Lecture Essay writing & presentation skills - Lecture 16: Analysis Essay

The main contents of the chapter consist of the following: What is cause & effect essay? the “why” game, what is cause & effect, steps for writing cause & effect essay, topic selection, how to write a cause & effect essay, dos and don''ts, common mistakes, example.

Analysis Essay

Lecture 16

• What is Cause & Effect Essay?

• What is Cause & Effect

• Steps for writing Cause & Effect Essay

• How to Write a Cause & Effect Essay

What is Analysis Essay?

subject down into its component parts Examining the different elements of a piece of literature is not an end in itself but rather a process to help you better appreciate and understand the work of literature as a whole

– an analysis of a poem might deal with the

different types of images in a poem or with the relationship between the form and

content of the work

– If you were to analyze (discuss and explain) a

play, you might analyze the relationship

between a subplot and the main plot, or

you might analyze the character flaw of the tragic hero by tracing how it is revealed through the acts of the play.

Purpose of Writing Analysis

Essay

to carefully examine and sometimes:

– evaluate a work of literature or

– an aspect of a work of literature.

How to Write an Analysis Essay?

break a larger subject into subcategories and then examine each

of them to form an opinion about the whole

you must describe each of its components

come up with your own conclusions

Steps for Writing an Analysis Essay

Step # 1: Narrow down the subject to a

Step # 2: Develop your own points of view

on the chosen topic An analysis

Step # 3: Collect the material relevant to your topic You can use available

additional information, conduct experiments or make comparisons

Then analyze the material, noting the points

that support your argument together

Steps for Writing an Analysis Essay

Step # 4: Start writing your essay

In the introduction, briefly

Steps for Writing an Analysis Essay

Step # 5: In the main body text, state your

ideas and support them with examples, facts or quotes taken from

reliable sources

Step # 6: Summarize what you have written

main points

Steps for Writing an Analysis Essay

Topic Selection

The possible topics for the analysis essay are listed below:

– Economic crisis and the rate of unemployment;

– Foreign policy in a globalized world;

– The metaphor of transformation in F Kafka’s novel “The

Metamorphosis”;

– The reasons of Mitt Romney’s defeat in the US presidential election 2012;

– The motives of suicide committed by Anna Karenina;

– The meaning of surrealistic images in Dali’s paintings;

Key Points to Consider

change in the process of writing your analysis essay

topic that has several controversial

opinions in it Don’t write about issues

that everyone knows about already

Key Points to Consider

– compare and contrast, or

– cause and effect thought patterns.

asking a question, for example:

– “What do I want to prove or deny with my essay?”

beginning or end of a paragraph

pronoun (“you”)

be avoided except in those cases when

you need to support your argument with

different points of view

– This will make your analysis more objective and complete Besides, you can find new sources of information and strengthen your arguments.

properly

most significant to the least, or vice

versa

• Don’t ever plagiarize

– Use the thoughts and arguments of other

authors only to support or illustrate yours but never introduce them as your own.

• Don’t use slang and informal language.

• Don’t hesitate to proofread your analysis

essay when it’s written

• A simple summary of the material been analyzed

– Remember, that when you write an analysis essay, it is not enough just to structure the

material and give its brief precis You must

investigate your topic, divide it into

subsections, and then study each of them in order to make a conclusion about the whole.

Common Mistakes

• Giving multiple arguments without any logical structure

– If you don’t arrange your arguments in order from the most to least important, your analysis essay will look chaotic and disorganized.

Common Mistakes

• Building your essay on just one or two arguments No matter how strong your argument is, if it is the only one that you build your essay on, your paper will most likely be weak.

Common Mistakes

• “How did it happen?

• Why did it happen?”

How to Analyze an Essay?

(not always) that revolve around an already formulated thought

writers and critics

How to Analyze an Essay?

When you begin to analyze an essay, follow these steps in order to avoid confusion

1. Read over the essay several times

2. Discuss the essay with a teacher or

peer

3. Tear apart the essay's structure

– How was it structured?

– How is it effective?

– How does the writer convey his/her message?

How to Analyze an Essay?

4. Research the structure

5. Write an outline

6. Write the paper

Example of Analysis Essay

Replacing School

Textbooks With

Laptops

Introduction Paragraph

Nowadays, the question of replacing students’ textbooks with individual laptops, or other similar gadgets, has become more and more popular Still, this is connected to various problems and customs to be considered, and some scientists believe that technological advancement makes such issues inevitable (Cavanaugh, 2006) As life becomes faster and more complicated, people seek ways to apply every little piece of technology, to make it easier and more comfortable According to Nejmeh (2012), the acquisition of knowledge needs to be in tandem with current technological trends One of the spheres, having the rifest debates

education Among several radical proposals concerning this question was a blanket ban

on textbooks, in favor of laptops, which resulted in controversy reaching its peak The paper analyses this problem, in order to come

up with a certain opinion about this topic

1 Supporting Details

The general cost of buying a laptop and maintaining it is higher, compared to school textbooks The digital text combination, inherent in laptops, is still a relatively new and expensive technology (Cavanaugh, 2006) Someday, in the future, its cost might lower significantly, but now not every student can afford to have a laptop Presently, the most affordable way to gradually slash costs is creating CDs of textbooks, by publishers, to

be used in schools This could also eliminate the need for paper, and lower printing expenses Besides, this would be a boon to environmental preservation.

2 Supporting Details

The other important problem linked to the usage of laptops at school, instead of textbooks, is that reading long expanses of text,on a screen can be harmful for students’ health (Johnstone, 2003) Bright light and digital text affect the eyes, in a negative way, making students unable to study for extended periods This disrupts study sessions in schools, leading to inadequacies in lessons and private studies Besides, laptops possess a serious drawback – they can’t be used for long periods of time because they consume rather a lot of energy, so that batteries discharge in a couple of hours Thus, a student often depends on sockets On the other hand, laptops increase students’ interactivity,

as they are considered more interesting in learning than textbooks Besides, according to Nejmeh (2012), the reflection of bright light from textbooks, under bright overhead lights, can cause eyestrain.

There is also one more factor that needs to be considered

Of course, in the modern world, students living in developed countries are familiar with the latest technologies and using computers has already become a part of their lives, and this helps them when they join the job market (Johnstone, 2003) The easy availability of the Internet also makes the use of computers, seemingly, more interesting However, laptops may pose a challenge to some students, with regard to the ease of use, especially in poor countries Computer literacy has improved over recent years, but novel software could be problematic for some pupils (Nejmeh, 2012) This can slacken,

or interrupt, learning Schools, therefore, are forced to employ extra tutors to eliminate the problem.

3 Supporting Details

Recently, the number of schools approving the usage of technologies substituting paper textbooks has increased The complete replacement of school textbooks with laptops seems destined to happen, despite some conspicuous disadvantages, such as harmful effect of light on students’ eyes, high buying and maintenance cost, and, sometimes, additional expenses on teaching students computer literacy On the other hand, the initial high cost of purchasing laptops is neutralized by the elimination of paper and printing costs The use of laptops fosters constructivist approach to studying, which reduces the probability of students failing to complete their assignments

Example Introduction Paragraph for

Thematic Analysis Essay

  Empathy is a virtue that not all people have To be

able to understand other people’s feelings, motives, or situations takes a lot of effort since we live in such a judgmental society Anne Frank, who was a young Jewish girl, went into hiding for three years trying to escape being killed by the Nazis during World War-II Under dire circumstances, Anne showed empathy in her many diary entries Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank shows that empathy can

including my thematic statement)

Summary