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| Still Life After Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein (1964) |
Explanation of Analysis
© 2012 James Mulhern
"Analysis refers to explaining how the author's rhetorical choices develop meaning or achieve a particular effect or purpose" (The College Board).
What is Analysis? Analysis is "breaking apart a Whole into its Parts and explaining how those Parts support and contribute to the meaning/effect of the Whole." Sounds like a boring definition, and it certainly is--puts me to sleep. But that's just because you can't picture what the definition means; the definition is dull. But you are analyzing all the time, in every aspect of your life--whether you are trying to figure out a friend's mood when you read his/her texts, sizing someone up in the hallway, getting a first impression of someone you meet at a football game, even reading this handout. Let me give you a concrete, specific example that you can picture so that it is easier for you to understand what Analysis means:
Example: You are at Publix in the cereal aisle, trying to grab a box of your favorite Cheerios off the shelf, but a lady is blocking you. She is dressed for success--Jimmy Choo shoes, a Gucci handbag, fine gold jewelry, and a big diamond ring on her finger. She is talking on her BlackBerry cell phone, arguing with someone, saying, "I can't believe you expect me to do your ridiculous shopping again! I haven't got time for this. Why don't you ask your secretary to do your little chores. I'm getting my nails done in fifteen minutes! And then I simply must get a facial."
You keep saying, "Excuse me," as you try to reach for the Cheerios, but the lady ignores you and even turns her back to you. It's as if she doesn't even know you exist.
Okay. So you have definitely formed an opinion of her. You probably don't like her. You probably think she's selfish and you also think she is rich and rude. How did you form that Whole impression? You analyzed the parts: "dressed for success," "Jimmy Choo shoes," "a Gucci handbag," "fine gold jewelry," "a big diamond ring," "her tone of conversation--'ridiculous shopping' and 'little chores.' " In addition, the lady "ignores you" and "turns her back to you." Your overall impression that she is rude and rich and selfish was determined by your quickly assembling all those Parts to form that Whole impression. That's Analysis.
When you read a piece of writing you are doing the same thing. However, the individual words (diction), the groups of words (syntax), the sentences (long ones vs. short ones), the specific examples/details, the similes and metaphors (figurative language), the description (imagery), the repetition, the rhythm, the sound quality (cadence), and many other devices (see below) are all Parts that support and contribute to the author's main purpose, mood, theme, or style (the Whole). Your teacher will help you understand the guidelines listed below so that you can begin to analyze a piece of writing. Good luck!
What is Analysis? Analysis is "breaking apart a Whole into its Parts and explaining how those Parts support and contribute to the meaning/effect of the Whole." Sounds like a boring definition, and it certainly is--puts me to sleep. But that's just because you can't picture what the definition means; the definition is dull. But you are analyzing all the time, in every aspect of your life--whether you are trying to figure out a friend's mood when you read his/her texts, sizing someone up in the hallway, getting a first impression of someone you meet at a football game, even reading this handout. Let me give you a concrete, specific example that you can picture so that it is easier for you to understand what Analysis means:
Example: You are at Publix in the cereal aisle, trying to grab a box of your favorite Cheerios off the shelf, but a lady is blocking you. She is dressed for success--Jimmy Choo shoes, a Gucci handbag, fine gold jewelry, and a big diamond ring on her finger. She is talking on her BlackBerry cell phone, arguing with someone, saying, "I can't believe you expect me to do your ridiculous shopping again! I haven't got time for this. Why don't you ask your secretary to do your little chores. I'm getting my nails done in fifteen minutes! And then I simply must get a facial."
You keep saying, "Excuse me," as you try to reach for the Cheerios, but the lady ignores you and even turns her back to you. It's as if she doesn't even know you exist.
Okay. So you have definitely formed an opinion of her. You probably don't like her. You probably think she's selfish and you also think she is rich and rude. How did you form that Whole impression? You analyzed the parts: "dressed for success," "Jimmy Choo shoes," "a Gucci handbag," "fine gold jewelry," "a big diamond ring," "her tone of conversation--'ridiculous shopping' and 'little chores.' " In addition, the lady "ignores you" and "turns her back to you." Your overall impression that she is rude and rich and selfish was determined by your quickly assembling all those Parts to form that Whole impression. That's Analysis.
When you read a piece of writing you are doing the same thing. However, the individual words (diction), the groups of words (syntax), the sentences (long ones vs. short ones), the specific examples/details, the similes and metaphors (figurative language), the description (imagery), the repetition, the rhythm, the sound quality (cadence), and many other devices (see below) are all Parts that support and contribute to the author's main purpose, mood, theme, or style (the Whole). Your teacher will help you understand the guidelines listed below so that you can begin to analyze a piece of writing. Good luck!
How do I analyze a piece of writing? (a selection, a text, an excerpt, a passage)
1. Read the piece to comprehend what is being said. You can’t begin to analyze until you know what the writer is saying. Use a dictionary for the difficult words if necessary.
2. “The Big Picture/the Whole”: As you read to literally comprehend meaning, you must also be thinking about all of the following:
a. What is the writer’s thesis/assertion/main point? What is the overall purpose of the essay?
b. What is the particular occasion and who is the audience? Remember, sometimes a writer/speaker is addressing several audiences at once. For example, when the President gives a speech, he is aware of all the different groups of people within America, but he is also very aware of all the nations in the world that may be listening.
c. In addition to a primary purpose implicit in any piece of writing, the author often has other objectives/goals as well. As you read, consider some of the other objectives. Which parts of the text make you aware of these objectives?
b. What is the particular occasion and who is the audience? Remember, sometimes a writer/speaker is addressing several audiences at once. For example, when the President gives a speech, he is aware of all the different groups of people within America, but he is also very aware of all the nations in the world that may be listening.
c. In addition to a primary purpose implicit in any piece of writing, the author often has other objectives/goals as well. As you read, consider some of the other objectives. Which parts of the text make you aware of these objectives?
d. What is the writer’s tone? (attitude towards what he/she is writing)
e. What is the main theme/message of this text? Are there multiple themes within the passage? Cite text that supports each theme.
f. What is the mood of this piece? (emotional quality) Does the mood change at points? Cite text.
g. Where are the shifts in the writing? Shifts are changes in tone, mood, theme, organizational pattern (One example of an organizational shift would be if the author changes his/her time perspective. Perhaps he/she goes from discussing the past to the future, then to the present.)
g. Where are the shifts in the writing? Shifts are changes in tone, mood, theme, organizational pattern (One example of an organizational shift would be if the author changes his/her time perspective. Perhaps he/she goes from discussing the past to the future, then to the present.)
h. How would you describe the writing style? (Does the author use difficult words, easier words, short sentences, long sentences, short paragraphs, long paragraphs, a lot of description, very little description, etc.)?
i. In what ways is the structure/organization of this essay effective? Why does the author choose this structure/organization? How does the structure contribute to the overall effect of the essay?
j. Which modes of discourse (narration, compare/contrast, exposition, persuasion, cause/effect, etc.) is the author using? Which mode of discourse predominates (is most used)? How is the use of different modes of discourse within the essay effective? Why?
3. “The Little Snapshots/the Pieces or Parts”: Once you can answer some of the questions above, then you can analyze the selection by finding devices/rhetorical techniques that the writer uses to contribute to or support any of items a through j above. Consider point of view (1st, 2nd, 3rd person), diction, syntax, figurative language, repetition, sentence structure (long, short, compound, complex, compound-complex), parallelism, imagery, analogies, anecdotes, similes, metaphors, hyperbole, cadence, rhythm, rhetorical questions, irony, humor, personification, antithesis, contrasts, connotations, turning points (shifts or transitions in the text), lists (catalogs), cumulative/loose sentences, periodic sentences, organizational patterns, modes of discourse, argumentative techniques, emotional appeals (pathos), logical appeals (logos), ethical appeals (ethos), loaded language, allusions, anaphora, understatement, etc.
