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Great Explanatory Thesis Esamples

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Analytical Thesis Statement Examples for You

There are different types of thesis statements, each one performing different functions to reach similar goals in writing. Analytical writing as the name implies is a form of writing that analyses a topic or subject matter from different points of view. If you’re writing an analytical essay, it is required that you include the pros, cons, good, bad, and ugly. This form of writing would require an analytical thesis statement to help lay the foundation for you to begin writing. There are some analytical thesis statement examples here that you may find helpful as you write

What is an Analytical Thesis Statement?

An analytical thesis statement is a thesis that is often used in analytical writings to introduce the topic. The primary function of the analytical essay thesis is to critically examine your write-up, and guide you as you write. This is achievable through:

  • Expanding the topic into smaller parts

Usually, your topic is supposed to be included in your thesis statement. This is because it introduces the work. However, in analytical thesis statements, your topic is broken into smaller parts that the body of your writing would cover. This includes the themes, scene, characters, etc. An analytical thesis example on the topic “racism” should include features like the negative effects of racism, the characteristics of racism, an occasion when racism has been exhibited, etc.

  • Linking the different parts to achieve your goal

Your analytical thesis statement is useless if there is no connecting factor between the sections that you wish to examine. You must understand that each part plays a role to achieve a goal. Using the sample of explanation essay on the topic “dieting”, you should not input themes that have to do with child abuse into your work. In the same vein, your thesis statement is incomplete without stating the reason for including something beyond what is written in your topic. Always remember that each word carries a meaning.

  • Addressing already existing analysis

If you’re analyzing a topic, the chances that someone already analyzed similar topics is extremely high. This could be taken as an added advantage to make references to existing research and if you want you could study some analytical thesis examples. It could also pose a problem of presenting something different from what has been laid down. Either way, it is important to make an analysis strictly on facts and evidence to back up your thesis statement.

The Role of Analytical Thesis Statements in Analytical Writing

Analytical thesis statements play different roles in your write-up. The primary aim of this kind of thesis is to answer the questions why, how, when, what next? Keep in mind that it is like making inquiries and providing answers to these questions asked.

  • It guides your writing

The thesis helps you outline what your writing should cover, and how to cover them. The body of your work is each point in your thesis given more light. Hence, your thesis and the body of your writing must complement each other. It is for this reason that the thesis is open for revision while writing. Sometimes, people find that they have steered away from the goal of their writing and will have to re-edit their thesis statement.

  • It gives your reader an insight into your work

Many things can be analyzed about a topic. An explanatory example on the topic of rape can be seen as follows:

  • WHY do people still rape despite the punishment involved
  • WHO is to blame for rape; the victims or criminals?
  • WHAT is the best way to punish rapists?
  • WHEN did the rape crime start?

You’ll find that the subject of discussion is a broad one, and there are many angles to approach it. The thesis tells your reader which areas your writing aims to cover, and why you chose to go through that route.

Features of Analytical Thesis Statements

Some of the features of an analytical thesis statement include;

  • It is Analytical

An analytical thesis statement must be analytical. That is, it is a combination of different components of a subject. It could be unlike this example of explanatory thesis statement:

“The existing problem of racism lingers and is fuelled by socio-ethnic discrimination.”

Rather a good analytical thesis statement sample may be written as:

“The result of the existing problem of racism is seen in the economical and sociopolitical aspect of the world. The socio-ethnic discrimination among a people continues to play a primary role in fuelling this problem.”

While both of the above statements address racism, the analytical statement expands the topic. It further talks about how ethnicity affects the world and is a primary cause of the problem.

  • It is Critical

You might find that as you create your thesis, you are more critical. An analytical thesis leaves no part of the topic untouched and it depends on you to narrow your research to a specific area. This is why your topic needs to be selected with utmost care.

  • It is Informative

An analytical thesis statement is often informative because it breaks down a topic into smaller bits. This pattern helps get the most out of a given topic. Be that as it may, all of the information that the thesis statement gives is important. You do not want your thesis to be too long and boring.

Like other thesis examples, an analytical thesis statement could be one or two sentences. Some sample explanatory essays have up to three sentences thesis statements. Below are analysis thesis statement examples that could be one or more than one sentence. The explanatory examples depend on the complexity of the topic being handled or analyzed.

  • The fast-rising trend of intermittent fasting is a result of certain health and mental benefits; it promotes weight loss, improves mental alertness to carry out day-to-day activities, and it helps ward off chronic diseases.
  • The invention of human realistic robots is proof that technology has advanced over the years in perfection and durability. The future of technology cannot nearly be checkmated and contained by human imagination.
  • The sizzling tension between the power blocs could stir a third world war, but the attainment of mutual acquired arms plays a primary role in keeping these nations in check.
  • Educational values cannot be sidetracked as one of the important necessities of molding children into adopting better thinking strategies and behavior.
  • The practice of child marriage, molestation, and abuse in rural areas is a result of a lack of exposure and enlightenment amongst the people of the region.
  • Many underaged people will get away with the use of fake identity cards in clubs because their bodies and mentality are more mature than their ages.
  • The role religion plays in the reduction of criminal activities in society is one of the leading reasons why it is important in our society today.
  • The hibernation period in animals is one of the most critical moments in their lives because they are in a state of weakness and are exposed to the dangers of the environment.
  • Water is extremely important for human survival, but consuming contaminated water is equally dangerous as it puts you at risk of diseases that could threaten your life.
  • The communication attitude in relationships affects the longevity, strength, and intimacy of relationships, and is important for people to enjoy a healthy relationship.
  • The techniques of journalists in reporting their stories are frowned at by many people. This is because most times, the media’s perspective on certain events only blows a simple event out of proportion.

Your analytical writing is incomplete without a well-structured thesis statement. It is hence important that you take your time in crafting out a thesis statement. The guidelines and analytical essay thesis examples in this article will help make your work easier.

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Module 8: Analysis and Synthesis

Analytical thesis statements, learning objective.

  • Describe strategies for writing analytical thesis statements
  • Identify analytical thesis statements

In order to write an analysis, you want to first have a solid understanding of the thing you are analyzing. Remember, when you are analyzing as a writer, you are:

  • Breaking down information or artifacts into component parts
  • Uncovering relationships among those parts
  • Determining motives, causes, and underlying assumptions
  • Making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations

You may be asked to analyze a book, an essay, a poem, a movie, or even a song. For example, let’s suppose you want to analyze the lyrics to a popular song. Pretend that a rapper called Escalade has the biggest hit of the summer with a song titled “Missing You.” You listen to the song and determine that it is about the pain people feel when a loved one dies. You have already done analysis at a surface level and you want to begin writing your analysis. You start with the following thesis statement:

Escalade’s hit song “Missing You” is about grieving after a loved one dies.

There isn’t much depth or complexity to such a claim because the thesis doesn’t give much information. In order to write a better thesis statement, we need to dig deeper into the song. What is the importance of the lyrics? What are they really about? Why is the song about grieving? Why did he present it this way? Why is it a powerful song? Ask questions to lead you to further investigation. Doing so will help you better understand the work, but also help you develop a better thesis statement and stronger analytical essay.

Formulating an Analytical Thesis Statement

When formulating an analytical thesis statement in college, here are some helpful words and phrases to remember:

  • What? What is the claim?
  • How? How is this claim supported?
  • So what? In other words, “What does this mean, what are the implications, or why is this important?”

Telling readers what the lyrics are might be a useful way to let them see what you are analyzing and/or to isolate specific parts where you are focusing your analysis. However, you need to move far beyond “what.” Instructors at the college level want to see your ability to break down material and demonstrate deep thinking. The claim in the thesis statement above said that Escalade’s song was about loss, but what evidence do we have for that, and why does that matter?

Effective analytical thesis statements require digging deeper and perhaps examining the larger context. Let’s say you do some research and learn that the rapper’s mother died not long ago, and when you examine the lyrics more closely, you see that a few of the lines seem to be specifically about a mother rather than a loved one in general.

Then you also read a recent interview with Escalade in which he mentions that he’s staying away from hardcore rap lyrics on his new album in an effort to be more mainstream and reach more potential fans. Finally, you notice that some of the lyrics in the song focus on not taking full advantage of the time we have with our loved ones.   All of these pieces give you material to write a more complex thesis statement, maybe something like this:

In the hit song “Missing You,” Escalade draws on his experience of losing his mother and raps about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in order to connect with his audience.

Such a thesis statement is focused while still allowing plenty of room for support in the body of your paper. It addresses the questions posed above:

  • The claim is that Escalade connects with a broader audience by rapping about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in his hit song, “Missing You.”
  • This claim is supported in the lyrics of the song and through the “experience of losing his mother.”
  • The implications are that we should not take the time we have with people for granted.

Certainly, there may be many ways for you to address “what,” “how,” and “so what,” and you may want to explore other ideas, but the above example is just one way to more fully analyze the material. Note that the example above is not formulaic, but if you need help getting started, you could use this template format to help develop your thesis statement.

Through ________________(how?), we can see that __________________(what?), which is important because ___________________(so what?). [1]

Just remember to think about these questions (what? how? and so what?) as you try to determine why something is what it is or why something means what it means. Asking these questions can help you analyze a song, story, or work of art, and can also help you construct meaningful thesis sentences when you write an analytical paper.

Key Takeaways for analytical theses

Don’t be afraid to let your claim evolve organically . If you find that your thinking and writing don’t stick exactly to the thesis statement you have constructed, your options are to scrap the writing and start again to make it fit your claim (which might not always be possible) or to modify your thesis statement. The latter option can be much easier if you are okay with the changes. As with many projects in life, writing doesn’t always go in the direction we plan, and strong analysis may mean thinking about and making changes as you look more closely at your topic. Be flexible.

Use analysis to get you to the main claim. You may have heard the simile that analysis is like peeling an onion because you have to go through layers to complete your work. You can start the process of breaking down an idea or an artifact without knowing where it will lead you or without a main claim or idea to guide you. Often, careful assessment of the pieces will bring you to an interesting interpretation of the whole. In their text Writing Analytically , authors David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen posit that being analytical doesn’t mean just breaking something down. It also means constructing understandings. Don’t assume you need to have deeper interpretations all figured out as you start your work.

When you decide upon the main claim, make sure it is reasoned . In other words, if it is very unlikely anyone else would reach the same interpretation you are making, it might be off base. Not everyone needs to see an idea the same way you do, but a reasonable person should be able to understand, if not agree, with your analysis.

Look for analytical thesis statements in the following activity.

Using Evidence

An effective analytical thesis statement (or claim) may sound smart or slick, but it requires evidence to be fully realized. Consider movie trailers and the actual full-length movies they advertise as an analogy. If you see an exciting one-minute movie trailer online and then go see the film only to leave disappointed because all the good parts were in the trailer, you feel cheated, right? You think you were promised something that didn’t deliver in its execution. A paper with a strong thesis statement but lackluster evidence feels the same way to readers.

So what does strong analytical evidence look like? Think again about “what,” “how,” and “so what.” A claim introduces these interpretations, and evidence lets you show them. Keep in mind that evidence used in writing analytically will build on itself as the piece progresses, much like a good movie builds to an interesting climax.

Key Takeaways about evidence

Be selective about evidence. Having a narrow thesis statement will help you be selective with evidence, but even then, you don’t need to include any and every piece of information related to your main claim. Consider the best points to back up your analytic thesis statement and go deeply into them. (Also, remember that you may modify your thesis statement as you think and write, so being selective about what evidence you use in an analysis may actually help you narrow down what was a broad main claim as you work.) Refer back to our movie theme in this section: You have probably seen plenty of films that would have been better with some parts cut out and more attention paid to intriguing but underdeveloped characters and/or ideas.

Be clear and explicit with your evidence. Don’t assume that readers know exactly what you are thinking. Make your points and explain them in detail, providing information and context for readers, where necessary. Remember that analysis is critical examination and interpretation, but you can’t just assume that others always share or intuit your line of thinking. Need a movie analogy? Think back on all the times you or someone you know has said something like “I’m not sure what is going on in this movie.”

Move past obvious interpretations. Analyzing requires brainpower. Writing analytically is even more difficult. Don’t, however, try to take the easy way out by using obvious evidence (or working from an obvious claim). Many times writers have a couple of great pieces of evidence to support an interesting interpretation, but they feel the need to tack on an obvious idea—often more of an observation than analysis—somewhere in their work. This tendency may stem from the conventions of the five-paragraph essay, which features three points of support. Writing analytically, though, does not mean writing a five-paragraph essay (not much writing in college does). Develop your other evidence further or modify your main idea to allow room for additional strong evidence, but avoid obvious observations as support for your main claim. One last movie comparison? Go take a look at some of the debate on predictable Hollywood scripts. Have you ever watched a movie and felt like you have seen it before? You have, in one way or another. A sharp reader will be about as interested in obvious evidence as he or she will be in seeing a tired script reworked for the thousandth time.

One type of analysis you may be asked to write is a literary analysis, in which you examine a piece of text by breaking it down and looking for common literary elements, such as character, symbolism, plot, setting, imagery, and tone.

The video below compares writing a literary analysis to analyzing a team’s chances of winning a game—just as you would look at various factors like the weather, coaching, players, their record, and their motivation for playing. Similarly, when analyzing a literary text you want to look at all of the literary elements that contribute to the work.

The video takes you through the story of Cinderalla as an example, following the simplest possible angle (or thesis statement), that “Dreams can come true if you don’t give up.” (Note that if you were really asked to analyze Cinderella for a college class, you would want to dig deeper to find a more nuanced and interesting theme, but it works well for this example.) To analyze the story with this theme in mind, you’d want to consider the literary elements such as imagery, characters, dialogue, symbolism, the setting, plot, and tone, and consider how each of these contribute to the message that “Dreams can come true if you don’t give up.”

You can view the transcript for “How to Analyze Literature” here (opens in new window) .

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  • UCLA Undergraduate Writing Center. "What, How and So What?" Approaching the Thesis as a Process. https://wp.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/UWC_handouts_What-How-So-What-Thesis-revised-5-4-15-RZ.pdf ↵
  • Keys to Successful Analysis. Authored by : Guy Krueger. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
  • Thesis Statement Activity. Authored by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/research/thesis-or-focus/thesis-or-focus-thesis-statement-activity/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
  • What is Analysis?. Authored by : Karen Forgette. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY: Attribution
  • How to Analyze Literature. Provided by : HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr4BjZkQ5Nc . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

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Examples

Analytical Essay Thesis

thesis analytical essay

Analytical essays delve deep into the intricacies of a subject, offering insightful interpretations and evaluations. At the heart of these essays lies the analytical thesis statement – a crucial element that encapsulates the analytical perspective you’ll explore. This guide explores a range of analytical thesis statement examples, guiding you through the process of creating thought-provoking statements. Learn to dissect complex subjects, develop critical arguments, and master the art of crafting compelling analytical thesis statements.

What is an Analytical Thesis Statement? – Definition

An analytical thesis statement is a concise declaration that outlines the main focus of an analytical essay. It presents the central argument or analysis the essay will explore, providing a roadmap for readers to understand the specific perspective, interpretation, or evaluation the writer intends to present. Unlike other types of thesis statements, an analytical thesis statement does not simply present a fact but delves into the “how” and “why” of a subject.

What is an Example of an Analytical Thesis Statement?

Example: “In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby,’ Jay Gatsby’s excessive pursuit of wealth and social status serves as a commentary on the illusory nature of the American Dream, highlighting the emptiness and moral decay that often accompany unchecked ambition.”

In this analytical thesis statement, the focus is on analyzing the character of Jay Gatsby and his actions as a reflection of larger themes within the novel. The strong thesis statement goes beyond a surface-level observation and delves into the deeper analysis of Gatsby’s character and its symbolic significance in relation to the American Dream.

100 Analytical Thesis Statement Examples

Analytical Thesis Statement Examples

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  • “In Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet,’ the protagonist’s internal conflict reflects the complex interplay between duty, morality, and personal desires.”
  • “Through symbolic imagery and character development, ‘The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the destructive power of guilt on individuals and society.”
  • “Analyzing the juxtaposition of innocence and corruption in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Harper Lee critiques the pervasive societal biases that perpetuate injustice.”
  • “The film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ employs nonlinear narrative structure to delve into the complexities of memory, love, and human connection.”
  • “Through the lens of Marxist theory, George Orwell’s ‘1984’ unveils a dystopian world that critiques totalitarianism and the manipulation of truth.”
  • “In Emily Dickinson’s poetry, the recurring theme of death serves as a means of contemplating the transient nature of life and the human condition.”
  • “Analyzing Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits reveals her use of visual symbolism to convey her physical and emotional pain as well as her feminist ideals.”
  • “Through intricate narrative structure and character development, ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel García Márquez explores the cyclical nature of history and human experience.”
  • “The painting ‘Starry Night’ by Vincent van Gogh conveys the artist’s emotional turmoil and inner conflict through its vivid color palette and swirling forms.”
  • “Through the analysis of ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ J.D. Salinger portrays the protagonist Holden Caulfield’s alienation as a manifestation of his fear of adulthood and societal conformity.
  • “Exploring the use of metaphors and allegory in ‘Animal Farm,’ George Orwell satirizes political ideologies and the corruption of power.”
  • “The poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost delves into the concept of choices and regret, using a diverging path as a metaphor for life’s decisions.”
  • “Analyzing the historical context and literary techniques in ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ John Steinbeck critiques the exploitation of the working class during the Great Depression.”
  • “In Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein,’ the creature’s isolation and rejection serve as a commentary on the consequences of unchecked scientific ambition.”
  • “Through visual elements and composition, Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ conveys a sense of mystery and psychological depth, captivating viewers for centuries.”
  • “Analyzing the use of irony and social commentary in Jonathan Swift’s ‘A Modest Proposal,’ one can understand his satirical critique of British colonialism.”
  • “The play ‘Death of a Salesman’ by Arthur Miller explores the disillusionment of the American Dream through the tragic downfall of the protagonist Willy Loman.”
  • “Through the lens of feminist theory, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ critiques the societal constraints placed on women’s mental and emotional well-being.”
  • “Analyzing the motifs of light and darkness in Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness,’ one can interpret them as representations of morality and the human psyche.”
  • “Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ uses unreliable narration and symbolism to delve into the narrator’s descent into madness and guilt.”
  • “In the film ‘Citizen Kane,’ Orson Welles employs non-linear storytelling and deep focus cinematography to explore the enigmatic life of the titular character.”
  • “Analyzing the use of repetition and imagery in Langston Hughes’ ‘Dream Deferred,’ one can interpret the poem as a commentary on the consequences of unfulfilled dreams.”
  • “Through allegorical elements and character interactions, William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ examines the inherent capacity for savagery within human nature.”
  • “The painting ‘Guernica’ by Pablo Picasso serves as a powerful anti-war statement, depicting the horrors of conflict and the suffering of innocent civilians.”
  • “Analyzing the themes of identity and societal conformity in Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘The Namesake,’ one can uncover the struggles faced by immigrant families in adapting to new cultures.”
  • “In ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde, the portrait serves as a symbol of the protagonist’s moral decay and the consequences of pursuing eternal youth.”
  • “Analyzing the use of color symbolism in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby,’ one can interpret colors as reflections of characters’ personalities and societal decadence.”
  • “Through the examination of allegorical elements in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ one can uncover the representation of historical events and political ideologies.”
  • “In ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley, the dystopian society’s use of technology and conditioning raises questions about the cost of sacrificing individuality for stability.”
  • “Analyzing the character of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ one can discern her ambition-driven transformation and the psychological toll of her actions.
  • “In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen, the social commentary and character interactions illuminate the societal norms and expectations of the Regency era.”
  • “Analyzing the use of religious symbolism in Herman Melville’s ‘Moby-Dick,’ one can interpret the white whale as a representation of the unattainable and the divine.”
  • “The film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ explores themes of hope and redemption through the friendship between two inmates, offering a commentary on the human spirit.”
  • “Analyzing the motif of the American Dream in ‘The Great Gatsby,’ F. Scott Fitzgerald critiques the pursuit of materialism and the illusion of social mobility.”
  • “In ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare, the tragic downfall of the titular character is driven by jealousy and manipulation, revealing the destructive power of unchecked emotions.”
  • “Analyzing the use of symbolism in T.S. Eliot’s poem ‘The Waste Land,’ one can interpret various images and references as reflections of societal decay and spiritual desolation.”
  • “The painting ‘American Gothic’ by Grant Wood conveys a complex narrative through the stern expressions and juxtaposition of the farmer and his daughter.”
  • “Analyzing the character development in Jane Eyre’s journey, Charlotte Brontë examines themes of independence, feminism, and self-discovery.”
  • “In ‘The Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka, the protagonist’s transformation into a giant insect serves as a metaphor for alienation and the absurdity of modern life.”
  • “Analyzing the use of foreshadowing and symbolism in William Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily,’ one can interpret the decayed mansion as a representation of the past and its lingering impact.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, one can uncover themes of personal legend and the transformative power of following one’s dreams.”
  • “Analyzing the narrative structure in Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold,’ one can discern the multi-perspective exploration of truth and collective guilt.”
  • “The sculpture ‘The Thinker’ by Auguste Rodin captures the contemplative nature of human thought and the complexity of philosophical introspection.”
  • “Analyzing the use of irony and satire in Voltaire’s ‘Candide,’ one can interpret the protagonist’s misadventures as a commentary on the irrationality of human behavior.”
  • “Through the exploration of nature and human experience in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays, transcendentalism emerges as a celebration of individual intuition and connection.”
  • “Analyzing the use of narrative structure in Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘Lolita,’ one can discern the unreliable narration that challenges readers’ perceptions of truth and morality.”
  • “In ‘The Awakening’ by Kate Chopin, the protagonist’s journey towards self-discovery and liberation reflects the constraints placed on women in the 19th-century society.”
  • “Analyzing the use of dramatic monologue in Robert Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess,’ one can uncover the psychological complexity and possessive nature of the speaker.”
  • “Through allegorical elements and philosophical themes in Albert Camus’ ‘The Stranger,’ the protagonist’s indifference to societal norms questions the absurdity of existence.”
  • “Analyzing the use of myth and symbolism in Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved,’ one can interpret the haunting presence of the titular character as a representation of historical trauma.”
  • “In ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the psychological turmoil of the protagonist Raskolnikov reflects the tension between morality and rationality.”
  • “Analyzing the narrative techniques in Salman Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children,’ one can discern the blending of history and magical realism to explore India’s postcolonial identity.”
  • “Through the examination of imagery and metaphor in Sylvia Plath’s poetry, themes of mental illness, identity, and gender roles come to the forefront.”
  • “Analyzing the use of symbolism in E.M. Forster’s ‘A Passage to India,’ one can interpret the Marabar Caves as a metaphor for the complexity of cultural misunderstandings.”
  • “The short story ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson employs irony and social commentary to critique blind adherence to tradition and the potential for collective cruelty.”
  • “Analyzing the use of allegory in John Bunyan’s ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress,’ one can interpret the protagonist’s journey as a representation of spiritual enlightenment and salvation.”
  • “In ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ by Zora Neale Hurston, the protagonist Janie’s journey towards self-discovery reflects her search for autonomy and empowerment.”
  • “Analyzing the use of literary devices in Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘Love in the Time of Cholera,’ one can uncover the exploration of enduring love and the passage of time.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in Franz Kafka’s ‘The Trial,’ one can interpret the absurdity of the bureaucratic legal system as a commentary on the human struggle for control.”
  • “Analyzing the use of dramatic irony in Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ one can discern the tragic irony that underscores the lovers’ fate and the societal feud.”
  • “In ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy, the post-apocalyptic landscape serves as a metaphor for the fragility of human existence and the pursuit of hope.”
  • “Analyzing the themes of colonization and cultural clash in Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart,’ one can interpret the protagonist Okonkwo’s downfall as a representation of societal upheaval.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in Jack London’s ‘To Build a Fire,’ the protagonist’s struggle against nature serves as a reflection of human hubris and vulnerability.”
  • “In ‘Invisible Man’ by Ralph Ellison, the protagonist’s invisibility becomes a metaphor for social marginalization and the dehumanizing effects of racial prejudice.”
  • “Analyzing the use of motifs and symbolism in Kate Chopin’s ‘The Story of an Hour,’ one can interpret the protagonist’s liberation as a commentary on societal expectations.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in Franz Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis,’ one can interpret the protagonist’s transformation as a representation of alienation and the absurdity of modern life.”
  • “In ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ by Jonathan Swift, the protagonist’s encounters with different societies serve as satirical commentaries on various aspects of human behavior.”
  • “Analyzing the use of symbolism in William Faulkner’s ‘As I Lay Dying,’ one can interpret the journey to bury Addie Bundren’s body as a representation of family dynamics and individual motivations.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in Herman Melville’s ‘Bartleby, the Scrivener,’ one can interpret the enigmatic character Bartleby as a representation of passive resistance and societal alienation.”
  • “In ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood, the dystopian society serves as a critique of patriarchal control and the erosion of women’s rights.”
  • “Analyzing the use of foreshadowing and symbolism in Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ one can interpret the house itself as a representation of psychological trauma.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in Albert Camus’ ‘The Plague,’ one can interpret the outbreak of plague as a metaphor for the absurdity of human existence and the inevitability of suffering.”
  • “In ‘The Sun Also Rises’ by Ernest Hemingway, the Lost Generation’s disillusionment serves as a commentary on the aftermath of World War I.”
  • “Analyzing the use of metaphors and allegory in John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’ one can interpret Satan’s rebellion as a representation of the dangers of pride and ambition.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in H.G. Wells’ ‘The Time Machine,’ one can interpret the protagonist’s journey to the distant future as a commentary on societal evolution and the consequences of unchecked progress.”
  • “In ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Brontë, the tumultuous relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine serves as a metaphor for the destructive power of passionate obsession.”
  • “Analyzing the use of irony and satire in Mark Twain’s ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,’ one can interpret the river as a symbol of freedom and a commentary on the racial tensions of the time.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men,’ one can interpret the dream of owning a piece of land as a representation of companionship and the American Dream.”
  • “In ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist’s journey towards redemption serves as a commentary on guilt, betrayal, and the complexities of friendship.”
  • “Analyzing the use of symbolism in Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World,’ one can interpret the conditioning and drug-induced happiness as a representation of societal control and the loss of individuality.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies,’ the descent into savagery among the stranded boys serves as a commentary on the inherent darkness within humanity.”
  • “In Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘Love in the Time of Cholera,’ the protagonist’s enduring love and pursuit of lost opportunities serve as a reflection of the passage of time and the complexities of relationships.”
  • “Analyzing the use of narrative structure in Leo Tolstoy’s ‘Anna Karenina,’ one can discern the parallel narratives of different characters as a commentary on societal norms and the consequences of personal choices.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in Franz Kafka’s ‘The Castle,’ one can interpret the protagonist’s futile attempts to reach the inaccessible castle as a representation of the human struggle for meaning and belonging.”
  • “In George Orwell’s ‘Down and Out in Paris and London,’ the protagonist’s experiences of poverty and social alienation serve as a commentary on the disparities within society.”
  • “Analyzing the use of symbolism in E.E. Cummings’ poetry, one can interpret his innovative typography and language as a representation of individualism and breaking away from convention.”
  • “Through allegorical elements in Jean-Paul Sartre’s play ‘No Exit,’ the characters’ confinement in a room becomes a metaphor for existential anguish and the consequences of human choices.”
  • “In William Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar,’ the manipulation of public opinion serves as a commentary on the dynamics of power, loyalty, and the consequences of political ambition.

Analytical Essay Thesis Statement Example for High School

An analytical essay’s thesis statement for high school  sets the stage for the examination of a topic, delving into its complexities and drawing insights based on evidence.

  • In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the theme of fate challenges the power of free will as seen through the tragic end of the young lovers.
  • The portrayal of friendship in “The Outsiders” demonstrates the significance of social class divides in the 1960s.
  • Through symbolism and imagery, Emily Dickinson’s poems convey profound themes about life, death, and eternity.
  • Atticus Finch’s moral integrity in “To Kill a Mockingbird” stands as a beacon of hope in a racially divided society.
  • “Lord of the Flies” uses the island as a microcosm to examine the inherent evil in human nature.
  • George Orwell’s “1984” delves deep into the dangers of totalitarian governments and the loss of individuality.
  • The character development of Elizabeth Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice” sheds light on the societal constraints of women during the Regency era.
  • “The Catcher in the Rye” critiques the phoniness of adulthood while highlighting the vulnerability of adolescence.
  • The journey of Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” is a testament to personal growth and the discovery of inner courage.
  • In “Fahrenheit 451,” Bradbury warns about the consequences of censorship and the loss of intellectual freedom.

Analytical Essay Thesis Statement Example for Middle School

Middle school thesis statements for analytical essays examine topics in a straightforward manner, building critical thinking skills.

  • “Bridge to Terabithia” shows that friendship can help overcome personal challenges and grief.
  • The challenges faced by Percy Jackson highlight the complexities of growing up with a unique identity.
  • Matilda uses her intellect and supernatural powers to combat negativity and find her place in the world.
  • “The Giver” reveals the dangers of a seemingly perfect society devoid of memories and emotions.
  • Through “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” the Pevensie siblings learn about bravery, sacrifice, and loyalty.
  • In “Holes,” the interwoven stories demonstrate the impact of family legacies and the power of redemption.
  • “Charlotte’s Web” uses the farm setting to explore themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the cycle of life.
  • “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” humorously addresses the challenges and intricacies of middle school life.
  • Through “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” Rowling discusses the importance of choices in shaping one’s destiny.
  • “A Wrinkle in Time” showcases the battle between good and evil, emphasizing the power of love.

Analytical Essay Thesis Statement Example for College

College-level thesis statements delve deeper into complex topics, offering nuanced insights and arguments.

  • “Moby Dick” serves as a profound exploration of obsession, illustrating its destructive consequences and moral ambiguities.
  • In “The Great Gatsby,” Fitzgerald critiques the American Dream, revealing its inherent flaws and the disillusionment of the Jazz Age.
  • “One Hundred Years of Solitude” portrays the cyclical nature of history through the Buendía family’s experiences.
  • Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse” delves into the human consciousness, capturing fleeting emotions and moments.
  • In “Brave New World,” Huxley showcases the dehumanizing effects of technological advancements and societal uniformity.
  • “Heart of Darkness” explores the impact of colonialism, presenting a dark reflection on human nature and moral corruption.
  • Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” addresses the haunting legacy of slavery and its lasting psychological effects.
  • Through “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Atwood critiques patriarchal societies, illustrating the dangers of religious extremism and loss of female agency.
  • “Crime and Punishment” offers a deep psychological analysis of guilt and redemption through Raskolnikov’s actions and motivations.
  • Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” provides an existential view of alienation and identity crisis in the modern world.

Analytical Essay Thesis Statement Example for Beginners

Beginner-level thesis statements offer clear and simple insights, setting the foundation for deeper analytical thinking.

  • “The Little Prince” teaches readers about the importance of relationships and seeing with the heart.
  • “Charlotte’s Web” illustrates the value of friendship and the inevitability of life’s cycles.
  • “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” uses vibrant illustrations to show the process of metamorphosis in nature.
  • In “Where the Wild Things Are,” Max learns about emotions and the comfort of home.
  • “The Rainbow Fish” highlights the joy of sharing and the essence of true beauty.
  • “Green Eggs and Ham” humorously emphasizes the idea of trying new things and overcoming initial hesitations.
  • Through “The Cat in the Hat,” Dr. Seuss illustrates the fun and chaos that arise from breaking rules.
  • “Goodnight Moon” uses repetitive structure and rhymes to convey the calming ritual of bedtime.
  • “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” introduces young readers to colors and animals through patterned text.
  • “Corduroy” portrays the desire for belonging and the importance of friendship and acceptance.

How do you start an analytical thesis?

Starting an analytical thesis requires a clear understanding of the topic, a comprehensive evaluation of the relevant materials, and identifying the primary elements to be analyzed.

  • Select a Topic: The first step in starting an analytical thesis is to select a specific topic or aspect you want to explore in-depth.
  • Research the Topic: Before drafting your thesis, it’s important to delve into your topic. Familiarize yourself with the primary sources, secondary analyses, and any related discussions.
  • Identify a Focus: Determine the specific aspect of the topic you want to analyze. This could be a character in a novel, a historical event’s cause and effect, or a particular trend in science.
  • Ask Analytical Questions: Pose questions that will guide your analysis. For example, “What is the significance of this character’s actions?” or “How does this event influence the larger narrative?”

What makes a good analytical thesis?

A good analytical thesis possesses several characteristics:

  • Clear and Concise: A thesis should clearly convey your main argument without being overly wordy.
  • Specific: It should narrow down your topic to a specific aspect or element that can be thoroughly explored in your essay.
  • Arguable: A good thesis presents an argument or an interpretation that could be challenged by others.
  • Evidence-Based: It should be based on evidence from the source material.
  • Relevant: The thesis should be pertinent to the assignment or topic at hand.
  • Original: Your thesis should offer a fresh perspective or insight, rather than simply stating the obvious.

How do you write a thesis statement for an analytical essay? – Step by Step Guide

  • Read Your Source Material: Engage with your primary source, noting key elements, themes, or patterns that emerge.
  • Identify Your Main Argument: What primary message or insight do you wish to convey about your topic?
  • Gather Supporting Evidence: List down the pieces of evidence from the source that support your main argument.
  • Formulate a Working Thesis: Draft a tentative thesis statement that encapsulates your main argument and supporting evidence.
  • Refine and Narrow: Make sure your thesis is specific and focuses on a particular aspect of your topic.
  • Ensure It’s Debatable: Your thesis should present a perspective or interpretation that can be debated.
  • Seek Feedback: Discuss your thesis with peers, instructors, or mentors to get feedback and further refine it.
  • Finalize the Statement: Once refined, finalize your thesis statement, ensuring it accurately represents your analytical insights.

Tips for Writing an Analytical Thesis Statement Example

  • Start Broad, then Narrow Down: Begin with a broad perspective on your topic and then hone in on the specific area you want to analyze.
  • Avoid Subjectivity: While an analytical thesis represents your interpretation, it should be based on evidence and not personal biases.
  • Stay Active: Use active voice for a more assertive and clear thesis.
  • Revisit and Revise: As you write your essay, you might find more insights that can refine your thesis. Be open to revisiting and tweaking your statement.
  • Avoid Vague Language: Words like “might,” “could,” or “possibly” can weaken your thesis. Be assertive in your statement.
  • Test Your Thesis: A good practice is to try to counter-argue your thesis. If you can find valid counter-arguments, it might be too weak or broad.
  • Keep it Focused: Your thesis should only cover what you will discuss in your essay, not introduce new topics.
  • Practice Makes Perfect: Write multiple versions of your thesis before settling on the final one. This practice will help you refine your analytical skills over time.

An analytical essay thesis statement is the cornerstone of any analytical essay, offering a concise insight into the writer’s analysis. Crafting it requires a clear understanding of the topic, supporting evidence, and a focused approach. By adopting best practices and refining one’s skills, a writer can effectively convey their analytical insights, enhancing the overall impact of their essay.

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Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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This resource provides tips for creating a thesis statement and examples of different types of thesis statements.

Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

  • An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
  • An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
  • An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

  • Explain the analysis of the college admission process
  • Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

  • Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

  • Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

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8.7: Analytical Thesis Statements

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Learning Objective

  • Describe strategies for writing analytical thesis statements
  • Identify analytical thesis statements

In order to write an analysis, you want to first have a solid understanding of the thing you are analyzing. Remember, this means:

  • Breaking down information or artifacts into component parts
  • Uncovering relationships among those parts
  • Determining motives, causes, and underlying assumptions
  • Making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations

You may be asked to analyze a book, an essay, a poem, a movie, or even a song. For example, let’s suppose you want to analyze the lyrics to a popular song. Pretend that a rapper called Escalade has the biggest hit of the summer with a song titled “Missing You.” You listen to the song and determine that it is about the pain people feel when a loved one dies. You have already done analysis at a surface level and you want to begin writing your analysis. You start with the following thesis statement:

“Escalade’s hit song “Missing You” is about being sad after a loved one dies.”

There isn’t much depth or complexity to such a claim because the thesis doesn’t give much information. In order to write a better thesis statement, we need to dig deeper into the song. What is the importance of the lyrics? What are they really about? Why is the song about being sad? Why did he present it this way? Why is it a powerful song? Ask questions to lead you to further investigation. Doing so will help you better understand the work, but also help you develop a better thesis statement and stronger analytical essay.

Formulating an Analytical Thesis Statement

When formulating an analytical thesis statement in college, there are three words/phrases to remember:

  • What? What is the claim?
  • How? How is this claim supported?
  • So what? In other words, “What does this mean, what are the implications, or why is this important?”

Telling readers what the lyrics are might be a useful way to let them see what you are analyzing and/or to isolate specific parts where you are focusing your analysis. However, you need to move far beyond “what.” Instructors at the college level want to see your ability to break down material and demonstrate deep thinking. The claim in the thesis statement above said that Escalade’s song was about being sad, but what evidence do we have for that, and why does that matter?

Effective analytical thesis statements require digging deeper and perhaps examining the larger context. Let’s say you do some research and learn that the rapper’s mother died not long ago, and when you examine the lyrics more closely, you see that a few of the lines seem to be specifically about a mother rather than a loved one in general.

Then you also read a recent interview with Escalade in which he mentions that he’s staying away from hardcore rap lyrics on his new album in an effort to be more mainstream and reach more potential fans. Finally, you notice that some of the lyrics in the song focus on not taking full advantage of the time we have with our loved ones. All of these pieces give you material to write a more complex thesis statement, maybe something like this:

“In the hit song ‘Missing You,’ Escalade draws on his experience of losing his mother and raps about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in order to connect with a broad audience.”

Such a thesis statement is focused while still allowing plenty of room for support in the body of your paper. It addresses the questions posed above:

  • The claim is that Escalade connects with a broader audience by rapping about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in his hit song, “Missing You.”
  • This claim is supported in the lyrics of the song and through the “experience of losing his mother.”
  • The implications are that we should not take valuable things for granted.

Certainly, there may be many ways for you to address “what,” “how,” and “so what,” and you may want to explore other ideas, but the above example is just one way to more fully analyze the material. Note that the example above is not formulaic, but if you need help getting started, you could use this template format to help develop your thesis statement.

Through ________________(how?), we can see that __________________(what?), which is important because ___________________(so what?). [1]

Just remember to think about these questions (what? how? and so what?) as you try to determine why something is what it is or why something means what it means. Asking these questions can help you analyze a song, story, or work of art, and can also help you construct meaningful thesis sentences when you write an analytical paper.

Key Takeaways for analytical theses

Don’t be afraid to let your claim evolve organically . If you find that your thinking and writing don’t stick exactly to the thesis statement you have constructed, your options are to scrap the writing and start again to make it fit your claim (which might not always be possible) or to modify your thesis statement. The latter option can be much easier if you are okay with the changes. As with many projects in life, writing doesn’t always go in the direction we plan, and strong analysis may mean thinking about and making changes as you look more closely at your topic. Be flexible.

Use analysis to get you to the main claim. You may have heard the simile that analysis is like peeling an onion because you have to go through layers to complete your work. You can start the process of breaking down an idea or an artifact without knowing where it will lead you or without a main claim or idea to guide you. Often, careful assessment of the pieces will bring you to an interesting interpretation of the whole. In their text Writing Analytically , authors David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen posit that being analytical doesn’t mean just breaking something down. It also means constructing understandings. Don’t assume you need to have deeper interpretations all figured out as you start your work.

When you decide upon the main claim, make sure it is reasoned . In other words, if it is very unlikely anyone else would reach the same interpretation you are making, it might be off base. Not everyone needs to see an idea the same way you do, but a reasonable person should be able to understand, if not agree, with your analysis.

Look for analytical thesis statements in the following activity.

https://lumenlearning.h5p.com/content/1290920118213584118/embed

Using Evidence

An effective analytical thesis statement (or claim) may sound smart or slick, but it requires evidence to be fully realized. Consider movie trailers and the actual full-length movies they advertise as an analogy. If you see an exciting one-minute movie trailer online and then go see the film only to leave disappointed because all the good parts were in the trailer, you feel cheated, right? You think you were promised something that didn’t deliver in its execution. A paper with a strong thesis statement but lackluster evidence feels the same way to readers.

So what does strong analytical evidence look like? Think again about “what,” “how,” and “so what.” A claim introduces these interpretations, and evidence lets you show them. Keep in mind that evidence used in writing analytically will build on itself as the piece progresses, much like a good movie builds to an interesting climax.

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/20272

Key Takeaways about evidence

Be selective about evidence. Having a narrow thesis statement will help you be selective with evidence, but even then, you don’t need to include any and every piece of information related to your main claim. Consider the best points to back up your analytic thesis statement and go deeply into them. (Also, remember that you may modify your thesis statement as you think and write, so being selective about what evidence you use in an analysis may actually help you narrow down what was a broad main claim as you work.) Refer back to our movie theme in this section: You have probably seen plenty of films that would have been better with some parts cut out and more attention paid to intriguing but underdeveloped characters and/or ideas.

Be clear and explicit with your evidence. Don’t assume that readers know exactly what you are thinking. Make your points and explain them in detail, providing information and context for readers, where necessary. Remember that analysis is critical examination and interpretation, but you can’t just assume that others always share or intuit your line of thinking. Need a movie analogy? Think back on all the times you or someone you know has said something like “I’m not sure what is going on in this movie.”

Move past obvious interpretations. Analyzing requires brainpower. Writing analytically is even more difficult. Don’t, however, try to take the easy way out by using obvious evidence (or working from an obvious claim). Many times writers have a couple of great pieces of evidence to support an interesting interpretation, but they feel the need to tack on an obvious idea—often more of an observation than analysis—somewhere in their work. This tendency may stem from the conventions of the five-paragraph essay, which features three points of support. Writing analytically, though, does not mean writing a five-paragraph essay (not much writing in college does). Develop your other evidence further or modify your main idea to allow room for additional strong evidence, but avoid obvious observations as support for your main claim. One last movie comparison? Go take a look at some of the debate on predictable Hollywood scripts. Have you ever watched a movie and felt like you have seen it before? You have, in one way or another. A sharp reader will be about as interested in obvious evidence as he or she will be in seeing a tired script reworked for the thousandth time.

One type of analysis you may be asked to write is a literary analysis, in which you examine a piece of text by breaking it down and looking for common literary elements, such as character, symbolism, plot, setting, imagery, and tone.

The video below compares writing a literary analysis to analyzing a team’s chances of winning a game—just as you would look at various factors like the weather, coaching, players, their record, and their motivation for playing. Similarly, when analyzing a literary text you want to look at all of the literary elements that contribute to the work.

The video takes you through the story of Cinderalla as an example, following the simplest possible angle (or thesis statement), that “Dreams can come true if you don’t give up.” (Note that if you were really asked to analyze Cinderella for a college class, you would want to dig deeper to find a more nuanced and interesting theme, but it works well for this example.) To analyze the story with this theme in mind, you’d want to consider the literary elements such as imagery, characters, dialogue, symbolism, the setting, plot, and tone, and consider how each of these contribute to the message that “Dreams can come true if you don’t give up.”

You can view the transcript for “How to Analyze Literature” here (opens in new window) .

  • UCLA Undergraduate Writing Center. "What, How and So What?" Approaching the Thesis as a Process. https://wp.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/UWC_handouts_What-How-So-What-Thesis-revised-5-4-15-RZ.pdf ↵

Contributors and Attributions

  • Keys to Successful Analysis. Authored by : Guy Krueger. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
  • Thesis Statement Activity. Authored by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/research/thesis-or-focus/thesis-or-focus-thesis-statement-activity/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
  • What is Analysis?. Authored by : Karen Forgette. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY: Attribution
  • How to Analyze Literature. Provided by : HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr4BjZkQ5Nc . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

Mar 25, 2023

What Is an Analytical Essay | Outlines and Examples

Unlocking the mystery of analytical essays can be a daunting task, but fear not! This ultimate guide has everything you need to know to write insightful and persuasive analytical essays with ease. Discover the key components of successful analytical essays and learn how to analyze texts effectively to craft compelling arguments!

Welcome to our blog post on "What is an Analytical Essay? | Outlines and Examples". Do you need help writing an analytical essay and need help figuring out where to start? Do you need some guidance on how to structure your essay effectively? If so, you're in the right place.

In this blog post, we'll explain an analytical essay and provide some examples and outlines to help you get started. But first, let us introduce you to Jenni.ai, the AI tool that can make your essay-writing process easier and quicker.

Jenni.ai is an innovative writing tool that uses AI technology to help students write better essays. With its user-friendly interface and advanced features, Jenni.ai can help you create articles and essays to improve your writing skills. Whether you need help with grammar, structure, or citations, Jenni.ai has got you covered.

Now, let's return to the topic: analytical essays. An analytical essay is a type of essay that requires you to analyze and interpret a text or a piece of literature. The purpose of an analytical essay is to break down the reader into its various components and explore how they relate to each other to create meaning.

To write an effective analytical essay, you must understand the text and its context clearly. You also need to be able to use evidence from the text to support your analysis and interpretation. In this blog post, we'll provide some analytical essay examples to help you understand how to structure your essay and use evidence effectively.

So, whether you're a high school or college student, or just someone who wants to improve their essay writing skills, Jenni.ai and this blog post can help you. Read on for some analytical essay examples and tips on how to write an effective analytical essay.

Using Data and Statistics in Analytical Essays: Best Practices and Examples

Data and statistics are crucial components of analytical essays. In any analytical essay, data and statistics are used to support the arguments presented by the author. Using data and statistics in analytical reports effectively adds credibility, depth, and relevance to the discussions.

They also help the author make their point more transparent and convincing to the reader. This article will explore the best practices for using data and statistics in analytical essays and provide examples to illustrate their application.

Best Practices for Using Data and Statistics in Analytical Essays

Using data and statistics in analytical essays requires a thorough understanding of their application. The following are best practices for using data and statistics in analytical reports:

Choose Relevant Data and Statistics: The data and statistics chosen must be relevant to the topic under discussion. Irrelevant data and statistics only confuse the reader and weaken the argument presented.

Use Reliable Sources: The data and statistics used in analytical essays must come from reliable sources. Reliable sources are peer-reviewed, published in reputable journals, or provided by respected institutions.

Provide Context: Data and statistics should be presented in the context of the argument. Providing context helps the reader understand the data's relevance and statistics to the topic under discussion.

Use Clear and Concise Language: Data and statistics can be complex and challenging to understand. Therefore, using clear and concise language to explain their relevance to the presented argument is essential.

Use Visuals: Visuals such as graphs, charts, and tables can help illustrate the presented data and statistics. Visuals also make it easier for the reader to understand complex data and statistics.

Examples of Using Data and Statistics in Analytical Essays

The following examples illustrate how data and statistics can be effectively used in analytical essays:

Example 1: Gun Control

Argument: The United States needs stricter gun control laws to reduce gun violence.

Data and statistics: According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2019, there were 39,707 gun-related deaths in the United States. Of these deaths, 24,090 were suicides, and 14,414 were homicides.

Context: These statistics illustrate the high number of gun-related deaths in the United States. They provide context for the argument that stricter gun control laws are necessary to reduce gun violence.

Example 2: Climate Change

Argument: Climate change is a significant threat to the planet, and urgent action is necessary to mitigate its effects.

Data and statistics: According to NASA, the global average temperature has increased by 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century. This increase is primarily due to increased greenhouse gases caused by human activity.

Context: These statistics prove that climate change is real and caused by human activity. They support the argument that urgent action is necessary to mitigate its effects.

Example 3: Education

Argument: Education is essential for economic and social development.

Data and statistics: According to the World Bank, countries with higher levels of education have lower levels of poverty and higher levels of economic growth. For every year of teaching, a person's income increases by an average of 10%.

Furthermore, it is also crucial to avoid misrepresenting or manipulating data and statistics to fit preconceived notions or biases. Doing so weakens the credibility of the argument and undermines the writer's integrity.

In addition, it is essential to acknowledge the limitations, and potential weaknesses of the data and statistics presented. By doing so, the writer can show that they have considered alternative perspectives and interpretations and can address possible counterarguments.

When incorporating data and statistics into analytical essays, it is also essential to consider the audience. For instance, technical jargon or complex statistical analysis may be appropriate for a more specialized audience, such as academic researchers.

However, for a broader audience, it may be necessary to simplify and explain the data and statistics to make the argument more accessible and understandable.

Moreover, it is essential to consider the ethical implications of using data and statistics in analytical essays. Using specific data or statistics may sometimes raise privacy concerns or violate ethical principles. In such cases, weighing the benefits of using the data and statistics against potential harm is essential to ensure appropriate measures are taken to protect individuals' privacy and rights.

In conclusion, using data and statistics in analytical essays is a powerful tool that can add depth and credibility to arguments. However, it requires careful consideration of the best practices outlined in this article, including choosing relevant data and statistics from reliable sources, providing context, using clear and concise language, and using visuals. 

It is also crucial to consider the audience, acknowledge limitations and potential weaknesses, and address ethical considerations. By following these best practices, writers can use data and statistics effectively to support their arguments and make them more compelling and convincing.

Analyzing Historical Events: Writing an Analytical Essay on a Significant Event

Analyzing historical events is a crucial aspect of studying history. History is not just about memorizing dates and names; it is about understanding the significance of those dates and names. Analyzing historical events involves examining and interpreting the available evidence to conclude the past.

One way to do this is by writing an analytical essay on a significant event. This essay will discuss the steps in writing an analytical essay on a historical event, with specific examples and tips.

In this article, we will explore the steps involved in writing an analytical essay on a significant historical event, including how to develop a strong thesis statement, gather evidence, and organize your analysis. By following these steps, you can produce a well-researched and compelling essay that demonstrates your critical thinking skills and understanding of history.

Step 1: Choose a Significant Historical Event

The first step in writing an analytical essay on a historical event is to choose a significant event to analyze. This can be a major event that had a substantial impact on the world, a lesser-known event that is important in a particular context, or an event that is significant to you personally.

Choosing a possibility you are interested in and passionate about is essential, as this will make the writing process much more manageable.

Once you have chosen your event, it is important to research it thoroughly. This includes reading primary and secondary sources, analyzing photographs and other visual material, and conducting interviews with experts in the field. The more research you do, the better your understanding of the event will be and the more insightful your analysis will be.

Step 2: Develop a Thesis Statement

Developing a thesis statement is the next step in writing an analytical essay on a historical event. The thesis statement is the main argument you will make in your article. It should be a clear and concise statement summarizing your event analysis.

For example, suppose you were writing an analytical essay on the American Civil War. In that case, your thesis statement might be: "The American Civil War was a turning point in American history, as it led to the abolition of slavery and the beginning of a new era of civil rights for African Americans."

Step 3: Outline Your Essay

Once you have developed your thesis statement, it is essential to outline your essay. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that you cover all of the necessary points in your analysis. Your essay outline should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

In your introduction, you should provide some background information on the event and explain its significance. You should also include your thesis statement in the introduction.

You should provide evidence to support your thesis statement in the body paragraphs. This might include analyzing primary sources, such as letters, diaries, and newspapers, or secondary sources, such as scholarly articles and books. Using various sources to support your analysis and provide a well-rounded view of the event is essential.

In your conclusion, summarize your analysis and restate your thesis statement. You should also provide some final thoughts on the event's significance and impact on history.

Step 4: Write Your Essay

Now that you have developed your thesis statement and outlined your essay, it is time to start writing. When writing your essay, it is essential to keep your thesis statement in mind and to use evidence to support your analysis.

When analyzing historical events, it is essential to consider the event's context. This might include the political, social, and economic factors that contributed to the event, as well as the cultural and ideological beliefs of the time. It is also essential to consider the event's impact on history and how it shaped the world we live in today.

Some tips for writing a successful analytical essay on a historical event include:

Use clear and concise language that is easy to understand.

Use evidence to support your analysis, and cite your sources.

Consider different viewpoints and perspectives on the event.

Avoid making sweeping generalizations or unsupported claims.

Use various sources to provide a well-rounded view of the event.

In conclusion, writing an analytical essay on a significant historical event is a valuable exercise in understanding the significance of the past. By choosing a significant event, developing a clear thesis statement, and conducting thorough research, it is possible to provide a thoughtful analysis of the event and its impact on history. 

It is essential to consider the event's context, use evidence to support your analysis, and avoid making sweeping generalizations or unsupported claims. Following these steps and tips, you can write a successful analytical essay contributing to our understanding of the past and its relevance to the present.

How to Develop a Strong Thesis Statement for Your Analytical Essay

A thesis statement is the backbone of any analytical essay. It is a concise statement summarizing your essay's central argument or point. Developing a solid thesis statement is crucial for a successful analytical essay as it sets the tone for the rest of your writing. This article will discuss the steps to develop a strong thesis statement for your analytical essay.

Step 1: Choose a Topic and Analyze It

The first step in developing a solid thesis statement for your analytical essay is to choose a topic and analyze it thoroughly. The case can be anything from literature, a historical event, or a social issue. Once you have selected a claim, you must analyze it and understand its nuances.

You need to read and re-read the source material to analyze your topic. Take notes and highlight key themes, characters, and events. Identify patterns and connections between different parts of the source material. Think about the context in which the source material was created and the message the author was trying to convey.

Step 2: Identify the Main Argument

Once you have analyzed your topic thoroughly, you must identify the central argument or point you want to make in your essay. This is the foundation of your thesis statement. Your main idea should be specific, clear, and concise.

For example, if you were writing an analytical essay on F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," your main argument could be that the novel critiques the American Dream as unattainable and corrupt.

Step 3: Consider Counterarguments

A strong thesis statement takes into account counterarguments. Consider what objections someone might have to your argument and address them in your thesis statement.

For example, if you were writing an analytical essay on the adverse effects of social media, you might consider a counterargument that social media has brought people closer together. Your thesis statement should address this counterargument and show why your argument is still valid.

Step 4: Make Your Thesis Statement Clear and Specific

Your thesis statement should be clear and specific. It should tell the reader precisely what your argument is and what you will analyze in your essay.

For example, if you were writing an analytical essay on the symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," your thesis statement could be: "Nathaniel Hawthorne's use of symbolism in 'The Scarlet Letter' reveals the hypocrisy and moral decay of Puritan society."

Step 5: Use Strong Language

Your thesis statement should use strong language that is assertive and confident. Avoid using words like "might," "could," or "possibly." Instead, use words like "will," "must," or "should." This makes your thesis statement more substantial and persuasive.

For example, instead of saying, "This essay might argue that," say, "This essay will argue that."

Step 6: Revise Your Thesis Statement

Once you have developed your thesis statement, revise it, ensure it is clear and specific, and address counterarguments. Make sure that your thesis statement is supported by evidence in your essay.

Step 7: Brainstorm Ideas

Before you start analyzing your topic, take some time to brainstorm ideas for your essay. Write down any thoughts or questions you have about the issue. Consider what interests you most about the issue and what you want to explore further.

Step 8: Research Your Topic

Once you have a list of ideas, start researching your topic. Look for scholarly sources such as books, academic journals, and reputable websites. Take notes as you read and highlight any critical information you want to include in your essay.

Step 9: Identify Key Themes and Patterns

As you analyze your topic, look for key emerging themes and patterns. These can help you identify the central argument of your essay. Consider how these themes and practices relating to the topic's broader context and implications.

Step 10: Formulate a Research Question

Using the information you have gathered, formulate a research question to guide your analysis. Your research question should be precisely focused and reflect your essay's central argument.

Step 11: Write a Working Thesis Statement

Using your research question as a guide, write a thesis statement summarizing your essay's central argument. Your working thesis statement should be flexible and open to revision as you continue to analyze your topic and gather more evidence.

Step 12: Write Your Essay

Now that you have developed a strong thesis statement, you can start writing your analytical essay. Be sure to structure your essay around your thesis statement, using your evidence to support your argument. Use clear, concise language and avoid making unsupported claims or generalizations.

Developing a solid thesis statement is crucial in writing a successful analytical essay. Choosing a topic, analyzing it thoroughly, and identifying the central argument are essential. Consider counterarguments and make your thesis statement clear and specific, using strong language.

Remember to revise your thesis statement and ensure it is supported by evidence in your essay. Following these steps, you can develop a strong thesis statement that will set the tone for your analytical paper and persuade your reader of your argument.

In conclusion, writing an analytical essay can be daunting for many students, but it doesn't have to be. With a clear understanding of an analytical essay and how to approach it, anyone can develop the skills to write a high-quality paper. An analytical essay requires careful analysis of a topic or issue, using evidence to support your argument, and demonstrating critical thinking skills. 

It's essential to begin with a strong thesis statement that outlines the central argument of your essay and provides a roadmap for your analysis. From there, you should develop a detailed outline that organizes your ideas and evidence into a coherent structure.

To support your thesis statement and argument, you must gather evidence from various sources, such as books, articles, and data. Evaluating your sources carefully is essential, looking for credible and reliable information that supports your argument. 

Once you have gathered your evidence, you must analyze it carefully, considering how each piece supports your argument and identifying any patterns or connections between different parts of evidence.

With the help of tools like Jenni.ai , writing an analytical essay can be made easier and quicker. Jenni.ai's AI-powered auto-completion feature can help you develop a strong thesis statement, create detailed outlines, and produce high-quality articles. 

By utilizing these tools, you can save time and energy while still producing top-notch work. By following the steps outlined in this blog and using the features offered by Jenni.ai, you can master the art of writing analytical essays and achieving academic and professional success.

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While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

  • Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
  • Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
  • Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
  • Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
  • Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
  • picture_as_pdf Thesis

The Ultimate Guide to Analytical Essay Writing: How to Craft an A-Grade Paper?

25 January, 2021

17 minutes read

Author:  Kate Smith

An analytical essay is often considered the most challenging piece of writing. However, those who have dealt with it at least once are a step closer to calling themselves masters of essay writing. This type of paper requires plenty of analytical skills to carry out an in-depth analysis of the assigned topic. Yet, the main goal of an analytical essay is not only to demonstrate your ability to learn the basics of the theme.

Analytical Essay

You also need to think critically, analyze facts, express your standpoint, and clearly show a deep understanding of key concepts. In short, your main task as an author is to prove the validity of your views by coming up with strong arguments that do not beg any questions.

how to write an analytical essay

The given guide provides a full analytical essay definition, as well as specifies its features and structural aspects. The following information will help you properly start your paper, choose a relevant topic, and come up with compelling conclusions. 

What is an Analytical Essay?

An analytical essay is a piece of writing aimed to provide a thorough analysis of a definite phenomenon using persuasive arguments and supporting assertions. Analysis in the analytical essay writing process stands for a method of research that allows one to study specific features of an object. Analytical papers also have to do with analysis of a specific problem; that is consideration of the problem itself and identification of its key patterns. The subject matter of analysis can be a well-known or little-studied scientific phenomenon, artistic work, historical event, social problem, etc.

The content of an analytical essay will totally depend on the object that has been chosen for analysis. Thus, when shedding light on any kind of scientific work, an analytical essay can be devoted to the analysis of research credibility, its relevance, or the adequacy of conclusions. When considering a work of art, an essay writer can focus on the analysis of the author’s artistic techniques or issues raised in the book. For this reason, it is essential to accurately determine the topic and subject matter of your future analytical essay.

Steps to Take Before Writing

The preparational stage of analytical essay writing cannot be omitted. It lays the basis for the A-grade paper and should be carefully completed. If you don’t know how to start an analytical essay, read a few handy tips that will ensure a solid foundation for your paper.  

Define a subject matter

You first need to clearly understand the issue you will base your essay on. Since analytical essays imply an in-depth analysis of a specific problem, you need to define its core. Try to split the analysis into several components and provide arguments taken either from a book, a research, a scientific work, or a movie (depending on the subject matter of your analysis), and support your views comprehensively.

Decide on the content of your analytical essay

If you are a student who was given an analytical essay topic, read the task several times before you are 100% sure that you clearly understand the requirements as to the analytical essay format. In case you were lucky to choose the topic of the analytical paper by yourself, make sure the theme you will be dealing with is familiar or at least seems interesting to you. 

Remember that different subject matters require a different approach to their analysis. If you examine some literature work, you can prove your opinion based on the deeds of a certain or several characters. But if you have been assigned the task to elaborate on some historic events, analyze their main causes, driving forces that have affected their course, and their global consequences.  

Take care of the proper start

Don’t forget to start your analytical essay with a thesis statement. It is a sentence or a couple of sentences that aim to summarize the key statements of your paper. A thesis statement should provide readers with a preliminary idea of what your essay is all about.  

Find extra reasoning

Make sure your thesis is supported by compelling arguments. To find enough evidence, you should carry out a thorough analysis of the assigned topic. List the crucial points of your research and ponder over the ways they can be used to prove your final opinion. 

Elaborate the outline

A sound outline elaborated at the preparation stage will help you ensure a proper analytical essay structure and make the overall writing process easier. As a rule, an analytical essay consists of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your outline plan should include the key arguments you want to discuss in each paragraph. 

Analytical Essay Thesis

A thesis statement represents the central idea of your paper and must serve as strong proof of your standpoint. While elaborating your thesis statement, it is crucial to include it at the end of the first paragraph and thus set a direction for the overall paper. 

Analytical Essay Outline

An outline is not a required element of analytical essays writing and should not be included in the text, but it can greatly facilitate the whole process of paper writing.

The analytical essay structure looks as follows:

Introduction

In the introduction of an analytical essay, you will need to identify your paper’s subject matter. Mention the purpose of your work and specify its scope of research. Don’t forget to include a thesis to let readers know what your work is about.

Body Section

As has already been mentioned, the body section covers three or more main paragraphs, each being supported with arguments and details. Besides, you need to provide a small conclusion to each statement to make your essay sound professional and persuasive. 

At this stage, you need to summarize the points elucidated in your paper and make sure there is a smooth and logical transition from the body section to the concluding part of the text. If you don’t know how to conclude an analytical essay, try to restate the thesis statement without copying it word for word.  

Analytical Essay Examples

Writing an analytical essay may seem to be a thorny way. If you are still not sure how to properly craft one, try to find some examples that will help you go in the right direction. Below, there are some great examples of analytical essays. Take a look at their structure and try to write something similar based on your views and ideas:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JeR4i4RIZIj448W3KVFyHP-eS3QPN7gW/view

https://stlcc.edu/docs/student-support/academic-support/college-writing-center/rhetorical-analysis-sample-essay.pdf

https://www.germanna.eduhttp://handmadewriting.com/wp-content/uploads/tutoring/handouts/Literary-Analysis-Sample-Paper.pdf

30 Analytical Essay Topics

If you were allowed to choose the theme for your paper by yourself, check on the following analytical essay topics. Each of them can bring you the highest score:

General topics

  • The influence of social networks on the life of teens
  • Are salaries of football players too high?
  • Wearing uniforms in schools should be banned
  • A person in society: the problems of loneliness and privacy
  • Sociology of corporate relationships
  • Does the observation of space need more investments?
  • Should the voting age in the UK be decreased?
  • Reasons why capital punishment should be brought back in the UK
  • A world with no rules: a new human era or a road to the global collapse?
  • Life without technologies: will modern people survive?
  • Should scientists test drugs on animals to fight cancer?
  • The problem of keeping the balance between career and family life
  • The importance of listening to your body 
  • Problems caused by the lack of communication
  • Food addiction and the problems it causes
  • Problems of vaccination in the XXI century
  • Does evil really rule the world?
  • How does body size affect life quality?
  • Pros and cons of video games 
  • The role of a family model in the life and career of a person

Analytical Essay Topics on Literature

  • “Robinson Crusoe”: fantasy vs reality
  • Observation of the artistic uniqueness in the comedy by W. Shakespeare “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” 
  • Observe the social problems in the novel by John Steinbeck “The Grapes of Wrath”
  • Convulsions and death of the “little man” in the networks of impersonal, alienated forces in the novel “The Metamorphosis”
  • Observation of the problems of a man on a plagued land in the novel “The Plague”
  • Revolt of the protagonist in the novel by J. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”
  • Observation of friendship and love in the fate of humanity in the XX century
  • The triumph of immorality in the novel by F. Sagan “Hello Sadness”
  • Observation of the personality of an American student in the novel by J. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”
  • Eternal tragedies of humanity in the tragedy by W. Shakespeare “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”

How to Write a Well-Structured Analytical Essay With a Solid Argument

Writing an analytical essay with a clear structure might be challenging unless you are thoroughly prepared. We decided to help you out and create a detailed guide listing the main things to consider when creating an analytical essay outline. You need to explain your main idea in a concise way to bring your point across. As analytical writing has high requirements, it pays off to find an analytical essay example and analyze how this text was written. It will allow you to understand the analytical essay format better and learn how to provide substantive analysis on various topics. Read on to learn how to write a top-level analytical paper and submit it on time.

Main Tips for Writing an Analytical Essay

An analytical essay should provide a comprehensive analysis of a chosen topic. What makes an analysis essay different from other assignments is that it includes a personal opinion of an author. This is why analytical writing should be persuasive.

Below, we have rounded up the key tips you need to follow when producing an analytical essay outline and the main body of your text. Read on to learn more about the analytical essay format and create a text that will fully meet the requirements.

Select an Analytical Essay Topic

Before creating an analytical essay outline, make sure to pick a topic that you are interested in. It should be provocative enough to engage your readers. A widely-debated topic will help you write an analytical essay that grabs the attention of a wide audience.

Consider your goals and conduct thorough research to see if you have enough sources to support the main thesis of your analysis essay.

Come Up With a Strong Analytical Thesis Statement

When writing an analytical essay, start by formulating a thesis statement that includes the topic and the main goal of your text. It will help you create an analytical essay outline and show your readers what you will discuss in your analysis essay.

Add it to the last paragraph of your analytical essay introduction. Due to this, your analytical essay outline will look better structured. Look at any analytical essay example to see how you can introduce your subject. In most cases, one sentence will suffice to state your analysis essay’s goal. However, a complex analytical essay outline might require you to use two sentences for a thesis statement.

Write an Analytical Essay Body with a Clear Structure

Your analytical essay outline should include 3-4 paragraphs. However, a literary analysis essay usually consists of 5 paragraphs. When it comes to analytical writing, it is important to cover a different point in each section of the main body of an analysis paper.

After writing an analytical essay, check whether each paragraph contains an introduction and the main point. Besides, it should contain evidence. An expertly written analytical essay outline will help you reach out to your target audience more effectively.

Conduct Research Before Writing an Analytical Essay Outline

While this step is preparatory, it is a must for those who want to write a well-grounded analytical paper.

  • First, select the best ideas for your essay
  • Then, emphasize the problems with works written by other researchers
  • Finally, write your analytical essay outline to demonstrate what approach you want to take

Examine the context and find examples to illustrate the scope of the issue. You may draw parallels to emphasize your point and make your topic more relatable.

Analyze the Implications of the Evidence

After listing your pieces of evidence and demonstrating how it is related to your thesis, show why it is important. You need to explore it deeply and use it to support your argument. It will make your analytical essay outline well-grounded facts.

Write an Analytical Essay Conclusion

Whether you write a literary analysis essay or other types of assignments, there is no need to add any new data at the end of your analysis paper. Instead, summarize the arguments you mentioned in your analytical essay outline. The conclusion of your analysis essay should be short and clear. Here, you need to demonstrate that you have achieved your goals.

Analytical Essay Writing Tips

If you want to get the highest grade for your analytical essay, you need to know a little bit more than just the basics of paper writing. Read these handy tips to write a perfect essay you will be proud of:

  • Double-check your paper for spelling and grammar mistakes. In case your essay contains too many errors, neither an in-depth analysis nor the elaborate writing style will make it look any better. Situations when essays of great value in terms of research and a message they convey are poorly assessed because of the abundance of mistakes are not rare. Make sure you have enough time to proofread your paper before submission. Also, you may consider asking somebody to take a fresh look at your essay and check it for you.
  • Reading your analytical essay out loud helps you discover all types of errors or weak phrases. This method might seem a bit uncomfortable, but it has proved to be very effective for many students. Note that silent reading of your paper isn’t even half as helpful as reading it aloud. 
  • Another great idea to check on the rhythm and flow of your paper is to ask someone to read it for you. While listening to the text, you could perceive it from another perspective and discover even more inconsistencies and mistakes.  
  • Double-check the facts you use in your analytical essay. The names of people, books, research, publications, as well as dates of historical events are too important to be misspelled. Things like these show your professionalism and the way you treat your readers.

Write an Analytical Essay with HandmadeWriting

Writing an analytical essay requires time, strong writing skills, great attention to detail, and a huge interest in the assigned topic. However, life can be unpredictable sometimes, and students might find themselves at risk of failing their creative assignments. Stress, family issues, poor health, and even unwillingness to work on a certain topic may become significant obstacles on their way to the A-grade work.

If you have similar problems, there is no need to compromise your reputation and grades. You can always refer to HandmadeWriting professionals who are ready to help you with a paper of any type and complexity. They will understand your individual style and totally devote themselv

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thesis analytical essay

Analytical Essay: Tips, Structure, Examples

thesis analytical essay

Analytical essays could be perfect for you if you enjoy immersing yourself in tasks and excel at thinking creatively. By conducting thorough analysis and employing innovative writing techniques, you can discover new viewpoints and enhance your understanding of the subject.

In this article, our research paper writer will explain what it entails, learn how to structure your paper for top marks, snag some snazzy topic ideas, and glean practical examples. This guide has got all the essentials you need for writing success!

What Is an Analytical Essay

To write an effective analytical essay, it is important to understand its purpose and method. In basic terms, it requires using textual evidence to logically support the author's arguments rather than relying on emotions or personal anecdotes. ‍ Compared to persuasive essays that advocate for one specific viewpoint, a quality analytical essay example should delve into all aspects of the subject. This involves examining different perspectives, dissecting arguments, and assessing evidence thoughtfully. ‍ Ultimately, you will have to express your viewpoint after conducting your analysis. This requires combining your research and determining if you agree with the conclusions made or have a different interpretation.

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How to Structure an Analytical Essay

Now it's time to ace the process of crafting an excellent paper. To make writing easier, organize your thoughts and structure your arguments clearly. An analytical essay needs the introduction, body, and conclusion of an outline, which acts as a guide from start to finish. Here's the simple breakdown of an analytical essay outline:

How to Structure an Analytical Essay

‍Introduction‍

  • Background information
  • Thesis statement

Body paragraph 1‍

  • Topic sentence
  • Supporting evidence
  • Transition to the body paragraph to‍

Body paragraph 2‍

  • Transition to body paragraph 3

Body paragraph 3

  • Transition to conclusion
  • Summary of major points
  • Restate the thesis
  • Key takeaways

Introduction: To begin your essay successfully (see our analytical essay example), captivate the reader's interest from the very start and clearly outline the topic. A good beginning should give some background information, outline the essay's purpose, and suggest the main arguments that will be made. Grab the reader's attention with an engaging and pertinent opening sentence, such as a surprising fact, a funny story, or a challenging question. After that, introduce your thesis statement, which summarizes your main point in the essay.

Body Paragraphs: In an analysis essay, each paragraph begins with a topic sentence that helps guide the reader. The paragraph then provides evidence to support the thesis, concentrating on a single issue. By summarizing the main point at the end of each paragraph, the essay flows smoothly from one idea to the next, maintaining clarity and coherence in the argument.

Conclusion: The final paragraph of an analytical essay usually adheres to a specific structure:

  • Reiterating the main argument
  • Outlining the main ideas discussed in the essay
  • Providing thoughts on the overall significance of the analysis

It is crucial to include your perspective on the topic's relevance and how your analysis adds to the understanding of it. This approach can strongly impact the reader's perception of the essay.

Meanwhile, you might also be interested in how to write a reflection paper , so check out the article for more information!

How to Write an Analytical Essay

Once you understand the structure, there are some steps you can take to make writing an analytical essay easier. Preparing beforehand can simplify the process and improve the overall flow and structure of your essay. Here are some tips from our experts. Meanwhile, you can also request from our experts - write my essay for me . And we'll take care of it right away.

How to Write an Analytical Essay

  • Think Ahead : Before writing, a good analytical essay writer should spend some time thinking about the topic. Make a list of ideas or themes related to it. This helps you find interesting angles for your essay.
  • Create a Thesis Statement : Develop a clear and concise thesis statement that outlines the main argument of your essay. This will guide you in how to write an analytical essay introduction and keep your writing focused.
  • Visualize Information : Use graphs or charts to organize your thoughts visually. This makes your research easier to understand. For example, you can compare ideas with a chart.
  • Consider Different Views : Address opposing viewpoints in your essay. This shows you've thought about different perspectives and strengthens your argument.
  • Use Original Sources : Include interviews, presentations, or original documents in your research. They give a unique insight into your topic. For instance, old letters can offer personal views on historical events.
  • Analyze Cause and Effect : Explore the cause-and-effect relationships within your topic. Analyze how different factors contribute to certain outcomes or phenomena.

Analytical Essay Topics

Choosing the right one among lots of analytical essay topic ideas is crucial when tackling your essay. Here's a guide to help you pick wisely:

  • Find a topic that piques your interest. It's easier to dive into analysis when you're passionate about the subject.
  • Look for topics that catch the reader's eye. Think about what would make someone stop and want to read more.
  • Avoid topics that are too broad. Focus on something specific that you can thoroughly analyze within the scope of your essay.
  • Ensure there's enough quality research available to support your analysis. You'll need evidence to back up your points.
  • Your topic should raise questions worth exploring. Aim for something that sparks curiosity and has significance.

Now, here's a mix of engaging topics from our dissertation services to consider:

  • Analyzing the Impact of Blue Light from Screens on Sleep Quality
  • Exploring the Environmental Effects of Microplastics in Ocean Ecosystems
  • Understanding the Benefits of Deep Breathing Exercises for Anxiety Relief
  • Analyzing the Influence of Instagram Filters on Body Image Perception
  • Exploring the Health Risks of Artificial Sweeteners in Diet Soda
  • Understanding the Psychological Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
  • Analyzing the Environmental Impact of Fast Food Packaging Waste
  • Exploring the Effects of Social Media Validation on Self-Esteem
  • Understanding the Benefits of Indoor Plants for Air Quality Improvement
  • Analyzing the Relationship Between Sugar Consumption and Dental Health
  • Exploring the Psychological Effects of Online Shopping Addiction
  • Understanding the Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion Textile Dyes
  • Analyzing the Effects of Smartphone Notifications on Focus and Productivity
  • Exploring the Benefits of Outdoor Exercise for Vitamin D Production
  • Understanding the Relationship Between Noise Pollution and Cardiovascular Health
  • Analyzing the Psychological Effects of Colorful Food Presentation on Appetite
  • Exploring the Impact of Petting Therapy Dogs on Stress Reduction
  • Understanding the Benefits of Classical Music for Concentration While Studying
  • Analyzing the Effects of Lavender Aromatherapy on Sleep Quality
  • Exploring the Health Risks of Prolonged Sitting and Sedentary Lifestyles

Analytical Essay Examples

Here is our analytical writing sample to see theory in action. Notice how analytical thinking applies to real-world situations, improving your understanding of concepts. By studying these examples, you'll learn to analyze complex issues, build strong arguments, and sharpen your critical thinking skills.

Final Thoughts

With our tips on how to write an analytical essay and examples, you're ready to boost your writing skills and craft essays that captivate your audience. With practice, you'll become a pro at analytical writing, ready to tackle any topic with confidence.

And hey, if you need help to buy essay online , just drop us a line saying ' do my homework for me ' and we'll jump right in!

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General Education

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Do you need to write an analytical essay for school? What sets this kind of essay apart from other types, and what must you include when you write your own analytical essay? In this guide, we break down the process of writing an analytical essay by explaining the key factors your essay needs to have, providing you with an outline to help you structure your essay, and analyzing a complete analytical essay example so you can see what a finished essay looks like.

What Is an Analytical Essay?

Before you begin writing an analytical essay, you must know what this type of essay is and what it includes. Analytical essays analyze something, often (but not always) a piece of writing or a film.

An analytical essay is more than just a synopsis of the issue though; in this type of essay you need to go beyond surface-level analysis and look at what the key arguments/points of this issue are and why. If you’re writing an analytical essay about a piece of writing, you’ll look into how the text was written and why the author chose to write it that way. Instead of summarizing, an analytical essay typically takes a narrower focus and looks at areas such as major themes in the work, how the author constructed and supported their argument, how the essay used literary devices to enhance its messages, etc.

While you certainly want people to agree with what you’ve written, unlike with persuasive and argumentative essays, your main purpose when writing an analytical essay isn’t to try to convert readers to your side of the issue. Therefore, you won’t be using strong persuasive language like you would in those essay types. Rather, your goal is to have enough analysis and examples that the strength of your argument is clear to readers.

Besides typical essay components like an introduction and conclusion, a good analytical essay will include:

  • A thesis that states your main argument
  • Analysis that relates back to your thesis and supports it
  • Examples to support your analysis and allow a more in-depth look at the issue

In the rest of this article, we’ll explain how to include each of these in your analytical essay.

How to Structure Your Analytical Essay

Analytical essays are structured similarly to many other essays you’ve written, with an introduction (including a thesis), several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Below is an outline you can follow when structuring your essay, and in the next section we go into more detail on how to write an analytical essay.

Introduction

Your introduction will begin with some sort of attention-grabbing sentence to get your audience interested, then you’ll give a few sentences setting up the topic so that readers have some context, and you’ll end with your thesis statement. Your introduction will include:

  • Brief background information explaining the issue/text
  • Your thesis

Body Paragraphs

Your analytical essay will typically have three or four body paragraphs, each covering a different point of analysis. Begin each body paragraph with a sentence that sets up the main point you’ll be discussing. Then you’ll give some analysis on that point, backing it up with evidence to support your claim. Continue analyzing and giving evidence for your analysis until you’re out of strong points for the topic. At the end of each body paragraph, you may choose to have a transition sentence that sets up what the next paragraph will be about, but this isn’t required. Body paragraphs will include:

  • Introductory sentence explaining what you’ll cover in the paragraph (sort of like a mini-thesis)
  • Analysis point
  • Evidence (either passages from the text or data/facts) that supports the analysis
  • (Repeat analysis and evidence until you run out of examples)

You won’t be making any new points in your conclusion; at this point you’re just reiterating key points you’ve already made and wrapping things up. Begin by rephrasing your thesis and summarizing the main points you made in the essay. Someone who reads just your conclusion should be able to come away with a basic idea of what your essay was about and how it was structured. After this, you may choose to make some final concluding thoughts, potentially by connecting your essay topic to larger issues to show why it’s important. A conclusion will include:

  • Paraphrase of thesis
  • Summary of key points of analysis
  • Final concluding thought(s)

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5 Steps for Writing an Analytical Essay

Follow these five tips to break down writing an analytical essay into manageable steps. By the end, you’ll have a fully-crafted analytical essay with both in-depth analysis and enough evidence to support your argument. All of these steps use the completed analytical essay in the next section as an example.

#1: Pick a Topic

You may have already had a topic assigned to you, and if that’s the case, you can skip this step. However, if you haven’t, or if the topic you’ve been assigned is broad enough that you still need to narrow it down, then you’ll need to decide on a topic for yourself. Choosing the right topic can mean the difference between an analytical essay that’s easy to research (and gets you a good grade) and one that takes hours just to find a few decent points to analyze

Before you decide on an analytical essay topic, do a bit of research to make sure you have enough examples to support your analysis. If you choose a topic that’s too narrow, you’ll struggle to find enough to write about.

For example, say your teacher assigns you to write an analytical essay about the theme in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath of exposing injustices against migrants. For it to be an analytical essay, you can’t just recount the injustices characters in the book faced; that’s only a summary and doesn’t include analysis. You need to choose a topic that allows you to analyze the theme. One of the best ways to explore a theme is to analyze how the author made his/her argument. One example here is that Steinbeck used literary devices in the intercalary chapters (short chapters that didn’t relate to the plot or contain the main characters of the book) to show what life was like for migrants as a whole during the Dust Bowl.

You could write about how Steinbeck used literary devices throughout the whole book, but, in the essay below, I chose to just focus on the intercalary chapters since they gave me enough examples. Having a narrower focus will nearly always result in a tighter and more convincing essay (and can make compiling examples less overwhelming).

#2: Write a Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is the most important sentence of your essay; a reader should be able to read just your thesis and understand what the entire essay is about and what you’ll be analyzing. When you begin writing, remember that each sentence in your analytical essay should relate back to your thesis

In the analytical essay example below, the thesis is the final sentence of the first paragraph (the traditional spot for it). The thesis is: “In The Grapes of Wrath’s intercalary chapters, John Steinbeck employs a variety of literary devices and stylistic choices to better expose the injustices committed against migrants in the 1930s.” So what will this essay analyze? How Steinbeck used literary devices in the intercalary chapters to show how rough migrants could have it. Crystal clear.

#3: Do Research to Find Your Main Points

This is where you determine the bulk of your analysis--the information that makes your essay an analytical essay. My preferred method is to list every idea that I can think of, then research each of those and use the three or four strongest ones for your essay. Weaker points may be those that don’t relate back to the thesis, that you don’t have much analysis to discuss, or that you can’t find good examples for. A good rule of thumb is to have one body paragraph per main point

This essay has four main points, each of which analyzes a different literary device Steinbeck uses to better illustrate how difficult life was for migrants during the Dust Bowl. The four literary devices and their impact on the book are:

  • Lack of individual names in intercalary chapters to illustrate the scope of the problem
  • Parallels to the Bible to induce sympathy for the migrants
  • Non-showy, often grammatically-incorrect language so the migrants are more realistic and relatable to readers
  • Nature-related metaphors to affect the mood of the writing and reflect the plight of the migrants

#4: Find Excerpts or Evidence to Support Your Analysis

Now that you have your main points, you need to back them up. If you’re writing a paper about a text or film, use passages/clips from it as your main source of evidence. If you’re writing about something else, your evidence can come from a variety of sources, such as surveys, experiments, quotes from knowledgeable sources etc. Any evidence that would work for a regular research paper works here.

In this example, I quoted multiple passages from The Grapes of Wrath  in each paragraph to support my argument. You should be able to back up every claim you make with evidence in order to have a strong essay.

#5: Put It All Together

Now it's time to begin writing your essay, if you haven’t already. Create an introductory paragraph that ends with the thesis, make a body paragraph for each of your main points, including both analysis and evidence to back up your claims, and wrap it all up with a conclusion that recaps your thesis and main points and potentially explains the big picture importance of the topic.

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Analytical Essay Example + Analysis

So that you can see for yourself what a completed analytical essay looks like, here’s an essay I wrote back in my high school days. It’s followed by analysis of how I structured my essay, what its strengths are, and how it could be improved.

One way Steinbeck illustrates the connections all migrant people possessed and the struggles they faced is by refraining from using specific titles and names in his intercalary chapters. While The Grapes of Wrath focuses on the Joad family, the intercalary chapters show that all migrants share the same struggles and triumphs as the Joads. No individual names are used in these chapters; instead the people are referred to as part of a group. Steinbeck writes, “Frantic men pounded on the doors of the doctors; and the doctors were busy.  And sad men left word at country stores for the coroner to send a car,” (555). By using generic terms, Steinbeck shows how the migrants are all linked because they have gone through the same experiences. The grievances committed against one family were committed against thousands of other families; the abuse extends far beyond what the Joads experienced. The Grapes of Wrath frequently refers to the importance of coming together; how, when people connect with others their power and influence multiplies immensely. Throughout the novel, the goal of the migrants, the key to their triumph, has been to unite. While their plans are repeatedly frustrated by the government and police, Steinbeck’s intercalary chapters provide a way for the migrants to relate to one another because they have encountered the same experiences. Hundreds of thousands of migrants fled to the promised land of California, but Steinbeck was aware that numbers alone were impersonal and lacked the passion he desired to spread. Steinbeck created the intercalary chapters to show the massive numbers of people suffering, and he created the Joad family to evoke compassion from readers.  Because readers come to sympathize with the Joads, they become more sensitive to the struggles of migrants in general. However, John Steinbeck frequently made clear that the Joads were not an isolated incident; they were not unique. Their struggles and triumphs were part of something greater. Refraining from specific names in his intercalary chapters allows Steinbeck to show the vastness of the atrocities committed against migrants.

Steinbeck also creates significant parallels to the Bible in his intercalary chapters in order to enhance his writing and characters. By using simple sentences and stylized writing, Steinbeck evokes Biblical passages. The migrants despair, “No work till spring. No work,” (556).  Short, direct sentences help to better convey the desperateness of the migrants’ situation. Throughout his novel, John Steinbeck makes connections to the Bible through his characters and storyline. Jim Casy’s allusions to Christ and the cycle of drought and flooding are clear biblical references.  By choosing to relate The Grapes of Wrath to the Bible, Steinbeck’s characters become greater than themselves. Starving migrants become more than destitute vagrants; they are now the chosen people escaping to the promised land. When a forgotten man dies alone and unnoticed, it becomes a tragedy. Steinbeck writes, “If [the migrants] were shot at, they did not run, but splashed sullenly away; and if they were hit, they sank tiredly in the mud,” (556). Injustices committed against the migrants become greater because they are seen as children of God through Steinbeck’s choice of language. Referencing the Bible strengthens Steinbeck’s novel and purpose: to create understanding for the dispossessed.  It is easy for people to feel disdain for shabby vagabonds, but connecting them to such a fundamental aspect of Christianity induces sympathy from readers who might have otherwise disregarded the migrants as so many other people did.

The simple, uneducated dialogue Steinbeck employs also helps to create a more honest and meaningful representation of the migrants, and it makes the migrants more relatable to readers. Steinbeck chooses to accurately represent the language of the migrants in order to more clearly illustrate their lives and make them seem more like real paper than just characters in a book. The migrants lament, “They ain’t gonna be no kinda work for three months,” (555). There are multiple grammatical errors in that single sentence, but it vividly conveys the despair the migrants felt better than a technically perfect sentence would. The Grapes of Wrath is intended to show the severe difficulties facing the migrants so Steinbeck employs a clear, pragmatic style of writing.  Steinbeck shows the harsh, truthful realities of the migrants’ lives and he would be hypocritical if he chose to give the migrants a more refined voice and not portray them with all their shortcomings. The depiction of the migrants as imperfect through their language also makes them easier to relate to. Steinbeck’s primary audience was the middle class, the less affluent of society. Repeatedly in The Grapes of Wrath , the wealthy make it obvious that they scorn the plight of the migrants. The wealthy, not bad luck or natural disasters, were the prominent cause of the suffering of migrant families such as the Joads. Thus, Steinbeck turns to the less prosperous for support in his novel. When referring to the superior living conditions barnyard animals have, the migrants remark, “Them’s horses-we’re men,” (556).  The perfect simplicity of this quote expresses the absurdness of the migrants’ situation better than any flowery expression could.

In The Grapes of Wrath , John Steinbeck uses metaphors, particularly about nature, in order to illustrate the mood and the overall plight of migrants. Throughout most of the book, the land is described as dusty, barren, and dead. Towards the end, however; floods come and the landscape begins to change. At the end of chapter twenty-nine, Steinbeck describes a hill after the floods saying, “Tiny points of grass came through the earth, and in a few days the hills were pale green with the beginning year,” (556). This description offers a stark contrast from the earlier passages which were filled with despair and destruction. Steinbeck’s tone from the beginning of the chapter changes drastically. Early in the chapter, Steinbeck had used heavy imagery in order to convey the destruction caused by the rain, “The streams and the little rivers edged up to the bank sides and worked at willows and tree roots, bent the willows deep in the current, cut out the roots of cottonwoods and brought down the trees,” (553). However, at the end of the chapter the rain has caused new life to grow in California. The new grass becomes a metaphor representing hope. When the migrants are at a loss over how they will survive the winter, the grass offers reassurance. The story of the migrants in the intercalary chapters parallels that of the Joads. At the end of the novel, the family is breaking apart and has been forced to flee their home. However, both the book and final intercalary chapter end on a hopeful note after so much suffering has occurred. The grass metaphor strengthens Steinbeck’s message because it offers a tangible example of hope. Through his language Steinbeck’s themes become apparent at the end of the novel. Steinbeck affirms that persistence, even when problems appear insurmountable, leads to success. These metaphors help to strengthen Steinbeck’s themes in The Grapes of Wrath because they provide a more memorable way to recall important messages.

John Steinbeck’s language choices help to intensify his writing in his intercalary chapters and allow him to more clearly show how difficult life for migrants could be. Refraining from using specific names and terms allows Steinbeck to show that many thousands of migrants suffered through the same wrongs. Imitating the style of the Bible strengthens Steinbeck’s characters and connects them to the Bible, perhaps the most famous book in history. When Steinbeck writes in the imperfect dialogue of the migrants, he creates a more accurate portrayal and makes the migrants easier to relate to for a less affluent audience. Metaphors, particularly relating to nature, strengthen the themes in The Grapes of Wrath by enhancing the mood Steinbeck wants readers to feel at different points in the book. Overall, the intercalary chapters that Steinbeck includes improve his novel by making it more memorable and reinforcing the themes Steinbeck embraces throughout the novel. Exemplary stylistic devices further persuade readers of John Steinbeck’s personal beliefs. Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath to bring to light cruelties against migrants, and by using literary devices effectively, he continuously reminds readers of his purpose. Steinbeck’s impressive language choices in his intercalary chapters advance the entire novel and help to create a classic work of literature that people still are able to relate to today. 

This essay sticks pretty closely to the standard analytical essay outline. It starts with an introduction, where I chose to use a quote to start off the essay. (This became my favorite way to start essays in high school because, if I wasn’t sure what to say, I could outsource the work and find a quote that related to what I’d be writing about.) The quote in this essay doesn’t relate to the themes I’m discussing quite as much as it could, but it’s still a slightly different way to start an essay and can intrigue readers. I then give a bit of background on The Grapes of Wrath and its themes before ending the intro paragraph with my thesis: that Steinbeck used literary devices in intercalary chapters to show how rough migrants had it.

Each of my four body paragraphs is formatted in roughly the same way: an intro sentence that explains what I’ll be discussing, analysis of that main point, and at least two quotes from the book as evidence.

My conclusion restates my thesis, summarizes each of four points I discussed in my body paragraphs, and ends the essay by briefly discussing how Steinbeck’s writing helped introduce a world of readers to the injustices migrants experienced during the dust bowl.

What does this analytical essay example do well? For starters, it contains everything that a strong analytical essay should, and it makes that easy to find. The thesis clearly lays out what the essay will be about, the first sentence of each of the body paragraph introduces the topic it’ll cover, and the conclusion neatly recaps all the main points. Within each of the body paragraphs, there’s analysis along with multiple excerpts from the book in order to add legitimacy to my points.

Additionally, the essay does a good job of taking an in-depth look at the issue introduced in the thesis. Four ways Steinbeck used literary devices are discussed, and for each of the examples are given and analysis is provided so readers can understand why Steinbeck included those devices and how they helped shaped how readers viewed migrants and their plight.

Where could this essay be improved? I believe the weakest body paragraph is the third one, the one that discusses how Steinbeck used plain, grammatically incorrect language to both accurately depict the migrants and make them more relatable to readers. The paragraph tries to touch on both of those reasons and ends up being somewhat unfocused as a result. It would have been better for it to focus on just one of those reasons (likely how it made the migrants more relatable) in order to be clearer and more effective. It’s a good example of how adding more ideas to an essay often doesn’t make it better if they don’t work with the rest of what you’re writing. This essay also could explain the excerpts that are included more and how they relate to the points being made. Sometimes they’re just dropped in the essay with the expectation that the readers will make the connection between the example and the analysis. This is perhaps especially true in the second body paragraph, the one that discusses similarities to Biblical passages. Additional analysis of the quotes would have strengthened it.

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Summary: How to Write an Analytical Essay

What is an analytical essay? A critical analytical essay analyzes a topic, often a text or film. The analysis paper uses evidence to support the argument, such as excerpts from the piece of writing. All analytical papers include a thesis, analysis of the topic, and evidence to support that analysis.

When developing an analytical essay outline and writing your essay, follow these five steps:

Reading analytical essay examples can also give you a better sense of how to structure your essay and what to include in it.

What's Next?

Learning about different writing styles in school? There are four main writing styles, and it's important to understand each of them. Learn about them in our guide to writing styles , complete with examples.

Writing a research paper for school but not sure what to write about? Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you.

Literary devices can both be used to enhance your writing and communication. Check out this list of 31 literary devices to learn more !

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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How To Write An Analytical Essay A Full Guide

thesis analytical essay

Crafting an impeccable analytical essay is an art form that demands precision, insight, and a structured approach. Whether you’re delving into literature, dissecting historical events, or unraveling scientific theories, the ability to present a compelling analysis is pivotal. Here’s a comprehensive guide to navigate the intricate path of writing a flawless analytical essay.

What Is An Analytical Essay

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing that delves deeply into a topic, idea, or piece of literature. Unlike descriptive or narrative essays, which focus on providing a vivid description or telling a story, an analytical essay aims to examine and dissect its subject matter.

The primary objective of an analytical essay is to present a thorough analysis or interpretation of the subject, often breaking it down into its constituent parts and scrutinizing how they contribute to the whole.

Why Analytical Essay Is Important

Analytical essays play a pivotal role in developing critical thinking skills and fostering a deeper understanding of complex subjects. Through the meticulous examination and interpretation of information, these essays teach individuals how to dissect arguments, evaluate evidence, and form well-supported conclusions. They serve as a platform for honing analytical prowess, enabling individuals to engage with diverse perspectives, challenge assumptions, and articulate their insights effectively. Moreover, mastering the art of analytical essays equips individuals with invaluable skills applicable across various disciplines, fostering a capacity for logical reasoning, problem-solving, and persuasive communication—a skill set indispensable in academia, professional endeavors, and everyday life.

Tips For Writing A Good Analytical Essay

Understanding the essence.

To excel in analytical writing, one must comprehend the essence of analysis itself. It’s not merely about summarizing or narrating; it’s about deconstructing the core components, scrutinizing their significance, and synthesizing perspectives to derive insightful conclusions.

Devising a Strategic Blueprint

Begin with a comprehensive understanding of your subject matter. Formulate a thesis statement —a succinct encapsulation of your perspective—which serves as the guiding beacon throughout your essay. Craft an outline delineating key sections and their respective arguments, ensuring a logical flow that seamlessly connects each point.

The Pinnacle of Research

A sturdy analytical essay is built upon a foundation of rigorous research. Delve into reputable sources, be it scholarly articles, books, or credible online repositories. Gather diverse perspectives and data to fortify your arguments, but always uphold the standards of credibility and relevance.

Structure: The Backbone of Brilliance

A well-structured essay is akin to an architectural marvel. The introduction should entice readers with a gripping hook, provide context, and introduce the thesis statement. The body paragraphs, each beginning with a topic sentence, should expound on individual arguments supported by evidence and analysis. Finally, the conclusion should reaffirm the thesis while offering a nuanced synthesis of the essay’s core ideas.

The Art of Analysis

Here’s where the magic unfolds. Analyze, dissect, and interpret the data and evidence gathered. Scrutinize underlying themes, dissect intricate details, and juxtapose contrasting viewpoints. Employ analytical tools pertinent to your subject, such as literary devices for literature analyses, statistical methods for scientific inquiries, or historical frameworks for historical essays.

Precision in Language and Style

The language employed in an analytical essay should be precise, articulate, and tailored to convey complex ideas clearly. Utilize a formal tone, vary sentence structures, and employ transitions to ensure a seamless progression of ideas. Embrace clarity and coherence as your allies in elucidating intricate analyses.

Revisiting and Refining

Revision is the crucible wherein a good essay transforms into a great one. Review your work meticulously—check for coherence, refine arguments, ensure logical transitions, and verify the alignment of evidence with your thesis. Seek feedback from peers or mentors to gain diverse perspectives and refine your essay further.

Conclusion: A Culmination of Mastery

In conclusion, a perfect analytical essay isn’t merely a collection of facts and opinions; it’s an orchestrated symphony of critical thinking, analysis, and eloquent expression. Embrace the journey of discovery, relish the complexities, and let your essay resonate as a testament to your mastery of analytical prowess.

Best Place To Avail Analytical Essay Service

At Allessaywriter.com, excellence meets expertise in crafting exceptional analytical essay services . Our platform is your gateway to top-tier service, offering a seamless experience to elevate your academic journey. With a team of seasoned writers dedicated to precision and depth in analysis, we ensure tailored essays that reflect critical thinking and comprehensive understanding. Trust us for meticulous research, compelling arguments, and impeccable structure, all aimed at delivering the finest analytical essays that exceed expectations.

An analytical essay service encapsulates the culmination of rigorous analysis, insightful interpretation, and concise articulation. It serves as the pinnacle of intellectual prowess, combining critical thinking with eloquent expression to offer a profound understanding of complex subjects. So if you are still wondering about analytical essay writing then ask our writers and get our do my essay help services.

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Guide to writing an analytical essay, carla johnson.

  • June 13, 2023
  • Essay Topics and Ideas , How to Guides

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing in which a complicated topic or idea is broken down into smaller parts, analyzed and looked at, and a well-structured argument or evaluation is given. The main purpose of an analytical essay is to show that the writer has a deep understanding of the topic and can also think critically about it. Analytical essays are important in many fields, such as literature, history, science, and sociology. They require a deep knowledge of the topic and the ability to think critically and objectively about the information given. Analytical essays include things like a literary analysis, a research paper , or an analysis of a piece of rhetoric. Writing an analytical essay is useful because it helps the writer improve their analytical and critical thinking skills. In analytical essays, students must look at and evaluate different sources, find patterns and relationships, and come to meaningful conclusions. When students write analytical essays, they also improve their research skills because they have to find relevant information from multiple sources and put it all together in a logical argument.

Also, analytical essays are important in academic writing because they help students understand ideas, theories, and concepts that are hard to understand. By breaking a topic down into smaller parts, students can better understand it and figure out what the main ideas and themes are. Analytical essays help students get better at writing by making them present their arguments in a way that is clear, concise, and well-organized. Writing an analytical essay is a skill that students need to learn if they want to do well in school and in their careers. For analytical essays, you need to be able to think critically , do research, and write well, all of which are important for success in many fields. By getting better at these skills, students can become better writers and thinkers, which will help them reach their academic and career goals.

What You'll Learn

Understanding the Basics of Analytical Essays

There are a few main things that set an analytical essay apart from other types of essays. One of the most important things about it is that it requires a thorough look at the subject. An analytical essay isn’t just a description of a topic or a point of view. Instead, it calls for a thorough look at the subject, breaking it down into its different parts and evaluating each one carefully.

Argumentative essays try to convince the reader to agree with a certain point of view. Descriptive essays, on the other hand, try to give a detailed description of a topic. Analytical essays, on the other hand, require the writer to look at the topic objectively and judge it, as well as use evidence from different sources to back up their claims. In an analytical essay, you can’t say enough about how important analysis is. Analysis is the process of breaking down big ideas or thoughts into smaller, more manageable pieces. By analyzing the topic, the writer can find the main ideas, patterns, and connections, which can then be used to back up their arguments.

Also, analysis lets the author draw conclusions that make sense based on the evidence given. If there wasn’t any analysis in an analytical essay, it would just be a list of facts and opinions. Analysis is what gives depth and substance to an analytical essay and lets the writer make a well-reasoned, evidence-based argument.

Analytical essays are different from other types of essays because they focus on analysis and evaluation. They require a thorough look at a subject, breaking it down into its different parts and judging each one objectively. Students can get the skills they need to do well in school and in the workplace by learning what makes an analytical essay unique and what role analysis plays in this type of writing.

Choosing a Topic for Your Analytical Essay

It can be hard to decide what to write about in an analytical essay, but there are several ways to come up with ideas. One way to do this is to make a list of possible topics based on your interests, your schoolwork, or what’s going on in the world right now. You can also find possible topics by reading articles, books, or other materials in your field of study. When choosing a topic for your analytical essay, you should think about a few things. First and foremost, the topic must fit with the needs of the course or assignment. It should also be narrow enough to allow for a detailed analysis while still having enough information for research . Also, the topic should be something you’re interested in as a writer. This will make the writing process more interesting and fun.

To help you get started, here are some examples of potential analytical essay topics:

1. The impact of social media on mental health

2. Analyzing the themes of race and identity in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”

3. The role of technology in modern education

4. An analysis of the effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act

5. Examining the causes and consequences of income inequality in the United States

6. The portrayal of gender roles in Shakespeare’s plays

7. Analyzing the impact of climate change on global food production

8. A critical analysis of the role of the media in shaping public opinion

9. A comparison of different political ideologies and their impact on society

10. An analysis of the ethical implications of gene editing technology.

A topic for an analytical essay must be chosen with care, taking into account several factors such as relevance, scope, and personal interest. By brainstorming ideas, researching different sources, and applying these criteria, you can choose a topic that is both interesting and informative, allowing you to write a well-researched and well-argued analytical essay.

Conducting Research for Your Analytical Essay

In order to write an analytical essay, you need to do research. It lets the writer gather relevant information, find patterns and relationships, and come to conclusions that make sense. If you didn’t do research for your analytical essay, it wouldn’t have much substance or credibility, and the arguments you made would be weak and not backed up. You can gather information for your analytical essay from a number of different places. There are many examples, such as books, academic journals, online databases, government reports, and reputable news sources. When choosing sources, think about how relevant, reliable, and trustworthy they are. Academic sources like peer-reviewed journals and scholarly books are more reliable and credible than popular sources like blogs and social media posts.

To conduct effective research for your analytical essay, here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Start early: Give yourself plenty of time to conduct research, as it can be a time-consuming process.

2. Use multiple sources: Gather information from a variety of sources to ensure you have a well-rounded understanding of the topic.

3. Take notes: Keep detailed notes on the information you gather, including the source and page number, to make it easier to cite your sources later.

4. Evaluate your sources: Assess the reliability and credibility of your sources, looking for biases or conflicts of interest that may affect the information presented.

5. Organize your research: Create a system for organizing your research, such as using annotated bibliographies or note-taking apps, to keep track of your sources and ideas.

You can conduct effective research for your analytical essay by following these tips, gathering reliable and credible information that supports your arguments and improves the overall quality of your writing.

Developing a Thesis Statement for Your Analytical Essay

A thesis statement is a short sentence that sums up the main argument or point of an essay. It gives the reader a clear idea of where the author stands on the subject and acts as a road map. In an analytical essay, the thesis statement is very important because it sets the tone for the whole essay and shows the writer how to analyze and evaluate the subject . In an analytical essay, you can’t say enough about how important a strong thesis statement is. A well-written thesis statement states the writer’s main point in a clear and concise way, making it easier for the reader to follow the writer’s thought process and understand the purpose of the essay. A strong thesis statement also helps the writer focus their analysis and evaluation, making sure that each paragraph supports the main point and builds on it.

To develop a strong thesis statement for your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Start with a question: Ask yourself a question related to your topic and use the answer to develop your thesis statement.

2. Be specific: Your thesis statement should be specific and focused on the main argument of your essay .

3. Use evidence: Support your thesis statement with evidence from your research, such as quotes or statistics, to give it more credibility and strength.

4. Be original: Your thesis statement should be unique and original, providing a fresh perspective on the topic.

5. Revise as needed: As you write your essay , revisit your thesis statement and revise it if necessary to ensure it remains relevant and accurate.

By following these tips, you can develop a strong thesis statement for your analytical essay, providing a clear and concise statement of your main argument and guiding the reader through your analysis and evaluation of the topic.

Analytical Essay Structure

An analytical essay is made up of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, just like a regular essay. The purpose of the introduction is to give background on the topic, introduce the thesis statement, and get the reader interested. Through analysis and evaluation of the topic, the body paragraphs should support the thesis statement with evidence and examples . The conclusion should sum up the main points of the essay and restate the thesis statement in a new way that makes sense.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of the structure of an analytical essay:

1. Introduction: The introduction should set the tone for the essay by providing background information on the subject as well as a clear thesis statement. It should also engage the reader and convey the writer’s point of view on the subject.

2. Body paragraphs: The body of the essay should be divided into several paragraphs, each focusing on a different aspect of the topic. Each paragraph should start with a clear topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and then proceed to an analysis and evaluation of the subject matter, using evidence and examples to support the writer’s argument.

3. Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the essay’s main points and restate the thesis statement in a new and meaningful way. It should also provide the reader with a sense of closure, leaving them with a clear understanding of the writer’s point of view on the subject.

To organize your ideas in an analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Create an outline: Before you start writing your essay , create an outline that organizes your ideas and supports your thesis statement. This will help you to organize your thoughts and ensure that each paragraph supports the main argument.

2. Use topic sentences: Each paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and provides a roadmap for the reader.

3. Use evidence: Use evidence and examples to support each point you make in your essay , ensuring that each paragraph reinforces the main argument.

4. Use transitions: Use transitional phrases and sentences to connect your ideas and ensure that your essay flows smoothly from one paragraph to the next.

By following these tips, you can organize your ideas effectively in an analytical essay, producing a well-structured and well-supported piece of writing.

Writing the Introduction Paragraph

An analytical essay’s introduction paragraph serves as a road map for the reader, providing background information on the topic, introducing the thesis statement, and engaging the reader. The introduction’s purpose is to set the tone for the essay , grab the reader’s attention, and provide a clear understanding of the writer’s viewpoint on the topic.

To write an engaging introduction paragraph for your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Start with a hook: Begin your introduction with a hook that captures the reader’s attention and makes them want to keep reading. This could be a surprising statistic, a provocative question, or a striking image.

2. Provide background information: Provide some context for the topic by providing background information and explaining why it is important.

3. Introduce the thesis statement: Clearly state your thesis statement in the introduction, providing a roadmap for the reader and guiding the rest of your essay.

4. Be concise: Keep your introduction concise and to the point, avoiding unnecessary information or tangents.

5. Revise as needed: As you write your essay, revisit your introduction and revise it as needed to ensure that it remains relevant and engaging.

Here are some examples of effective introduction paragraphs for an analytical essay:

1. “Throughout history, the concept of justice has been a subject of debate and controversy. From the ancient Greeks to modern-day philosophers, the definition and application of justice have been explored in depth. In this essay, I will examine the concept of justice in the context of criminal justice reform and argue that a more restorative approach is needed to address the root causes of crime and reduce recidivism.

2. The rise of social media has had a profound impact on our society, transforming the way we communicate, share information, and interact with the world around us. However, this transformation has not been without its challenges. In this essay, I will explore the impact of social media on mental health and argue that we need to take a more proactive approach to addressing the negative effects of social media on our well-being.

3. “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, affecting everything from the environment to the economy. Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, there are still those who deny the reality of climate change or refuse to take action. In this essay, I will analyze the reasons for this denial and argue that we need to take urgent action to address the threat of climate change before it’s too late.”

Writing the Body Paragraphs

An analytical essay’s body paragraphs are where the writer presents their analysis and evaluation of the topic. The purpose of the body paragraphs is to provide evidence and examples to support the thesis statement, while using clear and concise language to make the argument as persuasive as possible.

To write clear and concise body paragraphs for your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Use topic sentences: Each body paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and provides a roadmap for the reader.

2. Provide evidence: Use evidence and examples to support each point you make in your essay , ensuring that each paragraph reinforces the main argument. The evidence should be relevant, reliable, and credible.

3. Use analysis and evaluation: Analyze and evaluate the evidence you present to demonstrate how it supports your argument. This shows the reader that you have thought deeply about the topic and considered multiple perspectives.

4. Be clear and concise: Use clear and concise language to make your argument as persuasive as possible. Avoid using jargon, complex sentences, or overly technical language that may confuse the reader.

5. Use transitions: Use transitional phrases and sentences to connect your ideas smoothly and ensure that your essay flows from one paragraph to the next.

Here are some examples of effective body paragraphs for an analytical essay:

1. The first reason why a restorative approach to criminal justice reform is necessary is that it addresses the root causes of crime. Rather than simply punishing offenders, restorative justice encourages dialogue between the offender and the victim, allowing both parties to understand the harm that has been caused and work together to find a solution. This approach has been shown to reduce recidivism rates and promote healing within communities.”

2. One of the most significant negative effects of social media on mental health is the increase in anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that social media use is associated with feelings of isolation, comparison, and low self-esteem, all of which contribute to poor mental health . In order to address this issue, we need to take a more proactive approach to promoting mental health and well-being, such as limiting social media use, encouraging face-to-face interactions, and providing mental health resources for those in need.

3. One of the main reasons why climate change denial persists is due to the influence of special interest groups and political ideology . These groups use their resources to spread misinformation and discredit the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. In order to combat this, we need to prioritize education and awareness, promote scientific literacy, and hold those who spread misinformation accountable for their actions.”

Writing the Conclusion Paragraph

The conclusion paragraph of an analytical essay summarizes the author’s main points and emphasizes the significance of the thesis statement. The conclusion’s goal is to leave a lasting impression on the reader by bringing the essay to a close and reinforcing the main argument .

To write a strong conclusion for your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Restate the thesis statement: The conclusion should restate the thesis statement in a new and meaningful way, emphasizing its importance and relevance to the topic.

2. Summarize the main points: Summarize the main points of the essay, highlighting the evidence and examples that support the thesis statement .

3. Provide a final thought: End the essay with a final thought or reflection on the topic, leaving the reader with something to think about or consider.

4. Be concise: Keep the conclusion concise and to the point, avoiding any new information or arguments.

5. Make it memorable: Use language and phrasing that is memorable and impactful, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Here are some examples of effective conclusion paragraphs for an analytical essay:

1. “In conclusion, a restorative approach to criminal justice reform is not only necessary but essential. By addressing the root causes of crime, promoting dialogue and understanding, and fostering healing within communities, we can create a more just and equitable society for all.”

2. In order to address the negative effects of social media on mental health , we need to take a more proactive approach to promoting well-being. By limiting social media use, encouraging face-to-face interactions, and providing mental health resources, we can create a healthier and more connected society.

3. “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and we must take urgent action to address it. By promoting education and awareness, prioritizing scientific literacy, and holding those who spread misinformation accountable, we can create a more sustainable and equitable future for generations to come.”

Editing and Proofreading Your Analytical Essay

The editing and proofreading stages of the essay writing process are critical. It ensures that the essay is clear, concise, and error-free, improving overall writing quality and the credibility of the arguments presented.

To edit and proofread your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Take a break: After completing your essay, take a break before editing and proofreading it. This will allow you to approach the essay with fresh eyes and a clear mind.

2. Read it out loud: Reading the essay out loud can help you to identify awkward phrasing, grammatical errors, and other issues.

3. Be consistent: Ensure that you are consistent in your use of language, formatting, and citation styles throughout the essay.

4. Use a checklist: Use a checklist to ensure that you have addressed all the necessary components of the essay, such as the thesis statement, evidence, and analysis.

5. Get feedback: Ask a friend or colleague to read your essay and provide feedback on areas that need improvement.

Common mistakes to avoid in analytical essays include:

1. Using overly complicated language or jargon that may confuse the reader.

2. Failing to provide evidence or examples to support the thesis statement.

3. Neglecting to address counterarguments or alternative perspectives on the topic.

4. Making unsupported claims or presenting opinions as facts.

5. Failing to proofread and edit the essay thoroughly, leading to grammatical errors and typos.

By following these tips and avoiding common mistakes, you can edit and proofread your analytical essay effectively, producing a well-written and error-free piece of writing.

Analytical Essay Examples

Here are some examples of successful analytical essays:

1. “The Symbolism of the Green Light in The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald: This essay analyzes the symbolism of the green light in the novel, arguing that it represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams and his ultimate failure to achieve them.

2. “The Rhetoric of Malcolm X” by Malcolm X: In this essay, Malcolm X analyzes his own rhetorical strategies, explaining how he uses language and persuasion to achieve his goals.

3. “The Role of Women in Shakespeare’s Macbeth” by William Shakespeare: This essay analyzes the role of women in the play, arguing that they are often marginalized and oppressed by the male characters.

Each of these essays follows a clear and well-structured format, with a strong thesis statement, supporting evidence, and a clear conclusion. The writers use analysis and evaluation to present their arguments, using evidence and examples to support their claims.

When using analytical essay examples to improve your writing, here are some tips to consider:

1. Choose examples that are relevant to your topic or subject matter.

2. Read the example essays carefully, paying attention to the structure, language, and evidence used.

3. Identify the thesis statement and main arguments of the essay.

4. Analyze the evidence used to support the arguments, evaluating its relevance and credibility.

5. Consider how the writer uses language and rhetoric to persuade the reader.

6. Use The examples as a guide for structuring your own essay, but be sure to use your own unique ideas and perspective.

7. Practice writing your own analytical essays and seek feedback from others to improve your writing skills.

8. Avoid copying or plagiarizing the example essays, as this can lead to serious academic consequences.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. what is an analytical essay.

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing that requires the writer to analyze and evaluate a specific topic or subject matter. The writer presents an argument or thesis statement and supports it with evidence and examples, using analysis and evaluation to persuade the reader.

2. What are the main characteristics of an analytical essay?

The main characteristics of an analytical essay include:

– A clear and concise thesis statement that presents the writer’s argument

– Use of evidence and examples to support the argument

– Analysis and evaluation of the evidence presented

– Clear and logical structure, with well-developed paragraphs and transitions between them

– Use of formal and academic language

– Objective and impartial tone

3. What are some tips for writing an analytical essay?

Here are some tips for writing an analytical essay:

– Choose a topic that interests you and that you can analyze in depth

– Develop a clear and concise thesis statement that presents your argument

– Use evidence and examples to support your argument, ensuring that they are relevant, reliable, and credible

– Analyze and evaluate the evidence presented, demonstrating your critical thinking skills

– Use a clear and logical structure, with well-developed paragraphs and transitions between them

– Use formal and academic language, avoiding slang and colloquialisms

– Edit and proofread your essay thoroughly, ensuring that it is error-free and well-written.

To summarize, writing an effective analytical essay necessitates a thorough understanding of the subject matter, a well-developed thesis statement, strong evidence and analysis, and a clear and logical structure. To summarize the main points covered in this guide:

– The writer of an analytical essay must analyze and evaluate a specific topic or subject matter.

– A clear thesis statement, evidence and examples to support the argument, analysis and evaluation of the evidence, a clear and logical structure, formal and academic language, and an objective tone are the main characteristics of an analytical essay.

– Choosing a relevant topic, developing a clear thesis statement, using credible evidence and examples, analyzing and evaluating the evidence, using a clear and logical structure, using formal and academic language, and thoroughly editing and proofreading the essay are all tips for writing a successful analytical essay.

An effective analytical essay demonstrates critical thinking skills as well as the ability to analyze and evaluate complex issues. It is an important skill for both academic and professional success.

Finally, practicing writing on a regular basis, seeking feedback from others, and reading and analyzing examples of successful analytical essays can all help you improve your own writing skills.

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  • How to write a literary analysis essay | A step-by-step guide

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.

A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.

Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :

  • An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.
  • A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
  • A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.

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Table of contents

Step 1: reading the text and identifying literary devices, step 2: coming up with a thesis, step 3: writing a title and introduction, step 4: writing the body of the essay, step 5: writing a conclusion, other interesting articles.

The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis.

Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices —textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.

To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.

Language choices

Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?

What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. “her eyes were oceans”) and simile (e.g. “her eyes were like oceans”).

Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.

Narrative voice

Ask yourself:

  • Who is telling the story?
  • How are they telling it?

Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?

Consider the narrator’s perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.

The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?

Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.

  • Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.
  • Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.
  • Plays are divided into scenes and acts.

Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.

There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?

With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.

In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for  dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.

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thesis analytical essay

Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It’s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.

If you’re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:

Essay question example

Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?

Your thesis statement should be an answer to this question—not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn’t the case:

Thesis statement example

Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.

Sometimes you’ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you’ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.

Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.

Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:

Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:

The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:

Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.

Finding textual evidence

To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.

It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they’re convincing.

To start your literary analysis paper, you’ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.

Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.

A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.

If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don’t worry—this will be easier once you’ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.

“Fearful symmetry” : The violence of creation in William Blake’s “The Tyger”

The introduction

The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.

A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.

Then you can end with a brief indication of what’s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn’t be more than one sentence.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it’s not a bad idea. After all, you’ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you’ve begun writing them!

If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.

The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.

Paragraph structure

A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.

Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don’t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text—only analysis that drives your argument.

In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.

Robert’s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels “a sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.” He identifies the moment of their meeting as “the beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it” (p. 89). Gil-Martin’s “invisible power” seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.

Topic sentences

To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like “however” or “moreover” are useful for creating smooth transitions:

… The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.

Nevertheless, the “radiance” that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.

This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word “nevertheless” points out a contrast with the previous paragraph’s conclusion.

Using textual evidence

A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.

It’s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you’re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:

It isn’t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you’re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you’ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can’t be captured in a short quote.

In these cases, it’s more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the text—that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:

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The conclusion of your analysis shouldn’t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it’s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.

A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they’ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.

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Analytical Essay: Dissection of Student’s Feared Topic

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Analytical essay is not just a nightmare for college students, it also gives them a headache when they are making one. Every student finds these essays cumbersome and excessively demanding due to the nature of complexities involved in them. That’s the prime reason these students fail in their term papers, coursework projects, etc.

We almost had you! Right? In the presence of our esteemed professional writers, there’s nothing to worry about! We will make your day by offering you all the information you need to become successful in your academic career. If you’re struggling to get to grips with such assignments, this blog post is for you. Today, we will discuss everything from writing an analytical essay to outlining its various parts.

Additionally, we will provide you with an ideal essay example that’ll do more than just providing you knowledge. So, take out your notepads / tablets / computers and start scribbling right away. Let’s get ready because we are deep diving into this topic right now!

Table of Contents

How to Write an Analytical Essay?

Writing an analytical essay is not as difficult as doing a thorough analysis yourself. Since a critical analysis essay is all about analyzing a topic / subject/ personality/ character / book / or any literary write-up or idea, we have to do two types of analysis in it. The first one is looking at it through a microscopic view and secondly is by the author’s point of view or eyes.

Analytic essay is your golden opportunity to demonstrate your skills to provide a critical point of view about a topic and enlighten your audience. Let’s just start learning how to write one when you’re clueless and need immediate help.

how to write analytical essay

Read the Prompt Thoroughly

The first thing a student must do is thoroughly study the essay prompt if given by your professor. Typically, an analytic essay is given by your professor or college board to evaluate a candidate’s abilities of examining a phenomena. On the other hand, if you have been given a free choice of picking any topic of your liking then you must do so, as you’re told.

Your essay prompt provides you directions and rest is on you to figure out the purpose of the assignment. The first thing a student must do is to read the prompt a minimum of three times. Read it and understand what are the requirements you must follow and in case you need further guidelines or space in exploring the topic further.

It’s alright if you feel confused at first or even at second attempt, because college assignments are not meant to be a piece of cake. For the same reason, it’s recommended to read three times and understand the context from your teacher’s point of view. After you do it a couple of times, you’ll know what to do and how to do it.

Pick a Topic

The second and one of the essential steps of writing an analytic essay is choosing a topic. Your topic is the direction you will choose to achieve your objectives. For example, if you’re a psychology student then you can choose a subject such as what is an  existential crisis  and how to overcome it. For students of applied and clinical psychology this topic is relevant and allows them to present their analysis.

Similarly, medical science students can choose a topic for a cause and effect essay and enlighten their audience on the extent of a disease, etc. When choosing a topic do remember to avoid certain steps that will cause nothing but trouble:

  • Choosing a topic out of discipline / scope /
  • Topic that requires resources other than your institution provided you
  • Subject that requires prior authorization or approval
  • A topic that’s based on opinions rather than facts
  • Challenging previous studies without proof / evidence(s)
  • Going beyond the depths of your skills and abilities
  • Easy topic that lacks your audience’s interest or surface-level information

When a subject for your analytic essay, it’s important to avoid aforementioned mistakes that are common in academic writing.

Start Researching on it

After going through the topic’s selection process, it’s time to start researching about it. In today’s digital age, you can speed up the process by finding relevant information on the internet as well. There are two types of research involved in this process: one deals with empirical or statistical data, and the other is non-empirical.

To start a statistical or quantitative research method, you first need to gather evidence that demonstrates results in numbers. Most of the science, medical, psychology, economics and marketing subjects require quantitative methods to follow in the assignment making process.

On the contrary, literature, sociology, history and anthropy requires only the use of qualitative research techniques. Regardless of the requirement of the research method, your evidence must be solid and should stand firm with time. To have a credible research readily available at your side, here are the things that you should follow:

  • Start your research from prominent scholarly journals, books, newspapers, etc
  • After collecting the evidence from them, use secondary sources such as books, articles written on the primary sources of research and experiments, etc
  • The last step is gathering the evidence on the opinions from the readers who get to read the book and understand the context as well.

By doing the steps above mentioned, you’ll be able to gather three types of research and it will help you create your narrative on the topic.

Formulate an Outline Deduce from the Research

The next essential component of writing an analytic essay is making an outline from the arguments you deduce from your research. Making an outline is a technical part and one must consider how many arguments they should add in the body section that respond to queries appropriately. A general outline of analytical essay consist of three sections or parts known as:

  • Introduction (starting paragraph)
  • Body paragraph (middle section)
  • A conclusion part (last paragraph)

Irrespective of the word count or requirements of the essay, it must consist of these parts. These parts of outline help your readers navigate to the exact section they want to read. For example, if your audience wants to read about the facts or evidence you’ve collected they can easily move to body paragraphs.

The last part of an outline is a conclusion. It circles around restating your thesis statement and provides a closure or end for your audience. An author provides a summary of all the main findings in this section, and gives their concluding remarks. Upon making an exclusive and wonderful conclusion, you can leave a lingering impression on your audience.

Write your First Draft

Here comes the composing part where you must write all the worlds and thoughts you gathered on the topic. As we discussed before you need to compartmentalize all of your arguments into an outline and then add them in the relevant sections. Your first draft must have these following details in the essay such as:

Introduction

An introduction is the first paragraph of the essay. It consists of three parts such as a hook sentence, background information and a thesis statement. All of these parts collectively form the outer shell of the intro section. Let’s discuss the role of each part in detail here.

A hook statement is the first line of the essay that serves as the eye grabbing or attention grabber sentence. It can be a famous quote, a historical fact or an eye opening result. You can write it in one or maximum two lines with word count ranging from 8 to 20.

The second part is background information that informs the audience about the origins of the topic or subject in question. This way you provide your audience with information that plays a pivotal role in their understanding and evokes an emotional response in them.

And finally, we have the life line of the essay and yes that’s a “Thesis Statement”. It’s the crux of the entire effort and educates the audience why they should accept the author’s opinion. Typically, you can formulate the thesis sentence after you gather all the evidence and read all the books and supporting evidence.

Body Paragraph(s)

A body paragraph section is the middle part of the essay and is by far the lengthiest one. It consists of the author’s opinion, corroborating evidence and adding anti-thesis and its answers in the rebuttal.

The body paragraph must start with a topic sentence that provides a short summary of the entire paragraph’s discussion. After that, you must add your arguments on the topic and let the conversation flow logically. A golden rule of thumb says you must add one argument and then its supporting evidence. This way, each of your arguments is backed by evidence and informs the audience appropriately.

Lastly, you can add transition words to crossover from one topic or point of discussion to the next one. It helps connect two different or opposing ideas and makes a bridge between them.

This is where you end your discussion and assure your readers that there’s nothing more that should be added in the context and they have to accept the author’s take on the topic. When you write this section, divide your attention into three sections.

When you start writing a conclusion, start from presenting the summary of the entire discussion you’ve started and is about to end. Secondly, reiterate the thesis sentence to provide emphasis on your research and its crux.

Thirdly, you must present your final remarks that closes the door for further discussion on the topic for now. Your conclusion remarks must be strong and persuasive enough to demonstrate your command on the topic.

Finally, the conclusion must show its significance to future generations and usefulness in the field of your studies.

Revise the Essay

After writing all the parts of the essay such as introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, it’s time to revise your write-up. A revision is the best way where structural issues can be diagnosed and rectified timely.

Revision is a technique that not only helps you in seeing the issues but it also educates students on common slip-ups in their writing.

Proofread and Edit the Analytical Essay

The last part of writing an essay is doing a thorough proofreading for rectifying typos. Any grammatical issues can be solved at this stage. Students can use many tools for such work and improve their vocabulary and grammar issues. Lastly, in the light of the highlighted changes, edit your draft and make appropriate changes. Read the essay again and seek professional help if you think of having less skills and time required for this task. Submit the essay to your professor after completing it.

By following these guidelines students can compose breathtaking analytical essays for their college assignments. Our expert’s guide provides a step by step process that helps in understanding the actions students must take without deviating from the requirements.

Defining What is an Analytical Essay?

An analytic essay is a college assignment typically assigned to higher education students who are seeking master’s or PhD level degrees. By its definition an analytical essay allows students to choose a topic and discuss it with critical analysis under a microscope.

For instance, students can choose a topic such as dictatorship and then they must do thorough research on this subject. On the other hand, students also need to educate their audience about what are the benefits and disadvantages of this ideology, etc. Origins, current state and future iterations also needed to be mentioned in this write-up.

In short, the further you dig, the better it will get for your audience. Additionally, your analysis must be objective, adding a subjective tone may cost you top grades. Although, a small space is given for a subjective opinion but exaggeration is strictly prohibited for doing so.

This definition will help students get to grips with this academic writing style that focuses on the examination of an idea or topic with a critical eye.

Creating an Analytical Essay Outline Template

It becomes a handful for students to create an outline for an analytical essay and make it work. Don’t worry, here we will be discussing all about it and make you a pro in no time. Let’s look at the following parts of the analytical essay outline.

Start Making a Good Introduction

The initial step for a student is to craft an engaging introduction for their essay, a crucial component of an analytical essay’s structure. As it’s the first element that your reader or professor encounters, adhering to the guidelines we’ve outlined here is critical.

Begin with a captivating hook sentence that will pique your audience’s interest. Ensure your hook is compelling enough to entice your readers to peruse the entire essay. Following this, provide some background information on the topic to enlighten your readers. Finally, incorporate a thesis statement to exhibit your mastery of the subject.

This way, you will quickly complete the first part of the structure, which will inspire your peers as well. Here is an example of introduction template for better understanding of the practical work:

“Religious fascism is today’s biggest dilemma and causes mass influx of cruelty and terror in the world. Since the inception of religion and its cult following, people who are followers of any theology interjected and forcefully stomp their superiority on others. Supposedly the pious leadership of the catholic church and other organized religion took control of the state and held captive basic civil rights and freedom of speech. Salem trials of 1692 is a best example of injustice in persecution of women harassed, tortured and killed under the name of religion.

Step by step abolition of churches and religious authority over the state results in greater peace, one that was never predicted has been achieved. For longer peace and prosperity, it’s essential for state institutions to completely suppress religion and make them limited to the compounds of the church, temple etc should be the top priority of any country or a free state.”

Students we have presented you with the best version of an introduction part of an critical analysis essay. You can take an example from it and make one for your college assignment.

Make Body Paragraphs

The main body of an essay’s blueprint is the most pivotal component. It encompasses the writer’s investigation, contrasting viewpoints, and corroborating proof. Learners should initiate their main body sections with a concise introductory sentence that encapsulates the paragraph’s content.

The subsequent step involves presenting your arguments on the subject, supplemented by substantiating evidence that aligns with your position. If the subject’s investigation is extensive and the proof exceeds a couple of points, you may consider incorporating a second and third paragraph.

Following the enumeration of corroborating evidence, it’s advisable to introduce counter arguments or dissenting opinions. These opposing views originate from individuals who disagree with your position. Their inclusion offers a balanced outlook that underscores your reliability and objectivity regarding the topic.

The final task is to incorporate transitional phrases to facilitate movement from one paragraph to another. These transitions also maintain coherence when shifting from one section to another or transitioning to an entirely different subject.

Let’s have a look at body paragraph’s template:

“Just like crimes, organized religion spreads its tentacles into the society and makes it hollow with fake preaching and surface-level understanding. All the elected popes run secretive societies where they allow for persecution,torture and brainwashing techniques to their followers and non-followers. 

Dan Brown’s book Da Vinci Code clearly provides historic evidence of catholic church’s involvement in Salem Witch Trial and killings of Protestant and Eastern Orthodox church followers. Knights Templars were the biggest army at the church’s disposal and they killed thousands on the behest of the Pope of Rome. Religious extremism exists in many forms today and 9/11 attacks on twin towers is an example of one where islamic terrorists killed more than 3000 people in New Work City according to the US Department of Defense website. So we can safely establish that religious extremism in any form should be disbanded by all possible means.

End the Debate in Conclusion Paragraph

The concluding section of the analytical essay blueprint is the finale. The initial step you should undertake is to reaffirm your thesis statement, underscoring its significance and applicability. Following this, encapsulate the primary points of the essay along with a final remark. The closing comments bring the discussion to a halt, leaving no room for further debates or disagreements. Lastly, highlight the value of your work and its potential contribution to future scholarly research.

The conclusion you provide must be good and composed keeping in view the future challenges. This way you will be able to forecast five to ten years in future and provide your perspective to your readers. Let’s look at a conclusion example:

“We have established that organized religion and its extremist wing have created havoc in our society. There are no instances where religion played a good role in society. From creation of killing squads like Knights Templar to public prosecution of Salem Witches, history has witnessed brutality all over the world. It’s essential for political parties to part ways from such criminal actions and arrest supporters as well.

For creating greater harmony and love between different cultures and societies, it’s essential to devoid these actions or steps from religion and promote non-religious discussions and trade of ideas than selling beliefs and hatred”

Students we have presented a completed outline template for your understanding. You can take inspiration or follow it and compose marvelous essays for your assignments.

Analytical Essay Introduction

The opening paragraph of an analytical essay introduction serves as the initial segment of the task. Its main objective is to convey information to the readers utilizing a variety of methods. The first line you pen down will serve as your captivating sentence, designed to elicit an emotional reaction from the readers.

A writer possesses the liberty to sway their reader’s perception by employing a captivating sentence that personally engages them. This strategy allows you to persuade them to pursue your scholarly paper from beginning to end.

The subsequent section involves incorporating background data into the context. This portion underscores the significance of the issue addressed in the final paper. It also acquaints the audience with the historical background of the topic and underscores the urgency of its resolution.

Analytical Essay Thesis Statement

The third stage commences with the creation of a succinct analytical essay thesis statement that encapsulates the research question and topic. Once you’ve amassed your research materials and evidence, crafting your thesis sentence becomes a straightforward task. However, without comprehensive and relevant information, the formulation of this critical statement is unattainable. For a college term paper research statement, it’s imperative to keep it brief yet packed with insightful details.

A hypothesis statement, positioned at the conclusion of the introductory paragraph, enlightens readers about your method of arriving at the results. It serves as the cornerstone of your entire discussion and the arguments put forth in support or opposition of the subject.

To articulate your central idea of analytical essay thesis statement, adhere to the steps outlined below:

  • Ensure it’s incisive and compelling
  • It should be pertinent to the overall topic and its context
  • Strive for utmost precision
  • It should encapsulate the topic, research question, and research answer in a single sentence.
  • Once you’ve drafted your thesis sentence, polish it further before proceeding to the outline section.

Analytical Essay Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of an analytical essay serve as the core of the outline, where students are required to incorporate their comprehensive research. This section includes a review of literature, discussion, methodologies, and more. It’s a critical juncture for students where they need to demonstrate their proficiency and abilities to convince their readers.

Initiate the body paragraph with a sentence that encapsulates the topic, providing your audience with a glimpse of what’s to be discussed in this section. Following this, you can delve into the key points and substantiate your arguments with solid evidence.

In the body section, you can also explore the literature review and pinpoint the gaps in the existing material. This approach allows you to swiftly identify areas requiring enhancement and propose solutions to address them.

Incorporating counterarguments in your research paper is also advisable. This step enables you to present your responses or counterarguments, showcasing your impartiality and competence as a writer, which can help persuade your readers. After embedding all the persuasive elements and proofs in the body paragraph, you can then transition to crafting a conclusion.

Steps for How to Write an Analytical Essay

The steps to process analysis essays are given below that will surely help students from all disciplines and knowledge. Let’s look at them one by one:

Step 1: Choose Topic for Process Analysis Essays

Even if you’re a skilled writer with aspirations of turning professional, there are still many steps to take. One of the first steps in writing an analytical essay is choosing a topic. Your topic serves as a compass, guiding your research and ensuring you stay on track.

There are several strategies students can use to choose a topic effectively. If you’re unsure about what to choose, consider reviewing previously published work for inspiration. This can be a quick way to find a solution.

Alternatively, you could seek guidance from your professor or student counselor. They are well-equipped to provide valuable advice that can greatly benefit your essay.

Lastly, you could choose a topic based on your personal interest and its breadth. This allows you to stay engaged and delve deeper into the subject and its various subtopics.

Step 2: Conduct Research

The second phase involves conducting an exhaustive investigation on the subject matter. The depth of your research will directly influence the novelty of the information you present to your readers. A robust research foundation is crucial for ensuring your essay unfolds as intended.

During the research and evidence collection process, students should steer clear of common pitfalls that could compromise their work and its credibility. These errors are not confined to any particular field and include:

  • Conducting inadequate research or providing insufficient justification for research points
  • Relying on sources with questionable credibility
  • Using outdated or invalidated analyses that have been superseded by newer methodologies
  • Including content that is not relevant to the specific scenario discussed in the topic
  • Citing research sources without obtaining the author’s consent.

Step 3. Create Ideas in your Mind

Upon conducting thorough research, begin by creating a mind map of your arguments. Consider various strategies that could effectively convince your audience to favor your viewpoint over existing ones. Incorporate ideas that align with the evidence you’ve gathered. Once your mind map is fully developed, you’re prepared to move on to the subsequent step.

Step 4. Start with Intro Section

Begin the drafting process by crafting an engaging opening paragraph. Draw in your audience with a compelling first sentence, often referred to as a hook. This should be concise and designed to pique their curiosity about the topic. Follow this with some contextual information about the subject to give your readers a solid foundation. At this point, your readers should have a good understanding of the topic. Conclude with a thesis statement that offers your unique viewpoint on the subject.

Step 5. Add Research to the Body Paragraph

Now, incorporate the research or evidence you’ve gathered and refined for your audience. The best practice is to follow each of your statements with its corresponding evidence. This approach allows for a swift presentation of your narrative and its supporting evidence, preventing any confusion for the audience.

After you’ve presented your evidence, which could be a quote, an interview, or a journal reference, introduce contrasting viewpoints to demonstrate your neutrality on the subject. Include a counter-argument that addresses these opposing views. At this point, you’ve reached the crucial phase of your essay writing process.

Step 6. Write a Conclusion

The conclusion serves as the juncture where the key points of the assignment are recapped. It weaves together various thoughts and offers a final viewpoint on the subject matter. The conclusion underscores the thesis statement and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Step 7. Reference or Bibliography

It’s imperative to recognize the resources utilized in your work. The section for references or bibliography enumerates all the books, articles, websites, or other materials you consulted during your research. This part not only enhances the trustworthiness of your assignment but also safeguards against any plagiarism allegations. By grasping these elements of coursework structure, you can efficiently arrange your assignments and articulate your thoughts in a logical manner. Therefore, when you undertake such tasks next time, ensure to include these vital aspects and observe your grades escalate.

These steps will help you write process analysis essays with comfort and compliance. 

Analytical Essay Topics

Analytical essay topics pertain to a specific category of essays that necessitate comprehensive scrutiny. The author meticulously inspects the topic, deconstructs it into its fundamental elements, and delivers a critique or evaluation. These topics can span a wide array of fields such as literature, films, art pieces, societal matters, scientific phenomena, and more.

For example, in the realm of literature, an analytical essay topic could be “Examine the motif of deceit in Shakespeare’s Hamlet”. In this scenario, the author would dissect the play, furnish evidence of deceit, and interpret its influence on the storyline and characters.

When it comes to societal matters, a topic like “Examine the origins and repercussions of income disparity in metropolitan regions” would necessitate an in-depth exploration of socio-economic elements contributing to income inequality and its aftermath.

In the field of science, a topic could be “Examine the repercussions of climate change on polar ice caps”. This would entail an exhaustive analysis of climate data and interpretation of its impact on polar regions.

Bear in mind that the objective is not merely to recapitulate the topic but to delve into it, comprehend its subtleties, and deliver an educated evaluation. It’s about probing beneath the surface to understand the intricacies of the subject matter.

Click to see more “ Analytical Essay Topics “

Analytical Essay Examples

Many students wonder how to find the analytical essay examples but today their luck is about to change for good! We will share the types and examples of analytical essays here to end the confusion for students. These examples are mentioned below:

Poetry Analysis Essay

Poetry analysis essays allow a writer or a student to examine or present their critical analysis on a piece of poem, book’s paragraph or stanzas, etc. Typically, these assignments are common for English literature students. They are difficult and make students dig more into the historical value of the poem and its effects on the readers.

Process Analysis Essay

Process analysis essays explain how a process in a system works such as “how the car engine works”, etc. Students need to explain everything in a step by step approach and educate their audience how a process is completed.

Character Analysis Essay

A character analysis essay allows writers to explain or provide an analysis about a character. This character can be a historical figure, such as a politician, actor, philosopher, writer, etc. Students must choose a character that played a significant role in history or in the present and explain the intimate details about them.

click to see more “ Analytical Essay Examples “

Analytical Essay Conclusion

“The final part of your analytical essay is the conclusion, where you summarize your narration and connect it to your main point. To write a good conclusion, you should follow these steps:

  • Show how the thesis and the story are related.
  • Remind the reader of the key events that shaped the story.
  • Explain the main message that your narration conveys.
  • Emphasize the importance of the climax and its effects on the story.
  • End with a statement or a question that makes the reader think.
  • Do not introduce new information.
  • Reinforce a takeaway message.

Understanding the nuances of an analytical essay necessitates a tactical plan. The steps outlined in this guide are organized and straightforward, ensuring that you can craft an exceptional illustrative essay by adhering to them.

If you encounter difficulties while composing an analytical essay, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Expert assignment writing services are available to provide guidance and support.

With the right assistance, you can create compelling work that includes powerful arguments and reliable evidence.

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Thesis Statement Generator for Analytical Essays

Generate a beautiful thesis in no time with our analytical essay thesis generator.

There are different types of analytical thesis statements that one could generate through this AI tool. A good analytical thesis statement can make or break your essay and define your grades. When you have no idea how to write, the best way for you to get things done is to have a good thesis statement first, then work your way from there. Our tool will quickly formulate a beautiful thesis for you. Analytical thesis statement examples are a nice bonus!

  • 🎓 How to Use the Tool
  • 📝 Analytical Essay Types

✅ How to Write an Analytical Essay?

  • 🤓 Thesis Statement Examples

🔗 References

🎓 analytical thesis statement generator: how to use it.

A thesis statement generator for analytical essays is a gift from the AI world. There are a lot of options available in the market today. Whether you want to have an argumentative or critical analysis essay, a thesis statement generator for an analytical essay is one of the best things you could use to help get you started.

To generate a thesis statemen using the tool, you need to:

  • Input the main conclusion for the topic.
  • Formulate your main argument supporting your conclusion.
  • Provide a counter-argument for your conclusion.

📝 Analytical Essay & Its Types

An analytical essay aims to make an in-depth examination of a single topic. Essays of this genre are used in various study fields, but most often they concentrate on pieces of art, literature, and cinematography.

With that, what are the analytical essay types? Let us look at them.

Critical Analysis Essay

A Critical Analysis Essay is a paper that usually aims to critically evaluate an idea, situation, a piece of art or literature. It is an analysis of what went wrong, what could have gone better, and how a situation could be better answered.

Literary Analysis Essay

A Literary Analysis Essay is often about symbolism in literature and art . What message does the symbol want to show? Is there an interpretation from the prose where the essay is required to draw inspiration from? When drawing a blank, a good analytical thesis statement example can aid the process.

Film Analysis Essay

A Film Analysis Essay usually evaluates a feature film or documentary. If you have watched a movie, you probably already have an idea of how you feel about it. Do you like it? What do certain scenes represent? This is often done in high school and college essays.

An analytical essay needs a good thesis statement. The thesis statement represents how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.

To write an exciting analytical essay, you should take the following steps.

Choose a Topic You Are Interested in

The first step is to choose a topic you are interested in. If given the option, a good topic is always one you are already very interested in or know a lot about.

If you have no choice on the matter, make sure that you choose a topic or attack one based on the specifics. If you have been given a general topic, narrow it down .

Suppose the topic is Korean pop culture . In that case, you can go for a more specific route, such as the male idol in Korean pop culture or the female idol. You can also look at particular bands based on generations or at who are the most famous ones, like Blackpink or BTS .

Research Your Topic

You should research the topic that you have chosen. Collect data and evidence that are relevant to the topic. Review journals and see to it that you do not confine yourself to just one topic. In our example, when researching Korean pop culture, you can use journals that have analyzed the system and also other forms of media.

Create an Outline

To make things easier for you, you should create an outline . It helps you maximize your time and minimize mistakes in the essay. You can optimize the order of the topic and also help you with your research.

Write Your First Draft

Now is the time to sit down and write a rough draft of your analytical essay so you can see where it is going. This takes the most time out of all of the steps.

Review, Revise, Repeat

You should always review, revise, and repeat the process until you are happy with what you come up with.

🤓 Analytical Thesis Statement Examples

By definition, an analytical essay is an essay that examines a single topic. The end goal is to draw conclusions or to prove theories that need proving. This is why there is a need for an analytical thesis statement that would help you make your conclusions.

A good analytical thesis statement has the following qualifications:

It is specific and concentrates on a particular area of a general topic. When you choose a broad subject, you should narrow it down to specific subject matters instead of just the general idea.

For instance, when discussing Korean pop culture, you can work on the companies that often produce the most idols. Let us provide a nice example of a statement that comes out of it.

While both make for arguments that can be later on analyzed, the specific statement can be better broken down to make the point that the essay would want to make.

A good analytical statement is precise . It directly conveys a message and limits the points that the individual wants to make for his essay. Let us provide an example on the same topic: Korean pop culture.

When you have your thesis written like this, you are telling your reader about what you want to discuss and not just making general statements about the topic.

Comes now, the juicy part of the statement. It should be debatable, which means that it is to provoke thought in the mind of the reader and contain arguments that can be proved or disproved by further research.

A good example contains certain parameters that can be measured and, if necessary, refuted. For example, we can count the amount of money earned by BTS in 2022 and compare it with other Korean boy bands.

Thank you for reading this article! If you need more instruments to prepare and polish your assignment, check the collection we prepared .

❓ Analytical Thesis Statement Generator FAQ

Updated: Oct 25th, 2023

  • How to Write an Analytical Essay in 6 Steps - Grammarly
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  • Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements - Purdue OWL
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If you need help to write a thesis for your paper, this page will give you plenty of resources to do that. You’ll find out about the essentials of thesis statement. There are also tips on how to write the statement properly. But most importantly, this page contains reviews and links to online thesis generators.

COMMENTS

  1. Analytical Thesis Statement Examples for You

    What is an Analytical Thesis Statement? An analytical thesis statement is a thesis that is often used in analytical writings to introduce the topic. The primary function of the analytical essay thesis is to critically examine your write-up, and guide you as you write. This is achievable through: Expanding the topic into smaller parts

  2. Analytical Thesis Statements

    Identify analytical thesis statements. In order to write an analysis, you want to first have a solid understanding of the thing you are analyzing. Remember, when you are analyzing as a writer, you are: Breaking down information or artifacts into component parts. Uncovering relationships among those parts.

  3. How to Write a Thesis Statement

    Step 1: Start with a question. You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis, early in the writing process. As soon as you've decided on your essay topic, you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

  4. Analytical Essay Thesis

    An analytical thesis statement is a concise declaration that outlines the main focus of an analytical essay. It presents the central argument or analysis the essay will explore, providing a roadmap for readers to understand the specific perspective, interpretation, or evaluation the writer intends to present.

  5. Creating a Thesis Statement, Thesis Statement Tips

    Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement. 1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing: An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.; An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.; An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies ...

  6. 8.7: Analytical Thesis Statements

    Identify analytical thesis statements. In order to write an analysis, you want to first have a solid understanding of the thing you are analyzing. Remember, this means: Breaking down information or artifacts into component parts. Uncovering relationships among those parts. Determining motives, causes, and underlying assumptions.

  7. Analytical Thesis Statement Examples

    An analytical essay provides critical analysis and explanation of a subject. Explore examples of how to create a strong thesis statement that will support the argument or claim of the essay.

  8. A Complete Guide to Writing an Analytical Essay

    Like most other essays, analytical essays have three parts, each serving a specific function. 1. Introduction. The essay is begun by briefly sketching out the context and background information needed to understand the essay. Besides this, the introduction also narrows down the focus of the essay through the thesis statement.

  9. What Is an Analytical Essay

    This article will discuss the steps to develop a strong thesis statement for your analytical essay. Step 1: Choose a Topic and Analyze It. The first step in developing a solid thesis statement for your analytical essay is to choose a topic and analyze it thoroughly. The case can be anything from literature, a historical event, or a social issue.

  10. Thesis

    Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic.Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore needs your careful analysis of the evidence to understand how ...

  11. How to Write an Analytical Essay

    However, a complex analytical essay outline might require you to use two sentences for a thesis statement. Write an Analytical Essay Body with a Clear Structure. Your analytical essay outline should include 3-4 paragraphs. However, a literary analysis essay usually consists of 5 paragraphs. When it comes to analytical writing, it is important ...

  12. Analytical Essay Example

    Think Ahead: Before writing, a good analytical essay writer should spend some time thinking about the topic. Make a list of ideas or themes related to it. This helps you find interesting angles for your essay. Create a Thesis Statement: Develop a clear and concise thesis statement that outlines the main argument of your essay.This will guide you in how to write an analytical essay introduction ...

  13. 5 Steps to Write a Great Analytical Essay

    The analysis paper uses evidence to support the argument, such as excerpts from the piece of writing. All analytical papers include a thesis, analysis of the topic, and evidence to support that analysis. When developing an analytical essay outline and writing your essay, follow these five steps: #1: Choose a topic. #2: Write your thesis.

  14. Crafting Compelling Analytical Essays: A Comprehensive Guide

    An analytical essay is a type of academic writing that delves deeply into a topic, idea, or piece of literature. Unlike descriptive or narrative essays, which focus on providing a vivid description or telling a story, an analytical essay aims to examine and dissect its subject matter. The primary objective of an analytical essay is to present a ...

  15. Guide to Writing an Analytical Essay

    In an analytical essay, the thesis statement is very important because it sets the tone for the whole essay and shows the writer how to analyze and evaluate the subject. In an analytical essay, you can't say enough about how important a strong thesis statement is. A well-written thesis statement states the writer's main point in a clear and ...

  16. Writing a Thesis Statement

    The kind of thesis statement you write will depend on the type of paper you are writing. Here is how to write the different kinds of thesis statements: Argumentative Thesis Statement: Making a Claim. Analytical Thesis Statement: Analyzing an Issue. Expository Thesis Statement: Explaining a Topic.

  17. How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

    Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It's the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text. If you're given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt.

  18. Analytical Essay: A Complete Guide For College Students

    Analytical Essay Thesis Statement. The third stage commences with the creation of a succinct analytical essay thesis statement that encapsulates the research question and topic. Once you've amassed your research materials and evidence, crafting your thesis sentence becomes a straightforward task. However, without comprehensive and relevant ...

  19. Thesis Statement Generator for Analytical Essays

    By definition, an analytical essay is an essay that examines a single topic. The end goal is to draw conclusions or to prove theories that need proving. This is why there is a need for an analytical thesis statement that would help you make your conclusions. A good analytical thesis statement has the following qualifications: