as a guide, start writing your essay. Focus on fleshing out your ideas rather than perfecting grammar or style—there’s time for that later. Include all the evidence and analysis you’ve planned, and make sure each body paragraph is tied back to your thesis. Also, you may provide contrasting points of view to make your arguments look even stronger.

Step 5: Revise Your Draft

Okay, your first draft is ready, yay! Now, you can take a small break and then get back to your paper and read it again. Such revisions are important to refine your essay. Look for ways to improve clarity, coherence, and succinctness. Notice whether all your arguments are well-articulated. Consider removing any unnecessary information or adding explanations where the speculations seem too vague or unclear.

Step 6: Proofread Your Essay

Finally, after you make all the changes you fins necessary, you can proofread your essay to catch any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. Don’t skip this step (even though the temptation to do so may be huge) as it helps make tour essay polished and professional. If needed, use tools like AHelp Grammar Checker to help identify mistakes and improve your writing quality.

Examples of Analytical Essay Outline

We told you that you need to create an outline to make the writing process a) easier, and b)more organized. But what does an effective outline look like? We prepared an example for you so that you don’t have to go and look elsewhere.

Outline Example 1. Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby

Hook: “Is the American Dream really achievable, or is it just an illusion?”
Background Information: Brief overview of The Great Gatsby and its setting.
Thesis Statement: In The Great Gatsby , F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism, character development, and themes of ambition and disillusionment to explore the American Dream’s corruption.

Body Paragraph 1: Symbolism

Topic Sentence: Fitzgerald employs various symbols to represent the decay of the American Dream.
Evidence: The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s unattainable dreams.
Analysis: Discuss how the green light reflects Gatsby’s hopes and the overall theme of unreachable goals.
Transition: Moving from symbolism to character development to further illustrate the theme.

Body Paragraph 2: Character Development

Topic Sentence: The characters in The Great Gatsby are crafted to reflect different aspects of the American Dream.
Evidence: Analyze Gatsby’s transformation from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby.
Analysis: Discuss how Gatsby’s reinvention highlights his ambition and ultimate disillusionment.
Transition: Shifting focus from character development to broader themes.

Body Paragraph 3: Themes of Ambition and Disillusionment

Topic Sentence: The themes of ambition and disillusionment are central to understanding the novel’s message.
Evidence: Examples from the novel showcasing characters’ ambitions and their eventual failures.
Analysis: Explore how these themes contribute to the critique of the American Dream.
Transition: Summarizing the themes before concluding the essay.
Restate Thesis: Summarize how symbolism, character development, and themes expose the corruption of the American Dream.
Summary of Main Points: Recap the key points discussed in the body paragraphs.
Final Thoughts: Reflect on the novel’s relevance today and its commentary on contemporary society.

Outline Example 2. Analysis of Social Media’s Impact on Communication

Introduction:

Hook: “How has social media reshaped the way we communicate in the 21st century?”
Background Information: Brief history of social media and its rise in popularity.
Thesis Statement: Social media platforms have significantly transformed modern communication by enhancing connectivity, altering interpersonal interactions, and influencing public discourse.

Body Paragraph 1: Enhancing Connectivity

Topic Sentence: Social media has revolutionized how people stay connected across distances.
Evidence: Statistics on social media usage and connectivity.
Analysis: Discuss how platforms like Facebook and Twitter bridge geographical gaps.
Transition: Moving from connectivity to changes in interpersonal interactions.

Body Paragraph 2: Altering Interpersonal Interactions

Topic Sentence: The nature of interpersonal interactions has been altered by social media.
Evidence: Examples of how communication has become more digital and less face-to-face.
Analysis: Explore the pros and cons of this shift, such as the increase in online relationships and the decrease in personal connections.
Transition: Connecting the change in interactions to the broader impact on public discourse.

Body Paragraph 3: Influencing Public Discourse

Topic Sentence: Social media has a profound influence on public discourse and opinion formation.
Evidence: Case studies of social media campaigns and their effects on public opinion.
Analysis: Examine how platforms amplify voices and can both democratize and polarize public discourse.
Transition: Wrapping up the discussion before concluding.

Conclusion:

Restate Thesis: Summarize how social media has transformed communication through connectivity, interpersonal interactions, and public discourse.
Summary of Main Points: Recap the main arguments from the body paragraphs.
Final Thoughts: Reflect on the future of communication in the digital age and the potential long-term impacts of social media.

With all those step we outlined in this guide, you’re now equipped with the knowledge needed to tackle analytical essay writing with confidence.Remember, the key to success lies in thorough research, clear organization, and thoughtful analysis. With practice and dedication, you’ll find that writing analytical essays becomes easier and more enjoyable. So go ahead and apply these techniques, and watch your analytical writing skills soar!

What is a good way to start an analytical essay?

A great way to start an analytical essay is to grab the readers’ attention. To do that, you can use an interesting fact, a quote, or a thought-provoking question related to your topic. This way you can set the stage for your analysis and make your reader curious about what comes next.

How do you write a hook sentence for an analytical essay?

To write a hook sentence for an analytical essay, try using a surprising statistic, a powerful quote, or a bold statement that ties into your main argument. The goal is to pique your reader’s interest and encourage them to keep reading.

What is the first sentence of an analytical paragraph?

The first sentence of an analytical paragraph is typically the topic sentence. It introduces the main idea of the paragraph and connects it to your thesis. This helps guide your reader through your analysis and sets up the supporting details you’ll provide.

What is the structure of an analytical essay?

An analytical essay generally follows a clear structure: it starts with an introduction that includes a hook and a thesis statement, followed by body paragraphs that each focus on a specific point or piece of evidence supporting your thesis, and concludes with a summary that reinforces your main argument and highlights the significance of your analysis. This structure keeps your essay organized and makes your analysis easy to follow.

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Como escrever uma boa conclusão (com exemplos)

Equipe Editorial Smodin
Publicado em: 31 de maio de 2024

Os alunos muitas vezes gastam muito tempo elaborando introduções de ensaios, deixando a conclusão como uma reflexão tardia. Embora a introdução seja um dos aspectos mais vitais de um ensaio, uma boa conclusão pode ter o mesmo impacto na sua eficácia. Saber redigir uma boa conclusão é fundamental, pois resume seus pontos principais e deixa uma impressão duradoura no leitor.

Uma conclusão bem elaborada deve servir como argumento final para seus argumentos. Seu leitor deve sair com uma compreensão clara do que acabou de ler e como isso se aplica ao cerne de sua tese. Com a abordagem certa, sua conclusão pode transformar um bom ensaio em um excelente, tornando-o memorável e impactante.

Este artigo irá guiá-lo através de quatro etapas simples para escrever conclusões convincentes. Cada etapa foi projetada para ajudá-lo a reforçar sua tese e articular suas reflexões finais de uma forma que repercuta em seu professor. Com um pouco de prática, você pode aprender como acertar o ponto e dar a cada ensaio o final que ele merece.

Qual é o objetivo do parágrafo de conclusão?

Compreender o propósito do parágrafo de conclusão é essencial para uma redação eficaz. O parágrafo de conclusão deve ser mais do que apenas um resumo do seu ensaio. Deveria consolidar todos os seus argumentos e vinculá-los à sua tese.

Lembre-se de que toda boa escrita inspira emoção. Depende de você inspirar, provocar ou engajar, mas a conclusão deve sempre deixar uma impressão duradoura.

Se em dúvida, Bate-papo com IA de Smodin Essa ferramenta pode ser útil para avaliar o impacto emocional de sua conclusão.

Ao dominar a arte de escrever uma conclusão poderosa, você se equipará com as ferramentas para garantir que seus ensaios se destaquem. Quer seja a primeira ou a última redação que você está escrevendo para a turma, é sua chance de deixar uma marca definitiva no leitor.

Como escrever uma boa conclusão

Essa abordagem garante que sua conclusão agregue valor e reforce a coerência de seus argumentos. Aqui estão três práticas simples e eficazes para ajudá-lo a chegar a uma conclusão sólida.

Reafirmando sua tese

Reafirmar sua tese na conclusão é uma prática comum na redação de ensaios, e por um bom motivo. Ajuda a sublinhar como a sua compreensão se aprofundou ou mudou com base nas evidências que forneceu.

Basta entender que um correção da sua tese original não significa uma conclusão completa repetição palavra por palavra. Você deve reformular sua tese original para que ela elucide os insights que você abordou ao longo do ensaio. Reescritor de IA de Smodin pode ajudar a refinar sua reformulação para garantir que seja atualizada e impactante.

Aqui estão algumas dicas para reafirmar sua tese com eficácia

Mostrar complexidade : Se o seu ensaio adicionou camadas ou nuances à declaração original, certifique-se de articular isso claramente.
Integre as principais descobertas : Incorpore as principais conclusões do seu ensaio para reforçar como elas apoiaram ou refinaram a sua tese.
Mantenha-o fresco : Novamente, você deseja evitar repetir as mesmas coisas duas vezes. Use palavras diferentes que reflitam uma perspectiva diferenciada.

Finalmente, certifique-se sempre de que a tese reformulada se conecta perfeitamente com o resto do seu ensaio. Sempre tente mostrar a coerência de sua escrita para proporcionar ao leitor uma forte sensação de encerramento.

Usando ferramentas de IA como Esboçador e redator de ensaios de Smodin pode garantir que sua escrita flua sem problemas e seja fácil de seguir.

Fornecendo uma síntese eficaz

Fornecer uma síntese eficaz deve aprimorar sua tese original. Todos os bons argumentos devem evoluir e mudar ao longo do ensaio. Em vez de simplesmente resumir essas descobertas, você deve integrar insights e evidências críticas para demonstrar uma compreensão mais profunda ou diferenciada.

Estabeleça conexões entre os principais pontos discutidos e mostre como eles apoiam coletivamente sua tese. Além disso, reflita sobre as implicações desses insights para o contexto mais amplo do seu assunto. E mais uma vez, use sempre uma linguagem nova e envolvente para manter o interesse do leitor.

A última coisa que você deseja é que o leitor veja seu ensaio como uma coleção de pontos individuais. Um bom ensaio deve ser lido como um todo unificado, com todas as peças interligadas naturalmente. Você afirma a importância do seu argumento quando junta todas as peças em sua conclusão.

Fornecendo novos insights

fornecer insights ao escrever o parágrafo de conclusão

Além disso, pense nesta etapa como sua oportunidade de propor direções de pesquisas futuras com base em suas descobertas. O que um estudante ou pesquisador poderia estudar a seguir? Que perguntas sem resposta permanecem? Se você estiver tendo problemas para responder a essas perguntas, considere usar Ferramentas de pesquisa de Smodin para ampliar seu conhecimento sobre o tema.

Isso não quer dizer que você possa deixar perguntas abertas ou sem resposta sobre sua própria tese. Pelo contrário, a sua conclusão deve estabelecer firmemente a validade do seu argumento. Dito isto, qualquer análise profunda e perspicaz leva naturalmente a uma exploração mais aprofundada. Chame a atenção para essas possíveis áreas de investigação.

(Opcional) Forme uma conexão pessoal com o leitor

Estabelecer uma conexão com o leitor na conclusão pode personalizar e fortalecer o impacto do seu ensaio. Essa técnica pode ser poderosa se implementada corretamente, tornando sua escrita mais compreensível, humana e memorável.

Dito isto, os acadêmicos desencorajam o uso do “eu” em ensaios formais. É sempre melhor esclarecer a posição do seu professor ou professor antes enviando seu rascunho final.

Se for permitido, considere compartilhar uma breve reflexão pessoal ou anedota que remeta aos temas principais do seu ensaio. Um toque pessoal pode ajudar muito a humanizar seus argumentos e criar uma conexão com o leitor.

Seja qual for sua escolha, lembre-se de que sua conclusão deve sempre complementar as conclusões analíticas de seu ensaio. Nunca diga nada que prejudique sua tese ou as conclusões que você apresentou.

Exemplos de boas conclusões

Vamos explorar alguns exemplos para ilustrar a aparência e o som de uma conclusão bem elaborada. A seguir estão dois ensaios de tese hipotéticos dos campos da ciência e da literatura.

Tema da Tese: O impacto das mudanças climáticas nos recifes de coral
Introdução: “Os recifes de coral atuam como guardiões da biodiversidade do oceano. Estes ecossistemas subaquáticos estão entre os mais vibrantes e essenciais de todo o planeta. No entanto, o impacto crescente das alterações climáticas representa uma grave ameaça à sua saúde e sobrevivência. Este ensaio visa dissecar mudanças ambientais específicas que contribuem para a degradação dos corais, ao mesmo tempo que propõe medidas de mitigação.”
Conclusão: “Esta investigação sobre o impacto das alterações climáticas nos recifes de coral revelou uma aceleração perturbadora dos eventos de branqueamento de corais e um declínio significativo da biodiversidade dos recifes. As descobertas apresentadas neste estudo estabelecem uma ligação clara entre o aumento da temperatura do mar e a mortalidade dos recifes de coral. A investigação futura deverá centrar-se nos mecanismos de resiliência das espécies de coral que poderão influenciar as estratégias de conservação. O destino dos recifes de coral depende da acção imediata e concentrada da humanidade para reduzir as emissões globais e preservar estes ecossistemas vitais para as gerações futuras.”

Observe como a conclusão não apenas reafirma a tese. Em vez disso, destaca a ligação definitiva entre as alterações climáticas e a saúde dos corais. Reitera também a urgência da questão e lança um apelo à acção para uma intervenção contínua. A última frase é direta, direta e deixa uma impressão duradoura no leitor.

Se você está tendo dificuldades com sua frase final (ou qualquer frase, nesse caso), Reescritor de Smodin pode criar centenas de frases diferentes em segundos. Em seguida, escolha as frases que mais ressoam e use-as para chegar a uma conclusão convincente.

Tema da Tese: A evolução do sonho americano na literatura americana do século XX
Introdução: “O sonho americano já foi definido pela prosperidade e sucesso. Porém, ao longo do século XX, a representação do sonho americano na literatura popular sofreu mudanças significativas. Serão estas representações indicativas de um sentimento de longo alcance que permanecia adormecido entre o público americano? Ou essas obras foram simplesmente o resultado de escritores desiludidos que responderam aos crescentes desafios da época?”
Conclusão: “As obras de F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck e Toni Morrison ilustram a evolução do sonho americano, do otimismo desenfreado a um exame mais crítico do ethos americano. Ao longo da literatura modernista e pós-modernista, o sonho americano está frequentemente em conflito com os valores americanos fundamentais. Estes romances refletem mudanças sociais mais amplas que continuam a moldar a consciência nacional. Mais pesquisas na literatura contemporânea poderiam fornecer uma maior compreensão das complexidades deste conceito.”

Você saberá exatamente o que este ensaio cobre lendo apenas a introdução e a conclusão. Resume a evolução do sonho americano examinando as obras de três autores únicos. Em seguida, analisa estes trabalhos para demonstrar como refletem mudanças sociais mais amplas. A conclusão funciona tanto como uma pedra angular quanto como uma ponte para preparar o terreno para futuras investigações.

Escreva melhores conclusões com Smodin

Lembre-se sempre do elemento humano por trás do processo de classificação ao elaborar seu ensaio. Seus professores ou professores são humanos e provavelmente passaram inúmeras horas revisando redações sobre tópicos semelhantes. O processo de classificação pode ser longo e exaustivo. Sua conclusão deve ter como objetivo tornar a tarefa mais fácil, e não mais difícil.

Uma conclusão bem elaborada serve como peça final do seu argumento. Deve recapitular os insights críticos discutidos acima, ao mesmo tempo que lança uma nova luz sobre o tema. Ao incluir elementos inovadores e observações perspicazes, sua conclusão ajudará seu ensaio a se destacar da multidão.

Certifique-se de que sua redação termine com uma nota alta para maximizar suas chances de obter uma nota melhor agora e no futuro. Conjunto abrangente de ferramentas de IA da Smodin pode ajudá-lo a aprimorar todos os aspectos da redação de seu ensaio. Da pesquisa inicial à estruturação, essas ferramentas podem agilizar o processo e melhorar a qualidade de suas redações.

A New Approach to LSAT Writing Will Debut on July 30, 2024

By Susan Krinsky

As legal education curricula and the practice of law continue to change with the times, LSAC is innovating to provide a new writing assessment that responds to the evolving needs of the profession.

On July 30, a redesigned approach to the LSAT Writing section of the LSAT will make its debut as we open the 2024-2025 testing cycle, which begins with the August administration of the LSAT.

This new approach to the writing assessment will help law schools continue to make holistic admission decisions and help prospective law students better prepare for the writing they will do in law school and beyond – still without the need for any specialized skills, knowledge, or experience with legal concepts.

Since 1982, LSAT Writing prompts have been designed to assess logical reasoning in the context of argumentative writing. But legal education curricula, the legal profession, and the demands of legal practice continue to evolve. In our ongoing conversations with law schools and the legal profession, we hear consistently about the importance of strong analytical and argumentative writing skills and the need to better assess a student’s potential earlier in their academic journey.

Based on input from our member schools and other stakeholders in the legal profession, the new LSAT Writing section of the LSAT will be an even more effective tool for assessing the writing skills of individuals prior to law school. These changes will help schools better understand the writing capabilities of applicants for the purposes of their admission decisions. It will also enable law schools to better provide writing support for their students who need to strengthen their writing skills so they are better prepared for bar passage, finding employment, and practice.

This new approach aims to assess a test taker’s ability to construct a cogent argument based on a variety of evidentiary sources. Test takers will be presented with a debatable issue along with different perspectives that provide additional context. These perspectives, each of which is conveyed in a few sentences, are representative of a system of beliefs or values. Together, the perspectives illustrate competing ideologies and arguments around a particular issue. The test taker will then draft an argumentative essay in which they take a position, while addressing some of the arguments and ideas presented by the other perspectives.

The new argumentative writing task is designed to give test takers a clearer, more authentic writing purpose than the former “decision based” LSAT Writing prompt, which was more narrowly focused on pure logical reasoning. When test takers have an opportunity to construct an original thesis and defend it based on their own judgment and analytical evaluation, rather than following pre-ordained lines of reasoning, we can better assess a broader and more complex range of decision-making skills that writers engage in.

By adopting this design, we’re not only enabling individuals to have a more authentic voice in their argument, but we are also better positioned to evaluate the writer’s ability to employ various rhetorical techniques, evidentiary strategies, and other important aspects of argumentative writing.

Given the additional reading required, we will be adding a short preparatory period to the LSAT Writing test, which test takers can use to organize their thoughts using guided prewriting analysis questions and to take notes using the digital notetaking tool provided in the testing environment. The questions are designed to help test takers analyze the various perspectives and generate productive ideas for their essay. Most test takers will have a total of 50 minutes – 15 minutes for prewriting analysis and 35 minutes for essay writing. Test takers with approved accommodations for additional time will have their time allocations adjusted accordingly.

To give test takers the opportunity to prepare, we have published a sample prompt as part of the free Official LSAT PrepTest library available in LawHub . Test takers can begin to familiarize themselves with the new approach and take practice LSAT Writing sessions in the official LSAT Writing environment.

We are also providing a sample of the new LSAT Writing prompt on LSAC.org . It should be noted that this LSAC.org sample is a “text only” version and that test functionality, including the timing function, is included in the practice environment in LawHub .

LSAT Writing has always been a part of the LSAT. Over the years, law schools have expressed the desire to make greater use of the writing portion in their holistic evaluations, so we moved to a digital assessment (instead of handwritten) so that schools could receive, read, and evaluate the students’ work. The changes we are announcing today will make the writing sample even more useful to schools in their evaluation and admission processes.

For the 2024-2025 testing cycle, LSAT Writing will remain an unscored part of the LSAT. Over the course of the 2024-2025 testing cycle, we will be analyzing data of the new LSAT Writing prompt to assess its validity and reliability with a long-term goal of providing a scored LSAT Writing assessment that schools may use in their holistic admission process.

We are excited to offer this new approach to LSAT Writing, starting August 1. We believe this new approach will allow test takers to demonstrate their writing skills even more effectively and will provide schools with even more insight into the strengths and potential of applicants.

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Susan L. Krinsky

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Analytical Thesis Statements
Identify analytical thesis statements. In order to write an analysis, you want to first have a solid understanding of the thing you are analyzing. Remember, when you are analyzing as a writer, you are: Breaking down information or artifacts into component parts. Uncovering relationships among those parts.
Creating a Thesis Statement, Thesis Statement Tips
Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement. 1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing: An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.; An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.; An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies ...
How to Write an Analytical Essay in 6 Steps
Step 1: Decide on Your Stance. Before diving into writing, it's crucial to establish your stance on the topic. Let's say you're going to write an analytical essay example about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work. Before you start writing, you need to decide what your opinion or viewpoint is on this topic.
How to Write an Analytical Essay: 15 Steps (with Pictures)
Do: briefly mention the title, author, and publication date of the text you're analyzing. 2. Write your body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should have 1) a topic sentence, 2) an analysis of some part of the text and 3) evidence from the text that supports your analysis and your thesis statement.
5 Steps to Write a Great Analytical Essay
All analytical papers include a thesis, analysis of the topic, and evidence to support that analysis. When developing an analytical essay outline and writing your essay, follow these five steps: #1: Choose a topic. #2: Write your thesis. #3: Decide on your main points. #4: Gather evidence to support your analysis.
PDF Thesis
for the essay you are writing. If your thesis is descriptive, then you will not need to convince your readers of anything—you will be naming or summarizing something your readers can already see for themselves. If your thesis is too narrow, you won't be able to explore your topic in enough depth to say something interesting about it. If ...
5.7: Analytical Thesis Statements
You start with the following thesis statement: "Escalade's hit song "Missing You" is about being sad after a loved one dies.". There isn't much depth or complexity to such a claim because the thesis doesn't give much information. In order to write a better thesis statement, we need to dig deeper into the song.
How to Write an Analytical Essay in 7 Simple Steps
How to Write an Analytical Essay in 7 Simple Steps. Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 3 min read. Analytical essays provide a way to share your insights about a work of literature, scientific study, or historical event. Analytical essays provide a way to share your insights about a work of literature, scientific study, or ...
Writing a Thesis Statement
The kind of thesis statement you write will depend on the type of paper you are writing. Here is how to write the different kinds of thesis statements: Argumentative Thesis Statement: Making a Claim. Analytical Thesis Statement: Analyzing an Issue. Expository Thesis Statement: Explaining a Topic.
Developing A Thesis
A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay. Steps in Constructing a Thesis. First, analyze your primary sources. Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication.
How to Write an Analytical Thesis: Total Guide
An analytical thesis is a thesis used in an analytical essay or writing. It aims to analyze an event, a character, or action critically. The goal of an analytical thesis is to expand the topic of the essay, mentioning everything that would be covered in the work. Often, people make a lot of mistakes when writing an analytical thesis.
How to Write an Analytical Thesis Statement
Simply defined, an analytical thesis statement is the thesis statement for an analytical essay. These essays address how or why something is the way it is and provide evidence to support that claim. An analytical thesis statement should make a specific assertion about the "how" or ...
8.5 Writing Process: Creating an Analytical Report
Whenever you choose to write the introduction, use it to draw readers into your report. Make the topic of your report clear, and be concise and sincere. End the introduction with your thesis statement. Depending on your topic and the type of report, you can write an effective introduction in several ways.
How to Write an Analytical Essay
However, a complex analytical essay outline might require you to use two sentences for a thesis statement. Write an Analytical Essay Body with a Clear Structure. Your analytical essay outline should include 3-4 paragraphs. However, a literary analysis essay usually consists of 5 paragraphs. When it comes to analytical writing, it is important ...
How to Write a Thesis Statement
Step 1: Start with a question. You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis, early in the writing process. As soon as you've decided on your essay topic, you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.
Analytical Thesis Statement Examples for You
An analytical thesis example on the topic "racism" should include features like the negative effects of racism, the characteristics of racism, an occasion when racism has been exhibited, etc. Linking the different parts to achieve your goal. Your analytical thesis statement is useless if there is no connecting factor between the sections ...
How to Write an Analytical Essay. Writing Analysis Essays
An analytical essay generally follows a clear structure: it starts with an introduction that includes a hook and a thesis statement, followed by body paragraphs that each focus on a specific point or piece of evidence supporting your thesis, and concludes with a summary that reinforces your main argument and highlights the significance of your ...
Analytical Writing
Here you will find helpful guides on how to: Write a Thesis Statement; Draft an Outline; Form Introduction and Conclusion Paragraphs; Construct Body Paragraphs for both English essays and History papers; Effectively Paraphrase; Revise your work with a basic Revision checklist; Proofread for Grammar and Punctuation; Visit Kent's Academic Resource Center (ARC) for feedback at any stage of the ...
Thesis
Thesis. Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic. Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore ...
How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay
Table of contents. Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices. Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. Step 3: Writing a title and introduction. Step 4: Writing the body of the essay. Step 5: Writing a conclusion. Other interesting articles.
PDF Strategies for Essay Writing
Asking Analytical Questions When you write an essay for a course you are taking, you are being asked not only to create a product (the essay) but, more importantly, to go through a process of thinking ... answer to that question will be your essay's thesis. You may have many questions as you consider a source or set of sources, but not all of ...
PDF Writing Exam Prompt 2024
focusing on your familiarity with the kind of analytical writing that Harvard courses will require. For each of the questions in this section, you should write one or more paragraphs in response (each question will give you directions about the expected length). • We advise you to write your answers to Questions 3-5 in a Word document or other
How to Write a Good Conclusion (With Examples)
Here are a few tips to effectively restate your thesis. Show Complexity: If your essay added layers or nuances to the original statement, be sure to articulate that clearly. Integrate Key Findings: Incorporate the main findings of your essay to reinforce how they supported or refined your thesis.
Asking Analytical Questions
A strong analytical question. speaks to a genuine dilemma presented by your sources. In other words, the question focuses on a real confusion, problem, ambiguity, or gray area, about which readers will conceivably have different reactions, opinions, or ideas. yields an answer that is not obvious. If you ask, "What did this author say about this ...
A New Approach to LSAT Writing Will Debut on July 30, 2024
March 4, 2024. By Susan Krinsky. As legal education curricula and the practice of law continue to change with the times, LSAC is innovating to provide a new writing assessment that responds to the evolving needs of the profession. On July 30, a redesigned approach to the LSAT Writing section of the LSAT will make its debut as we open the 2024 ...

Module 8: Analysis and Synthesis

Formulating an Analytical Thesis Statement

Key Takeaways for analytical theses

Using Evidence

Key Takeaways about evidence

Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement Examples

How To Write an Analytical Essay

What Is an Analytical Essay

Wondering How to Impress Your Professor with Your Essay?

How to Structure an Analytical Essay

How to Write an Analytical Essay in 6 Simple Steps

Step 1: Decide on Your Stance

Step 2: Write Your Thesis Statement

Step 3: Write Topic Sentences

Step 4: Create an Outline

Step 5: Write Your First Draft

Step 6: Revise and Proofread

What is the Purpose of an Analytical Essay?

Analytical Essay Examples

Do Analytical Essays Tend to Intimidate You?

How to Write an Analytical Essay?

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What Is an Analytical Essay?

How to Structure Your Analytical Essay

Introduction

Body Paragraphs

5 Steps for Writing an Analytical Essay

#1: Pick a Topic

#2: Write a Thesis Statement

#3: Do Research to Find Your Main Points

#4: Find Excerpts or Evidence to Support Your Analysis

#5: Put It All Together

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5.7: Analytical Thesis Statements

Learning Objective

Formulating an Analytical Thesis Statement

Key Takeaways for analytical theses

Using Evidence

Key Takeaways about evidence

Contributors and Attributions

8.5 Writing Process: Creating an Analytical Report

Considering the Rhetorical Situation

Summary of Assignment

Quick Launch: Finding and Focusing a Topic

Asking the Journalist’s Questions

Asking Focused Questions

Gathering Information

Kinds of Evidence

Thesis and Organization

Organizing Your Ideas

Drafting an Analytical Report

Introduction