1. Analytical Writing
GAVS
Mrs. Brumbelow

2. Getting started: Prewriting
After selecting your topic, you want to do some sort of prewriting to get your ideas going.
Many students skip this step, but unless you are a really strong writer, you at least need to jot down a few ideas.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or formal.

3. Thesis statement
The second step to writing your essay is to create a thesis statement.
Your thesis is the main idea of your entire paper.
It should consist of your opinion about the topic you have been given.
For example, if my essay topic is to write about what led to the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet’s lives…then my thesis will be derived from this topic.

4. Thesis statements cont.
Many students have a hard time coming up with a thesis, but remember this is just your opinion about the topic.
Now, I must think about what I think led to the death of Romeo and Juliet and put those ideas into ONE sentence which will become my thesis.
The selfishness of Juliet’s parents and their unreasonable expectations of Juliet, ultimately led to the death of both Romeo and Juliet.

5. Thesis statements concluded
Once you have your thesis written, you can proceed with the body paragraphs.
Your thesis is the LAST sentence of your introduction.
Every single body paragraph should help support and prove your thesis.
My paper will only be about how Juliet’s parents caused the deaths of Romeo and Juliet….that’s it!
So…create your thesis from the topic you have been given.

6. Introductory paragraph
This is the first paragraph in your essay.
It should merely introduce your topic and what you will be writing about.
No major details will be included in your introduction.
You need to make sure you mention the title of the work you are writing about and the author’s last name somewhere in the introduction.
Make sure your thesis is the last sentence.

7. Body Paragraphs
This is the “meat” of your essay. Your body paragraphs are where you are going to try to convince your reader that your thesis is correct.
If I am saying that it is Juliet’s parents’ fault that she and Romeo died, then I have to explain why that is the case.
For organizational purposes, you want to have one idea per paragraph.
In addition, you want to include quotes from the text to prove what you are saying is true.

8. Body Paragraphs cont.
Let’s say that one of my points is that Juliet’s parents were pressuring her to marry someone she didn’t love. Then this idea would be discussed in one of my body paragraphs.
It is not good enough just to state my opinions.
You MUST explain the significance of all of your ideas. This is when you will really start analyzing.
Otherwise, you are just stating the obvious and relaying facts from the text.

9. Body paragraphs cont.
Why is it important that Juliet’s parents tried to pressure her to marry Parris?
Well…for one, she was in love with Romeo.
Trying to make her marry someone she didn’t truly love put additional stress on her.
She is only 14, and her parents are trying to make her grow up too fast.
Forcing her into this impossible situation causes Juliet to fake her own death.
I, of course, would need to explain in more detail the significance of my ideas as they relate to the play.

10. Body paragraphs cont.
Remember…the most important thing in your body paragraphs is EXPLAINING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR IDEAS. Otherwise, you aren’t really analyzing.
You will also want to integrate quotes in your body paragraphs to help prove your points.
I will want to go back to the play to find a quote that supports my ideas. Perhaps a quote where Juliet’s dad says she has to marry Parris or she will be kicked out will work.
You should have at least 2 body paragraphs and at least ONE quote per body paragraph.

11. Quotes
Once again, it is smart to have at least one quote per body paragraph.
Not only do they support your points, but they take up room!!
Remember to integrate your own words with the quote. Otherwise you have what’s called a freestanding quote.
For example: Mr. Capulet yells to Juliet, “You will marry Parris or you can get out of my house!”
Notice that everything before the quote is mine.
It can be as simple as…Shakespeare writes or Juliet says

12. Quotes cont.
When you are incorporating quotes into your paper, remember to cite right after the quote.
If your text is a novel you cite the author’s last name and page number. For example: (Miller 56). Notice where my period is.
If your text is a play that has acts and scenes, you will want to cite the act, scene, and line number. For example: (III.iv.23-25).
For poems, cite the line number and the author. For example: (Longfellow 3).

13. Conclusion
Your conclusion is just a summary of the most important points in your essay.
NO NEW MATERIAL should be in your conclusion.
Only restate major ideas. You don’t want to say the same exact thing again, so think of another way to restate your main ideas.
Remember, your conclusion is the last thing your reader will see, so you want to leave him/her with your major points.

14. Writing tips
Always write in 3rd person unless told otherwise. No 1st person in an analytical paper!
You always write in literary present tense. For example, Romeo and Juliet’s parents do not get along. You wouldn’t say did not get along.
Make sure you are punctuating titles correctly. Novels and plays are italicized or underlined and poems are put in quotation marks.
Make sure you type all essays using MLA format!!!

15. Questions???