ANALYZING A TEXTChapter 7 of The Norton Field

Guide to Writing

Key Features to an Analysis

A summary of the “text”

Attention to the context

A clear interpretation or judgment

Reasonable support for your conclusions

A Guide to Writing an Analysis

Consider the rhetorical situation

Purpose: Why are you analyzing this text? To demonstrate that you understand it? To persuade readers that the text demonstrates a certain point? Or are you using the text as a way to make some other point?

Audience: Are your readers likely to know your text? How much detail will you need to supply?

Stance: What interests you about your analysis? Why? What do you know or believe about your topic and how will your own beliefs affect your analysis?

Media/Design: Are you writing an essay for class? Something for the Web?

Generating Ideas

In the case of our observation essay, you’ll likely do the following: Attend an event to observe and take notes about

everything you see: the people there, what they say, the surroundings, etc.

Decide what you want to analyze. What did you find most intriguing about your analysis? Look at your notes for any patterns that may appear.

Think about the larger context. Consider what you know about the micro-

community. Come up with a thesis of how your observation

might shed light to something about this group.

Ways of Organizing an Analysis

Thematically (see the image on p. 54) OR Part by part, or text by text (see the

image on p. 54)