In order to analyse a piece of work you need to:

 

Read or reread the text with specific questions in mind to help you get a better idea about the text you have read. Here is a list of questions you should ask yourself:

 

 Purpose/context

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• What is the text about? (be specific)

• What is the purpose of the text? (To answer a question, pose a problem? etc..)

• Make sure to support or to explain how you can tell.

 

Author/authors

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• Who are they? 

• Is there a biography about him/her them?

• What are the qualifications that allow them to write on this subject?

• Are they present in the text?

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Audience

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• Who do you think the target audience is?  How can you tell? (specific details)

• What subject would the audience be interested in to read this text?

• What do you think the intention(s) of the author(s) was?( What do they want the audience to think about or understand?) Support with arguments/information presented in the text.

• Do you feel the text has been written with you as an audience in mind? Why or why not?

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Topic and Position

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• Can you “feel” the author’s opinion or is the information presented as “objective”? 

• Do the authors include mention and/or critique other viewpoints?

• Does this piece refer to current events, personal experience, and/or a review of research or discussions on the topic?

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Research/Sources

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• What role do research and sources play in a text?

• Why would some references bring up more discussion than others?

 

Proof/Evidence

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• Think about the type of proof, if any, that is used to defend conclusions or main ideas in the text (e.g., references to other work, interpretations oth other work, original research, personal experience, author’s opinions, critical analysis, etc.)? 

• Name every type of proof that is offered and try to explain their role.

Organization

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• Is the text using sub-headings? (What are they?)

• If not, list the different parts of the text and what purpose they serve for example:

 

First two paragraphs: The authors critique other people's readings of the novel.

 

Paragraph 3: They explain that their own reading is more accurate because it accounts for the details others leave out.

 

(Etc.)

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Style

 

• Look at the pronouns, why is this or that one use by the author(s)?

• Is there any technical terminology used, jargon or even slang? If so explain why and what it brings to the text and the effect it has on the audience.

• For example, if technical terminology is used, is the author explaining what it means?

 

Drawing Conclusions

 

To write your analysis make sure you review your answers to the above questions.  They are only there to guide your analysis. Then use your analysis to answer the following questions. Use plenty of specific details to support your answers.

 

• It is important to review the content of the text but also the way the piece was written. What seem to be the key values and assumptions that the authors share with their readers? Explain.

• Can you compare/contrast this text to other texts on the same or similar subjects? If so, identify the text(s) you are comparing/ contrasting.  (key similarities and differences in purpose, topic, audience,etc.)

 

1. Read or reread the text with specific questions in mind.

2. Marshal basic ideas, events and names. Depending on the complexity of book, this requires additional review of the text.

3. Think through your personal reaction to the book: identification, enjoyment, significance, application.

4. Identify and consider most important ideas (importance will depend on context of class, assignment, study guide).

5. Return to the text to locate specific evidence and passages related to the major ideas.

6. Use your knowledge following the principles of analyzing a passage described below: test, essay, research, presentation, discussion, enjoyment.

 

Principles of analyzing a passage

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1. Offer a thesis or topic sentence indicating a basic observation or assertion about the text or passage.

2. Offer a context for the passage without offering too much summary.

3. Cite the passage (using correct format).

4. Then follow the passage with some combination of the following elements:

   • Discuss what happens in the passage and why it is significant to the work as a whole.

   • Consider what is said, particularly subtleties of the imagery and the ideas expressed.

   • Assess how it is said, considering how the word choice, the ordering of ideas, sentence structure, etc., contribute to the meaning of the passage.

   • Explain what it means, tying your analysis of the passage back to the significance of the text as a whole.

5. Repeat the process of context, quotation and analysis with additional support for your thesis or topic sentence.