Becoming an Advanced Writer

(or at least better than you were)

The Rules For Analysis Writing(reviewing the basics)

The following guidelines should apply to all types of analysis writing—from out of class prepared essays to in-class timed writings. The key to knowing when these rules apply is to understand your writing situation and what you are being asked to do.

What is Analysis?

AnalysisAnalysis: a detailed splitting up and examination of parts of a work of literature with an emphasis on synthesis: critiquing how the parts work together to form meaning in a work.

Point of View

Use third person pronouns at all times (except in quotations): he, she, it, they . . .

* remember to amend pronouns when you incorporate quoted material into the text of your own sentences

Do not use first person (I, me, we)

Never write “in my opinion” or “I believe” etc.

Do not use 2nd person (you) point of view

Never mention “this paper will show” or “the focus of this essay will be” etc.

Verb TenseWrite about literature in the present tense:

Literature is timeless—if it exists in the printed word it is always in the present. Every time you read it, it exists in the present, so write about it in the present tense.

incorrect When Leggatt came out of the water he was naked.correct When Leggatt comes out of the water he is naked.

incorrect Macbeth had a guilty conscience after he killed Duncan.

correct Macbeth has a guilty conscience after he kills Duncan.

Use Quotations Properly and Effectively

Incorporate quotations into your sentences and cite them properly:

A quotation should never appear in your writing by itself without any words of your own to introduce, lead-in, or otherwise set it up.

Do not leave a quotation dangling without reference to who is speaking or the context in which it is said or used.

Every sentence must have a subject and a verb and be grammatically correct. If what you are quoting is a fragment, construct a sentence around it (use it in the content of your sentence).

Citations for plays should include the act, scene, and line numbers—in that order—separated by periods. Thus (2.3.45) means act 2, scene 3, line 45.

correct Macbeth has a troubled mind. He says, after murdering Duncan, “I am afraid to think what I have done” (2.2.61).

correct Macbeth shows his mind is troubled by the murder of Duncan: “I am afraid to think what I have done” (2.2.61).

correct Women’s fashion, particularly the undergarments, provide a comic moment when Inman touches the “whalebones of corset stays” and finds that she feels like a turtle all shut up in its shell, “giving little evidence that a distinct living thing, warm and in its skin, lay inside” (258).

IQU

incorrect Macbeth has a troubled mind. “I am afraid to think what I have done” (2.2.61).

*If a quotation includes a pronoun such as “they” or “it” without its antecedent, or if it includes any unclear reference, replace it within the quotation with a more specific word. Indicate all changes to a quotations using [square brackets].

 incorrect Macbeth is “afraid to think what I have done” after murdering Duncan (2.2.61).

 correct Macbeth is “afraid to think what [he has] done” after murdering Duncan (2.2.61).

 correct Ruby reads signs in nature, and she has a “great respect for the normally reviled crow” (150), for she appreciates how “[c]rows relish what presents itself” (176).

 incorrect According to Haywood, “Must be moving homeward” (231).

 correct Upon leaving, Haywood says that he “[m]ust be moving homeward” (231).

Your analysis of quoted material should not include statements like the following:

This quote shows . . .

This quotation shows . . .

This means . . .

and so forth.

These are very basic, heavy-handed ways of dealing with the text. You should strive to be more natural and subtle in your approach:

Macbeth is “afraid to think what [he has] done” after murdering Duncan (2.2.61). His fear is a product of his guilty conscience, and he is beginning to separate himself from the basic rational thought of which all men are capable.

Thesis Ideas: the X/Y Approach

The x/y approach simply means that your paper does two things, or moves from one point or idea to another (more complex) point or idea. Ideas which seem similar but upon closer inspection oppose or contrast one another are excellent for the x/y model, as are ideas that reflect one thing on the surface but something different (not necessarily opposite) underneath. Ultimately, the “y” portion is your true focus, but you begin with the “x” in order to lead the reader to your deeper insights.

Essay Structure

The basic writer’s model is the 5-paragraph essay: an introduction with thesis, three body paragraphs on three aspects of the thesis, and a conclusion.

BLAH!

The advanced writer assesses the writing situation before deciding on a format, and he or she avoids any prescribed, phony format. The advanced writer knows an essay begins with a point—unique yet debatable—and follows it with support to show how, in fact, it is true. It may take three paragraphs or thirteen (jinx).

Basic writersBasic writers tend to be good collectors. They find (typically easy) points to be made about the text, and then collect evidence and examples of this point. Their structure is often static and list-like, as if saying here is my point and here are three places it is found in the text.

They focus on what exists in a text—typically allowing the examples to state their case for them.

Advanced writersAdvanced writers tend to be good builders. They introduce a clear point and then allow the examples to build upon one another to show how that point is true or significant. Their structure is dictated more by the needs of a particular paragraph rather than a pre-set pattern, and the examples tend to combine or work in conjunction to develop the point.

They focus on developing an original idea about what exists in a text—and their emphasis is on the relationships (synthesis) between the examples and the point.

The basic writer’s paragraphs tend to be rigid, following a traditional pattern:

• Claim, stated in a topic sentence– example or quotation showing the claim

• explanation that the example or quotation shows the claim

– another example or quotation showing the claim• explanation that the example or quotation shows the claim

– a final example or quotation showing the claim• explanation that the example or quotation shows the claim

• A repetition of the claim in the topic sentence

Aaarrrggghhh!

The advanced writer’s paragraphs flow more freely and are developed as needed:

• A paragraph forms one of the major points in support of the thesis (sometimes two or more combine to do this).

• Each paragraph has a unifying idea.– It can make several points, but the points are related and the

relationship indicated so that it stays focused on a single unifying idea.

– The writer’s idea is central with the examples interwoven to develop the idea.

– Often, the examples are woven into sentences with the idea they support, and sometimes two or three examples are joined to show the point they make.

– The author generally runs quoted phrases or clauses together within his or her sentences rather than quoting entire sentences.

• The topic idea (unifying point) typically comes in the first or second sentence—in conjunction with a transitional phrase or sentence.

• Advanced paragraphs are coherent: their parts fit together.– They use transitions to signal to the reader the relationships

between the points and examples.

– The transitions are varied and not always obvious, sometimes beginning sentences and sometimes buried in them (and sometimes they are implied) .

• There is no set length for paragraphing as long as the idea is developed adequately.– This means several examples and details (basic writers often make

the mistake of trying to form a paragraph on the basis of one example, whereas advanced writers use the text extensively).

– A common rule is to never go more than one typed page without giving the reader a slight break (10-15 sentences is a good rule).

Advanced writers are advanced thinkers—they unlock hidden or deeper meanings in a text. This is, perhaps, the most difficult step in becoming an advanced writer (having something advanced to say).

There is often a fine line between a deeper meaning that is justified (supported by the text) and a completely radical idea that is justified in only one or two instances, but really is not consistent with the text as a whole.

Advanced writers are rewarded for taking risks and going beyond what the teacher notes in class—but they also face the difficulty of developing those ideas fully and thoughtfully.

Ultimately . . .

Advanced writers are subtle. This is a difficult idea to communicate: in short, they move from point to point while building a central, unique idea without the blunt effects of being told about the idea.

The reader does not so much feel like he is being lectured but being led—sometimes getting “lost” in the paper and arriving at the conclusion convinced of the point without realizing how he was convinced. Subtle.

Subtlety

Finally . . .

Advanced writers are not necessarliy “A” writers—and they do not get “A’s” all the time. One paper may shine while another falls flat. One analysis may be brilliant while the next attempt is empty.

Advanced writers know that all writing is hard work and they keep working to improve with each opportunity.