1. Several Suggestions to Consider
Analysis Essay #1
Several Suggestions to Consider

2. Avoid the Avoidable
(1) Always underline or italicize the titles of major works (The Great Gatsby)
(2) Indent Paragraphs: Use the “Tab” key when typing. When writing, exaggerate the indentation so that it is perfectly clear where the new paragraph begins.
(3) Quotations
Make sure the quoted material is accurate.
Introduce quotations into the context of your voice / your essay.
Provide page number for in text citation […yellowing trees” (161).]
Analysis requires specificity. When possible, focus on the word or the phrase, not the lengthy passage.
(4) Write with care. Think about the structure of the sentence and the way the sentences work together to communicate your ideas clearly (clarity is key).
(5) Follow the directions. Read the directions carefully and be sure to fulfill the assigned task.

3. Development and Balance
(1) Analysis is about identifying key details and explaining how those details contribute to the passage or the text as a whole.
Choose your details carefully. Identify those textual elements that feel particularly deliberate and/or effective.
Provide a thorough explanation of how and why the author uses the word, phrase, construction, etc. to alter meaning, experience, tone, atmosphere, etc.
(2) When you provide a lengthy quotation, you must follow the quotation with lengthy analysis. Your voice (your analysis) is most essential in the analysis essay. Just providing details is insufficient. You must explain the function of the detail, device, strategy, etc.

4. Diction and Syntax
Diction is defined as word choice. You must never say that “the author uses diction.”
This statement is meaningless because, of course,
the author uses diction. Every word is the use of diction.
You must qualify or characterize the author’s diction with an adjective or two.
(ex. Sophisticated diction, simple diction, spooky diction, commonplace diction, ethereal diction,
equivocal diction, concrete diction, colorful diction, illustrative diction, etc.)
Syntax is defined as sentence structure, or the order and arrangement of words and phrases. Every sentence is “the use of syntax” making the statement, “the author uses syntax,” a meaningless, humorous statement unless preceded by a distinguishing adjective or followed by an explanatory phrase.

5. Plagiarism
The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
Many of you have gotten in the modern habit of turning to websites to help find information and therefore many of you make comments that sound strikingly similar to one another.
Honest struggle is far more valuable than dishonest success.
In college, if you are caught plagiarizing, you can be removed from the course or even expelled from the school.
Plagiarism is one of the most serious academic offenses.
Be you.