examples of data analysis essay

15 Data Analysis Examples

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Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data to discover useful information, derive conclusions, and support decision-making (Upton & Brawn, 2023).

It encompasses a variety of techniques from statistics, mathematics, and computer science to interpret complex data structures and extract meaningful insights (Bekes & Kezdi, 2021).

We use data analysis to generate useful insights from data that can help in our decision-making and strategic planning in various realms. For example:

• It can help businesses to develop a better understanding of market trends and customer preferences to inform marketing strategies.
• We can develop a modeled understanding of risks and prevent issues before they escalate into larger problems.
• Data analysis may reveal hidden or not easily identifiable insights and trends, empowering you to enrich your knowledge base and anticipate future needs (Naeem et al., 2020; Upton & Brawn, 2023).

Below are some common ways that data analysis is conducted.

Data Analysis Examples

1. Sales Trend Analysis This type of data analysis involves assessing sales data over various periods to identify trends and patterns. For instance, a retail company might monitor its quarterly sales data to identify peak buying times or popular products (Bihani & Patil, 2014). Such analysis allows businesses to adjust their sales strategies, inventory management, and marketing efforts to align with customer demands and seasonal trends, thereby enhancing profitability and operational efficiency (Kohavi, Rothleder & Simoudis, 2002).

2. Customer Segmentation In this data analysis example, businesses compartmentalize their customer base into different groups based on specific criteria such as purchasing behavior, demographics, or preferences (Kohavi, Rothleder & Simoudis, 2002). For example, an online shopping platform might segment its customers into categories like frequent buyers, seasonal shoppers, or budget buyers. This analysis helps tailor marketing campaigns and product offerings to appeal to each group specifically, enabling improved customer engagement and business growth.

3. Social Media Sentiment Analysis This is a popular use of data analysis in the digital age. Companies harness big data from social media platforms to analyze public sentiment towards their products or brand. By examining comments, likes, shares, and other interactions, they can gauge overall satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. This kind of scrutiny can significantly impact a business’s online reputation management and influence its marketing and public relations strategies.

4. Forecasting and Predictive Analysis Businesses often use data analysis to predict future trends or outcomes. For instance, an airline company might analyze past data on seat bookings, flight timings, and passenger preferences to forecast future travel trends. This predictive analysis allows the airline to optimize its flight schedules, plan for peak travel periods, and set competitive ticket prices, ultimately contributing to improved customer satisfaction and increased revenues.

5. Operational Efficiency Analysis This form of data analysis is focused on optimizing internal processes within an organization. For example, a manufacturing company might analyze data regarding machine performance, maintenance schedules, and production output to identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies (Bihani & Patil, 2014). By addressing these issues, the company can streamline its operations, improve productivity, and reduce costs, signifying the importance of data analysis in achieving operational excellence.

6. Risk Assessment Analysis This type of data analysis helps businesses identify potential risks that could adversely impact their operations or profits. An insurance company, for instance, might analyze customer data and historical claim information to estimate future claim risks. This supports more accurate premium setting and helps in proactively managing any potential financial hazards, underscoring the role of data analysis in sound risk management.

7. Recruitment and Talent Management Analysis In this example of data analysis, human resources departments scrutinize data concerning employee performance, retention rates, and skill sets. For example, a technology firm might conduct analysis to identify the skills and experience most prevalent among its top-performing employees (Chang, Wang & Hawamdeh, 2019). This enables the company to attract and retain high-caliber talent, tailor training programs, and improve overall workforce effectiveness.

8. Supply Chain Optimization Analysis This form of data analysis aims to enhance the efficiency of a business’s supply chain. For instance, a grocery store might examine sales data, warehouse inventory levels, and supplier delivery times to ensure the right products are in stock at the right time (Chang, Wang & Hawamdeh, 2019). This can reduce warehousing costs, minimize stockouts or overstocks, and increase customer satisfaction, marking data analysis’s role in streamlining supply chains.

9. Web Analytics In this digital age, businesses invest in data analysis to optimize their online presence and functionality. An ecommerce business, for example, might analyze website traffic data, bounce rates, conversion rates, and user engagement metrics. This analysis can guide website redesign, enhance user experience, and boost conversion rates, reflecting the importance of data analysis in digital marketing and web optimization.

10. Medical and Healthcare Analysis Data analysis plays a crucial role in the healthcare sector. A hospital might analyze patient data, disease patterns, treatment outcomes, and so forth. This can support evidence-based treatment plans, inform research on healthcare trends, and contribute to policy development (Islam et al., 2018). It can also enhance patient care by identifying efficient treatment paths and reducing hospitalization time, underlining the significance of data analysis in the medical field.

11. Fraud Detection Analysis In the financial and banking sector, data analysis plays a paramount role in identifying and mitigating fraudulent activities. Banks might analyze transaction data, account activity, and user behavior trends to detect abnormal patterns indicative of fraud. By alerting the concerned authorities about the suspicious activity, such analysis can prevent financial losses and protect customer assets, illustrating data analysis’s importance in ensuring financial security.

12. Energy Consumption Analysis Utilities and energy companies often use data analysis to optimize their energy distribution and consumption. By evaluating data on customer usage patterns, peak demand times, and grid performance, companies can enhance energy efficiency, optimize their grid operations, and develop more customer-centric services. It shows how data analysis can contribute to a more sustainable and efficient use of resources.

13. Market Research Analysis Many businesses rely on data analysis to gauge market dynamics and consumer behaviors. A cosmetic brand, for example, might analyze sales data, consumer feedback, and competitor information. Such analysis can provide useful insights about consumer preferences, popular trends, and competitive strategies, facilitating the development of products that align with market demands, showcasing how data analysis can drive business innovation.

14. Quality Control Analysis Manufacturing industries often use data analysis in their quality control processes. They may monitor operational data, machine performance, and product fault reports. By identifying causes of defects or inefficiencies, these industries can improve product quality, enhance manufacturing processes, and reduce waste, demonstrating the decisive role of data analysis in maintaining high-quality standards.

15. Economic and Policy Analysis Government agencies and think tanks utilize data analysis to inform policy decisions and societal strategies. They might analyze data relating to employment rates, GDP, public health, or educational attainment. These insights can inform policy development, assess the impact of existing policies, and guide strategies for societal improvement. This reveals that data analysis is a key tool in managing social and economic progression.

For more General Examples of Analysis, See Here

Data analysis, encompassing activities such as trend spotting, risk assessment, predictive modeling, customer segmentation, and much more, proves to be an indispensable tool in various fields.

From optimizing operations and making informed decisions to understanding customer behavior and predicting future trends, its applications are diverse and far-reaching. Through meticulous examination of relevant data and astute interpretation of patterns, businesses and organizations can extract actionable insights, enhance their strategic planning, and bolster their competitive advantage.

Furthermore, with the current growth in digital technology, the potency of data analysis in enhancing operational efficiency, facilitating innovation, and driving economic growth cannot be overstated. Therefore, mastery of data analysis techniques and methodologies is critical for anyone seeking to harness the full potential of their data.

Ultimately, data analysis seeks to turn raw data into valuable knowledge, enabling organizations and individuals to thrive in today’s data-driven world.

Bekes, G., & Kezdi, G. (2021). Data Analysis for Business, Economics, and Policy . Cambridge University Press.

Bihani, P., & Patil, S. T. (2014). A comparative study of data analysis techniques.  International journal of emerging trends & technology in computer science ,  3 (2), 95-101.

Chang, H. C., Wang, C. Y., & Hawamdeh, S. (2019). Emerging trends in data analytics and knowledge management job market: extending KSA framework.  Journal of Knowledge Management ,  23 (4), 664-686. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-02-2018-0088

Islam, M. S., Hasan, M. M., Wang, X., Germack, H. D., & Noor-E-Alam, M. (2018, May). A systematic review on healthcare analytics: application and theoretical perspective of data mining. In  Healthcare  (Vol. 6, No. 2, p. 54). doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6020054

Kohavi, R., Rothleder, N. J., & Simoudis, E. (2002). Emerging trends in business analytics .  Communications of the ACM ,  45 (8), 45-48.

Naeem, M., Jamal, T., Diaz-Martinez, J., Butt, S. A., Montesano, N., Tariq, M. I., … & De-La-Hoz-Valdiris, E. (2022). Trends and future perspective challenges in big data. In  Advances in Intelligent Data Analysis and Applications: Proceeding of the Sixth Euro-China Conference on Intelligent Data Analysis and Applications, 15–18 October 2019, Arad, Romania  (pp. 309-325). Springer Singapore.

Upton, G., & Brawn, D. (2023). Data Analysis: A Gentle Introduction for Future Data Scientists . Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Data analysis write-ups

What should a data-analysis write-up look like.

Writing up the results of a data analysis is not a skill that anyone is born with. It requires practice and, at least in the beginning, a bit of guidance.

Organization

When writing your report, organization will set you free. A good outline is: 1) overview of the problem, 2) your data and modeling approach, 3) the results of your data analysis (plots, numbers, etc), and 4) your substantive conclusions.

1) Overview Describe the problem. What substantive question are you trying to address? This needn’t be long, but it should be clear.

2) Data and model What data did you use to address the question, and how did you do it? When describing your approach, be specific. For example:

• Don’t say, “I ran a regression” when you instead can say, “I fit a linear regression model to predict price that included a house’s size and neighborhood as predictors.”
• Justify important features of your modeling approach. For example: “Neighborhood was included as a categorical predictor in the model because Figure 2 indicated clear differences in price across the neighborhoods.”

Sometimes your Data and Model section will contain plots or tables, and sometimes it won’t. If you feel that a plot helps the reader understand the problem or data set itself—as opposed to your results—then go ahead and include it. A great example here is Tables 1 and 2 in the main paper on the PREDIMED study . These tables help the reader understand some important properties of the data and approach, but not the results of the study itself.

3) Results In your results section, include any figures and tables necessary to make your case. Label them (Figure 1, 2, etc), give them informative captions, and refer to them in the text by their numbered labels where you discuss them. Typical things to include here may include: pictures of the data; pictures and tables that show the fitted model; tables of model coefficients and summaries.

4) Conclusion What did you learn from the analysis? What is the answer, if any, to the question you set out to address?

General advice

Make the sections as short or long as they need to be. For example, a conclusions section is often pretty short, while a results section is usually a bit longer.

It’s OK to use the first person to avoid awkward or bizarre sentence constructions, but try to do so sparingly.

Do not include computer code unless explicitly called for. Note: model outputs do not count as computer code. Outputs should be used as evidence in your results section (ideally formatted in a nice way). By code, I mean the sequence of commands you used to process the data and produce the outputs.

When in doubt, use shorter words and sentences.

A very common way for reports to go wrong is when the writer simply narrates the thought process he or she followed: :First I did this, but it didn’t work. Then I did something else, and I found A, B, and C. I wasn’t really sure what to make of B, but C was interesting, so I followed up with D and E. Then having done this…” Do not do this. The desire for specificity is admirable, but the overall effect is one of amateurism. Follow the recommended outline above.

Here’s a good example of a write-up for an analysis of a few relatively simple problems. Because the problems are so straightforward, there’s not much of a need for an outline of the kind described above. Nonetheless, the spirit of these guidelines is clearly in evidence. Notice the clear exposition, the labeled figures and tables that are referred to in the text, and the careful integration of visual and numerical evidence into the overall argument. This is one worth emulating.

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Writing a Good Data Analysis Report: 7 Steps

As a data analyst, you feel most comfortable when you’re alone with all the numbers and data. You’re able to analyze them with confidence and reach the results you were asked to find. But, this is not the end of the road for you. You still need to write a data analysis report explaining your findings to the laymen - your clients or coworkers.

That means you need to think about your target audience, that is the people who’ll be reading your report.

They don’t have nearly as much knowledge about data analysis as you do. So, your report needs to be straightforward and informative. The article below will help you learn how to do it. Let’s take a look at some practical tips you can apply to your data analysis report writing and the benefits of doing so.

source: Pexels  

Data Analysis Report Writing: 7 Steps

The process of writing a data analysis report is far from simple, but you can master it quickly, with the right guidance and examples of similar reports .

This is why we've prepared a step-by-step guide that will cover everything you need to know about this process, as simply as possible. Let’s get to it.

Consider Your Audience

You are writing your report for a certain target audience, and you need to keep them in mind while writing. Depending on their level of expertise, you’ll need to adjust your report and ensure it speaks to them. So, before you go any further, ask yourself:

Who will be reading this report? How well do they understand the subject?

Let’s say you’re explaining the methodology you used to reach your conclusions and find the data in question. If the reader isn’t familiar with these tools and software, you’ll have to simplify it for them and provide additional explanations.

So, you won't be writing the same type of report for a coworker who's been on your team for years or a client who's seeing data analysis for the first time. Based on this determining factor, you'll think about:

the language and vocabulary you’re using

abbreviations and level of technicality

the depth you’ll go into to explain something

the type of visuals you’ll add

Your readers’ expertise dictates the tone of your report and you need to consider it before writing even a single word.

Draft Out the Sections

The next thing you need to do is create a draft of your data analysis report. This is just a skeleton of what your report will be once you finish. But, you need a starting point.

So, think about the sections you'll include and what each section is going to cover. Typically, your report should be divided into the following sections:

Introduction

Body (Data, Methods, Analysis, Results)

For each section, write down several short bullet points regarding the content to cover. Below, we'll discuss each section more elaborately.

Develop The Body

The body of your report is the most important section. You need to organize it into subsections and present all the information your readers will be interested in.

We suggest the following subsections.

Explain what data you used to conduct your analysis. Be specific and explain how you gathered the data, what your sample was, what tools and resources you’ve used, and how you’ve organized your data. This will give the reader a deeper understanding of your data sample and make your report more solid.

Also, explain why you choose the specific data for your sample. For instance, you may say “ The sample only includes data of the customers acquired during 2021, in the peak of the pandemic.”

Next, you need to explain what methods you’ve used to analyze the data. This simply means you need to explain why and how you choose specific methods. You also need to explain why these methods are the best fit for the goals you’ve set and the results you’re trying to reach.

Back up your methodology section with background information on each method or tool used. Explain how these resources are typically used in data analysis.

After you've explained the data and methods you've used, this next section brings those two together. The analysis section shows how you've analyzed the specific data using the specific methods. 

This means you’ll show your calculations, charts, and analyses, step by step. Add descriptions and explain each of the steps. Try making it as simple as possible so that even the most inexperienced of your readers understand every word.

This final section of the body can be considered the most important section of your report. Most of your clients will skim the rest of the report to reach this section. 

Because it’ll answer the questions you’ve all raised. It shares the results that were reached and gives the reader new findings, facts, and evidence. 

So, explain and describe the results using numbers. Then, add a written description of what each of the numbers stands for and what it means for the entire analysis. Summarize your results and finalize the report on a strong note. 

Write the Introduction

Yes, it may seem strange to write the introduction section at the end, but it’s the smartest way to do it. This section briefly explains what the report will cover. That’s why you should write it after you’ve finished writing the Body.

In your introduction, explain:

the question you’ve raised and answered with the analysis

context of the analysis and background information

short outline of the report

Simply put, you’re telling your audience what to expect.

Add a Short Conclusion

Finally, the last section of your paper is a brief conclusion. It only repeats what you described in the Body, but only points out the most important details.

It should be less than a page long and use straightforward language to deliver the most important findings. It should also include a paragraph about the implications and importance of those findings for the client, customer, business, or company that hired you.

Include Data Visualization Elements

You have all the data and numbers in your mind and find it easy to understand what the data is saying. But, to a layman or someone less experienced than yourself, it can be quite a puzzle. All the information that your data analysis has found can create a mess in the head of your reader.

So, you should simplify it by using data visualization elements.

Firstly, let’s define what are the most common and useful data visualization elements you can use in your report:

There are subcategories to each of the elements and you should explore them all to decide what will do the best job for your specific case. For instance, you'll find different types of charts including, pie charts, bar charts, area charts, or spider charts.

For each data visualization element, add a brief description to tell the readers what information it contains. You can also add a title to each element and create a table of contents for visual elements only.

Proofread & Edit Before Submission

All the hard work you’ve invested in writing a good data analysis report might go to waste if you don’t edit and proofread. Proofreading and editing will help you eliminate potential mistakes, but also take another objective look at your report.

First, do the editing part. It includes:

reading the whole report objectively, like you’re seeing it for the first time

leaving an open mind for changes

adding or removing information

rearranging sections

finding better words to say something

You should repeat the editing phase a couple of times until you're completely happy with the result. Once you're certain the content is all tidied up, you can move on to the proofreading stage. It includes:

finding and removing grammar and spelling mistakes

rethinking vocabulary choices

improving clarity 

improving readability

You can use an online proofreading tool to make things faster. If you really want professional help, Grab My Essay is a great choice. Their professional writers can edit and rewrite your entire report, to make sure it’s impeccable before submission.

Whatever you choose to do, proofread yourself or get some help with it, make sure your report is well-organized and completely error-free.

Benefits of Writing Well-Structured Data Analysis Reports

Yes, writing a good data analysis report is a lot of hard work. But, if you understand the benefits of writing it, you’ll be more motivated and willing to invest the time and effort. After knowing how it can help you in different segments of your professional journey, you’ll be more willing to learn how to do it.

Below are the main benefits a data analysis report brings to the table.

Improved Collaboration

When you’re writing a data analysis report, you need to be aware more than one end user is going to use it. Whether it’s your employer, customer, or coworker - you need to make sure they’re all on the same page. And when you write a data analysis report that is easy to understand and learn from, you’re creating a bridge between all these people.

Simply, all of them are given accurate data they can rely on and you’re thus removing the potential misunderstandings that can happen in communication. This improves the overall collaboration level and makes everyone more open and helpful.

Increased Efficiency

People who are reading your data analysis report need the information it contains for some reason. They might use it to do their part of the job, to make decisions, or report further to someone else. Either way, the better your report, the more efficient it'll be. And, if you rely on those people as well, you'll benefit from this increased productivity as well.

Data tells a story about a business, project, or venture. It's able to show how well you've performed, what turned out to be a great move, and what needs to be reimagined. This means that a data analysis report provides valuable insight and measurable KPIs (key performance indicators) that you’re able to use to grow and develop. 

Clear Communication

Information is key regardless of the industry you're in or the type of business you're doing. Data analysis finds that information and proves its accuracy and importance. But, if those findings and the information itself aren't communicated clearly, it's like you haven't even found them.

This is why a data analysis report is crucial. It will present the information less technically and bring it closer to the readers.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it takes some skill and a bit more practice to write a good data analysis report. But, all the effort you invest in writing it will be worth it once the results kick in. You’ll improve the communication between you and your clients, employers, or coworkers. People will be able to understand, rely on, and use the analysis you’ve conducted.

So, don’t be afraid and start writing your first data analysis report. Just follow the 7 steps we’ve listed and use a tool such as ProWebScraper to help you with website data analysis. You’ll be surprised when you see the result of your hard work.

Jessica Fender is a business analyst and a blogger. She writes about business and data analysis, networking in this sector, and acquiring new skills. Her goal is to provide fresh and accurate information that readers can apply instantly.

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Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data to discover useful information and support decision-making. Essays on data analysis could delve into various techniques and tools used in data analysis, its application in different fields like business or science, or the ethical considerations in handling data. Discussions might also explore the role of big data and analytics in modern society, the challenges posed by data privacy concerns, or the future of data analysis with the advent of technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Data Analysis you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

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

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