Is What Analysis?
Analysis involves explaining the WHYs and the HOWs of the WHATs you are presenting. In other words, you must explain the parts (information, quotes, data) of the whole (the thesis) you present in the paper. Why is analysis important? Analysis shows your reader that you are not only of capable of presenting information or providing summaries, but that you know how these things work to prove or illustrate a point. The analysis sections of your paper are where your ideas come out. Also, connection between your information and your thesis may seem obvious to you. However, you are the person who has been consistently dealing with the information. Something that is apparent to you may not be so clear to a reader who is coming to your paper for the first time. Analysis explains your information to the reader, who will then have an easier time understanding your points. You write a paper for an audience, not for yourself, so if your audience does not understand what you are saying, the purpose of writing the paper is lost. Often, you will receive an assignment that asks you to "analyze." For example:
In class we have been discussing the importance of audience when dealing with media items such as magazines. In a two-three page paper, analyze a magazine cover with respect to that audience. Your paper should say who the audience is and how the photo, color, format, and article titles appeal to the audience.
Your problem arises in determining what exactly analysis means in this situation. The following discussions might explain what to do in a couple of analysis situations. Analyzing a movie, painting, magazine, i.e.. any visual information If an assignment asks you to analyze, as the example does, there are a number of steps that you must take to effectively fulfill this requirement. In your introduction, you must 1) introduce the object that you are analyzing ("The cover of Shape magazine. . .") 2) present the parameters of your analysis or your thesis (". . . shows that the magazine appeals primarily to younger women who are concerned with health and physical fitness. . .") 3) explain the means by which you discuss these parameters or the thesis (It does so through its choice of cover photo, providing article titles meant to capture this particular audience's attention, and through it's use of color and format.") The body of your paper will then deliver what your introduction promises: an analysis of the elements you list (format, color, etc.), informing your reader why they
support your thesis. This is where it can get tricky. You need to provide a BRIEF summary of what you are discussing:
The photograph on the cover shows a young woman lifting weights. She is wearing a unitard that reveals her muscular body, and she is smiling, obviously enjoying the workout.
The key word here is "brief." All you need to do is let your audience know what you are talking about. The majority of the paper's body should concern itself with WHY the information you just summarized is important in proving your thesis. You should also answer the question of HOW this information is supportive to your thesis. Your reader will always be asking "WHY should I care? HOW does this fit with the points of the Your paper?" job as the writer is to provide the answers to these questions for every example or summary you provide. The following is an example of an analysis of the summary given above:
The woman is young, indicating that the intended audience is also young. If the magazine were for the elderly, likely an older woman or man would appear. The fact that the cover reveals a physically fit woman lifting weights implies that a woman who is interested in improving her physical condition would more likely open this magazine, expecting it to give her information to that effect, than she would, say, a copy of Architectural Digest with a refurbished English cottage on the cover. Her smile invites the reader to participate in what appears to be an exciting activity. In this way, the cover appeals to the novice, who wants to begin a workout regimen but is not sure how to achieve her goals in doing so.
The above passage explains WHY the cover appeals to the intended audience the introduction describes, and the techniques (or HOW) the cover editors use to achieve this. Analyzing a quote or other supporting information Often, a paper will require you to research a topic, create a thesis, and use the information from your research to help prove this thesis. Generally, this requires citing your sources or paraphrasing their ideas in the body of your paper. a quote or paraphrase should never stand alone It is tempting to let the research speak for you. It may also seem obvious to you why the information you present proves your thesis. You can never assume, however, that the quoted material will speak for itself. Whenever you present information, you must set up the context before you provide the quote or data, then you must explain, afterwards, WHY it is important to your thesis, and HOW it applies to your point. The following exemplifies this situation:
Character's dialogue, too, contributes to this foreshadowing technique, particularly in Norma's cas...