Critical Analysis Key ideas to remember

What's the Point? Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you analyze: So what? How is this significant? Why is this important? What do you see beyond the text?

Assumptions. In order to figure out what your audience may need, you have to make assumptions about who they are and what they need. For example, if you are arguing for the creation of laws against texting while driving, you might make the following assumptions about your reader: The reader knows what texting is. The audience can see that it might be dangerous.

Sometimes, however, it is dangerous to make an assumption

Ask yourself the following questions to help uncover some of your assumptions. Think about whether these assumptions might be inappropriate ones about gender, race, class, or age. How might these relate to your topic? Would the outcome be different if you had a different perspective, such as the opposite gender? Does society have a different assumption of these categories? How might that impact your paper? It is not just important to think about the assumptions you make based on audience. You also want to think about why you have assumptions about certain topics. Why do you feel as you do about the topic you are writing on? Is there a reason why you do not accept the facts or statistics someone else may present on this topic? Do any stereotypes or beliefs shape your feelings on the subject?

Pulling the Pieces Apart Remember that each piece of information is part of the puzzle. It is important to carefully revisit each piece because there might be something you did not see at first glance. Here are some questions to ask yourself when revising your information: Do you notice any trends or similarities between an event that you are looking at and another in history? Do you notice any similarities or differences between your belief and someone else’s? How does this trend positively or negatively affect our society? Do you notice any differences that might be significant or important?

Caution! Things to Watch Out for Getting off topic Sometimes when we write, we can get off topic. You want to avoid this by checking that what you are saying applies to your main point. Not being credible When venturing outside of our comfort zone, sometimes we fail to do the proper amount of research necessary to be credible writers. Always make sure that you explore as many views and ideas as possible and collect as much relevant research on your subject as you can.

Generalizing Generalizations or stereotypes make broad categorizing statements that cannot be applied to all individuals. Jumping to conclusions Sometimes we make connections between subjects and ideas that are not there or do not add up. Make sure you are always giving the reader the information that he or she will need to reach a specific conclusion. Skimming the surface It is easy to forget to look deeper into a topic or idea. We can even forget to analyze our research. When you write, you always want to ask yourself, “What’s the point?” and try to pull apart the pieces of what you’ve read. You want to make connections and bring in new views to the topic you are writing about. What’s the point?pull apart the pieces

Asking too many questions Asking too many questions can lead to not enough answers. You do not want to ask a question that is irrelevant to your topic, or one that is simply taking up space because you answer it in the next sentence of your paper. Emotional Appeals Emotional appeals are usually inappropriate in an argument. While it is tempting to appeal to the emotions of your reader, this is not a logical way to approach a topic. If you find yourself including statements that are designed to cause the reader to feel sympathy or anger, or any other emotion, you may be leading them away from the main point you want to prove. Attacking others This usually applies to an argument. Sometimes writers make the mistake of attacking an individual or his or her reputation instead of looking at the argument. When you are writing about another person’s beliefs and/or ideology, always make sure you focus on the points, not the individual.