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If you want to write an outstanding analytical essay, you need much more than just a good subject to explore. While having a captivating topic is important, your analysis paper also needs to be properly structured and include all key elements in order to stand out. In this article, you will learn how to write a strong thesis statement, organize your ideas and support your argument with decent evidence.
What Is an Analytical Essay?
An analytical essay is a type of writing that provides a thorough analysis of a subject supported by evidence. The name is self-explanatory - working on this type of essay requires solid analytical skills and sound reasoning. You may be assigned to analyze a book, a poem, a movie, a historical event, or even scientific research.
In order to write a great analysis paper, a student needs to put the key elements into play. Some of the most important features typical for an analytical essay include:
A strong thesis statement
A compelling claim that needs to be proven
Comprehensive analysis of a text or an issue
Supporting evidence that backs up your analysis
Below, we have compiled some useful tips on including these characteristics in your analytical essay. Keep reading our article to master your writing skills or simply contact our company, and we will be glad to help you with any assignment upon ' write essay for me' request.
Unlike a descriptive essay, which requires you to summarize the facts, the primary task of analytical writing is to investigate your topic from opposing perspectives. In order to stick to the objective of the analysis paper, it is advised to break a topic into smaller parts. This way you will be able to narrow down your analysis and research each separate point. As a result, it will be easy to introduce both pros and cons of the given issue.
So instead of retelling the whole plot, you will need to examine how a literary work influences the audience. For example, when writing an analytical essay about a book, you should analyze the literary termsand devices used in it, and explain how the work impacts the readers.
Steps to Follow When Writing an Analytical Essay
There are several steps you need to follow in order to create a perfect analytical essay. Below, you can find some useful tips that will help you get started.
Identify the main purpose of your analysis.Keep in mind that your attempt to cover every single aspect in your essay may do more harm than good. Try to focus on the primary goal of your analysis.
Choose a topic.If you don't have any topic assigned to you, try to pick a memorable one. It should focus on a narrow subject. At the same time, it should be an easy topic to research. After all, you don't want to spend hours looking for necessary details.
Craft a strong thesis statement.This means that your thesis should be clear enough to understand what the whole analysis essay will be about, and catchy enough to grab your reader's attention. Remember that each paragraph of your paper should be in line with the thesis statement.
Split up the issue into smaller parts.At this point, you need to conduct a thorough research of your topic. Instead of targeting a complex subject at once, it's better to examine each individual point separately. This will allow you to gain a deep understanding of the chosen issue. Make sure to cover both positive and negative aspects.
Support your analysis with examples.Now, it’s time to find supporting evidence to back up your writing. Try to come up with at least one example for each main point related to the topic.
Create a scheme.Now that you have both the thesis statement and main points shovel-ready, your next step is to prepare a clear outline of your analytical essay. Most likely you will be asked to write a typical five paragraph essay. Regardless how many paragraphs you decide to include, remember that your essay has to be as long as needed to provide a comprehensive analysis.
Choosing a Topic
Coming up with a catchy topic for an analysis essay is a deciding step in the writing process. A carefully chosen topic may directly enhance your text quality. Besides, it serves two purposes - on the one hand, an essay title gives you an idea on how to do analysis, and on the other hand, it catches the reader's attention. Therefore, you have to do your best to select an engaging topic for your analytical essay.
Below are some helpful tips on choosing a great title:
Stick to the purpose of analytical writing
Pick a subject or an issue that you are most interested in
Conduct research to ensure that you will be able to make a deep analysis
Make sure that the topic is narrow enough
Choose a title that clearly states the theme of your paper
Analytical thesis statement
No analysis paper is complete without a compelling thesis statement. A well-crafted analytical thesis should summarize the argument you have decided to make. This way it will give you a clear visionon how to explore a subject. Be specific and try to avoid vague sentences. Remember, the thesis should be only 1-2 sentences long, and, yet, it needs to grasp the central idea of the entire paper.
So what is the best thesis for an analytical essay? It depends on the topic and position the student has towards the offered issue. Take on a strong stance, especially if you want to persuade the reader, such as in the example below :
“The symbolism in JD Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” adds the feeling of melancholia and uncertainty during the entire course of the novel.”
It is a great thesis for an analytical literary paper because it contains all necessary elements.
First of all, the thesis has a strong claimand allows us to analyze the novel.
The argument is debatable, meaning that you pick a side that needs to be proven by supportive examples.
Besides, the subject is narrowand, thus, can be explored in detail.
As you start writing an analytical essay on this topic, you can examine different literary devices and methods that can support your main point of view. Below is another example of great analytical thesis used for History class:
“Although there are many causes of the 1st World War, it is burgeoning nationalism that formed the sense of hatred and provoked the War’s start.”
This thesis statement on a historical event contains all key features, and thus can serve as a solid foundation of the future analysis:
It introduces a subjectand a claimof the future analysis.
Notice that this thesis statement doesn't sound general.
The claim is preciseand to-the-point.
So before starting an analytical paper, try to narrow the thesis down based on the chosen subject as shown above.
Whether you choose to examine a book or a poem, it is essential that you always support analysis with decent examples. With the help of convincing evidence you will be able to communicate your ideas effectively. However, all supporting examples only work when used properly. This means that you have to choose only that textual evidence that is directly tied to your thesis.
There are several types of effective evidence that may help you enhance your literary analysis:
Summary.Including a brief summary of events enables a full understanding of your analysis. There is no need to summarize an entire plot. Instead, you may want to highlight only relevant information that helps understand a key point.
Particular detail.Any literary work has various explicit details that allow the readers to grasp a central idea. As you make a textual analysis, try to focus on specific details and do not forget to mention them in your analytical essay.
Direct quotation.The masterful use of direct quotations makes an analysis credible. Just like with any other type of supporting examples, make sure that you specify how a chosen quotation is linked to your point.
Paraphrase.Another great way to support your analysis is to paraphrase important information in your essay. You may apply this technique in case a direct quotation is too long. Be sure to interpret the main idea in your own words and explain how it relates to the argument.
Consider the use of the textual examples mentioned above to improve the quality of your analysis essay and make it more powerful.
How to outline an analytical essay
Knowing how to write an analytical essay outline is the half job done. This will help you put things in the right order. With a well-structured essay outline, you will be able to keep all your ideas in your head, and thus never forget to include any important details. A good outline will help you create a logical and coherent analysis paper, so your readers will be able to understand it well.
There are various ways to organise the outline. However, no matter how you decide to structure your analytical paper, it must include three important parts: an introduction, a body paragraph,and a conclusion. Depending on the requirements, a student can write a 3-paragraph or 5-paragraph essay.
The introduction of an analytical essay should get the audience involved in reading your paper. Remember that the introduction should be like a road map for your readers. They need to know where your analytical paper will take them and what things they will be able to learn while reading it.
Generally, there are three main things that your analytical introduction should contain:
A hook sentence that grabs attention.
Background information on the subject
A powerful thesis statement
A brief explanation of how you're going to prove your thesis
The best way to create an introduction for an analytical essay is to start with an engaging hook sentence. Remember you won't have a second chance to impress your readers. There is a full array of ways to catch the reader's attention, such as starting with a rhetorical or provocative question, a joke, a quote, a surprising fact, statistics, or even combining several things.
Once your hook sentence is ready, you will need to give brief background informationon the matter. Make sure that you inform your audience about your analytical paper's subject. Next, write down your carefully prepared thesis statement that tells why your analytical work matters.
Finally, you have to explain how you will be proving your claim. If you are going to write a paper about a book, you need to focus your argument on which literary methods the author has used. If your essay is about a historical event, make sure to analyze why those events happened. When you're required to create an analytical essay about scientific findings or research, use scientific methods to make your analysis.
A standard analytical paper contains three body paragraphs, each explaining a separate point of analysis. The main goal of the body part is to discuss each point of your analysis and support your thesis with compelling examples.
Based on the purpose of analytical essay writing, body paragraphs should contain the following key elements:
Topic sentence that presents the main point
The key point of your analysis
A transitional sentence that ties body paragraphs
Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces a key point. Once you come up with a great idea for that, you will need to provide an extensive analysis of the matter, justifying it with convincing examples. Find as much evidence as needed to fully prove your argument.
Ensure that the body of the paper logically leads to the conclusion. Do not forget to apply necessary transition words to show the relation between the paper paragraphs.
When it comes to the final point, you need to know how to conclude an analytical essay properly. Remember that the main purpose of a conclusion is to summarize your prior analysis. Make sure that you don't introduce new ideas in the closing paragraph of your essay. Instead, you may want to remind your audience which methods you have used to prove your claim.
A good analytical conclusion should include the following information:
A brief summary of your analysis
Rephrased analytical thesis statement
Final thoughts on the issue
First of all, start your conclusion with a short summary of the main points explained in the body paragraphs. Next step is to paraphrase a thesis statement presented in the introductory paragraph. The closing sentence of the entire paper should end with your final thoughts on the subject matter. You can use a recommendation, explanation, or a hook sentence to finish your analysis paper. Using essay conclusion examplesis always useful for writing this part of your work.
Analytical Essay Example
Now that you are familiar with all steps of analytical writing, we offer you to have a look at a completed paper. A sample below shows you how a finished version should look like. Pay attention to the outline of this analytical paper, its thesis statement, key points and supportive evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an analytical style of writing?
Analytical writing style is a type of writing that requires a comprehensive analysis of a literary work or an event. Analytical writing presents the interpretation of an issue based on the textual evidence. Before writing an analytical essay you need to do a thorough research of your topic and find key points that need to be analyzed.
What is the difference between an analytical essay and a descriptive essay?
The major difference between an analytical essay and a descriptive essay lies in the purpose of writing. While analytical essays should include a claim, or an argument, backed up by supportive examples, descriptive essays require you to summarize a literary work or write a movie synopsis. Even though both types of essays must emphasize the key points, analytical writing involves making a deep analysis of a chosen subject, but not writing a summary.
How many paragraphs are in an analytical essay?
A standard analytical essay should contain 5 paragraphs, each having special analysis components:
Introduction with brief background information and a thesis statement
3 body paragraphs that provide an analysis on each separate point along with supporting evidence
Conclusion with all covered points and a paraphrased thesis statement.
What is an analytical paragraph?
In an analysis paper, an analytical paragraph means a body part. As a rule, it contains three body paragraphs that present a deep analysis of the key points along with supportive evidence. When writing an analytical paragraph you should aim to justify the thesis stated in the introductory paragraph.
How to be analytical when writing an essay?
Analysis paper requires strong analytical skills. In order to be more analytical in writing you need to identify the central idea of a text, pay attention to special details and interpret them in your essay. Focus on the key points of a literary work and relate them to your thesis statement. Do not forget to make a conclusion explaining your main findings.