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PLANNING AN ANALYSIS

As you read an article (or book, or report), you willrespond to the material; you will form opinion about the

ideas. Analysis requires more:1. Why do you agree (or disagree) with the author?

2. What support do you have for your opinion?

To analyze means to observe carefully, to take an ideaapart, and discover how you think and feel about it. Tocommunicate the results of your analysis to an audience,you must be able to show the audience why your opinionis worthwhile. You support your opinion with facts,

examples, physical description, and/ or personalexperience.

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The Process of Writing an Analysis of Writtenarticle

Read the article (book, articles, report) and make asmany critical questions as possible related to the text.Below are the examples of critical questions.

Do you agree with the author? Why or why not?

Where are specific parts of the text with which you agreeor disagree? Why?

What experiences from your own life cause you to believeor disbelieve what the author has written?

What basic beliefs and assumptions do you share with theauthor? Why?

How might this affect your reading? Why?

What questions come to mind as you read eachparagraph? Why?

How do you feel about the author? Why?

Does the author seem credible? Why or why not? Based on your reading, what else do you need to learn

about the subject? Why?

What must you do to find out what you need to learn?

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Read it again, marking the points you wouldchoose to discuss (respond to).

Decide on an overall thesis that you agree or

disagree ( or perhaps agree and disagree) withthe main points of the article.

Begin to generate support for your opinion.

Construct topic sentences for the body

paragraphs of your essay; each topic sentencewill agree or disagree with a single point in thearticle.

Gather support for the opinions you wrote in

your topic sentences: use facts, examples,physical description, and/ or personalexperience.

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Whatever the assignment, if both asummary and an analysis arerequired, the general format will

remain the same:

1. The first paragraph (introduction)

should include: Name of the material read (book, article)

Name of the author(s)

Main ideas of the written material (briefsummary)

Your main idea ( your statement of opinion,your response to the material).

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2. General progression for the body

paragraphs

First main point (second main point, etc.) tobe analyzed is summarized briefly

Quoted material to illustrate that summary

(optional)

Your response to that main point (the topicsentence): notice that your topic sentence is

NOT the first sentence in the paragraph.

Support your topic sentence from your ownexperience or reading

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3. Conclusion

Statement of your conclusions after reading

and thinking about the written material.

What points can you make? Where did the

article lead you?