another name for analytical essay

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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How to Write an Analytical Essay?

What is an analytical essay.

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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.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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5 Steps to Write a Great Analytical Essay

General Education

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 !

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How to Write an Analytical Essay

Last Updated: August 25, 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 10 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 3,995,173 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

• 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.
• 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.

• 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

• 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.

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

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/analytical-essay-guide
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/analytical-essay/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/brainstorming/
• ↑ https://www.bucks.edu/media/bcccmedialibrary/pdf/HOWTOWRITEALITERARYANALYSISESSAY_10.15.07_001.pdf
• ↑ 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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• Essay Writing Guides

How to Write an Analytical Essay – Easy-to-Follow Guide

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to write an analytical essay, offering insights into crafting a compelling essay. It covers the fundamentals of the writing process, from choosing a topic to research techniques and structuring the essay effectively.

The guide offers actionable tips and empowering guidance for learning what is analytical essay. It serves as a stepping stone towards mastering the art of analysis, making it a valuable companion on the journey to articulate and persuasive writing.

Discover What Is Analytical Essay

Analytical essays are academic writing that deeply delve into a specific subject or issue, focusing on analyzing and interpreting information through evidence and supporting details. Critical characteristics of analytical writing include objective analysis, a thesis-driven nature, evidence-based reasoning, and critical thinking. These essays require facts, examples, and quotations to support the writer’s analysis.

Mastering analytical writing is crucial for academic success as it helps students develop strong analytical thinking skills, which are highly valued in educational settings. It also contributes to career advancement, as individuals who can analyze information effectively are better equipped for decision-making roles in various professions.

Effective communication is another critical aspect of analytical writing, as it fosters the ability to articulate complex ideas and arguments coherently. Problem-solving skills are also developed through analytical thinking, as individuals proficient in analytical thinking can approach challenges methodically and break down complex problems into manageable components. Research proficiency is also linked to the structure of analysis essay, as skilled individuals can navigate and synthesize vast amounts of information effectively.

Choosing a Topic for an Analytical Paper

The selection of a topic analysis essay is crucial. It involves prioritizing relevance, narrowing broad ideas, and establishing a solid thesis statement. It involves understanding and adhering to assignment criteria, aligning with personal interest, engaging the audience, and refining the chosen topic to make it more manageable.

Initial brainstorming is essential, as it helps to write analytical essay ideas related to the general subject. Breaking broad topics into specific subtopics allows for a more in-depth and manageable analysis. Considering the scope and depth of the chosen topic is also essential, as it allows for a comprehensive analysis within the given word limit or time constraints.

In conclusion, knowing how to write an analytical essay topic involves prioritizing relevance, narrowing down broad ideas, and establishing a solid thesis statement. By adhering to assignment criteria, personal interest, and practical topic refinement, writers can set the foundation for a focused, engaging, and analytically robust essay.

Research and Gathering Evidence

To effectively gather and organize evidence, follow these tips:

• Structured Note-Taking: Create a structured outline or use digital tools to organize your notes systematically.
• Summarize Key Points: Capture the essence of each source by summarizing key points, including supporting evidence, examples, and counterarguments. Attribute information clearly to its source during note-taking to facilitate proper citation later.
• Organize by Theme or Argument: Organize your notes based on themes or arguments to provide clarity and identify patterns, trends, and connections crucial for your essay’s structure.
• Incorporating Quotes: Choose quotes that directly support your thesis statement, strengthen your argument, and contribute to the overall coherence of your essay.
• Proper Citation: Ensure accurate and consistent citation according to the required style (e.g., APA, MLA).
• Introducing and Explaining Quotes: Introduce quotes effectively and explain their significance, blending them into your narrative. Avoid overreliance on quotes; balance your original analysis while ensuring your original analysis remains the driving force of your essay.
• Paraphrasing and Synthesizing: Practice paraphrasing and synthesizing information from sources to maintain a cohesive and original analytical narrative.

By following these strategies, you can confidently embark on your analytical paper journey, knowing that the art of analysis lies in the information presented and how you synthesize and interpret it.

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Creating an analytical essay outline.

An analytical paper should follow a structured outline, starting with an introduction with a hook, background information, thesis statement, body paragraphs, evidence, analysis, transition, and anticipation of counterarguments. The introduction should include background information, a hook, evidence, analysis, and transition.

Counter arguments should be acknowledged and refuted, and the conclusion should summarize the central argument or analysis for essay. Key points discussed in each paragraph should be briefly recapped, and final thoughts should offer reflections or suggestions for further exploration. A list of sources should be provided, following the appropriate citation style.

This analytical essay outline may be adjusted based on the assignment’s requirements or preferred writing style. Each Roman numeral represents a significant section of the essay, while the letters represent subpoints within those sections.

How to Write an Analytical Essay Introduction

An analytical essay introduction is crucial for establishing a connection with the reader and setting the stage for the subsequent analysis. To create a captivating introduction, do the following:

• Start with an engaging anecdote or quote related to your topic.
• Start with shocking statistics or intriguing facts to capture attention and create urgency.
• Pose a rhetorical question to stimulate curiosity and create an interactive dimension to your introduction.
• If applicable, share a brief personal experience related to the topic to humanize the essay and provide a relatable entry point for the reader.

The thesis statement is the roadmap that guides the reader through the analytical landscape of your analytical argumentative essay, encapsulating the main argument, stance, and direction. Ensure that your statement is concise and specific, as ambiguity can diminish the impact of your analytical stance. Align the thesis with the chosen topic, previewing the analytical exploration that awaits. Communicate that the thesis serves as the framework for your analysis, with every subsequent paragraph and argument contributing to supporting or challenging the central thesis.

Remember that the thesis might evolve as you delve deeper into the research and writing process. Encourage writers to revisit and refine the thesis to ensure it remains aligned with the developing understanding of the topic. By emphasizing its pivotal role, writers set the stage for cohesive and purposeful analytical papers.

Structure of Analysis Essay Body

The body paragraphs of a critical analytical essay are crucial for guiding readers through the analysis presented. They serve as a preview, providing a clear and concise roadmap for the essay’s content. Topic sentences should be clear, direct, and aligned with the thesis, and engaging language should be used to establish unity and coherence.

The heart of the analytical essay lies in the depth of analysis applied to the presented evidence. Writers should thoroughly examine each piece of evidence, examining its layers to extract nuanced insights contributing to the overall argument. Every analysis should tie back to the thesis statement, and there should be a clear link between the evidence presented, the analysis conducted, and the overarching argument.

Exploring how to write analytical essay projects from multiple perspectives adds depth and complexity to the essay. Balancing evidence and analysis is essential, as too much without insightful interpretation can make the essay seem superficial, while excessive analysis without supporting evidence weakens the argument.

Transitions between paragraphs are essential for binding paragraphs together and maintaining reader engagement. They should facilitate a logical progression of ideas from one paragraph to the next, using transitional words and phrases to signal shifts in thought and guide the reader through the evolving analysis. Transitions help maintain focus, prevent abrupt shifts, and reinforce the central thesis.

By knowing how to write an analytical essay topic sentence, providing an in-depth analysis of evidence and smoothly transitioning between paragraphs, writers can elevate the overall quality of their analytical essays, transforming the essay’s body into a cohesive, persuasive, and intellectually satisfying exploration of the chosen topic.

Analytical Essay Conclusion

A conclusion is crucial for any writing, as it provides closure, summarizes key points, and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Here are some tips for writing an effective conclusion to an analytical essay:

• Summarize critical points: Start by summarizing the main points discussed in your essay and revisiting them to reinforce their significance.
• Restate the thesis statement: Bring the focus back to the thesis statement to emphasize the core message of your writing.
• Provide a synthesis: Offer a synthesis of the information presented, connecting the dots between different ideas or arguments to demonstrate how they collectively contribute to the overarching theme or message.
• Share insights or implications: Share any insights or broader implications of your analysis and discuss their significance in the broader context or field of study.
• Connect to the introduction: Create a sense of cohesion by connecting your conclusion to the introduction and referencing a theme, anecdote, or idea introduced in the opening.
• End with a clincher: Conclude your essay with a memorable statement or clincher that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
• Avoid introducing new information: Your conclusion should be a summary and reflection of what has already been discussed in the essay’s body.
• Consider the tone: Match the tone of your conclusion to the overall tone of your essay, whether academic or personal.

And finally, keep it concise. A well-crafted conclusion is succinct yet impactful.

• Academic Writing Guides

• Research Paper Writing Guides

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.

If you have similar problems, there is no need to compromise your reputation and grades. You can always refer to HandmadeWriting professionals who are ready to help you with a paper of any type and complexity. They will understand your individual style and totally devote themselv

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How to write a good analytical essay

Published September 27, 2020. Updated June 7, 2022.

Analytical Essay Definition

An analytical essay is an essay that provides an analysis of a work or issue.

Overview of Analytical Essay Writing

An analytical essay is used to analyze just about anything. Mostly, students will be asked to analyze a piece of writing, a film, or a specific issue. Topics for analytical essays should be neither too broad nor too narrow and should have enough sources to support the analysis. An analytical essay should be structured with an outline that consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion. Enough time should be spent writing, rewriting, and revising thoroughly. Line editing, spell-checking, and proofreading should be done carefully, and the sentence flow should be checked to create the final analytical essay.

Worried about your writing? Submit your paper for a Chegg Writing essay check , or for an Expert Check proofreading . Both can help you find and fix potential writing issues.

What is an analytical essay?

So, first things first: what is an analytical essay? Analytical essays are just what they sound like — they are, simply put, an analysis. To analyze is to “study or determine the nature and relationship of the parts of something” (Merriam-Webster). An analytical essay can analyze just about anything, but most often, students are asked to analyze a piece of writing, a film, or a specific issue.

It’s important to note the difference between argumentative and analytical essays. Though they are similar, there is a distinction: argumentative papers aim to prove a point through a well-researched, persuasive argument, while analytical papers posit a question and explore possible answers.

Some analytical essays will set out to prove a point, which can make them easily confused with argumentative essays. Remember, the main goal of argumentative essays is to argue a point. The main objective of analytical essays is to analyze a work or idea. Often, a firm stance will be used as a vehicle to create a more structured analysis. But, it’s not the point of the essay.

How to prepare to write an analytical essay

Before you dive into brainstorming topics for your analytical essay, be sure to read and reread the rubric for the assignment. Depending on your field of study, the guidelines will vary. For instance, psychology, education, and the sciences tend to use APA format, while the humanities, languages, and the fine arts tend to use MLA or Chicago style.

Once you know which format to use, take heed of any specific expectations your instructor has for this assignment. For example:

• When is it due?
• What is the expected page count?
• Will your instructor expect to see an outline before the draft?
• Is there a set topic list, or can you choose your own?
• Is there someplace to look at sample analytical essays that got A’s?

If anything is unclear, don’t hesitate to ask your instructor.

How to brainstorm the perfect topic for your analytical essay

Some instructors will offer their students a set of essay topics to choose from. That makes it easy for you — just pick the topic that intrigues you the most! Since your instructor has approved all the topics, you shouldn’t have to worry about any of them being too “broad” or “narrow.”

On the other hand, many instructors expect students to brainstorm their own topics. In this case, you will need to ensure your topic is relevant and not too broad or narrow.

After you think of a topic that interests you and is neither too broad nor too narrow, make sure you can find an adequate number of reputable sources to substantiate your analysis. You’ll need to evaluate all your sources’ credibility and probably include a few peer-reviewed journal articles (tip: use a database).

Many good sources can be found online or at your school’s library (in-person and online). If you’re having trouble finding useful sources, it may be a warning sign that your idea is too broad or narrow. If you’re stuck finding sources at all, ask your librarian for help.

How to structure an analytical essay

Now that you’ve found a good topic, it’s time to get organized! Even if you prefer to write spontaneously, creating an outline (even a loose one) can help you stay on track while you draft. The traditional outline for an analytical essay looks like the following:

Introduction

• main point #1
• main point #2
• main point #3

Works cited

Let’s examine each section.

No good analytical essay is complete without a super-strong introductory paragraph. It’s like the title screen at the beginning of a movie. Without it, you’d have no idea what the movie’s about!

A good introduction should state:

• the topic of your essay
• your thesis statement (the one- or two-line gist of your paper)
• the question or idea you’ll analyze
• your research methodology

The body of your essay is not limited to three points, as shown above, but three is typically considered the minimum for a good analysis. To make your analysis more compelling, present your points and arguments in a “strong, stronger, strongest” format.

• strong supporting evidence #1
• stronger supporting evidence #2
• strongest supporting evidence #3

Many students struggle with writing conclusions for their essays. It can feel unnecessary to restate what’s already been said, right? But really, a strong conclusion does much more than repeat what’s already been said. Your conclusion should:

• restate your thesis statement
• hit on all the main points of the essay
• explore the implications of the main points

Works cited 

A works cited or bibliography page should be the final section of your paper. A works-cited page includes a list of the resources you quoted or cited within the body of your work. A bibliography includes these, plus any resources you consulted and didn’t refer to in the paper, or any resources that influenced your ideas on the topic. Check your assignment to see which of these two pages you will need to have.

How to write an analytical essay

It might not seem like it when you’re staring at that blank document and flashing cursor, but this is the easy part! If you’ve adequately researched and planned your analysis, the writing process will flow much more quickly.

Remember, it’s usually not possible to write an essay in one sitting. Don’t wait until the last minute to get started! You’ll need to factor in time for breaks, meetings with your writing tutor, and the dreaded writer’s block.

Don’t expect your first draft to be perfect. It is normal (and smart) to write multiple drafts. You may even need to change your main argument halfway through your draft. That’s okay! Be ready to re-brainstorm, re-outline, and rewrite.

How to revise an analytical essay

Revision may just be the most crucial step of the essay-writing process. Even if you brainstorm the perfect topic, create a brilliant outline, and write a strong first draft, none of that brilliance will shine through if your paper is full of typos, grammar errors, and rambling tangents.

You’ll want to complete these steps of editing, in this order:

• line editing
• spell-checking
• proofreading

Revision deals with broad issues, such as an argument that doesn’t make sense or a source that doesn’t support your thesis. Line editing, spell-checking, and proofreading have more to do with your writing, the flow of your sentences, and any spelling or grammatical errors.

After you finish, it also doesn’t hurt to check your paper for plagiarism !

Example analytical essay on folklore and current events

Before you turn in that paper, don’t forget to cite your sources in APA format , MLA format , or a style of your choice.

Key takeaways

• An analytical essay is, simply put, an analysis of a work or issue.
• Be sure to understand your instructor’s expectations before you dive into writing an analytical essay.
• Topics for analytical essays need to be neither too broad nor too narrow and should have enough sources to support your analysis.
• The basic outline for an analytical essay consists of an introduction, body, conclusion, and works cited (or bibliography).
• Leaving yourself enough time to write, rewrite, and revise thoroughly is a vital part of writing an analytical essay that earns an A.

“Analyze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/analyze.

By Jolee McManus. Jolee earned a BA in English from the University of Georgia. She has several years of experience as a writing tutor and freelance copywriter and editor.

Common Writing Assignments, Apps & Tests

• Analytical Essay
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Analytical Essay

Definition of analytical essay, difference between an analytical essay and a critical essay, types of analytical essay, examples of analytical essay in literature, example #1: liposuction: the key to energy independence (by barbara ehrenreich).

“I say to my fellow humans: It’s time to stop feeding off the dead and grow up! I don’t know about food, but I have a plan for achieving fuel self-sufficiency in less time than it takes to say ‘Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.’ The idea came to me from reports of the growing crime of French fry oil theft: Certain desperate individuals are stealing restaurants’ discarded cooking oil, which can then be used to fuel cars. So the idea is: why not skip the French fry phase and harvest high-energy hydrocarbons right from ourselves?”

Example #2: Freedom (by Joyce M. Jarett)

“On the first day of school, I was escorted by hordes of national guardsmen. Like a funeral procession, the steady stream of official-looking cars followed me to the campus. Some patrolmen were parked near campus gates, while others, with guns strapped to their sides, stood near building entrances. Though many of my escorts had given me smiles of support, still I was not prepared for what I encountered upon entering my new school.”

Example #3: The Ways of Meeting Oppression (by Martin Luther King, Jr.)

“The third way open to oppressed people in their quest for freedom is the way of nonviolent resistance. Like the synthesis in Hegelian philosophy, the principle of nonviolent resistance seeks to reconcile the truths of two opposites—the acquiescence and violence—while avoiding the extremes and immoralities of both. The nonviolent resister agrees with the person who acquiesces that one should not be physically aggressive toward his opponent; but he balances the equation by agreeing with the person of violence that evil must be resisted. He avoids the nonresistance of the former and the violent resistance of the latter. With nonviolent resistance, no individual or group need submit to any wrong, nor need anyone resort to violence in order to right a wrong.”

Function of Analytical Essay

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Essay Papers Writing Online

How to craft an engaging and insightful analytical essay that captivates your readers.

Embark on a journey of intellectual discovery as you learn how to unravel the complex layers of meaning in your chosen subject matter. Analytical essays require a keen eye for detail and an unwavering commitment to exploration. Step into the shoes of a detective armed with a pen, and prepare to unlock the hidden secrets that lie beneath the surface.

Beyond the mere act of writing, an analytical essay challenges you to transform ordinary observations into profound insights, shedding light on the deeper significance of the topic at hand. In this step-by-step guide, we will unveil the secrets to crafting a compelling analysis that captivates your readers, leaving them enlightened and inspired.

Discover the power of analysis as you learn how to dissect your subject matter, exploring its various components and piecing them together to reveal a greater truth. Dive into the intricate nuances of language, symbolism, and narrative structure, as you employ critical thinking to dissect the elements that shape your chosen topic. Through this process, you will develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter and cultivate an appreciation for the art of analysis.

Understanding the Basics of an Analytical Essay

Analytical essays are a popular form of academic writing that require students to carefully examine and interpret a given topic or text. These essays go beyond simply summarizing or expressing personal opinions; rather, they involve a deep analysis and evaluation of the subject matter. In an analytical essay, a writer breaks down the topic into its various components and examines them critically to gain a comprehensive understanding.

When writing an analytical essay, it is important to approach the topic with objectivity and a critical mindset. The purpose of such an essay is to analyze, evaluate, and interpret the subject matter, providing insights and arguments that are supported by evidence and logical reasoning. It is not about expressing personal preferences or biases, but rather about presenting a well-structured and well-supported analysis.

One key aspect of an analytical essay is the use of evidence to support the writer’s claims and arguments. This evidence can come in various forms, such as quotes from the text being analyzed, statistical data, expert opinions, or examples from real-life situations. The writer must carefully select and present this evidence in a way that enhances their analysis and strengthens their overall argument.

In addition to evidence, an analytical essay should also include logical reasoning and clear organization. The writer needs to present their ideas in a coherent and logical manner, guiding the reader through their analysis step by step. Each paragraph should focus on a specific idea or aspect of the topic, with smooth transitions between paragraphs to ensure a seamless flow of ideas.

Furthermore, an analytical essay requires attention to detail and critical thinking. The writer must carefully examine the subject matter, paying close attention to nuances, patterns, and underlying meanings. They should ask questions, challenge assumptions, and consider different perspectives in order to develop a well-rounded analysis.

In conclusion, an analytical essay is a form of academic writing that involves a deep analysis and evaluation of a given topic or text. It requires objectivity, evidence-based arguments, logical reasoning, and attention to detail. By understanding the basics of an analytical essay, students can effectively approach this type of writing and develop strong analytical skills that are crucial for academic success.

Choosing a Topic for Your Analytical Essay

One of the crucial steps in writing an analytical essay is selecting the right topic. To ensure the success of your essay, it is important to choose a subject that is both interesting and allows for in-depth analysis. Here are some tips to help you select the perfect topic for your analytical essay:

• Consider your interests: Start by thinking about subjects that you are passionate about or have a strong curiosity towards. Analytical essays require in-depth analysis and critical thinking, so choosing a topic that genuinely interests you will make the process more enjoyable.
• Research potential topics: Once you have identified a few areas of interest, conduct preliminary research to familiarize yourself with the subject matter. Look for relevant articles, books, or academic papers that provide insight into the topic. This will help you assess the availability of information and determine if the topic has enough substance for analysis.
• Narrow down your options: After conducting initial research, narrow down your list of potential topics. Consider the scope and feasibility of each topic. Ensure that your chosen subject can be adequately explored within the given word count and time frame.
• Identify the focus: Analytical essays often require a specific focus or thesis statement. Determine the angle or perspective you want to take towards your chosen topic. Think about the questions you want to answer or the arguments you want to make in your essay.
• Consider the audience: Keep in mind the intended audience for your essay. Think about their interests and prior knowledge on the topic. Choose a subject that is both accessible and engaging for your readers.
• Seek feedback: Once you have narrowed down your topic options, seek feedback from peers, professors, or writing tutors. Their insights and suggestions can help you refine your topic and ensure that it aligns with the objectives of your essay.

By following these guidelines, you can choose a topic for your analytical essay that not only captivates your readers but also allows you to showcase your analytical and critical thinking skills.

Conducting In-Depth Research for Your Essay

Thorough research is an essential part of writing a compelling analytical essay. By delving deep into your topic, you can gather a wealth of information and evidence to support your arguments and strengthen your analysis. In this section, we will explore effective strategies and resources for conducting in-depth research for your essay.

When embarking on your research journey, it is crucial to start by clearly defining the scope and objectives of your essay. This will help you narrow down your focus and determine the specific areas you need to explore. Consider the main themes, concepts, or theories that are relevant to your essay and identify keywords that will guide your research.

One approach to conducting research is to utilize various academic databases and online libraries. These platforms offer a vast collection of scholarly articles, peer-reviewed journals, books, and other resources that can provide you with authoritative and reliable information. Be sure to use appropriate search terms and filters to refine your search and find the most relevant sources.

In addition to academic sources, it is also beneficial to explore different types of media, such as news articles, documentaries, podcasts, and interviews. These sources can offer unique perspectives, real-life examples, and current events related to your topic, enhancing the depth and breadth of your analysis.

As you gather information, it is crucial to critically evaluate the credibility and reliability of your sources. Consider the author’s credentials, the publication date, and the reputation of the source. Look for sources that have been peer-reviewed or published by reputable institutions to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the information presented.

Furthermore, taking organized notes while conducting research can greatly facilitate the writing process. Use a structured approach, such as creating an outline or using note-taking software, to record key points, quotes, and references from your sources. This will help you keep track of your research findings and make it easier to incorporate them into your essay later on.

By investing time and effort into conducting in-depth research, you can lay a solid foundation for your analytical essay. Engaging with a diverse range of sources, critically evaluating their reliability, and taking organized notes will enable you to develop a well-rounded and evidence-based argument.

Developing a Thesis Statement and Outline

Creating a strong thesis statement and outline is a crucial step in the process of writing an analytical essay. These components provide a solid foundation for your essay, helping you to organize your thoughts and present a clear and logical argument.

A thesis statement is the main claim or argument of your essay. It is a concise and focused statement that expresses your position on the topic. Your thesis statement should be specific, debatable, and supported by evidence. It sets the tone for your entire essay and guides the reader in understanding the main point you will be making.

To develop a strong thesis statement, you need to thoroughly analyze your topic and gather evidence to support your argument. Consider the main ideas or themes that emerge from your analysis and choose one that you can effectively argue. Your thesis statement should be clear, concise, and written in a way that engages the reader.

Once you have developed your thesis statement, it is important to create an outline for your essay. An outline helps you to organize your thoughts and ensure that your essay flows smoothly and logically.

In your outline, include the main points you want to address in each paragraph, along with supporting evidence or examples. This will help you structure your essay and ensure that you stay focused on your main argument. Consider the order in which you want to present your points, and make sure that each paragraph builds upon the previous one.

In addition to organizing your thoughts, an outline also helps you to identify any gaps in your argument or evidence. By seeing the structure of your essay laid out in an outline, you can easily identify areas that need further development or additional research.

In conclusion, developing a strong thesis statement and outline is essential for writing an effective analytical essay. These components provide a clear roadmap for your essay and ensure that you present a well-reasoned argument supported by evidence. Take the time to carefully consider your thesis statement and outline before you begin writing, as they will greatly contribute to the overall success of your essay.

Analyzing and Interpreting the Evidence in Your Essay

Once you have gathered and presented your evidence in your analytical essay, the next crucial step is to analyze and interpret it. This process involves carefully examining your evidence to derive meaningful insights and draw informed conclusions.

When analyzing the evidence, you should consider its relevance, credibility, and significance. Ask yourself whether the evidence directly supports your thesis statement and helps you prove your main argument. Assess the sources of your evidence and evaluate their trustworthiness and authority. Additionally, determine the significance of the evidence in relation to your overall analysis and the broader context of your essay.

Once you have analyzed the evidence, you need to interpret it. Interpretation involves extracting meaning from the evidence and making connections to your thesis statement and argument. Consider the underlying themes, patterns, and implications of the evidence. Look for relationships between different pieces of evidence and identify any possible contradictions or alternative interpretations.

Effective interpretation requires critical thinking and a deep understanding of the subject matter. Consider different perspectives and viewpoints, and critically evaluate the implications of your interpretation. Ensure that your interpretation aligns with your main argument and supports the overall thesis of your essay.

Remember that analyzing and interpreting evidence in your essay is a continuous process. As you delve deeper into your analysis, you may discover new insights and perspectives that require further examination. Stay open-minded and be willing to revise or adjust your interpretation if new evidence or arguments warrant it.

By effectively analyzing and interpreting the evidence in your essay, you can provide a robust and compelling argument that engages your readers and demonstrates your analytical skills.

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How to Write an Analytical Essay Without Efforts

Among the various types of essays, students frequently are assigned to write an analytical essay. This type of paper has its peculiarities that are vital to consider when writing. This article presents a full guide on writing an analytical essay and an analysis essay definition. You’ll also find excellent topics for analytical essay selected for you by our authors experienced in analysis writing.

What is an analytical essay?

The primary challenge of writing an analysis paper is that you need to provide various points of view with “for” and “against” arguments, not just the ones you agree with. The primary aim of an analytical paper is not to show your idea or reflect on an analyzed source, but to develop critical thinking.

For example, a topic about positive consequences of war requires you to forget all conventional thinking and change the way you look at the issue at least for a few hours.

Speaking on an analysis essay, you need to understand the data carefully selected to define the core point on some subject, topic, or event. The core peculiarity of an analytical essay is sharing authors’ thoughts and insights on particular problematics. You can define what is an analytical essay by some core features. Among them is explaining and revealing the essential information to make an essay’s problematics clearer to the readership. An analysis essay can be written on various topics, including such broad areas as art, history, events, music, literature, politics, sociological phenomenon, psychology, and plenty more. The overall goal of writing an analytical essay is defining what is behind the apparent opinions and contextualizing the main issues of the analyzed subject. The area of an analysis essay’s actuality is vast. Journalists, literary critics, and other specialists frequently write such essays. You can read such types of essays in magazines, popular blogs, and web resources.

Types of analytical essays

Let us begin with defining five main types of analytical essays. Each has its peculiarities and must follow an appropriate writing style and reach particular goals.

1) Reason and result essay

Another term for this type of analytical essay is “cause and effect.” As understood from the term, a paper written in the reason and result style follows the main goal to define the purpose and the effect of some event or object on areas of our lives. The impact of such a phenomenon on people is a crucial subject to investigate and define for a reason and result essay. The implications and consequences must be defined and analyzed from every side.

2) Compare and contrast essay

Sometimes students mess up with a standard analytical essay definition, assuming that all of them are comparison and contrast, but that is not so. The main peculiarity of this type of analytical essay is that the subject to investigate doubles. The analysis focuses on two events or things that must be both analyzed and compared. The writer’s core goal will be to find similarities and differences between the two investigation subjects.

3) Process essay

This analytical essay type is about guidance. The subject to analyze is not a static thing or a historical fact, but some process that spreads in time. For example, it can be about the political event or the years of the reign of some historical figures. It also can be an analysis of the process of doing something, for example, planting trees or cooking a meal.

4) Classification essay

This type of analytical essay is widespread in universities and colleges because of its universal purposes of classifying events, subjects, characters, objects, etc., into categories, groups, and other typological units according to their common similarities.

5) Definition essay

This is an analytical essay dedicated to defining the concepts and ideas at the core of subjects and events. The central idea of writing such an essay is to represent all the features and peculiarities of the issue, fact, event, etc., and explaining all of them to let the readership see the whole picture of the analyzed subject.

We can also distinguish sevaral more types of analysis essays:

The first type is literary work analysis. Here you need to focus on the emotions, situations and characters, and choose a favorite quote and find its impact on the work.

In poetry analysis, pay attention to the structure, content, historical background, and specific traits of the author’s style.

When you are working on a character analysis, focus on the character’s appearance, actions, and behavior. Follow and describe character development and mental reformation, if there’s anything notable.

The last type is causal analysis. Causal here derives from “cause,” so ask yourself a thousand “why” questions while you are analyzing your source. Imagine yourself a four-year-old curious child trying to find the answers to questions like “Why the sky is blue?” and start writing this analytical paper.

Video lesson on analysis essay writing from EssayShark

Here is a link to watch a video about an analysis essay. We recommend you watch it and subscribe to our YouTube channel not to miss more helpful information from competent specialists.

Structure of an analytical essay

If you are looking for working advice on how to write a good analysis essay, you need to get back to basics, which is proper structuring. Any good analytical essay was always written with detailed outlining. A good outline will make your paper solid, and the main thing you will get is a strong and direct logical path that will help you guide your audience through the problematics and critical points of your analysis. Three core parts of an analytical essay that are vital to include are an introduction, the main body, and a conclusion. We will talk about how to write each part below.

Most academic papers have the same structure, so there won’t be any revelatory information here. There are, however, some details that are worth noting regarding the content of each part.

In the introductory part, you are supposed to present the argument and indicate the analyzed source, its title, general overview, and brief background information about the author or the source in general. Let’s say, you are analyzing Raisins in the Sun. Your introduction should contain:

• general overview
• two or three main problems (racial discrimination, social inequality, wealth accumulation in this case)
• your thesis

Note: an analysis essay requires the dividing of a general theme into subcategories, so make sure your thesis can be divided into more specific ideas.

Define the topic

Begin with defining the type of analytical essay and its topic. Sometimes you can choose the topic from several options presented by your supervisor or professor in the instructions. It will ease the initial step of writing. However, some analytical essays require developing a topic, and it is a part of the assignment. We will share some advice on how to generate a persuasive topic:

• Research . Source the relevant data in the libraries, check websites on your discipline, read books and blogs, and listen to podcasts. When you get familiar with the different sides of the area you are assigned to analyze, the topic will come to your mind easier.
• Brainstorm . You can use a pen and plain paper to write down all your thoughts that come to mind on a particular issue.
• Evaluate the amount of information . We recommend you check all the sources relevant to your discipline and define the number of reliable sources. It is better to write about the subjects that are covered with a vast amount of information.
• Consult your teacher . It is an effective way to make sure the topic you want to choose is relevant and working, especially when you doubt which case to choose for your analytical essay.

Once you have got the topic and researched the relevant sources, you can proceed with writing.

Introduction

The overall goal of an introduction is to hook your readers and draw their attention. That is why the best advice on starting an analytical essay is to give some typical highlights on the topic and background knowledge on the problematics of your analysis. In other words, you need to create a useful road map for readership.

Speaking on the introduction part of an analytical essay, we need to underline the importance of several blocks, which are a hook, a thesis statement, and the final thoughts that prove and highlight a thesis statement.

The hook must surprise the audience. This part is dedicated to grabbing attention by a quote or a fact that seems unexpected related to the current topic. It can even be a joke or a rhetorical question. The combination of several types of hooks can work the best.

The thesis statement is vital for the introduction. The aim is to point out the topic and to clear the central idea of the writer. The audience must be notified why and how the results of an analysis will be explained and to understand the primary purpose of writing this paper.

Finalizing an introduction properly is essential, as it makes it easier to step forward to the next section of the analytical essay. The closing part of an introduction must contain one or two sentences that claim the main thesis and underline the importance of analyzing the topic.

It is time to show that you are aware of what is analytical writing. Keep in mind that the central part of an analytical essay’s primary goal is to maintain and prove the thesis statement. Do not forget that various types of such essays require a different approach and keep in mind the topic.

The general rule is to start each of your statements from a new paragraph. It is crucial to keep an appropriate structure of each section as follows:

• Introduce the main idea of the paragraph. It is better to do it briefly in one or two sentences.
• Analyze. Bring the information that relates to a thesis statement and supports it. Here you can use up to three sentences.
• Bring pieces of evidence. The core idea of any analysis is to show as much supporting evidence as possible. It can be historical facts, statistics, quotations, etc.
• Conclude in one sentence. Explain and underline the connection between evidence and the main idea of the paragraph. Mention how it relates to the thesis statement.

Remember that each paragraph of the analytical essay’s main body must be clear and understandable for your audience. Avoid repeating and complicated long sentences. Be careful using terminology. It must relate to the main idea. Do not overload paragraphs with unusual words. The length of the main body varies depending on the topic and analytical essay type.

First, make sure that the closing remarks in the main body logically lead to the closing part. There are some core requirements to a conclusion of an analytical essay. Once all the main body paragraphs are finished and logically built, you must finalize your analytical essay correctly. A conclusion will aim to support and underline the main ideas of the topic properly. Highlight all the critical points of the subjects that were analyzed by briefly repeating them. It is not the time to add more information or new facts, as it could ruin the logical path built in previous sections of your analytical essay. It is vital to paraphrase the main thesis in the conclusion. Depending on the discipline and topic, it can be appropriate to end the essay with a recommendation, a quotation, or a rhetorical question.

Some more tips on writing an excellent analytical essay

• Create a catchy title that will draw your audience’s attention and make them want to read your essay to the ending.
• Make sure to follow the appropriate analytical essay format. The requirements for formatting will depend on the discipline, and as usual, the instructions from your teacher contain them.
• The initial stage of writing an analytical essay will be developing an effective logical structure. Plan what you will write before you proceed.
• The analytical essay will benefit if you will use more examples, quotations, metaphors, etc., to illustrate each of the facts and issues you explain.
• Use only proper and reliable sources and check them twice before deciding to include them in your writing.

Stages of writing an analysis essay

We are done with the theoretical part, so it’s time to start the practical one. You know everything you need to do in order to create a perfect essay – it’s time to actually start writing it. You can either listen to them and then start writing, or pause to take your time and finish each part if you prefer to work in the process of listening. Follow these steps, and they will lead you to an awesome analysis paper.

– Choose an interesting subject, then narrow it down to a very specific topic – and your topic for the analysis essay is ready. Establish the purpose of writing and the questions you want to answer during the investigation. Don’t forget to consider your target audience.

– Figure out your own opinion on the topic. Try to stay away from critical texts and ideas of other people before you develop one of your own.

– Collect material and examine it. Focus both on the ideas that support your claim as well as those that oppose it.

– Establish connections between the opposing views and choose the key ideas to be highlighted in your analysis. Write down the summary of these points (it will create a frame for your analytical paper!).

– Establish a thesis that accurately reflects your opinion on the topic.

– It’s high time for the first draft! Writing the draft is a must for building up a proper, well-defined structure for your essay and linking the ideas in a logical order.

– Write an introduction and specify the objective of the analysis, narrowing the topic sentence by sentence.

– Write the body paragraphs about the ideas presented in your thesis statement. Don’t forget to support these ideas with quotes or examples from peer-reviewed sources.

– Summarize the arguments in the conclusion and restate the main points from the introductory part. Do not include any new information in the concluding sentence.

– Go through the whole paper once again and check whether the key points in the thesis statement and conclusion correlate with each other. Make sure you check the paper for plagiarism, grammar, and spelling mistakes before submitting it.

Now writing an analytical essay doesn’t seem so horrible, right? At least you have a plan to follow! However, what about a topic? Where can you find both an interesting and suitable topic to write your paper about?

Guidelines and tightening your essay

We are going to help you brainstorm some topic ideas. Coming up with a topic that is both interesting and suitable for an academic essay is hard, so here are a couple of ideas for starters.

• Human phobias and roots of their origins.
• Ecological crisis in a globalized world.
• Historical influence on the change of gender roles.
• Influence of marketing on children, teenagers or adolescents.
• Well-being in immediate and extended families.

Mistakes to avoid while writing an analysis essay

Now you have a plan and a great topic – but this still doesn’t guarantee a great essay. There are a lot of things you need to watch out for while working on your paper. We all make mistakes, and it’s okay to screw up a little while you are writing, it’s what they call being creative! Just make sure to follow our advice on what to avoid while writing your analytical essay:

Don’t include a thesis statement in one of the body paragraphs . It should be the last sentence of your introduction.

Don’t try to make your essay longer with the help of unnecessary statements . This is tempting, but extra words don’t equal extra points. Usually they have the opposite effect.

Avoid incorrect usage of quotations . Don’t use them in the introduction or conclusion, save them for the main part.

At all costs, don’t include new arguments in the conclusion . Nope, just nope. Don’t start a new essay when you are supposed to be finishing it.

Don’t follow the temptation to use ordinary language instead of academic . Don’t use language that we used in this part. 🙂

Watch out for incorrect spelling, punctuation or grammar. This is obvious, proofread your paper before submitting.

Make sure that copyright infringement is out of the question. Check your paper several times to avoid dramatic situations and unnecessary accusations.

Topics and ideas for an analytical essay

We want to help you write an analytical essay by selecting some of the best analytical essay topics that would make your paper brilliant. Check them out below:

• Doping in sports. Analyze the reasons why athletes use doping.
• Why are gender roles changing? Explain your beliefs in terms of gender roles and define the prerequisites of their changing.
• How do horror movies influence teenagers’ psychology? Define the connection between behavioral issues and horror movies.
• Why do people begin drinking alcohol? Analyze the situation and assume the factors that influence this issue.
• Differences in communication between European and Asian people. Look through the historical traditions.
• Is it possible to avoid cultural dominance in multicultural societies?
• Analyze the mood of the famous painting. Choose the picture you like and classify it.
• Analyze the main characters of a book. Compare and contrast two central figures of a literary piece.
• How does body type influence the behavior of people? Create the scope in terms of overall lifestyle.
• Why is street art so popular today?

Analytical essay sample

Below, we provide an analytical essay sample for you to go through and understand the structure and critical point of this type of essay.

Does Technology Promote Loneliness?

Loneliness is a universal human condition. With the evolution of technology, has this condition exacerbated, or has mankind produced a more socially connected world? Perhaps, the two exist independent of each other in relation to the generation at the helm of technology and its application to socializing.

In 2018, nearly half of Americans sometimes or always feel alone or left out (Cigna). This intensified to 61% in 2020 (Jones and Jones). However, very heavy social media users had a loneliness score of 43.5, and those who never use social media were not very far behind, scoring 41.7 (Cigna). This loneliness epidemic is independent of social media use.

Despite this, technology is conventionally vilified and considered a leading cause behind why Generation Z is the loneliest yet. “Internet-related technologies are great at giving us the perception of connectedness” (Aboujaoude). Does this come at the expense of more rooted, genuinely supportive relationships?

A Lockdown Change

Loneliness and its link to technology have come under close scrutiny this year with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. As people attempt to socially distance, the social connection that we all crave is put under duress. People have turned to technology to bridge the gap.

UK teenagers (51%) were more optimistic than their parents about the positive impact of technology. They have used it to fight loneliness to make friends and receive support online (Internet Matters). Adults across the UK have struggled with loneliness prior to the lockdown. Now, 71% of them state technology helped them feel connected to friends and family. Herein lies the delicate balance between socializing and loneliness. The key to expanding the connection potential of technology has been discovered during the lockdown. People have utilized VR and AR-based technology to supplement socialization. The immersive nature of these technologies coupled has seen a rapid drop in isolation. Companion apps have even used this AI capability to help people interact with their elderly relatives who are otherwise overwhelmed by technology.

The power to combat loneliness, thus lies in the hands of the technology beholder.

Works Cited

APA. “The Link between Loneliness and Technology.” APA , May 2019, www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-sidebar. Campaign to End Loneliness. “Understanding Loneliness: Is Technology a Bug or a Fix?” Campaign to End Loneliness , www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/technology-bug-or-fix. Accessed 14 Sept. 2020. Cigna. “New Cigna Study Reveals Loneliness at Epidemic Levels in America.” Cigna, a Global Health Insurance and Health Service Company, Cigna , www.cigna.com/newsroom/news-releases/2018/new-cigna-study-reveals-loneliness-at-epidemic-levels-in-america. Accessed 13 Sept. 2020. Internet Matters. “UK Set to Introduce New Online Safety Standards.” Internet Matters , 19 June 2019, www.internetmatters.org/hub/news-blogs/new-research-reveals-parent-and-teen-divide-over-impact-of-tech-on-loneliness. Jones, Broderick, and Regine Jones. “Becoming Less Lonesome: How Tech Can Attack the Scourge of Loneliness.” EPAM , EPAM, 17 Aug. 2020, www.epam.com/insights/blogs/becoming-less-lonesome-how-tech-can-attack-the-scourge-of-loneliness. Katz, Leslie. “How Tech and Social Media Are Making Us Feel Lonelier than Ever.” CNET , 18 June 2020, www.cnet.com/features/how-tech-and-social-media-are-making-us-feel-lonelier-than-ever. “Lifting Lockdown Will Not End Loneliness: Two-in-Five Brits Felt Lonely before COVID-19.” Kaspersky , www.kaspersky.co.uk/about/press-releases/2020_lifting-lockdown-will-not-end-loneliness. Accessed 13 Sept. 2020. Man, Michelle, and Thomas Abrams. “Can Technology Make Us Less Lonely?” Think NPC , www.thinknpc.org/blog/can-technology-make-us-less-lonely. Accessed 14 Sept.

Analysis essay writing checklist

Your essay is almost finished! Now read your paper once again, checking whether you included all of the following in your analytical essay. Try not to read the text thoroughly, use purposeful reading instead. For example, in the first of the following points you need to look for the source and topic in the introduction, ignoring other sentences in your introduction. If you can find them offhand without any extra effort, then your essay has passed this question. Once you are finished, you will have a perfect paper ready for submission right away.

– Have you comprehensively indicated the source, topic or issue you are analyzing?

– Did you define the central idea and purpose of this research?

– Have you developed a working thesis statement and put it into the last sentence of your introduction?

– Does your thesis statement consist of several ideas which will be further developed in body paragraphs?

– Does your introduction invite the reader’s attention to the analyzed issue?

– Does each paragraph highlight a particular idea from your thesis statement?

– Is the structure of each paragraph logical and clear (topic sentence → analysis → evidence → conclusion)?

– Does the number of your body paragraphs coincide with the number of ideas presented in the thesis statement?

– Have you used quotations and arguments from reputable sources to support your ideas and provide evidence?

– Have you developed your arguments in the most convenient way?

– Have you restated the thesis statement and connected it with the central idea of the analysis?

– Have you provided an overview of the analysis and summary of the arguments?

– Have you written a powerful concluding sentence proving the importance of your study?

– Have you achieved your purpose indicated in the introductory part?

– Are you satisfied with the results of your analysis in general?

FAQ on analysis essays students often ask

 – how do you start an analysis essay.

To start writing an analysis essay, you must state a topic and collect information from reliable sources. Then define the main thesis and create a structure for the paper. Proceed with writing the introduction, which must contain the core details on the subject.

 – How do you write an analysis?

The first stage of writing an analysis includes defining its subject and type. There are various ways to create an analysis essay, such as explaining terminology and comparing and contrasting. Therefore, you must start collecting data and proceed with the evaluation of facts step by step.

 – What is the structure of an analysis essay?

The outline of an analysis essay is like a standard outline for any essay. You must include an introduction, a body with at least three arguments, and a conclusion in the structure.

 – What is an analysis paper example?

To define an analysis paper, you can compare its sample to a detailed breakdown of a term or vast concept into smaller parts, and after, you need to find bounds between those parts and explain them.

Analysis essay writing help from our authors

An ability to perform effective analytical essay writing is not a skill that people are born with. To create an amazing analytical essay, you will require to not only research and brainstorm while generating the topic but also to build strong logical bounds between each of your arguments. A perfect analysis essay engages readers to explore the materials and get to know the subject better. The main goal of analysis is to contextualize issues that are researched to see what lies behind the obvious problematics.

Writing a perfect analytical essay is not as easy as it might seem at first sight. That is why our skilled authors, who are aware of analytical writing, are always there to help you out on any issues that might appear in terms of analysis. You can easily reach out for our professional help at any stage of writing an analytical essay. Our writers’ experience allows them to complete persuasive A-grade essays on any discipline and topic, including rare and complicated ones. The core value of our essay service is reliability. You can reach out for our prompt assistance any time you need.

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Analytical Essay Guide

Analytical Essay Example

15 Analytical Essay Samples to Learn From - Tips Included

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Analytical Essay Step by Step Writing Guide

Interesting Analytical Essay Topics Ideas for Students

How to Craft Analytical Essay Outline? An Easy Guide

Writing an analytical essay can be tough for students. It requires a deep understanding of the topic and the ability to break it down into smaller parts. This can cause stress, lower grades, and frustration among students.

But don't worry! We have a solution for you. In this blog, we'll give you great analytical examples and simple tips for writing amazing analytical essays.

Ready to tackle the analytical essay? Let's get started!

• 1. Understanding Analytical Writing
• 2. Analytical Essay Examples
• 3. Analytical Essay Outline Example
• 4. Analytical Essay Topics Examples 
• 5. Tips to Write an Effective Analytical Essay

Understanding Analytical Writing

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing that looks into a specific subject, dissecting it into its various components and examining how they interrelate.

It requires the writer to not only present a clear understanding of the topic but also to analyze and evaluate it critically. 

Unlike a descriptive essay , an analytical essay demands a more in-depth exploration, often involving an argument or thesis statement that guides the critical analysis. 

Analytical Essay Examples

To truly understand the art of analytical essay writing, one of the most effective methods is to examine practical examples. 

Analytical essay examples provide a clear blueprint of how to approach this type of essay successfully. So, read the examples below to find inspiration for writing a clear analytical essay.

Analytical Essay Example PDF For Students

Here are some analytical essay examples for students in PDF form that you can read and download for free:

Analytical Essay Example (Pdf)

Analytical Essay Example Sample

Analytical Essay Structure

Analytical Essay Example University

Analytical Essay Example College

Analytical Essay Examples For High School

Short Analytical Essay Example

If you are still having difficulty, here are some more examples of analytical essays to help you get inspired.

How To Write An Analytical Essay - Example

APA Analytical Essay Example

Analytical Essay Example APA Format

Analytical Essay Example on A Book

Macbeth Analytical Essay Example

Analytical Essay Example Movie

Analytical Essay Outline Example

When tackling an analytical essay create an outline that is well structured. This outline serves as a roadmap, guiding you through the essay-writing process. The proper structure ensures you don't miss vital elements. 

Let's break down the essential sections of an analytical essay outline with examples: 

Introduction - Setting the Stage

In the introduction , your aim is to set the stage for your analysis. This section should introduce the topic, provide context, and present a clear thesis statement that outlines the main argument or focus of your essay.

Let’s take a look at another thesis statement for an analytical essay example:

Body - Analyzing Key Points

The body paragraphs of your analytical essay typically are where the real analysis takes place. This section can be divided into multiple paragraphs, each addressing a specific point or aspect related to your thesis. 

Here, you should provide evidence, examples, and critical analysis to support your argument.

Conclusion - Summarize Key Points

As you reach the essay conclusion , it's time to tie it all together. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and underscore the importance of your analysis. 

Remember, this is not the place to introduce new background information. Instead, offer insights and an impactful recap of your discoveries.

Conclusion for analytical essay example: 

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Analytical Essay Topics Examples 

Choosing the right type of essay topic is an important first step when writing an analytical essay. The topic you select should be engaging, relevant, and suitable for in-depth analysis. 

Here are some thought-provoking analytical essay topics to consider:

• The Symbolism of the "Green Light" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby"
• The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health
• Analyzing the Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality
• The Role of Nature in Shakespeare's Sonnets
• Analyzing the Historical Significance of the Industrial Revolution
• The Influence of Technology on Education
• The Psychology of Marketing and Consumer Behavior
• The Impact of Globalization on Cultural Identity
• Analyzing the Ethical Dilemmas in Artificial Intelligence
• The Evolution of Environmental Policies and Their Impact on Conservation

Are you still having trouble coming up with a good analytical essay topic? Check out this blog for more than 150 compelling analytical essay topics .

Tips to Write an Effective Analytical Essay

Writing an effective analytical essay requires a structured approach and attention to detail. Here are some valuable tips to help you craft a compelling analytical essay:

• Focus Your Topic: Select a specific topic or aspect for in-depth analysis rather than a broad subject matter.
• Research Thoroughly: Gather reliable sources and evidence to support your analysis.
• Create a Well-Structured Outline: Plan your essay with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Analyze, Don't Summarize: Avoid summarizing the subject; instead, critically evaluate and interpret it.
• Use Clear Topic Sentences: Start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that relates to your thesis.
• Provide Evidence: Support your analysis with quotes, examples, and data from your research.
• Critical Thinking: Engage in critical thinking to question assumptions and explore alternative perspectives.
• Maintain Clarity: Use clear and concise language to convey your points effectively.

In conclusion, the analytical essay stands as a potent tool for honing your skills and conveying your understanding of complex subjects.

Through this guide, we've explored the essence of analytical essays and the essential steps to compose a compelling piece.

If you are assigned to write an analytical essay, take help from the above-mentioned examples. Another option is to get assistance from a professional analytical essay writer. 

The top analytical essay writing service at MyPerfectWords.com can assist you and provide customized written essays and papers for every academic level. We offer the best essay writing service.

So, why wait? Get expert help from our essay writing service for students now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an example of an analytical sentence.

A concise example of an analytical sentence is: In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee uses the character of Atticus Finch to explore themes of morality and justice in the face of racial prejudice.

What is an example of analysis?

Here is an example of analysis: Through Atticus Finch's unwavering commitment to defending Tom Robinson, despite facing societal backlash, Lee highlights the importance of integrity and standing up for what is right, even in the face of adversity.

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Analytical Essay: Dissection of Student’s Feared Topic

Analytical essay is not just a nightmare for college students, it also gives them a headache when they are making one. Every student finds these essays cumbersome and excessively demanding due to the nature of complexities involved in them. That’s the prime reason these students fail in their term papers, coursework projects, etc.

We almost had you! Right? In the presence of our esteemed professional writers, there’s nothing to worry about! We will make your day by offering you all the information you need to become successful in your academic career. If you’re struggling to get to grips with such assignments, this blog post is for you. Today, we will discuss everything from writing an analytical essay to outlining its various parts.

Additionally, we will provide you with an ideal essay example that’ll do more than just providing you knowledge. So, take out your notepads / tablets / computers and start scribbling right away. Let’s get ready because we are deep diving into this topic right now!

Table of Contents

How to Write an Analytical Essay?

Writing an analytical essay is not as difficult as doing a thorough analysis yourself. Since a critical analysis essay is all about analyzing a topic / subject/ personality/ character / book / or any literary write-up or idea, we have to do two types of analysis in it. The first one is looking at it through a microscopic view and secondly is by the author’s point of view or eyes.

Analytic essay is your golden opportunity to demonstrate your skills to provide a critical point of view about a topic and enlighten your audience. Let’s just start learning how to write one when you’re clueless and need immediate help.

Read the Prompt Thoroughly

The first thing a student must do is thoroughly study the essay prompt if given by your professor. Typically, an analytic essay is given by your professor or college board to evaluate a candidate’s abilities of examining a phenomena. On the other hand, if you have been given a free choice of picking any topic of your liking then you must do so, as you’re told.

Your essay prompt provides you directions and rest is on you to figure out the purpose of the assignment. The first thing a student must do is to read the prompt a minimum of three times. Read it and understand what are the requirements you must follow and in case you need further guidelines or space in exploring the topic further.

It’s alright if you feel confused at first or even at second attempt, because college assignments are not meant to be a piece of cake. For the same reason, it’s recommended to read three times and understand the context from your teacher’s point of view. After you do it a couple of times, you’ll know what to do and how to do it.

Pick a Topic

The second and one of the essential steps of writing an analytic essay is choosing a topic. Your topic is the direction you will choose to achieve your objectives. For example, if you’re a psychology student then you can choose a subject such as what is an  existential crisis  and how to overcome it. For students of applied and clinical psychology this topic is relevant and allows them to present their analysis.

Similarly, medical science students can choose a topic for a cause and effect essay and enlighten their audience on the extent of a disease, etc. When choosing a topic do remember to avoid certain steps that will cause nothing but trouble:

• Choosing a topic out of discipline / scope /
• Topic that requires resources other than your institution provided you
• Subject that requires prior authorization or approval
• A topic that’s based on opinions rather than facts
• Challenging previous studies without proof / evidence(s)
• Going beyond the depths of your skills and abilities
• Easy topic that lacks your audience’s interest or surface-level information

When a subject for your analytic essay, it’s important to avoid aforementioned mistakes that are common in academic writing.

Start Researching on it

After going through the topic’s selection process, it’s time to start researching about it. In today’s digital age, you can speed up the process by finding relevant information on the internet as well. There are two types of research involved in this process: one deals with empirical or statistical data, and the other is non-empirical.

To start a statistical or quantitative research method, you first need to gather evidence that demonstrates results in numbers. Most of the science, medical, psychology, economics and marketing subjects require quantitative methods to follow in the assignment making process.

On the contrary, literature, sociology, history and anthropy requires only the use of qualitative research techniques. Regardless of the requirement of the research method, your evidence must be solid and should stand firm with time. To have a credible research readily available at your side, here are the things that you should follow:

• Start your research from prominent scholarly journals, books, newspapers, etc
• After collecting the evidence from them, use secondary sources such as books, articles written on the primary sources of research and experiments, etc
• The last step is gathering the evidence on the opinions from the readers who get to read the book and understand the context as well.

By doing the steps above mentioned, you’ll be able to gather three types of research and it will help you create your narrative on the topic.

Formulate an Outline Deduce from the Research

The next essential component of writing an analytic essay is making an outline from the arguments you deduce from your research. Making an outline is a technical part and one must consider how many arguments they should add in the body section that respond to queries appropriately. A general outline of analytical essay consist of three sections or parts known as:

• Introduction (starting paragraph)
• Body paragraph (middle section)
• A conclusion part (last paragraph)

Irrespective of the word count or requirements of the essay, it must consist of these parts. These parts of outline help your readers navigate to the exact section they want to read. For example, if your audience wants to read about the facts or evidence you’ve collected they can easily move to body paragraphs.

The last part of an outline is a conclusion. It circles around restating your thesis statement and provides a closure or end for your audience. An author provides a summary of all the main findings in this section, and gives their concluding remarks. Upon making an exclusive and wonderful conclusion, you can leave a lingering impression on your audience.

Write your First Draft

Here comes the composing part where you must write all the worlds and thoughts you gathered on the topic. As we discussed before you need to compartmentalize all of your arguments into an outline and then add them in the relevant sections. Your first draft must have these following details in the essay such as:

Introduction

An introduction is the first paragraph of the essay. It consists of three parts such as a hook sentence, background information and a thesis statement. All of these parts collectively form the outer shell of the intro section. Let’s discuss the role of each part in detail here.

A hook statement is the first line of the essay that serves as the eye grabbing or attention grabber sentence. It can be a famous quote, a historical fact or an eye opening result. You can write it in one or maximum two lines with word count ranging from 8 to 20.

The second part is background information that informs the audience about the origins of the topic or subject in question. This way you provide your audience with information that plays a pivotal role in their understanding and evokes an emotional response in them.

And finally, we have the life line of the essay and yes that’s a “Thesis Statement”. It’s the crux of the entire effort and educates the audience why they should accept the author’s opinion. Typically, you can formulate the thesis sentence after you gather all the evidence and read all the books and supporting evidence.

Body Paragraph(s)

A body paragraph section is the middle part of the essay and is by far the lengthiest one. It consists of the author’s opinion, corroborating evidence and adding anti-thesis and its answers in the rebuttal.

The body paragraph must start with a topic sentence that provides a short summary of the entire paragraph’s discussion. After that, you must add your arguments on the topic and let the conversation flow logically. A golden rule of thumb says you must add one argument and then its supporting evidence. This way, each of your arguments is backed by evidence and informs the audience appropriately.

Lastly, you can add transition words to crossover from one topic or point of discussion to the next one. It helps connect two different or opposing ideas and makes a bridge between them.

This is where you end your discussion and assure your readers that there’s nothing more that should be added in the context and they have to accept the author’s take on the topic. When you write this section, divide your attention into three sections.

When you start writing a conclusion, start from presenting the summary of the entire discussion you’ve started and is about to end. Secondly, reiterate the thesis sentence to provide emphasis on your research and its crux.

Thirdly, you must present your final remarks that closes the door for further discussion on the topic for now. Your conclusion remarks must be strong and persuasive enough to demonstrate your command on the topic.

Finally, the conclusion must show its significance to future generations and usefulness in the field of your studies.

Revise the Essay

After writing all the parts of the essay such as introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, it’s time to revise your write-up. A revision is the best way where structural issues can be diagnosed and rectified timely.

Revision is a technique that not only helps you in seeing the issues but it also educates students on common slip-ups in their writing.

Proofread and Edit the Analytical Essay

The last part of writing an essay is doing a thorough proofreading for rectifying typos. Any grammatical issues can be solved at this stage. Students can use many tools for such work and improve their vocabulary and grammar issues. Lastly, in the light of the highlighted changes, edit your draft and make appropriate changes. Read the essay again and seek professional help if you think of having less skills and time required for this task. Submit the essay to your professor after completing it.

By following these guidelines students can compose breathtaking analytical essays for their college assignments. Our expert’s guide provides a step by step process that helps in understanding the actions students must take without deviating from the requirements.

Defining What is an Analytical Essay?

An analytic essay is a college assignment typically assigned to higher education students who are seeking master’s or PhD level degrees. By its definition an analytical essay allows students to choose a topic and discuss it with critical analysis under a microscope.

For instance, students can choose a topic such as dictatorship and then they must do thorough research on this subject. On the other hand, students also need to educate their audience about what are the benefits and disadvantages of this ideology, etc. Origins, current state and future iterations also needed to be mentioned in this write-up.

In short, the further you dig, the better it will get for your audience. Additionally, your analysis must be objective, adding a subjective tone may cost you top grades. Although, a small space is given for a subjective opinion but exaggeration is strictly prohibited for doing so.

This definition will help students get to grips with this academic writing style that focuses on the examination of an idea or topic with a critical eye.

Creating an Analytical Essay Outline Template

It becomes a handful for students to create an outline for an analytical essay and make it work. Don’t worry, here we will be discussing all about it and make you a pro in no time. Let’s look at the following parts of the analytical essay outline.

Start Making a Good Introduction

The initial step for a student is to craft an engaging introduction for their essay, a crucial component of an analytical essay’s structure. As it’s the first element that your reader or professor encounters, adhering to the guidelines we’ve outlined here is critical.

Begin with a captivating hook sentence that will pique your audience’s interest. Ensure your hook is compelling enough to entice your readers to peruse the entire essay. Following this, provide some background information on the topic to enlighten your readers. Finally, incorporate a thesis statement to exhibit your mastery of the subject.

This way, you will quickly complete the first part of the structure, which will inspire your peers as well. Here is an example of introduction template for better understanding of the practical work:

“Religious fascism is today’s biggest dilemma and causes mass influx of cruelty and terror in the world. Since the inception of religion and its cult following, people who are followers of any theology interjected and forcefully stomp their superiority on others. Supposedly the pious leadership of the catholic church and other organized religion took control of the state and held captive basic civil rights and freedom of speech. Salem trials of 1692 is a best example of injustice in persecution of women harassed, tortured and killed under the name of religion.

Step by step abolition of churches and religious authority over the state results in greater peace, one that was never predicted has been achieved. For longer peace and prosperity, it’s essential for state institutions to completely suppress religion and make them limited to the compounds of the church, temple etc should be the top priority of any country or a free state.”

Students we have presented you with the best version of an introduction part of an critical analysis essay. You can take an example from it and make one for your college assignment.

Make Body Paragraphs

The main body of an essay’s blueprint is the most pivotal component. It encompasses the writer’s investigation, contrasting viewpoints, and corroborating proof. Learners should initiate their main body sections with a concise introductory sentence that encapsulates the paragraph’s content.

The subsequent step involves presenting your arguments on the subject, supplemented by substantiating evidence that aligns with your position. If the subject’s investigation is extensive and the proof exceeds a couple of points, you may consider incorporating a second and third paragraph.

Following the enumeration of corroborating evidence, it’s advisable to introduce counter arguments or dissenting opinions. These opposing views originate from individuals who disagree with your position. Their inclusion offers a balanced outlook that underscores your reliability and objectivity regarding the topic.

The final task is to incorporate transitional phrases to facilitate movement from one paragraph to another. These transitions also maintain coherence when shifting from one section to another or transitioning to an entirely different subject.

Let’s have a look at body paragraph’s template:

“Just like crimes, organized religion spreads its tentacles into the society and makes it hollow with fake preaching and surface-level understanding. All the elected popes run secretive societies where they allow for persecution,torture and brainwashing techniques to their followers and non-followers. 

Dan Brown’s book Da Vinci Code clearly provides historic evidence of catholic church’s involvement in Salem Witch Trial and killings of Protestant and Eastern Orthodox church followers. Knights Templars were the biggest army at the church’s disposal and they killed thousands on the behest of the Pope of Rome. Religious extremism exists in many forms today and 9/11 attacks on twin towers is an example of one where islamic terrorists killed more than 3000 people in New Work City according to the US Department of Defense website. So we can safely establish that religious extremism in any form should be disbanded by all possible means.

End the Debate in Conclusion Paragraph

The concluding section of the analytical essay blueprint is the finale. The initial step you should undertake is to reaffirm your thesis statement, underscoring its significance and applicability. Following this, encapsulate the primary points of the essay along with a final remark. The closing comments bring the discussion to a halt, leaving no room for further debates or disagreements. Lastly, highlight the value of your work and its potential contribution to future scholarly research.

The conclusion you provide must be good and composed keeping in view the future challenges. This way you will be able to forecast five to ten years in future and provide your perspective to your readers. Let’s look at a conclusion example:

“We have established that organized religion and its extremist wing have created havoc in our society. There are no instances where religion played a good role in society. From creation of killing squads like Knights Templar to public prosecution of Salem Witches, history has witnessed brutality all over the world. It’s essential for political parties to part ways from such criminal actions and arrest supporters as well.

For creating greater harmony and love between different cultures and societies, it’s essential to devoid these actions or steps from religion and promote non-religious discussions and trade of ideas than selling beliefs and hatred”

Students we have presented a completed outline template for your understanding. You can take inspiration or follow it and compose marvelous essays for your assignments.

Analytical Essay Introduction

The opening paragraph of an analytical essay introduction serves as the initial segment of the task. Its main objective is to convey information to the readers utilizing a variety of methods. The first line you pen down will serve as your captivating sentence, designed to elicit an emotional reaction from the readers.

A writer possesses the liberty to sway their reader’s perception by employing a captivating sentence that personally engages them. This strategy allows you to persuade them to pursue your scholarly paper from beginning to end.

The subsequent section involves incorporating background data into the context. This portion underscores the significance of the issue addressed in the final paper. It also acquaints the audience with the historical background of the topic and underscores the urgency of its resolution.

Analytical Essay Thesis Statement

The third stage commences with the creation of a succinct analytical essay thesis statement that encapsulates the research question and topic. Once you’ve amassed your research materials and evidence, crafting your thesis sentence becomes a straightforward task. However, without comprehensive and relevant information, the formulation of this critical statement is unattainable. For a college term paper research statement, it’s imperative to keep it brief yet packed with insightful details.

A hypothesis statement, positioned at the conclusion of the introductory paragraph, enlightens readers about your method of arriving at the results. It serves as the cornerstone of your entire discussion and the arguments put forth in support or opposition of the subject.

To articulate your central idea of analytical essay thesis statement, adhere to the steps outlined below:

• Ensure it’s incisive and compelling
• It should be pertinent to the overall topic and its context
• Strive for utmost precision
• It should encapsulate the topic, research question, and research answer in a single sentence.
• Once you’ve drafted your thesis sentence, polish it further before proceeding to the outline section.

Analytical Essay Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of an analytical essay serve as the core of the outline, where students are required to incorporate their comprehensive research. This section includes a review of literature, discussion, methodologies, and more. It’s a critical juncture for students where they need to demonstrate their proficiency and abilities to convince their readers.

Initiate the body paragraph with a sentence that encapsulates the topic, providing your audience with a glimpse of what’s to be discussed in this section. Following this, you can delve into the key points and substantiate your arguments with solid evidence.

In the body section, you can also explore the literature review and pinpoint the gaps in the existing material. This approach allows you to swiftly identify areas requiring enhancement and propose solutions to address them.

Incorporating counterarguments in your research paper is also advisable. This step enables you to present your responses or counterarguments, showcasing your impartiality and competence as a writer, which can help persuade your readers. After embedding all the persuasive elements and proofs in the body paragraph, you can then transition to crafting a conclusion.

Steps for How to Write an Analytical Essay

The steps to process analysis essays are given below that will surely help students from all disciplines and knowledge. Let’s look at them one by one:

Step 1: Choose Topic for Process Analysis Essays

Even if you’re a skilled writer with aspirations of turning professional, there are still many steps to take. One of the first steps in writing an analytical essay is choosing a topic. Your topic serves as a compass, guiding your research and ensuring you stay on track.

There are several strategies students can use to choose a topic effectively. If you’re unsure about what to choose, consider reviewing previously published work for inspiration. This can be a quick way to find a solution.

Alternatively, you could seek guidance from your professor or student counselor. They are well-equipped to provide valuable advice that can greatly benefit your essay.

Lastly, you could choose a topic based on your personal interest and its breadth. This allows you to stay engaged and delve deeper into the subject and its various subtopics.

Step 2: Conduct Research

The second phase involves conducting an exhaustive investigation on the subject matter. The depth of your research will directly influence the novelty of the information you present to your readers. A robust research foundation is crucial for ensuring your essay unfolds as intended.

During the research and evidence collection process, students should steer clear of common pitfalls that could compromise their work and its credibility. These errors are not confined to any particular field and include:

• Conducting inadequate research or providing insufficient justification for research points
• Relying on sources with questionable credibility
• Using outdated or invalidated analyses that have been superseded by newer methodologies
• Including content that is not relevant to the specific scenario discussed in the topic
• Citing research sources without obtaining the author’s consent.

Step 3. Create Ideas in your Mind

Upon conducting thorough research, begin by creating a mind map of your arguments. Consider various strategies that could effectively convince your audience to favor your viewpoint over existing ones. Incorporate ideas that align with the evidence you’ve gathered. Once your mind map is fully developed, you’re prepared to move on to the subsequent step.

Step 4. Start with Intro Section

Begin the drafting process by crafting an engaging opening paragraph. Draw in your audience with a compelling first sentence, often referred to as a hook. This should be concise and designed to pique their curiosity about the topic. Follow this with some contextual information about the subject to give your readers a solid foundation. At this point, your readers should have a good understanding of the topic. Conclude with a thesis statement that offers your unique viewpoint on the subject.

Step 5. Add Research to the Body Paragraph

Now, incorporate the research or evidence you’ve gathered and refined for your audience. The best practice is to follow each of your statements with its corresponding evidence. This approach allows for a swift presentation of your narrative and its supporting evidence, preventing any confusion for the audience.

After you’ve presented your evidence, which could be a quote, an interview, or a journal reference, introduce contrasting viewpoints to demonstrate your neutrality on the subject. Include a counter-argument that addresses these opposing views. At this point, you’ve reached the crucial phase of your essay writing process.

Step 6. Write a Conclusion

The conclusion serves as the juncture where the key points of the assignment are recapped. It weaves together various thoughts and offers a final viewpoint on the subject matter. The conclusion underscores the thesis statement and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Step 7. Reference or Bibliography

It’s imperative to recognize the resources utilized in your work. The section for references or bibliography enumerates all the books, articles, websites, or other materials you consulted during your research. This part not only enhances the trustworthiness of your assignment but also safeguards against any plagiarism allegations. By grasping these elements of coursework structure, you can efficiently arrange your assignments and articulate your thoughts in a logical manner. Therefore, when you undertake such tasks next time, ensure to include these vital aspects and observe your grades escalate.

These steps will help you write process analysis essays with comfort and compliance. 

Analytical Essay Topics

Analytical essay topics pertain to a specific category of essays that necessitate comprehensive scrutiny. The author meticulously inspects the topic, deconstructs it into its fundamental elements, and delivers a critique or evaluation. These topics can span a wide array of fields such as literature, films, art pieces, societal matters, scientific phenomena, and more.

For example, in the realm of literature, an analytical essay topic could be “Examine the motif of deceit in Shakespeare’s Hamlet”. In this scenario, the author would dissect the play, furnish evidence of deceit, and interpret its influence on the storyline and characters.

When it comes to societal matters, a topic like “Examine the origins and repercussions of income disparity in metropolitan regions” would necessitate an in-depth exploration of socio-economic elements contributing to income inequality and its aftermath.

In the field of science, a topic could be “Examine the repercussions of climate change on polar ice caps”. This would entail an exhaustive analysis of climate data and interpretation of its impact on polar regions.

Bear in mind that the objective is not merely to recapitulate the topic but to delve into it, comprehend its subtleties, and deliver an educated evaluation. It’s about probing beneath the surface to understand the intricacies of the subject matter.

Click to see more “ Analytical Essay Topics “

Analytical Essay Examples

Many students wonder how to find the analytical essay examples but today their luck is about to change for good! We will share the types and examples of analytical essays here to end the confusion for students. These examples are mentioned below:

Poetry Analysis Essay

Poetry analysis essays allow a writer or a student to examine or present their critical analysis on a piece of poem, book’s paragraph or stanzas, etc. Typically, these assignments are common for English literature students. They are difficult and make students dig more into the historical value of the poem and its effects on the readers.

Process Analysis Essay

Process analysis essays explain how a process in a system works such as “how the car engine works”, etc. Students need to explain everything in a step by step approach and educate their audience how a process is completed.

Character Analysis Essay

A character analysis essay allows writers to explain or provide an analysis about a character. This character can be a historical figure, such as a politician, actor, philosopher, writer, etc. Students must choose a character that played a significant role in history or in the present and explain the intimate details about them.

click to see more “ Analytical Essay Examples “

Analytical Essay Conclusion

“The final part of your analytical essay is the conclusion, where you summarize your narration and connect it to your main point. To write a good conclusion, you should follow these steps:

• Show how the thesis and the story are related.
• Remind the reader of the key events that shaped the story.
• Explain the main message that your narration conveys.
• Emphasize the importance of the climax and its effects on the story.
• End with a statement or a question that makes the reader think.
• Do not introduce new information.
• Reinforce a takeaway message.

Understanding the nuances of an analytical essay necessitates a tactical plan. The steps outlined in this guide are organized and straightforward, ensuring that you can craft an exceptional illustrative essay by adhering to them.

If you encounter difficulties while composing an analytical essay, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Expert assignment writing services are available to provide guidance and support.

With the right assistance, you can create compelling work that includes powerful arguments and reliable evidence.

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Free Analytical Essay Examples

Analytical essays are written to share the author’s insights on a piece of literature, event, or phenomenon. They provide an in-depth analysis of the chosen topic, often taking contrasting points of view to test their viability. These essays are the most common in newspapers and magazines, although academic journals can also publish the genre. Teachers assign analytical papers to high-school and college students.

Analytical essay examples range from art, music, and books to current or historical events, philosophy, and scientific research.

The list of analytical essay samples below will help you achieve the best result in your writing.

1409 Best Analytical Essay Examples

Walgreens and cvs health: proxy statements & annual reports.

• Subjects: Accounting Business
• Words: 1108

GCGDA’s Project Management

• Subjects: Business Management
• Words: 2771

Facebook Company

• Subjects: Business Company Analysis
• Words: 1478

The Rise of the Papacy

• Subjects: Religion Religion History
• Words: 1375

Outsourcing in Public and Private Entities

• Words: 3078

Regional Trade Agreements

• Subjects: Economics Trade
• Words: 1178

Value of Eclectic Paradigm in Relation to International Business

• Words: 1028

Analysis of UK Economy

• Subjects: Economics Political Economy Processes
• Words: 3024

Saudi Dairy & Foodstuff Company Supply Chain Management

• Subjects: Business Logistics
• Words: 4966

Ford Automobile Strategic Business Model

• Subjects: Business Strategy
• Words: 1149

Heineken: A Company and a Brand

• Words: 2784

Social Media Marketing: Facebook

• Subjects: Business Marketing
• Words: 1680

Reducing Violent Street Gangs and Delinquent Activity in a Cost-Effective Manner

• Subjects: Sociology Violence
• Words: 1447

Peace and Democracy: US Impact in the Middle East

• Subjects: International Relations Politics & Government
• Words: 2871

Motion to Suppress Evidence

• Subjects: Common Law Law
• Words: 1949

The Strategic Management Of Sport Organizations

The impact of studying abroad on graduate employability.

• Words: 1893

Plato’s Thoughts About Education

• Subjects: Education Education Theories
• Words: 1399

Sexism in the English Language

• Subjects: Languages Linguistics

Methamphetamine Abuse and Foster Placement

• Subjects: Psychology Psychology of Abuse
• Words: 1124

Planning Law and Governance

• Subjects: Government Politics & Government
• Words: 1184

Australian Education Policy

• Words: 1608

Social Rules in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”

• Subjects: Sociological Theories Sociology
• Words: 1104

Comparison Between the Two Stories “Kitchen” and “Spirited World”

• Subjects: Comparative Literature Literature

Is the Rise of China a Threat or an Opportunity for Europe?

• Words: 1983

International Financial Reporting Standards in Kazakhstan

• Words: 3141

TNT Company’s Marketing Management and Strategy

• Words: 2248

Buyer Behavior and Integrated Marketing Communications

• Words: 1937

Organizations and Economic Environment

• Subjects: Economics Macroeconomics
• Words: 1523

Labour Regulation in The Clean Air Act

• Subjects: Labor Law Law

Language and Culture Interaction in English Language Teaching

• Subjects: Literature World Literature
• Words: 2061

Multinational Enterprises and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

• Subjects: Business Company Structure
• Words: 1781

Organizational Behaviour and Leadership

• Subjects: Business Management Theories
• Words: 3642

SOS Systems Engineering, Integration, and Architecting

• Subjects: Engineering Tech & Engineering
• Words: 1643

Economic Situation in Germany: Analysis & Forecasts

• Words: 3923

Communist Manifesto, Time and Social Issues

• Subjects: Politics & Government Social & Political Theory
• Words: 1409

London’s Airports Strategy

• Subjects: Air Transport Transportation
• Words: 5498

Adolescent Sexuality and Sexual Health

• Words: 2770

Islamic Culture: Land Ownership in Pakistan

• Words: 6179

The Causes and Consequences of the 2004 Tsunami in Sri Lanka

• Subjects: Disasters Environment
• Words: 3372

Trauma of Sexually Abused Children

• Words: 3344

Environmental Issues for Managers: UK’s Current Strategy on Renewable Energy & Technologies

• Subjects: Ecology Environment
• Words: 2211

Impact of Learner-Centered Approach on the Teaching of Language for Specific Purposes (ESP)

• Subjects: Education Learning Challenges
• Words: 2773

The Influence of Consumerism on 7-11 Years Children

• Subjects: Sociological Issues Sociology
• Words: 1388

Technologies, E-business, and Virtual Organizations

• Subjects: Business E-Commerce
• Words: 3063

Impact of Technology on Healthcare Services

• Subjects: Health & Medicine Health IT
• Words: 1238

Ethical Decision Making Models in Guerrilla Government

• Subjects: Environment Environmental Studies

Instability and Division of Yemen

• Words: 1457

Community Development in Theory and Practice

• Words: 2052

The Importance of Organisational Culture

• Subjects: Business Organizational Management
• Words: 2222

General Motor Corporation in China

• Words: 2269

Family Therapy: Bowenian and Narrative Approaches

• Subjects: Behavior Psychology
• Words: 3602

Organisational Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy

• Words: 2210

Behavior Matters in Our Life

• Words: 1688

Toyota Plant Case – Lexus RX 330 Line Plant Location

• Subjects: Business Case Study

The Role of Leadership in Business and Its Advantages

• Words: 1738

Why Migration Cannot Be a Basic Human Right but Always Been a Part of Human Culture

• Subjects: Immigration Sociology
• Words: 1686

The Effects of the American Correctional Policy

• Words: 1228

Trends in the Workplace

Epistemological nature of the knowledge and skills needed for real estate management, the ethical issues of genetic engineering.

• Words: 2755

Management of Human Resources: Sound Recruitment and Selection Systems

• Words: 1181

Early Gifted Education: Why Is It Needed?

• Words: 4017

London Interbank Offered Rate Scandal

• Subjects: Big Economic Issues Economics
• Words: 1189

Separation Between Girls and Boys in the Classroom

• Words: 3093

What Is Social Class and How Does It Contribute to Our Understanding of the Social Determinants of Health?

• Words: 1460

Piaget’s Quote in Relation to Adult Learning

• Words: 1140

Model of the social contract

• Words: 1410

Tanzania and the Local Communities

• Subjects: Environment Planet Protection
• Words: 1007

Job Analysis Importance

• Subjects: Business Professions
• Words: 1471

Instructional Design Principles and Theory

English literacy lessons for australian students. when theory meets practice.

• Words: 1503

A Journey to the Disneyland: From Oswald to Cinderella. Walt Disney and His Personal Demons

• Words: 3327

Exegetical Study of Biblical Divorce

• Subjects: Religion Sociology of Religion
• Words: 2842

Kantian Perspective on Water Privatisation

• Subjects: Philosophical Theories Philosophy
• Words: 1132

Integrated Marketing Communication Approaches in the Global Market Place

• Words: 3373

HRM Challenges in Multinational Companies

• Words: 2212

Human Behavior and the Best Principles to Follow

• Subjects: Life Philosophy Philosophy
• Words: 1971

Is the sweatshop concept adopted by the U.S. manufactures overseas ethical?

• Words: 2237

Affirmative Action Policy in the US

• Words: 1106

Assessment and Evaluation Using Technology

Managing values and corporate responsibility in global business operations.

• Subjects: Business Business Ethics
• Words: 2522

Employee Attitudes and Work-Related Behaviour: Ongoing Challenge for the Contemporary Manager

• Words: 1998

Impact of Global Warming on Wine Makers

• Words: 3347

Google Does No Evil

• Subjects: Internet Tech & Engineering
• Words: 1194

The emergence of a discourse of class disgust and neoliberal citizenship

• Words: 1683

Effective Assessment and Evaluation

Content analysis of gender roles in media.

• Subjects: Gender Studies Sociology

Wal-Mart and Its Unexpected Marketing Results

Studying abroad as a chance to employed.

• Words: 1714

Education, Knowledge, and Social Change

• Words: 2149

Challenges of Millenial Generation

• Words: 1408

Project Management: Conceptual Analysis

Causes of gasoline price fluctuations.

• Subjects: Business Industry

The 2008 Financial Crisis

• Subjects: Economic Systems & Principles Economics

Fashion of Lebanon

• Subjects: Design Fashion
• Words: 2791

Domestic and Global Expansion

The shift from global to international strategy, preparing a case analysis: swot.

• Words: 1141

Landscape Ecology: Developing a New Discipline

• Subjects: Environment Environmental Processes

Analyzing the Findings of Falcons

Charter communication company: case analysis.

• Words: 1113

Contribution of Playstation and Playstation 2 to the World

Tenure and divorce status correlation in an organization.

• Subjects: Business Decision Making

Reverse Logistics at the Planning

• Words: 1126

Strategic Management Accounting

• Words: 3118

Men and Women in Internet and Social Media: Real-Life Stereotypes in the Virtual Communication

• Subjects: Gender Identity Sociology
• Words: 2863

The High Line Park Transformation into a Public Park

• Words: 1946

Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Strategies

Demand for energy. energy sources.

• Words: 2539

Nuclear disarmament as a way to keep peace and provide human security

• Words: 3071

Zhao Zhao and the Chinese Contemporary Art

• Subjects: Art Visual Arts
• Words: 1720

Martha Stewart case analysis

• Subjects: Judicial Process on Criminals Law

Amazon Basin Economics: Brazil and Ecuador

• Words: 3044

Human Rights in 21st Century: China

• Words: 1176

Introduction to Global Business

• Words: 2036

The Post-Colonial Theory of the Large European Empires

• Words: 1395

Comparison of Guided Search Model and Feature Integration Model of Visual Search

• Subjects: Cognition and Perception Psychology
• Words: 1857

Using Activity-Based Management to Evaluate a Business

• Words: 4114

Is There a Particular Attachment Style Linked With Conduct Disordered Children

• Subjects: Development Psychology
• Words: 1701

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• 40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays

To be truly brilliant, an essay needs to utilise the right language. You could make a great point, but if it’s not intelligently articulated, you almost needn’t have bothered.

Developing the language skills to build an argument and to write persuasively is crucial if you’re to write outstanding essays every time. In this article, we’re going to equip you with the words and phrases you need to write a top-notch essay, along with examples of how to utilise them.

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and there will often be other ways of using the words and phrases we describe that we won’t have room to include, but there should be more than enough below to help you make an instant improvement to your essay-writing skills.

If you’re interested in developing your language and persuasive skills, Oxford Royale offers summer courses at its Oxford Summer School , Cambridge Summer School , London Summer School , San Francisco Summer School and Yale Summer School . You can study courses to learn english , prepare for careers in law , medicine , business , engineering and leadership.

General explaining

Let’s start by looking at language for general explanations of complex points.

1. In order to

Usage: “In order to” can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument. Example: “In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.”

2. In other words

Usage: Use “in other words” when you want to express something in a different way (more simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point. Example: “Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.”

3. To put it another way

Usage: This phrase is another way of saying “in other words”, and can be used in particularly complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader achieve a better understanding of its significance. Example: “Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.”

4. That is to say

Usage: “That is” and “that is to say” can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise. Example: “Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.”

5. To that end

Usage: Use “to that end” or “to this end” in a similar way to “in order to” or “so”. Example: “Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible meanings.”

Adding additional information to support a point

Students often make the mistake of using synonyms of “and” each time they want to add further information in support of a point they’re making, or to build an argument. Here are some cleverer ways of doing this.

6. Moreover

Usage: Employ “moreover” at the start of a sentence to add extra information in support of a point you’re making. Example: “Moreover, the results of a recent piece of research provide compelling evidence in support of…”

7. Furthermore

Usage:This is also generally used at the start of a sentence, to add extra information. Example: “Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that…”

8. What’s more

Usage: This is used in the same way as “moreover” and “furthermore”. Example: “What’s more, this isn’t the only evidence that supports this hypothesis.”

9. Likewise

Usage: Use “likewise” when you want to talk about something that agrees with what you’ve just mentioned. Example: “Scholar A believes X. Likewise, Scholar B argues compellingly in favour of this point of view.”

10. Similarly

Usage: Use “similarly” in the same way as “likewise”. Example: “Audiences at the time reacted with shock to Beethoven’s new work, because it was very different to what they were used to. Similarly, we have a tendency to react with surprise to the unfamiliar.”

11. Another key thing to remember

Usage: Use the phrase “another key point to remember” or “another key fact to remember” to introduce additional facts without using the word “also”. Example: “As a Romantic, Blake was a proponent of a closer relationship between humans and nature. Another key point to remember is that Blake was writing during the Industrial Revolution, which had a major impact on the world around him.”

12. As well as

Usage: Use “as well as” instead of “also” or “and”. Example: “Scholar A argued that this was due to X, as well as Y.”

13. Not only… but also

Usage: This wording is used to add an extra piece of information, often something that’s in some way more surprising or unexpected than the first piece of information. Example: “Not only did Edmund Hillary have the honour of being the first to reach the summit of Everest, but he was also appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.”

14. Coupled with

Usage: Used when considering two or more arguments at a time. Example: “Coupled with the literary evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of…”

15. Firstly, secondly, thirdly…

Usage: This can be used to structure an argument, presenting facts clearly one after the other. Example: “There are many points in support of this view. Firstly, X. Secondly, Y. And thirdly, Z.

16. Not to mention/to say nothing of

Usage: “Not to mention” and “to say nothing of” can be used to add extra information with a bit of emphasis. Example: “The war caused unprecedented suffering to millions of people, not to mention its impact on the country’s economy.”

Words and phrases for demonstrating contrast

When you’re developing an argument, you will often need to present contrasting or opposing opinions or evidence – “it could show this, but it could also show this”, or “X says this, but Y disagrees”. This section covers words you can use instead of the “but” in these examples, to make your writing sound more intelligent and interesting.

17. However

Usage: Use “however” to introduce a point that disagrees with what you’ve just said. Example: “Scholar A thinks this. However, Scholar B reached a different conclusion.”

18. On the other hand

Usage: Usage of this phrase includes introducing a contrasting interpretation of the same piece of evidence, a different piece of evidence that suggests something else, or an opposing opinion. Example: “The historical evidence appears to suggest a clear-cut situation. On the other hand, the archaeological evidence presents a somewhat less straightforward picture of what happened that day.”

19. Having said that

Usage: Used in a similar manner to “on the other hand” or “but”. Example: “The historians are unanimous in telling us X, an agreement that suggests that this version of events must be an accurate account. Having said that, the archaeology tells a different story.”

20. By contrast/in comparison

Usage: Use “by contrast” or “in comparison” when you’re comparing and contrasting pieces of evidence. Example: “Scholar A’s opinion, then, is based on insufficient evidence. By contrast, Scholar B’s opinion seems more plausible.”

21. Then again

Usage: Use this to cast doubt on an assertion. Example: “Writer A asserts that this was the reason for what happened. Then again, it’s possible that he was being paid to say this.”

22. That said

Usage: This is used in the same way as “then again”. Example: “The evidence ostensibly appears to point to this conclusion. That said, much of the evidence is unreliable at best.”

Usage: Use this when you want to introduce a contrasting idea. Example: “Much of scholarship has focused on this evidence. Yet not everyone agrees that this is the most important aspect of the situation.”

Adding a proviso or acknowledging reservations

Sometimes, you may need to acknowledge a shortfalling in a piece of evidence, or add a proviso. Here are some ways of doing so.

24. Despite this

Usage: Use “despite this” or “in spite of this” when you want to outline a point that stands regardless of a shortfalling in the evidence. Example: “The sample size was small, but the results were important despite this.”

25. With this in mind

Usage: Use this when you want your reader to consider a point in the knowledge of something else. Example: “We’ve seen that the methods used in the 19th century study did not always live up to the rigorous standards expected in scientific research today, which makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions. With this in mind, let’s look at a more recent study to see how the results compare.”

26. Provided that

Usage: This means “on condition that”. You can also say “providing that” or just “providing” to mean the same thing. Example: “We may use this as evidence to support our argument, provided that we bear in mind the limitations of the methods used to obtain it.”

27. In view of/in light of

Usage: These phrases are used when something has shed light on something else. Example: “In light of the evidence from the 2013 study, we have a better understanding of…”

28. Nonetheless

Usage: This is similar to “despite this”. Example: “The study had its limitations, but it was nonetheless groundbreaking for its day.”

29. Nevertheless

Usage: This is the same as “nonetheless”. Example: “The study was flawed, but it was important nevertheless.”

30. Notwithstanding

Usage: This is another way of saying “nonetheless”. Example: “Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology used, it was an important study in the development of how we view the workings of the human mind.”

Giving examples

Good essays always back up points with examples, but it’s going to get boring if you use the expression “for example” every time. Here are a couple of other ways of saying the same thing.

31. For instance

Example: “Some birds migrate to avoid harsher winter climates. Swallows, for instance, leave the UK in early winter and fly south…”

32. To give an illustration

Example: “To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s look at the case of…”

Signifying importance

When you want to demonstrate that a point is particularly important, there are several ways of highlighting it as such.

33. Significantly

Usage: Used to introduce a point that is loaded with meaning that might not be immediately apparent. Example: “Significantly, Tacitus omits to tell us the kind of gossip prevalent in Suetonius’ accounts of the same period.”

34. Notably

Usage: This can be used to mean “significantly” (as above), and it can also be used interchangeably with “in particular” (the example below demonstrates the first of these ways of using it). Example: “Actual figures are notably absent from Scholar A’s analysis.”

35. Importantly

Usage: Use “importantly” interchangeably with “significantly”. Example: “Importantly, Scholar A was being employed by X when he wrote this work, and was presumably therefore under pressure to portray the situation more favourably than he perhaps might otherwise have done.”

Summarising

You’ve almost made it to the end of the essay, but your work isn’t over yet. You need to end by wrapping up everything you’ve talked about, showing that you’ve considered the arguments on both sides and reached the most likely conclusion. Here are some words and phrases to help you.

36. In conclusion

Usage: Typically used to introduce the concluding paragraph or sentence of an essay, summarising what you’ve discussed in a broad overview. Example: “In conclusion, the evidence points almost exclusively to Argument A.”

37. Above all

Usage: Used to signify what you believe to be the most significant point, and the main takeaway from the essay. Example: “Above all, it seems pertinent to remember that…”

38. Persuasive

Usage: This is a useful word to use when summarising which argument you find most convincing. Example: “Scholar A’s point – that Constanze Mozart was motivated by financial gain – seems to me to be the most persuasive argument for her actions following Mozart’s death.”

39. Compelling

Usage: Use in the same way as “persuasive” above. Example: “The most compelling argument is presented by Scholar A.”

40. All things considered

Usage: This means “taking everything into account”. Example: “All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that…”

How many of these words and phrases will you get into your next essay? And are any of your favourite essay terms missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch here to find out more about courses that can help you with your essays.

At Oxford Royale Academy, we offer a number of  summer school courses for young people who are keen to improve their essay writing skills. Click here to apply for one of our courses today, including law , business , medicine  and engineering .

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• Knowledge Base
• How to write a literary analysis essay | A step-by-step guide

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.

A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.

Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :

• An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.
• A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
• A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.

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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.

The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis.

Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices —textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.

To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.

Language choices

Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?

What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. “her eyes were oceans”) and simile (e.g. “her eyes were like oceans”).

Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.

Narrative voice

Ask yourself:

• Who is telling the story?
• How are they telling it?

Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?

Consider the narrator’s perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.

The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?

Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.

• Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.
• Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.
• Plays are divided into scenes and acts.

Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.

There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?

With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.

In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for  dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.

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Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It’s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.

If you’re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:

Essay question example

Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?

Your thesis statement should be an answer to this question—not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn’t the case:

Thesis statement example

Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.

Sometimes you’ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you’ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.

Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.

Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:

Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:

The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:

Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.

Finding textual evidence

To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.

It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they’re convincing.

To start your literary analysis paper, you’ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.

Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.

A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.

If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don’t worry—this will be easier once you’ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.

“Fearful symmetry” : The violence of creation in William Blake’s “The Tyger”

The introduction

The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.

A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.

Then you can end with a brief indication of what’s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn’t be more than one sentence.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it’s not a bad idea. After all, you’ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you’ve begun writing them!

If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.

The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.

Paragraph structure

A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.

Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don’t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text—only analysis that drives your argument.

In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.

Robert’s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels “a sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.” He identifies the moment of their meeting as “the beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it” (p. 89). Gil-Martin’s “invisible power” seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.

Topic sentences

To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like “however” or “moreover” are useful for creating smooth transitions:

… The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.

Nevertheless, the “radiance” that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.

This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word “nevertheless” points out a contrast with the previous paragraph’s conclusion.

Using textual evidence

A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.

It’s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you’re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:

It isn’t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you’re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you’ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can’t be captured in a short quote.

In these cases, it’s more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the text—that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:

The conclusion of your analysis shouldn’t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it’s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.

A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they’ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.

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The Complete Guide to Writing an Analytical Essay for QCAA English

Aiming for high marks on your QCAA English analytical essay, but aren’t confident with how to structure it?

To be able to demonstrate your full understanding of the text, it is necessary that you understand how to organise and write out your ideas to gain as many marks as possible. This can be challenging, so we’ll take you through everything you need to know to write a killer essay!

Let’s get started!

General Considerations for the QCAA English Analytical Essay Planning Your Analytical Essay Introduction Body Paragraph Structure Conclusion

General Considerations for the QCAA English Analytical Essay

There are a few unwritten rules that must be followed to make sure you produce a top notch essay!

Firstly, never write in first person (I or me), but always in third person (the reader, the writer) as this is meant to be a formal piece of writing.

The second most important thing here is to always write in the present tense, rather than in the past tense. The writer uses or does something, rather than used or did. Even if the play was written in the past, you should still make the essay in the present tense, because it is in the NOW that you’re analysing it. 

Some exam advice here: the conditions stipulate that your essay must be 800 to 1000 words. Add another evidence body paragraph if you see you’re running short.

Read also: how to ace Unit 4 of QCAA English !

Planning Your Analytical Essay

To best succeed, we’ll start from the planning stage, something you should do well before writing your essay.

Make sure that you scribble down the point of each of your three paragraphs briefly, including 1-2 example quotes . Most importantly, be sure to write underneath the type of literary technique that said quotes use.

This will mean you’ll have identified most of the elements that make up your paragraph since the planning stage. By the time you’ll get to the body paragraph, all you’ll have to do is expand on them. 

Discover our ‘thesis + 3’ technique for preparing essays!

Your essay essentially follows this basic structure:

We’ll break down each of these sections, so you know exactly what to include in your QCAA English essay!

Wondering how you’re tracking with all of your English IAs? Check out our QCE Cohort Comparison tool to find out!

Introduction

There are many ways you can write a sound introduction, but to be safe, use this structure if you’re finding it difficult. This will make sure you hit all the marking criteria!

#1: Context Statement

Here you should include the main message of the work, as well as its date, writer, and historical context. Think of it as your ‘History’ paragraph.

If certain aspects of the historical context are extremely significant for the exploration of your thesis statement, its great to mention them here in the first 3-4 lines. You will be prepping your readers for your thesis statement.

#2: Thesis Statement

State your thesis as clearly as possible. Here you can be succinct or elaborate, but make sure not to go over 3 sentences. It’s crucial that you use the wording of your question, as it will make it obvious that you’re directly answering it. 

#3: Preview Statement

This statement sets the order in which you’ll be talking about your ideas . State how the writer achieves what they achieve by including the name of the literary techniques of each paragraph in the order you are going to talk about them in your body paragraphs. If you nail this sentence, your structure will benefit from it.

#4: Segue Sentence

As the name suggests, this sentence will segue into your first paragraph . How you do this is entirely up to you, as it will depend on your first paragraph.

We’re written a tonne of high quality practice questions to help you prepare for the QCE English External exam !

Body Paragraph Structure for Your Analytical Essay

#1: paragraph thesis.

These first two sentences should do two things: Answer the main question of the exam, and mention how this is achieved, by mentioning the literary technique that is used to achieve the answer to the essay question .

An example would be:

“ Shakespeare masterfully reveals the supernatural characteristics of Macbeth’s setting by his astute use of pathetic fallacy .”

#2: Evidence Statement

This part is reserved for your evidence, meaning you should insert a relevant quote that relates to the technique cited in your point. This will make sure your evidence is coherent with the point you are training to make.

Keep in mind that it is very likely you will have to write two evidence statements or even three per paragraph , unless your first piece of evidence is complex enough to need a whole paragraph to explore. 

#3: Explanation and Intended Effect

Here you can explain the quote in detail. Make sure to showcase as much understanding as possible!

You want to explain the quote in relation to the technique, and what its intended meaning or effect is .

Basically, try and answer the question: Why did the writer use this?

#4: Effect on the Reader

This is where you get to add your own personal touch and style to your writing , which is marked in the ISMGs. Try and explore the effect that the technique or quote had on you personally, without saying ‘I’ or ‘Me’ — i nstead use ‘The Reader’.

You’ll explore the quote’s actual effect, while still writing the essay in third person. 

#5: Link Sentence

This final sentence will restate your point and possibly make a link to the start of the paragraph . Of course, this depends on the paragraph, so it is up to you in the moment how you do this. 

A paragraph should be at least 200 words long, but not more than 300. Feel free to add a 4th piece of evidence if you don’t make the word count. Repeat this process 3 times.

Check out our other paragraph structure guides below: PETAL paragraph PEEL paragraph TEEL paragraph STEEL paragraph

Analytical Essay Conclusion

Restate your thesis, reiterating that you’ve answered the question. Then, restate in a different fashion your preview statement from your introduction. This will tie your essay off neatly!

Finally, for style points, add a final sentence that stimulates readers to ponder the overall meaning of the work.

“Shakespeare, through his timeless play ‘ Macbeth ’, invites readers to consider the legitimacy of one’s own ambition, and how far he should go to satisfy it.” 

Overall, your essay for QCAA English should be addressing all of the criteria listed below. Be sure to read over your work once you’ve finished writing your essay to ensure that your grammar is correct, you’ve used proper punctuation throughout and there aren’t any spelling errors.

On the hunt for other QCAA English resources?

Check out our guides to completing QCAA English assessments below:

• How to Create a Written Response for a Public Audience for QCAA English
• Your Essential Guide to Writing an Imaginative Written Response for QCAA English
• How to Craft a Persuasive Spoken Response for QCAA English and Ace Your Assessment!
• How to Ace Your External Assessment for QCAA General English
• The Ultimate Guide to QCAA English Unit 3: Textual Connections
• The Ultimate Guide to QCAA English Unit 4: Close Study of Literary Texts

Are you looking for some extra support writing analytical essays for QCAA English?

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We can help you master the QCAA English syllabus and ace your upcoming English assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or online, especially if you are looking for an English tutor in Brisbane !

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Vittorio Manessi  is an Art of Smart tutor based in Queensland studying environmental science. He was one of the first Year 12 students to study under the new ATAR system in Queensland. He enjoys Maths, Science, English and Ancient History and is keen to share his knowledge of the QCE by making awesome resources.

• Topics: ✏️ English , ✍️ Learn

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