English 1A– Analysis Essay Guidelines
WRITE about Hybrid and Electric Cars – which is better?
For this essay you may use the same topic you did for the compare and contrast. By using the same topic, you have already conducted some research and developed a thesis statement. You will discover that by using the same topic for different types of essays, (i.e. compare and
contrast, analysis, process, and argument to name a few) you begin to collect research, learn to narrow your topic more, and build a strong essay. This comes in handy when working on an argument paper. With that said, if you really want to use a different topic, you may.
Keep in mind that an analysis essay is not an argument. You are not trying to persuade your reader to do or think differently about anything. This is more on the lines of an informational paper. You are first reading one article, looking at who wrote it, (background, beliefs, biases,) and then informing your reader of that authors’ intended audience, expertise, stance, purpose for writing the article, the tone, and design.
THE BASICS:
1. Typed 3-page essay analyzing a new article on the topic you’ve chosen.
2. If you want to change your topic, talk to me first.
3. Use the tools and wording that have been used in the text book, power point lecture, and class to analyze your article: i.e. what is the authors’ purpose for writing the article, what is his or her stance on the subject, what elements and devises does the author use, what is the tone of the author, who is the intended audience? You are analyzing the article, not the topic.
4. Refer to the guidelines from the first essay that talk about intended audience, purpose, stance, genre, context, and media.
5. Summarize and define the topic of the article in the first paragraph.
6. Use 3-6 direct quotes and cite them.
7. Use 2-4 paraphrases and cite them.
8. Use MLA documentation format and include a Works Cited page.
Successful papers will demonstrate powerful reading and analytical skill, close attention to the primary essay, original thinking, clarity of thought and purpose.
Possible starting places for your textual analysis: include an author’s life, politics, the social context of the work, philosophical musings, how and why the work evokes a particular feeling in you, cultural relevance, or the components of the text such as the significance of setting,
narrative voice, imagery, or symbolism. Or, perhaps use a critical approach to the text and use it as a springboard for your own ideas.
The Dos and Don’ts of Analysis Papers:
DO NOT: Only summarize text
DO: Analyze the thematic and symbolic significance of events/thesis/topics in the text
DO NOT: Generalize and provide vague reasons behind your Analysis
DO: Use specific examples from the text (including quotes, if significant).
DO NOT: Make superficial, obvious insights (poor thesis: The Bluest Eye is about the struggles of growing up.)
DO: Think deeply, and look closely into the work. Notice things that a casual reader would not.
ESSAY STRUCTURE: Your first paragraph is your introduction. Make your thesis the last sentence in your introduction. Prove your thesis in the body. Body paragraphs should open with a topic sentence that supports your thesis. A body paragraph should prove its topic sentence with evidence and examples. Your concluding paragraph should not simply repeat the body; it should go with your introduction and body but take a step out somehow.
1. Use Edited Academic Writing
2. Use size 12 font, and your choice of Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, Cambria, or Courier New.
3. Write in third person point of view.
4. Use a header at the top of your essay.
5. Title your essay with words that suggest what your essay is about, (not what type of essay).
6. Double space your lines.
7. No block paragraphs. Paragraphs should begin with the first line indented so that visually, it looks like a paragraph.
8. Use quotes, summaries, and paraphrases from both articles.
9. Cite quotes, summaries, and paraphrases that you used from both articles.
10. Length needs to be 3 pages long.
11. Create a Reference page (APA) OR a Works Cited page (MLA). I don’t expect anyone to use MLA documentation perfect the first time, or even the second time. This is a learning process so give yourself time to learn how to cite borrowed words.
12. Carefully edit your paper before submitting it.
13. Refer to the guidelines from the compare and contrast essay regarding third person point of view, headers, titles, quotes, summaries, and paragraphs.