Guide on how to Write a Critical Analysis

Why you need to know how to write a critical analysis

If you want to how to write a critical analysis, the first thing you need to do is understand what this kind of writing entails. Critical analysis, at times known as critical summary or critique refers to the systematic analysis of text, an idea or literature. This kind of analysis discusses the validity of the work in question and evaluates what it is worth.

Usually, critical analysis includes summary-concise restatement of the work. For instance, the critical analysis of literature could examine the tone, style or rhetorical appeal of the work while the analysis of scientific papers examines accuracy, relevance and methodology of research.

The writer, in writing a critical analysis is expected to make an argument regarding a given movie, book or essay etc. The goal in this kind of writing is 2 fold:

• Identifying and explaining the argument made by the author
• Providing your own argument regarding the argument

The key direction in writing this kind of assignment, in most cases is minimizing/avoiding the summary since you are not working on a book report but rather, evaluating the argument made by the author.

Questions to consider

There are a couple of questions you need to explore as you get to know how to write a critical analysis and they include the following:

• What are the qualifications of the author and who are they?
• What is the nature of work this includes the purposes, type and the audience intended
• The significance of the work and how it compares to other materials that talk of a similar topic
• The thesis statement made by the author
• Underlying assumptions of e work and whether they have been stated or they lack behind the stance of objectivity and neutrality
• The kind of methodology used by the author and whether it is sound.
• Whether the conclusions and judgments made by the author are valid.
• The kind of rhetorical strategies used by the author and whether they are effective.

Following this outline will help you know how to write a critical analysis essay easily

You can put this simple outline to use as you get to know more about how to write a critical analysis:

1. Background information which helps reads have a better understanding of the nature of work.

1. This will include information regarding work such as:

1. Title
2. Author
3. Publication of information
4. Statement of purpose and topic

1. Thesis statement which indicates the main reaction of the writer regarding the work

1. Description or summary of work
2. Evaluation and/or interpretation of work

1. Discussion of how the work is organized
2. Discussion of work style used
3. Effectiveness
4. Discussion of how the topic is treated
5. Discussion on how it appeals to a given audience.

It is essential to avoid introducing ideas through stating “I think” or “In my opinion”. This kind of writing demands the subject should be on the analysis rather than yourself. Identification of your opinion only serves to weaken them. Voter Reform Pro is an ideal example of how to write a critical analysis. It is written by professionals with a keen eye for detail and it does not miss out on any of the essentials needed in a critical analysis.

Tips on how to write a critical analysis

By using the right resources, it becomes considerably easy for you to know how to write a critical analysis. There are a couple of things you need to remember as you go through the writing process and they include:

• Identifying the author’s thesis-The first thing you need to do is establish what the author is arguing against or for. You need to ask what the argument context is and the reason the author might have felt the urge to argue it. You also need to ask yourself whether the author has provided a solution to the problems they have pointed out.
• Identifying all the main ideas-For purposes of analyzing the structure of the work under critique, it is advisable to point out the main ideas. Often, main ideas are found in the topic sentences of paragraphs or questions. You need to ask yourself what kind of evidence is provided by the author in their attempt to explain their thesis.
• Using your own words to describe the author’s work-To achieve this, you have two options. You can either come up with an outline of that work or write a brief summary. For the analysis to be thorough, it is ideal to use both techniques in your work. If you write the summary, make sure it is just one or two paragraphs. You should also use your own words wherever possible to phrase your summary.
• Evaluating the manner in which the author has conveyed their meaning-Use your own perspective to determine whether the appeal of the author was effective. In this case, you have to consider the kind of emotional response they have aroused in you. Determine whether it makes you happy, sad or angry at any given point. You also have to determine whether the reasoning and logic used by the author was enough for you to change your mind and whether they presented their material in a manner that is accurate, cohesive and clear.
• Choosing areas that are noteworthy to analyze- Review the notes you have gathered regarding the work under review and pick a couple of observations to expound on. Examine the overall ability of the author to make their point. The analysis you make can look at just how well the author did their research and how cohesive their work was as well as how they have used organization and structure.
• Striking a balance between the positive and negative-Majority of the critical analysis contain both the positive and the negative. If your analysis has more elements that are positive than negative, start with negative ones before you defend your work with positive ones. There are instances when you might have negative and positive remarks regarding the same point. In such cases, you should write mixed paragraphs that reflect this. To accomplish this, you have to state the positive aspects first before you explain the limitations.

Note that Madam Bovary and Victim Rights is yet another ideal example of how to write a critical analysis.

Pointers to remember when writing a critical analysis

There is so much more that you need to know about how to write a critical analysis essay. Though this is the case, there are crucial pointers that you should never miss out and they include the following:

• While writing the analysis, avoid stating ideas by using “I think” or “In my own opinion”. You should maintain focus on the subject under analysis and not yourself. Identifying the opinion you hold only serves to weaken them.
• The work should always be introduced. There is no point in assuming that since the reader are aware of your subject, there is no need to mention the title of the work
• The thesis should be supported with evidence from the examined text. Also, you should not forget to document quotes or to paraphrase.
• Bear in mind the purpose of the analysis is not to inform only but to evaluate the utility, truth, worth, validity, goodness, beauty, distinction or excellence of something.
• As a writer, you are supposed to set standards but it is also ideal to be well informed, fair and open minded. You need to express your opinions as well as back them up by providing evidence.
• The review you provide should contain evaluation, information and interpretation. Information makes it possible for readers to understand the work that is under analysis. Interpretation explains the meaning of that work as such, it demands that you understand it well while evaluation discusses the opinions regarding the work and also presents valid justifications for the same.

Another sample you should look at is Tourism in Natural Disaster Affected Regions which you can refer to.

Are you having difficulties writing a critical analysis? If so, get in touch with us for assistance. Visit our homepage for more information about our academic writing services. You can also continue reading more academic paper writing guidelines and sample papers on this blog.

References

http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/Handouts/CriticalAnalysisPapers.pdf

http://www.webster.edu/academic-resource-center/writingcenter/writing-tips/analysis.html

http://www2.southeastern.edu/Academics/Faculty/elejeune/critique.htm