How to Write a Good Critical Analysis Essay
To learn how to write a good critical analysis essay, you must know what a critical analysis essay is. A critical analysis essay is an essay that examines something, another work or article with an aim of determining different aspects of that thing or how effective the argument is articulated or made in the work. The meaning of analysis is to simply break down something and then study its parts. As such, to write a critical analysis essay, you must engage in critical reading and critical thinking first.
Critical analysis essays are commonly written about books and articles but they can also be written on companies, paintings and films. While focusing on rhetorical appeals’ use by the author, you should also focus on the overall effectiveness and abilities of the work while writing a critical analysis essay. Reading the work is the first step in writing this essay.
Reading examples is a good way of helping you know how to write a good critical analysis essay
In academic writing, this form of writing is aimed at critiquing or evaluating the work of another person to make it more understandable to the reader. A critical analysis essay is subjective because it expresses your evaluation or opinion of something or the work. However, to write a good critical analysis essay, you must be equipped with sufficient, relevant information about the topic.
This will make you critical in making judgments about the work that you are analyzing. It is also important to have a balanced overview and reading of the works of other people on the topic. Therefore, read and conduct extensive critical research. Do not take everything that you read about the topic at the face value. Again, do not believe in everything that you read about the topic.
Examples of critical analysis essays
Good examples of critical analysis essays are important because they guide you when learning how to write a good critical analysis essay.
Here are examples of such essays that are readily available on the internet:
These examples have several aspects that should be considered in the analysis. However, the main argument of any critical analysis essay is summarized by a thesis statement. After identifying the thesis of any work or goals of a company, writing a critical analysis essay becomes easy.
Critical analysis
Before writing a critical analysis of any company or work, you should analyze it critically.
Critical analysis entails:
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Identifying the thesis
While writing a critical analysis essay, you must identify the thesis of the author of the work or the main principle of a company. For instance, in the sample essay on analyzing how family life is depicted, the thesis on which the author has based the argument is that movies affect family life as well as marriages. The Fire-Proof movie is used to depict the impact that movies have on family life.
In the sample essay on Google analysis, the thesis of the author is the Google’s philosophies and principles which have played a critical role in ensuring its success. In the critical analysis of Blackberry, the thesis is that failure to give desirable solutions; poor revenue sources and lack of innovative skills are the causes of the company’s poor performance.
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Noting the main ideas
After identifying the thesis, note down the major ideas of the work or company. For instance, in blackberry critical analysis essay, the main ideas are; innovation, sales, revenue, cash flow, profits and market research. These form the subtitles for the entire essay.
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Conducting research for unfamiliar information
If you come across words or concepts that are unfamiliar to you, conduct some research about them. This enables you to determine if the concepts and facts are trustworthy- classroom.synonym.com. Using your words, describe the concepts to make their meanings easier to remember.
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Identifying appeals
In most critical analysis essays, authors use three major appeals. These are pathos, logos and ethos. Pathos refers to the appeals to emotions. For instance, in the critical analysis essay on how family life is depicted by the media, the author highlights the challenges that are endured by married people in their efforts to live a happier life. These challenges entail care, trust, hate, unity, divorce, love and hate.
Logos refers to the use of reason and logic in swaying the opinion or perspective of readers. In the same essay, the author argues that media has great influence on family life and marriages due to its depiction of families on television programs, films, comic strips, magazines and books. Ethos refers to appeals to credibility. For instance, in the same essay, the author cites credible sources such as an article in Forbes magazine. This tries to prove the credibility of the work.
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Identifying the noteworthy areas
Perhaps, this is very important for anybody who wants to learn how to write a good critical analysis essay. This is because a critical analysis essay should highlight the main aspects or points of a work or company. For instance, you can examine the research conducted by the producer of the work or the performance of the work. An example is the essay on critical analysis of Google that focuses on the major points which are; the driving force, specific policies and workplace diversity. Each of these points forms a section of this critical analysis essay.
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Ensuring a balanced perspective
Most critical analysis essays have both negative and positive perspectives. If positive elements are more than negative elements, start with the negative elements and then provide a defense with positive elements. If the negative opinions are more than positive opinions, start with positive opinions first and then defend your critique with negative elements. If they are available in equal measures, you can come up with mixed paragraphs to make this reflection.
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Identifying controversies
When disputing a matter, the author may fail to succeed in doing that. This happens when there are specific issues or points in the work. A company may also fail to live up to its claims or philosophies. The work may fail to mention the elements in a more specific way but you can mention them in the critical analysis essay.
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Explaining the relevance of the topic
You should convince the readers that the topic is relevant to them. For instance, in the critical analysis essay on how family life is depicted by the media, the author begins by stating that the media influences how family and marriage life is viewed by the society. Through the messages that the media propagates through films, television programs and other channels, societal cultures are shaped.
How to write a good critical analysis essay in five steps
Introduce what you are analyzing to the reader
This entails specifying what you are about to analyze. For instance, in the critical analysis of Google, the author starts by introducing Google Inc. as a multinational company that deals in internet-related operations. The introduction should include contextual information while stating the thesis of the work- tacoma.uw.edu pdf file.
Include the thesis of your critical analysis essay
A thesis should briefly summarize the entire evaluation of what is being critiqued. For instance, in the critical analysis of BlackBerry, the author states that the analysis aims at bringing out the reasons for poor performance of the company and its subsequent financial woes. Technically, a thesis should be part of a critical analysis essay’s introduction.
Summarize the entire work
A critical analysis essay should give a summary of the work or information about a company. It can include examples but they should be presented in a brief manner.
Organize the essay properly
A critical analysis essay should be organized properly from the introduction, the body and the conclusion- library.bcu.ac.uk. The body should form 80% of the essay. Every idea ought to have a paragraph that addresses it.
Conclude with a final judgment
The concluding paragraph should restate the overall opinion or thesis clearly. This section should be used to present recommendations for improving the analyzed company or work in a brief manner. It can include appeals, ideas or a call for further research. A good critical analysis essay’s conclusion should take 10 percent of the entire essay.
Important tips on how to write a good critical analysis essay
Avoid using “I” or “in my view or opinion” to introduce your ideas
Introduce what you are analyzing properly
Consider controversies that may surround the subject
Consider current interests
Provide detailed evidence to support the thesis from the analyzed work or company
Evaluate the utility, worth, distinction, excellence, validity, truth, goodness and beauty of what you are examining
Be fair, well-informed and open-minded
Provide evaluation, interpretation and information
Learning how to write a good critical analysis essay is very important because you will be required to write one during your academic life.
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Sources
https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/sites/default/files/global/documents/library/howtowriteacriticalanalysis.pdf
http://library.bcu.ac.uk/learner/Study%20Skills%20Guides/4%20Critical%20analysis.htm
http://classroom.synonym.com/essay-writing-critically-analyze-2706.html
http://www.globalcompose.com/blog/analyzing-depictions-of-family-life/
http://www.assignmentwritinghelp.net/blog/google-analysis/
http://www.essaysexperts.net/blog/critical-analysis-sample-essay-blackberry/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essay