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Analytical essay

An analytical essay is a response to a nonfiction article or essay. In this type of writing assignment, you are asked to read a selection and then write an essay on an assigned topic, with supporting details and evidence taken from the reading.

An analytical essay is similar to a response to literature essay in that both types of essay require you to write a response to something that you have read.

Analytical Essay General Tips

Show that You Understand the Reading Selection

It is important to show that you understand the reading selection. One way to do this is to write a short summary of the reading selection at the very beginning of your analytical essay.

Thesis Statement

A good thesis statement will help you keep your essay on track. Make sure that your thesis statement is clear and direct and that it matches the topic you have been assigned to write on.

Support Your Points

Make sure that your thesis and any other points you make are supported by quotes from the reading.

Pointers for writing analytical essays

One, or sometimes two, of the three essays on the exam arc analytical. That is, you must read passages and analyze them. (A question sometimes contains two short passages to be analyzed and compared.) The author, date, and context of the passage are often identified.

Analytical essay questions most often instruct you to write about the “rhetorical strategies” used by the author to convey meaning, achieve a purpose, or create an effect. Regardless of how the question is worded, however, you arc expected to dissect the passage, breaking it down into its component parts in order to explain how the author put it together.

Sometimes, you may be asked to read a short statement or a passage and analyze its validity. In such cases, you will be asked to write an essay which supports the sentiment expressed, refutes the authors view, or comes down somewhere between the two extremes. To support your point of view, you are free to use evidence drawn from your reading, observations, studies, and personal experience.

Highlight

Most analytical essays examine the purpose, content, structure, and rhetoric of a passage.

Reading and Analyzing the Topic

At the risk of stating the obvious, your preparations for writing an analytical essay should begin by reading the question, or prompt, very carefully. Read it twice or three times, underlining significant ideas and words until you know exactly what you arc being asked to write about.