 |
| The Break-Up of the Ice, Claude Monet (no date) |
Explanation of Analysis
"Analysis refers to explaining how the author's rhetorical choices develop meaning or achieve a particular effect or purpose" (The College Board).
Analysis is the WHY and the HOW. What? Why? How? Explain and elaborate on the effect. Specificity is key!
****
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.
(Keep in mind: This is a silly fictitious example; not all rich people are selfish. Never stereotype. Consider Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest people in the world, and also one of the most generous!)
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 literary terms/ 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, omniscient), diction (the particular words that the author uses and why), repetition, sentence structure (long, short, compound, complex, compound-complex), parallelism (clauses, phrases, groups of words that are the same structure), analogies (author compares situations to explain and teach), anecdotes (brief stories within the larger text), similes, metaphors, hyperbole (exaggeration), cadence (sound quality), rhythm, rhetorical questions (to raise thoughts in the reader's head; help the reader draw conclusions), irony (opposite of what the reader expects), humor, similarities, contrasts, connotations (emotional associations of words), turning points (shifts or transitions in the text), lists of ideas to make/support a point (catalogs), exemplification (providing lots of good examples), amplification (extending on those examples with even more information), organizational patterns (how the author organizes information and why), type of writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama), argumentative techniques and strategies to convince his/her audience, emotional appeals (appeals to the reader's emotions--pathos), logical appeals (appeals to the reader's logic--logos), ethical appeals (appeals to the reader's sense of right and wrong and establishing the character and likability of the narrator--ethos), logical fallacies (reasoning that does not make sense), loaded language (emotional words that create a strong reaction; usually negative), allusions (references to famous books, historical events, or people), imagery (any descriptive writing that appeals to the five senses; not just visual), an author's style (the individual way a writer communicates, the types of words and language and phrasing he/she uses; analogous to the the particular way you write, speak, or even dress), and other types of figurative language that you will learn this year. The most important aspect of analysis is explaining and elaborating on the particular effects of everything mentioned above. Specificity is key. You need to develop an analytical way of thinking AND writing. Your teacher will model this type of thinking and writing throughout the year, and you will have lots of practice and special activities to develop this skill. You must never write too generally or in a vague way! Be precise and exact in your explanations! And always support your responses with textual evidence (words and phrases are sufficient).
