Analysis Essay Rubric
Although this rubric was originally written for the AP English Analysis Essay, the advice below can be used for any analysis essay, including those written in ENC courses.
- No more than four or five sentences for the introductory paragraph. Be sure that you have a strong thesis statement (can be two sentences) that directly and specifically outlines what you will be discussing in your essay. Use keywords from the prompt (or synonyms for keywords). If there isn't a clear thesis in the opening paragraph, your professor/reader has a difficult time assessing whether or not you adequately fulfilled the assignment as he/she reads the body paragraphs. Be sure to address all aspects of the prompt in your thesis, and of course, save the discussion and elaboration on these key prompt points for the body of your essay. Write only about what the prompt asks you to write about; nothing else. Your thesis should be your "anchor," or "North Star" as you write the paper. No elaboration or examples in the opening paragraph (save that for the body paragraphs).
- The body paragraphs are the most important part of the essay.
- Never, ever start a body paragraph with a quotation from the selection. Have at least two sentences of your own thoughts, commentary. Your voice should be strong and primary. What I have found is that students often start a paragraph with a quotation and then say, "This is effective because . . ." By starting in this way, your essay has a "list" quality. Well-written essays are fluid, sophisticated, thoughtful discussions with a strong confident voice. The quotations/examples that you include should be integrated naturally and seamlessly within the rich reflective sentences that you generate. The quotations/examples are secondary to your primary voice, words, and critical thinking.
- Don't let the Rhetorical Devices write your essay. In other words, do not begin your sentences by saying things such as "Logos is used . . . Pathos is used. . . .Parallel structure is used." Make your meaningful point (your interesting idea) first and only then should you weave into your sentence seamlessly the term for the type of rhetoric being used (if you happen to know it). And don't worry if you get the name of the term wrong; your professor/reader is interested in your critical thinking and insight. Your mentioning of the term should seem incidental.
- All quotes should be words and phrases, one sentence at the most. Do not use ellipses points in your quotation, unless what you quote can be understood. In other words, don't make the reader have to go back to the essay, itself, to figure out what you are talking about. Also, do not waste time citing line numbers. For each quote/piece of evidence, provide at least two sentences of elaborative, specific commentary on the device that you are referring to. Never say "for emphasis," or "to draw the reader in." Think "to emphasize what exactly?" or "to draw the reader in for what specific purpose?" and then elaborate. Go to the words in the rhetorical device itself, and understand the meaning that the writer is trying to convey. Think of the rhetorical device as a "red flag" that says to you, "There is an important meaning/purpose/strategy at work behind these words." Elaborate on that meaning. Paraphrase in your head the words of the rhetorical device to help you discover the intended meaning/purpose/strategy. Then ask yourself the larger questions of "How does this meaning contribute to/support the author's assertion/argument, purpose, or mood?" "Why might this particular example be very effective for the specific audience of this piece?"
- Do not read the essay as if you, yourself, were the intended audience! Remember each essay was written on a specific occasion with a distinct person or group of people in mind. Think about why the techniques that the writer uses are effective for that particular audience, not you! For example, in the Florence Kelley Analysis prompt (2011 AP Exam) students forget that Kelley was speaking to women suffragists in Philadelphia, July 1905. You must consider why the examples/rhetorical devices that Kelley uses would be effective for her particular audience, women suffragists listening to her on a particular occasion. Remember you must consider the context of time and place (occasion)! I use the example from the AP Exam because this course curriculum is the same as the curriculum for AP English Language and Composition, which also gives you college credit for Freshman Composition I.
- Use keywords (or synonyms) for prompt words throughout the body of your essay to help direct your discussion.
- For each example, ask yourself, "Does this relate directly to my thesis?" If the example that you have chosen does not relate, don't use it. Also, "don't go on a fishing expedition," looking for rhetorical devices in the "water" of the essay. (A former student, Rachelle Rollins, came up with that metaphor one year in class. Thank you, Rachelle.) Use your mind first. If you think something is effective, then say so in your own words, even if you do not know the rhetorical term. Of course, knowing the exact term helps, but it's the critical thinking and articulation of the author's effective use of language that is most important. And don't waste time trying to remember the "term." Move on. Put your ideas down and carry on. Your ideas are MOST important, not the name of a term. Wasting valuable time trying to remember the name of a term is silliness.
- Do not approach the writing of your essay with a "supermarket list" trying to find the "logos aisle," "the ethos aisle," "the anaphora aisle." If this is your approach, you will write a bad essay. All good writing starts from the primacy of your own voice, thoughts, and critical thinking. Making your first strategy, looking for rhetorical devices, is approaching the essay in a backward fashion. Your Mind First.
- Include at least four examples, preferably five, of rhetorical devices/strategies. Having four or five specific examples increases the chance of a higher grade in case one of those examples is weak, bad, or your commentary is "fuzzy" or just not that great.
- Aim for at least two-and-a-half pages (two sides of lined paper and half of another) for your written essay. Certainly, length does not determine an essay's "goodness," but the way I see it, the more you write, the greater the chance you are going to think of something worthwhile to comment on. Sometimes, as you well know, it takes a while to discover what you are writing about or to get those insightful thoughts.
- Be sure your essay has a lot of YOUR own commentary/words. Your voice should be primary. If you find more quotes than commentary, you have written a bad essay.
- Avoid summary at all costs.
- Do not bring in extraneous information to show off your knowledge. You are a scientist examining a specific text in front of you. Your evidence should come directly from that text.
- Do not use "big words" to impress. It will be obvious and your writing seems less sophisticated. Use a voice you are comfortable with, but make sure that voice is formal English.
- Do not give your opinion about the SUBJECT of the essay. For example, in the Kelley prompt, students often say how horrible they think it is that children had to work so hard at that time in history. Your opinion about the SUBJECT of the selection is irrelevant. Your opinion in the Analysis Essay should be about how effectively the author conveys his/her ideas through the use of rhetorical devices. (Your opinion about SUBJECT will be relevant for the Argumentative/Persuasive Essay and the Synthesis Essay.)
- The conclusion is the least important part of the essay. If you are pressed for time, add one concluding sentence to the last body paragraph. Do not leave the reader "hanging." The essay should feel "finished."
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