ANALYTICAL WRITING

WHAT IS “ANALYTICAL WRITING”?

Writing that asks the questions “Why” and “How”

Writing that challenges both its writer and its readers to look beyond surface presentations, and disassemble “complete things” to examine their parts.

Writing that proposes and expresses an informed and supported point of view

WHAT’S MAKES IT AN ANALYSIS ESSAY?

A Successful Analysis Essay Consists of THREE Compontents

Introduction: Introduces the topic, summarizes what the essay will be about, presents an original argument (THESIS STATEMENT!)

Body/Supporting Paragraphs: supports and furthers the claims made by the Thesis Statement using specific examples from your text and expanding on and explaining information.

Conclusion: Restates the Thesis and ties up loose ends.

WHAT IS “THESIS STATEMENT”?

A “thesis statement” is your argument. Any piece of writing should have a recognizable thesis statement if the argument is sufficiently developed.

What does it do? If it is well crafted, a thesis statement is a

snapshot of your paper; it prepares the reader for the experience they are about to have.

WHAT DOES A THESIS STATEMENT LOOK LIKE?Unacceptable Thesis Statement (F-D range) The Hunger Games is a novel about the role of

entertainment media in civilized cultures.

Acceptable Thesis Statement (C-B- range) Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games uses setting,

class systems, and cultural circumstances to explore the role of entertainment media in civilized cultures.

Preferred Thesis Statement (B-A range) Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, makes a bold

claim regarding the role of entertainment media in civilized cultures. Through the use of futuristic settings, rigid socio-political class systems and exaggerated cultural circumstances Collins explores the terrifying possibilities of our culture’s obsession with “reality television.”

Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, makes a bold claim regarding the role of entertainment media in civilized cultures. Through the use of futuristic settings, rigid socio-political class systems and exaggerated cultural circumstances Collins explores the terrifying possibilities of our culture’s obsession with “reality television.”

Based on the above “Thesis Statement,” what would you expect the essay to

include?

WHAT IS A THESIS STATEMENT MADE OF?

Argument:

Collins explores the terrifying possibilities of our culture’s obsession with “reality television.”

Primary Source:

Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games

Means of Support:

Through the use of futuristic settings, rigid

socio-political class systems and exaggerated cultural

circumstances

HOW TO WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT

[I argue that] Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, makes a bold claim regarding the role of entertainment media in civilized cultures. [It does this] Through the use of futuristic settings, rigid socio-political class systems and exaggerated cultural circumstances [This paper will use this information to explain how] Collins explores the terrifying possibilities of our culture’s obsession with “reality television.”

Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, makes a bold claim regarding the role of entertainment media in civilized cultures. Through the use of futuristic settings, rigid socio-political class systems and exaggerated cultural circumstances Collins explores the terrifying possibilities of our culture’s obsession with “reality television.”

WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH?

A paragraph is a substantial (in size and content) length of writing, within a larger piece.

ie: More than a sentence, less than an page.

What does a paragraph do? A paragraph is what a writer uses to organize his/her

thoughts in order to manipulate the reader’s experience of the material they are presenting.

In an Analysis: a paragraph furthers the author’s main point, clarifying his or her position by connecting smaller related claims, and uses information (from a credible source) to support the author’s thesis statement.

WHAT IS A SUPPORTING PARAGRAPH MADE OF?

A Topic Sentence: This is the first sentence of any paragraph. It clearly indicates to the reader what the topic of the paragraph (or section) will be.

Supporting Sentences: These sentences will make up the body of the paragraph.

Transition Sentence: the sentence that leads you out of one topic and into another, while enforcing the overall connection between the two.

TOPIC SENTENCE

A “Topic Sentence” works much in the same way a “Thesis Statement” works.

It introduces what the paragraph will be about

It states its individual focus

It connects its focus to the essays main argument

EX: Collins uses an exaggeratedly rigid socio-economic class system to call attention to our current reality television viewing habits and proposes a worst case scenario if this obsession continues with any change.

SUPPORTING SENTENCES

Here is where you will: Explain how the topic of this paragraph supports your

overall claim.

Explain why this topic is important to your argument.

You will give the reader an example of this topic (use evidence from your source—in the form of quotes and paraphrases—to prove how your topic exists in harmony with your thesis)

Explain why and how this evidence is crucial to your argument, making certain that your reader understands the connection very clearly.

TRANSITION SENTENCES

Once you have adequately supported your topic using evidence that has been thoroughly explained, it is your job to advance your argument by “transitioning” between two topics.

A Transition Must: Conclude the business of the previous paragraph Introduce the forthcoming paragraph Indicate a connection between the previous, and the forthcoming

paragraphs as well as suggest a connection to the overall argument.

Transitions are complicated—often the most complicated and time consuming parts of writing a paper. You may find it helpful to write full paragraphs and come back to

the transition sentences once your argument in fully formed and develop.

You should do this because once you know the shape of your argument you will understand better how the paragraphs fit together.

Collins uses an exaggeratedly rigid socio-economic class system to call attention to our current reality television viewing habits and propose a worst case scenario if this obsession continues without any change. In The Hunger Games the citizens of Panem are forced to view and participate in the annual Hunger Games, a televised event in which 24 children are selected from the impoverished districts and forced to fight to the death for the amusement of the citizens of the Capitol. In this practice the country’s very rich eagerly anticipate and accept the chance to view the suffering of those they consider their social lessers. It is a theme that we see in our current viewing habits; programs like Cops, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Repo Wars, and MTV’s Trailer Fabulous as well as many others allow middle-class to wealthy viewers a voyeuristic look into the lives of the economically depressed for their entertainment. These programs allow viewers the chance to watch someone’s life as if it was fiction. Collins tackles this issue in a variety of ways, but nowhere more clearly than in the presentation of the tributes once they are brought to the Capitol. The exaggerated district costumes of the tribute parade and the shallow/insipid interview questions asked by Caesar Flickerman only serve to transform the very real children going into the arena into characters. It makes them unreal caricatures of people, making them easy for the audience to distance themselves from and by extension allows the Capitol citizens to dismiss the seriousness of the poverty in the districts. The Hunger Games clearly uses the dramatic differences between the rich and the poor to draw a connection between the Capitol’s treatment and acceptance of the exploitation of the districts to our own culture of dismissing and diminishing the poor to one dimensional stereotypes, and hypothesizes that if left unchecked our own future could look shockingly similar to the one imagined in Collins’ mind.

Collins uses an exaggeratedly rigid socio-economic class system to call attention to our current reality television viewing habits and propose a worst case scenario if this obsession continues without any change. In The Hunger Games the citizens of Panem are forced to view and participate in the annual Hunger Games, a televised event in which 24 children are selected from the impoverished districts and forced to fight to the death for the amusement of the citizens of the Capitol. In this practice the country’s very rich eagerly anticipate and accept the chance to view the suffering of those they consider their social lessers. It is a theme that we see in our current viewing habits; programs like Cops, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Repo Wars, and MTV’s Trailer Fabulous as well as many others allow middle-class to wealthy viewers a voyeuristic look into the lives of the economically depressed for their entertainment. These programs allow viewers the chance to watch someone’s life as if it was fiction. Collins tackles this issue in a variety of ways, but nowhere more clearly than in the presentation of the tributes once they are brought to the Capitol. The exaggerated district costumes of the tribute parade and the shallow/insipid interview questions asked by Caesar Flickerman only serve to transform the very real children going into the arena into characters. It makes them unreal caricatures of people, making them easy for the audience to distance themselves from and by extension allows the Capitol citizens to dismiss the seriousness of the poverty in the districts. The Hunger Games clearly uses the dramatic differences between the rich and the poor to draw a connection between the Capitol’s treatment and acceptance of the exploitation of the districts to our own culture of dismissing and diminishing the poor to one dimensional stereotypes, and hypothesizes that if left unchecked our own future could look shockingly similar to the one imagined in Collins’ mind.

PRACTICE

In Partners Choose an a topic from The Hunger Games that

interests you. Write THREE practice “Thesis Statements”

(Unacceptable, Acceptable, & Preferred) Explain how it developed along the way

Write a “Topic Sentence” for each of THREE body paragraphs

Create an outline for each paragraph.