Analysis

What is an analysis? A type of argument in which you study the parts of something using an analytic tool A principle or definition on the basis of which the subject of study can be divided into parts and examined

Example: The Wizard of Oz Harvey Greenberg’s psychological analysis: “At the dawn of adolescence, the very time she would start to distance herself from Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, the surrogate parents who raised her on their Kansas farm, Dorothy Gale experiences a hurtful reawakening of her fear that these loved ones will be rudely ripped from her, especially her Aunt (Em-M for Mother!).”

Example: The Wizard of Oz Peter Dreier’s political analysis: “[The Wizard of Oz] was originally written as a political allegory about grass-roots protest. It may seem harder to believe than Emerald City, but the Tin Woodsman is the industrial worker, the Scarecrow [is] the struggling farmer, and the Wizard is the president, who is powerful only as long as he succeeds in deceiving people.”

Where do we find analyses? Academic writing Experimental and lab reports Research papers Process analyses Literary analyses Essay exams Workplace writing Grant proposals Reviews of the arts Business plans Medical charts Legal briefs Case studies

What is an analysis? Your challenge will be to convince readers that: 1. the analytic tool you choose is a good match for the object of study (the issue) 2. the analytic tool is being used systematically an insightfully to divide the object into parts, in order to make a statement about the whole

Example: Cultural and Educational Policy Studies Education Sociology Philosophy History Comparative

How to write analyses ***the analytical tool you choose must make your chosen piece of writing EASIER to understand, NOT harder Locate and apply an analytic tool Locate an analytic tool – a principle or definition that makes a general statement about the way something works Systematically apply this principle or definition to the subject under consideration

Guidelines for writing the analyses Create a context for your analysis Locate an analytic tool: a principle or definition that will form the basis of your analysis Analyze your topic by applying your selected analytic tool to the topic’s component elements Conclude by stating clearly what is significant about your analysis

Developing an organizational plan Turn the key elements of your principle or definition into a question Develop a paragraph-by-paragraph logic of your paper Typical logic of analysis: The write introduces a specific analytic tool The writer applies this analytic tool to the object being examined The writer uses the tool to identify and then examine the significance of some aspect of the subject under discussion

Draft and revise your analysis Are the facts accurate Are my opinions supported by evidence Are the opinions of others authoritative Are my assumptions clearly stated Are key terms clearly defined Is the analysis logical Are all parts of the analysis well-developed

Draft and revise your analysis Write an analysis, not a summary Make your analysis systematic Answer the “so what” question Attribute sources appropriately

When your perspective guides the analysis Your analytic tool may in fact be your cultural or personal outlook, perspective, or interests In this case, you are still probing the parts in order to make sense of the whole of your issue It should still be carefully structured and analyzed one part at a time *** remember, the goal is to reveal something about the issue *** remember, the goal of an analysis is different from an evaluation