Poetry Analysis

“Poems are a form of music, and language just happens to be our instrument—language and breath.”

—Terrance Hayes

 

Writing a poetry analysis is one of the most dreaded assignments for students. Poetry is often intimidating to the untrained reader and it often takes time and practice to learn how to critically analyze a poem. Once you understand some of the basic principles of literary analysis and learn some simple poetry vocabulary, writing poetry analysis won’t be so daunting.

First, let’s review some vocabulary that we’ll be using –

Basic Vocabulary

Below are some basic poetic devices that are commonly used in analysis. Some you may be familiar with:

Simile: Comparison using like or as.

Metaphor: a direct comparison.

Tone: the emotion that the speaker uses when he/she talks

Personification: human qualities attributed to non-human objects

Imagery: A way to create pictures with words, often using sensory detail

Alliteration: Repetition of the same consonant sound

Assonance: Repetition of the same vowels sound

Stanza: A grouped set of lines in a poem

Now that you’ve learned some simple vocabulary, let’s look at some ways you might analyze a poem.

Title

The first thing you read is obviously the title. This is your first clue as to what the poem might be about. The title often reflects the subject of the poem, so come back to the title after you’ve read the poem to analyze the connection to the content.

Close Reading

To begin, it’s important to read the poem several times, at least 3. Each time you read a poem, you might find something different you didn’t notice from previous readings. Try reading it aloud. Take note of words you are not familiar with so you can look them up later. Circle nouns or phrases that stick out to you.

Who is the Speaker?

Don’t confuse the speaker or narrator of the poem with the writer. The voice could be that of the writer, expressing thoughts or feelings, but not necessarily.

The speaker of the poem may be an old man, but the person who wrote the poem might be a twenty-year-old. Is the speaker a man or woman? Is he or she addressing someone in particular? Is there more than one speaker? What is the speaker’s mood? Angry? Cynical? Happy? If you can easily pinpoint the mood, how did you know?

Do you have any clues as to the main idea the speaker wants to communicate?

What is the Subject?

The title might be the first clue to the subject of the poem. If you’re still confused, ask yourself simply, “What is the poem about?”

You could uncover clues to the subject by the speaker’s tone. What is the speaker’s attitude about the subject? Angry? Hurt? Resentful? Sad? Scared? Joyful?

What is the Situation?

Is there an event in the poem the speaker is reflecting on? Or is the speaker simply discussing a memory? The weather? A long lost love?

Often, but not always, a poem tells a story. Did something happen? Does the speaker want something to happen? Why is the speaker talking about this?

Structure

How is the poem organized or divided up? You might be familiar with traditional stanzas, or several groups of 4 or 5 lines each, but there are as many different ways to organize a poem as there are poets. A poem might have numbered stanzas, or each stanza line may have no end punctuation and flow into the next stanza.

Poems are a unified piece of writing, and for the most part, don’t jump in topic from stanza to stanza, but are usually connected in meaning. You might see some kind of link in emotions, ideas, or images, a common thread that runs through each stanza. Do you notice any common thread?

If there are no stanza divisions, try looking at the poem line by line or sentence by sentence. Do you notice any patterns of repeated words or images?

Theme

The theme is the central idea of the poem, and often the theme conveys the poem’s message. As you put all of these ideas together, what does the poem mean as a whole? What do you think is the “take away” or the big “so what?” of the poem?

Language and Imagery

The conclusions you draw about the poem will come from the language and imagery of the poem. So it is imperative to understand the denotative meaning, as well as the connotative meaning of the words.

Denotative Meaning: This is the literal, or dictionary definition of a word.

Connotative Meaning: This is the emotional or associative meaning of a word. For instance, a snake is often associated with evil. Hollywood is associated with glamour. Blue birds are associated with happiness. The color white or a cross is associated with goodness or holiness.

Poets rely on language and imagery to convey meaning. Understanding the denotative and connotative meaning in language is important to understand the meaning of a poem.

Final Thoughts

This is only the tip of the tip of the poetic iceberg on how one might analyze poetry. Once you learn a few simple terms, you’ll find there are dictionaries devoted to poetic vocabulary. One good resource can be found on the Poetry Foundation’s website, who has a large glossary of terms, found here. Another good source is Poets.org.

Writing about poetry can be challenging, but learning a few simple terms and strategies will hopefully take the fear out of your next poetry analysis.

Practice!

Considering the questions above, analyze the following poems-

Tattoo by Ted Kooser

What once was meant to be a statement—
a dripping dagger held in the fist
of a shuddering heart—is now just a bruise
on a bony old shoulder, the spot
where vanity once punched him hard
and the ache lingered on. He looks like
someone you had to reckon with,
strong as a stallion, fast and ornery,
but on this chilly morning, as he walks
between the tables at a yard sale
with the sleeves of his tight black T-shirt
rolled up to show us who he was,
he is only another old man, picking up
broken tools and putting them back,
his heart gone soft and blue with stories.

Kin by Maya Angelou

We were entwined in red rings

Of blood and loneliness before

The first snows fell

Before muddy rivers seeded clouds

Above a virgin forest, and

Men ran naked, blue and black

Skinned into the warm embraces

Of Sheba, Eve and Lilith.

I was your sister.

You left me to force strangers

Into brother molds, exacting

Taxations they never

Owed or could ever pay.

You fought to die, thinking

In destruction lies the seed

Of birth. You may be right.

I will remember silent walks in

Southern woods and long talks

In low voices

Shielding meaning from the big ears

Of overcurious adults.

You may be right.

Your slow return from

Regions of terror and bloody

Screams, races my heart.

I hear again the laughter

Of children and see fireflies

Bursting tiny explosions in

An Arkansas twilight.

 

Analysis Essay Thesis Statement

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The term, “analysis” comes from the word, “analyze,” which is the “the process of studying or examining something in an organized way to learn more about it, or a particular study of something” (Cambridge.org). In high school or college writing courses, you might be asked to write an analysis on anything from a long work of literary fiction, a poem, or even media like advertisements or music videos. Regardless of what type of analysis you plan to write, you’ll focus on breaking down the subject into specific components for a close inquiry.

At the most basic form, a literary and other analysis will lead the writer to look deeply into a text to focus on one or more elements. For example, you might decide to analyze the main characters in a work of fiction, or compare and contrast the protagonist with the antagonist. In a poetry analysis, you might focus on the use of imagery, the rhyme scheme or rhythm, or use of metaphor. In a media analysis of a print advertisement or video, you might study the use of design, including typeface or color, signs and symbols, facial expressions, clothing, or actions of the people or figures.

The Analysis Thesis

An analysis essay requires the writer to make a claim or argument. What is the central idea you want to communicate? Therefore, just like an argument essay, a carefully constructed thesis is essential, and will create a road map for the essay’s organization.

To develop an analysis thesis statement, the format will look something like this:

In (title of work), (author) (verb, such as illustrates, shows) (element of work).

So to fill in the blanks, a thesis could be. . .

In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor incorporates the literary technique of foreshadowing to build suspense throughout the narrative arc.

Another optional format might look like this:

(Author) (verb, shows, develops, illustrates) the theme of __________ in the (play, poem, story).

Edgar Allen Poe illustrates the theme of death and afterlife in “The Raven.”

As you can see, once you have a well-defined thesis, the essay organization will unfold as you lay out the components you’ll analyze.

Advertisement Analysis Thesis

For an advertisement analysis, there are numerous components that could be analyzed, from the way the ad is photographed, the action of characters, to the underlying message the ad conveys, so it’s important to narrow your focus.

As you consider your ad analysis thesis, ask yourself some questions as you brainstorm:

What values or beliefs does the ad communicate?

What are the underlying assumptions the ad is communicating?

Does the ad perpetuate sexual, gender or other stereotypes?

What does this ad tell us about American culture?

Once you choose your point of analysis, create a thesis that reflects the elements of the ad you will focus on, similar to the previous examples:

Ex. 1: In the Gillette razor ad, the images of handsome male athletes conveys the implicit message that consumers of the product will become more strong, attractive, and masculine.

Ex. 2: In the Hallmark commercial, pathos is used to convey a feeling of loneliness and isolation that creates an emotional response in the viewer.

Ex. 3: By using slender, white, and young models, the Cutie Lash ad perpetuates negative female stereotypes.

Other Tips

Once you have a strong thesis, you will organize the essay around your main point or points of analysis. An analysis is considered a formal paper, so keep your voice out of it, and offer well-supported facts and examples from the text or ads. An analysis essay is a great way to show off your critical thinking and reasoning skills. Spending some time developing a strong thesis statement will start you on the road to success.

Brainstorm Your Way to a Great Essay

(A version of this post originally appeared Dec. 6, 2013)

 

For many writers, beginning and experienced, simply finding a topic to write about is the most difficult part of the writing process. Utilizing some simple invention or brainstorming tools will set you on your way to uncovering an engaging topic, one audiences will be interested in reading, and you will be excited writing about for the next several weeks.  

Brainstorming

This catch-all term is thrown around quite often in the writing classroom. An instructor will ask you to spend some time “brainstorming” before you begin the writing process, but for many, this request just draws a blank. How exactly does one brainstorm?

1.  Take a piece of paper, and list numbers 1-20.
2.  To begin filling in this list, write down what interests you. If you draw a blank, consider what has been going on in your life lately – conversations you have had, or things you have read or heard on the news – and jot them down on your list.

If this seems too overwhelming, try categorizing your list into groups of 5.

Create one list of 5 labeled POLITICS (this could include current legislation that might affect you or your community; concealed weapons; mandatory military service; electoral system, etc.)

Create one list of 5 SOCIAL ISSUES (this might include healthcare, deforestation, sharing wealth, etc.)

Create one list of 5 CULTURAL ISSUES (this might include language reform, religious freedom, polygamy, etc.)

Create a list of 5 COMMUNITY ISSUES (this might include things that affect you where you work and live, such as parking, recycling, dorms on campus, A-F grade system, etc.)

Once you break it down into manageable chunks, it’s much easier to uncover some interesting and unique topics from current issues. Let’s look at our examples from above. One way to decide if a topic will make a good persuasive paper is to ask a “should” question based on the topic. Let’s look at some of the issues from our examples and put them into a “should” question:

•   Should the government require mandatory military service?
•   Should the government alter the tax system to force the rich to share their wealth with the poor?
•   Should elementary schools require students to learn a second language?
•   Should colleges and universities abolish the A-F grade scale and GPA system?

Digging Deeper: What do you already know about?

Another way to identify topics you might be interested in writing about is to consider your own knowledge and expertise. Everyone is knowledgeable about something, and many of us are knowledgeable about several things. What topics are you an authority on? Don’t sell yourself short.  A list might include:

1.     Unique hobbies (spelunking, metal detecting, dumpster diving)
2.     Unique skills (second language, yoga master, cartoonist)
3.     Training or education (CPR, computer tech, sign language)
4.     Work Experience (manager, bartender, crisis counselor)
5.     Personal Experience (single parent, foster parent, football coach, nurse aide)

Now that you have a good list of hobbies, skills, and other knowledge and experience, consider how you can pull a topic out of those lists to compose an interesting essay. Some topics would make great informational essays, while others would make great persuasive essays.

•   To reduce waste and our reliance on landfills, dumpster diving, or reusing or repurposing someone else’s trash, is a viable alternative.
•   Yoga has been proven to not only improve balance, lower blood pressure, and fight disease, but can also relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety.
•   Training in CPR should be mandatory for all public school teachers.
•   Bartenders should/should not be held liable for the accidental injury or death of a person by someone they served who was found to be intoxicated.
•   Same sex couples should/should not be allowed to become foster parents.
   

Taking time in the early stages of the writing process to brainstorm will lead you to unique and engaging topics for your paper. No one wants to write another “Legalize Marijuana” or “Lower Drinking Age” essay like they did for their high school teacher, and I promise instructors don’t want to read another one either. Uncovering topics you wouldn’t normally consider or even think about will earn you the admiration of your instructor, and you’ll enjoy the research process more as well.

STUDENTS: Share your unique topic ideas with us. How did you uncover your topic?

Write on!

Writing About Poetry

 

 

Writing a poetry analysis is one of the most dreaded assignments for students. Poetry is often intimidating to the untrained reader and it often takes time and practice to learn how to critically analyze a poem. Once you understand some of the basic principles of literary analysis and learn some simple poetry vocabulary, writing poetry analysis won’t be so daunting.

First, let’s review some vocabulary that we’ll be using –

Basic Vocabulary

Below are some basic poetic devices that are commonly used in analysis. Some you may be familiar with:

Simile: Comparison using like or as.

Metaphor: a direct comparison.

Tone: the emotion that the speaker uses when he/she talks

Personification: human qualities attributed to non-human objects

Imagery: A way to create pictures with words, often using sensory detail

Alliteration: Repetition of the same consonant sound

Assonance: Repetition of the same vowels sound

Stanza: A grouped set of lines in a poem

 

Now that you’ve learned some simple vocabulary, let’s look at some ways you might analyze a poem.

Title

The first thing you read is obviously the title. This is your first clue as to what the poem might be about. The title often reflects the subject of the poem, so come back to the title after you’ve read the poem to analyze the connection to the content.

Close Reading

To begin, it’s important to read the poem several times, at least 3. Each time you read a poem, you might find something different you didn’t notice from previous readings. Try reading it aloud. Take note of words you are not familiar with so you can look them up later. Circle nouns or phrases that stick out to you.

Who is the Speaker?

Don’t confuse the speaker or narrator of the poem with the writer. The voice could be that of the writer, expressing thoughts or feelings, but not necessarily.

The speaker of the poem may be an old man, but the person who wrote the poem might be a twenty-year-old. Is the speaker a man or woman? Is he or she addressing someone in particular? Is there more than one speaker? What is the speaker’s mood? Angry? Cynical? Happy? If you can easily pinpoint the mood, how did you know?

Do you have any clues as to the main idea the speaker wants to communicate?

What is the Subject?

The title might be the first clue to the subject of the poem. If you’re still confused, ask yourself simply, “What is the poem about?”

You could uncover clues to the subject by the speaker’s tone. What is the speaker’s attitude about the subject? Angry? Hurt? Resentful? Sad? Scared? Joyful?

What is the Situation?

Is there an event in the poem the speaker is reflecting on? Or is the speaker simply discussing a memory? The weather? A long lost love?

Often, but not always, a poem tells a story. Did something happen? Does the speaker want something to happen? Why is the speaker talking about this?

Structure

How is the poem organized or divided up? You might be familiar with traditional stanzas, or several groups of 4 or 5 lines each, but there are as many different ways to organize a poem as there are poets. A poem might have numbered stanzas, or each stanza line may have no end punctuation and flow into the next stanza.

Poems are a unified piece of writing, and for the most part, don’t jump in topic from stanza to stanza, but are usually connected in meaning. You might see some kind of link in emotions, ideas, or images, a common thread that runs through each stanza. Do you notice any common thread?

If there are no stanza divisions, try looking at the poem line by line or sentence by sentence. Do you notice any patterns of repeated words or images?

Theme

The theme is the central idea of the poem, and often the theme conveys the poem’s message. As you put all of these ideas together, what does the poem mean as a whole? What do you think is the “take away” or the big “so what?” of the poem?

Language and Imagery

The conclusions you draw about the poem will come from the language and imagery of the poem. So it is imperative to understand the denotative meaning, as well as the connotative meaning of the words.

Denotative Meaning: This is the literal, or dictionary definition of a word.

Connotative Meaning: This is the emotional or associative meaning of a word. For instance, a snake is often associated with evil. Hollywood is associated with glamour. Blue birds are associated with happiness. The color white or a cross is associated with goodness or holiness.

Poets rely on language and imagery to convey meaning. Understanding the denotative and connotative meaning in language is important to understand the meaning of a poem.

Final Thoughts

This is only the tip of the tip of the poetic iceberg on how one might analyze poetry. Once you learn a few simple terms, you’ll find there are dictionaries devoted to poetic vocabulary. One good resource can be found on the Poetry Foundation’s website, who has a large glossary of terms, found here. Another good source is Poets.org.

Writing about poetry can be demanding, but learning a few simple terms and strategies will hopefully take the fear out of your next poetry analysis.

Practice!

Considering the questions above, analyze the following poems-

Tattoo by Ted Kooser

What once was meant to be a statement—
a dripping dagger held in the fist
of a shuddering heart—is now just a bruise
on a bony old shoulder, the spot
where vanity once punched him hard
and the ache lingered on. He looks like
someone you had to reckon with,
strong as a stallion, fast and ornery,
but on this chilly morning, as he walks
between the tables at a yard sale
with the sleeves of his tight black T-shirt
rolled up to show us who he was,
he is only another old man, picking up
broken tools and putting them back,
his heart gone soft and blue with stories.

 

 

Kin by Maya Angelou

We were entwined in red rings
Of blood and loneliness before
The first snows fell
Before muddy rivers seeded clouds
Above a virgin forest, and
Men ran naked, blue and black
Skinned into the warm embraces
Of Sheba, Eve and Lilith.
I was your sister.

You left me to force strangers

Into brother molds, exacting

Taxations they never

Owed or could ever pay.

You fought to die, thinking

In destruction lies the seed

Of birth. You may be right.

I will remember silent walks in

Southern woods and long talks

In low voices

Shielding meaning from the big ears

Of overcurious adults.

You may be right.

Your slow return from

Regions of terror and bloody

Screams, races my heart.

I hear again the laughter

Of children and see fireflies

Bursting tiny explosions in

An Arkansas twilight.

 

The Evaluative Essay: What do you think?

If you were considering going to a movie, you might first consider if it’s to your taste. You might read some reviews or ask some friends if they thought the film was action-packed or slow moving, or if it was realistic or too futuristic for you. If your friend told you that the movie you were considering seeing was bad, you would want to know why. Maybe his or her idea of “bad” is that the movie was character-driven, as opposed to action-packed, but maybe you prefer character-driven movies.

As you can see, “bad” is totally subjective. You need specifics. How is your friend judging the movie? Does he or she have solid reasons and evidence to back up his or her opinion?

Everyone has an opinion, but in evaluative writing, it’s not enough to just present an opinion. The writer has to understand who his or her audience is and know what criteria are important for that specific audience.

Parts of an Evaluation

The judgment acts as a thesis for an evaluative essay. This judgment provides specific reasons based on carefully chosen criteria. The criteria are a set of standards based on your topic and audience.

Using our movie example above, a judgment might look like this:

Although the film, The Hobbit, is targeted for children, all audiences can appreciate and enjoy the movie because of its special effects, unique characters, and engaging storyline.

This thesis is a judgment (all audiences can appreciate and enjoy the movie) of the movie based on 3 criteria: because it has inventive special effects, unique characters, and engaging storyline.

When deciding on the criteria you’ll use to support your judgment, you’ll want to choose criteria which speaks directly to your audience. The criteria in our example, inventive special effects, unique characters, and engaging storyline, was chosen with an audience in mind who are adult movie-goers. Children probably wouldn’t care about all these criteria, nor would people who aren’t interested in movies. If you were to argue that The Hobbit is a bad movie because you don’t like fantasy-adventure tales, that’s more opinion, and the criteria help keep the judgment unbiased and balanced.

As you build support for your judgment, you will show evidence, possibly in the form of examples for each reason. Evidence is important, as it establishes credibility with your audience, so presenting a well-thought out judgment and criteria with strong evidence shows you are offering a fair and balanced judgment.

In most cases, each body paragraph will present one separate criteria, offering effective evidence in the form of examples from research, or even visual examples. In our movie example, you might use a film shot to illustrate a point. Depending on the requirements of your assignment, you’ll probably need to include research and cite those sources, but if you were writing an evaluation for a blog or magazine, citations won’t generally be necessary, though you should always name sources in a signal phrase.

Final Thoughts

We evaluate every day, whether we think consciously about it or not. We’re always making judgments, and considering how we make those judgments forces us to reason out our opinions. It’s not unusual to discover that perhaps our opinions are built on a flimsy foundation. Evaluative writing forces us to analyze not only what we pass judgment on, but how we pass judgment.

 

(Some examples from The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing)

 

First to Final: How Many Drafts does it Take?

When assigned to write a paper, many student writers begin their process with their first draft, hope to do a thorough revision, and turn in the final draft for a grade. However, the process of writing a quality college-level essay may take many more revisions than students are prepared for. How many drafts are enough? How many are too many – or is it even possible to have too many drafts?

Students who aren’t familiar with the “writing is a process” model think it possible (and maybe it was in high school) to crank out a quality paper at 2:00am the night before a due date. This effort might get a strong writer a passing grade, but most of us need several drafts to produce the quality of writing needed for more complicated college writing assignments. I have never been able to sit in front of a blank computer screen and churn out anything worth reading on the first try. In fact, it might take me 5, 6, or 10 revisions before a piece is ready to be read by an audience.

The word “essay” derives from the French essayer, “to try” or “to attempt.” First drafts will often be an intro that leads to nothing, a conclusion with no beginning, or a middle with no engine or caboose, or simply some scribbled notes. First drafts are just that – a first attempt. Too many beginning writers believe it possible to compose a full first draft – an essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion – do a little tweaking, and call it done. But does this produce the best possible finished product? Probably not.

If the thought of writing several drafts feels overwhelming, consider breaking the drafting process down into manageable parts. Hopefully, you have an outline of where you want to go with your paper. Consider drafting the introduction first, and take a step back from the essay. Let the paper simmer for a few hours or a day, thinking about how you want to proceed. Come back at another time to flesh out the body paragraphs. Stop and take another step back. Coming to each writing session with a set of fresh eyes (not to mention a fresh brain!) will help you see more clearly.

In these initial draft stages, don’t overwhelm yourself with too many concerns, such as worrying about grammar and punctuation at this point. Trying to correct as you go will only slow your writing process down. Save this for the final stages of the revision process.  Once your first draft is complete, revisit the body paragraphs to consider global concerns, such as if the essay has a thesis, maintains focus, and is organized logically. How many revisions will this take? That’s anybody’s guess. Maybe 3. Maybe 10. Don’t worry so much about the number of revisions it will take. Each draft will get you one step closer to the finished product.

Share your writing process with us.
How many times do you revise a piece?
When do you know it’s done?

Writing the Response Essay

To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.
– Kenneth Burke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
In college, you will probably be expected to write a paper in response to another text often referred to as a Response Essay. The text could be in the form of a newspaper or magazine article, a government or business report, a book, or even visual texts, such as magazine advertisements. (For our purposes here, we will not be covering responses of literary texts.)

Instructors often assign response essays to not only encourage a deep reading of a text, but also empower students to form critical opinions of their own in response to others’ opinions. Responding to texts requires students to carefully consider how they feel about often controversial issues, perhaps issues students have never considered before. Often, the outcome for students of writing response essays can be a new understanding and appreciation – even a passion – for a topic.

How to Begin

The first step is the obvious – read the text carefully. But this step is often glossed over too rapidly. It’s not enough to read through a text once; read it enough times that you thoroughly understand the topic, the writer’s opinions, the main ideas, the minor details, and can articulate them without re-reading the text. This may take several reads before you fully understand the entirety of the text.

Annotate, Annotate, Annotate

As you read through the text, note in the margins what each paragraph is communicating. Some instructors will ask to see your annotations to make sure you’re taking notes. One way to gain a thorough understanding of the key points as you read is to note what each paragraph is saying, and what each paragraph is doing.

Annotating what the paragraph is saying is to simply summarize briefly the main idea in each paragraph. This helps you to retain the information and aids you in finding key points. Annotating what a paragraph is doing is to take note of what the author’s intention is. Does the writer argue a main point? Does the author prove his point with facts or statistics or other evidence? Does the paragraph cite background and history? Notice that when you annotate what your paragraphs “does,” you’ll use verbs to show action. This will demonstrate what rhetorical strategies the author is using to build his or her argument, and will play a key role in how you analyze the text.

Identify Major and Minor Details

Once you’ve done a thorough read-through and annotated the paragraphs, it’s a good idea to read again and highlight the details. You might use a color marker to highlight the major details of the paragraph, and then use a different color marker to highlight the minor supporting details. Although this sounds easy, this step is where students often fail. It is imperative to be able to identify the key major details that are moving the argument forward, and differentiate them from the minor details that only offer supporting evidence.

Ask Questions

Now that you have read through the text a few times, you might be thinking about some inconsistencies, contradictions, or lapses in information. This is the time to jot down questions you might have. Are you finding holes in the writer’s argument? Does the writer fail to fully communicate the full scope of the problem, or fall short of explaining other key points? Do you feel the writer is fair and unbiased, or leaning heavily toward one side without giving voice to the opposition? Does anything surprise or puzzle you?

What do YOU Think?

The objective of a Response assignment is to respond, so you’ll be asked to communicate what your opinions are. As you carefully consider your response to the text and author, think about how you feel about the text.

Do you agree or disagree?
What exactly do you agree or disagree with?
Can you recall a similar personal experience or do you have prior knowledge of the topic?
What key ideas might you want to evaluate  more closely?

Once you have a clear idea what you think about what you’ve read, now it’s time to put it all together.

Drafting: Organize your Thoughts

If you’ve followed all of these steps to prepare your response, congratulations! If you’ve taken careful notes, annotated the text thoroughly, and have an informed opinion, you may find you have the skeleton of your response paper written.

Putting it all Together

The Intro

Begin the paper by introducing the author and title of the text, as in the following example:

In Victor Frisk’s article, “No Way Out,” the author states that the US should detain all travelers coming into the country from destinations that have been proved to have Ebola cases within the last year.

This first sentence does many things: it introduces the author; introduces the article title, and gives the author’s main argument or idea.

The following sentences in the intro should briefly summarize the text. This should be a very brief summary of what you read. It’s not unusual for instructors to ask you to skip the summary, so follow your guidelines carefully.

The final sentence in the intro will state your thesis, a concise focused opinion of where you stand. Do you agree or disagree with the author’s premise?

The Body

There are several ways to organize the body of a response. Most instructors ask students to include textual evidence in the body. You might do this by inserting an author quote, contextualizing the quote, then commenting on the quote with your response. Regardless of how you organize it, the body paragraphs should contain only one idea each, and connect back to your thesis. What you include in the body will be determined by your assignment guidelines, but remember to  always relate back to the thesis as you go.

The Conclusion

The conclusion is a restatement of your thesis and how it fits with the original text’s argument. Reinforce your thesis, but avoid restating it word for word. You might leave the reader with a thoughtful comment or question to consider, or a prediction of future consequences or outcomes. Avoid inserting new information or quotes in the conclusion.

 

Response essays pose special challenges for students, but with several close readings and careful note taking, you’ll be well on your way to a successful paper.

Analysis? Summary? Response?

Understanding Assignments

Have you ever been given an essay assignment, and after reading it carefully, still couldn’t figure out what the heck you were supposed to do?

I sense you nodding your head yes.

Writing assignments can sometimes be hard to decipher. New students are still learning academic jargon, and terms that are professors’ everyday vocabulary often sound like a foreign language to students. Have you ever been assigned an “Analysis,” but also been instructed absolutely NOT to include “Summary”? Or have you ever had to write a “Summary” but been instructed NOT to include “Response”? Hopefully your instructor has explained what his or her expectations are, but in case you were absent that day, below are a few of the most common types of writing assignments and their definitions.

SUMMARY

Summarizing a text is pretty straightforward; the instructor is asking you to read the material and break it down into a shorter summarization in your own words. This sounds simple, but often students read a short story or a newspaper article and totally misinterpret the text. This is exactly why the instructor has assigned a summary – so you’ll learn how to actively read (and re-read) a text, critically thinking about what the text is communicating.

Summaries are often short, three to five paragraphs. Longer works might require longer summaries. When they are short, you’ll want to get to the point fast. Introduce the text and author, and explain the main point or theme. In a summary, you’ll repeat the ideas you have read, but relay them in your own words. Your summary should act as a substitute for the source; act as if your audience hasn’t read the text, and explain exactly what it is about. There is no room for your creative interpretations here: don’t mislead your audience, and take care not to misinterpret the text. Some will argue that when reading and repeating a source, there will always be differing interpretations, but this is different than failing to understand the main points of the text. Read closely and carefully, and articulate accurately.

LITERARY ANALYSIS

Literature or Creative Writing classes often assign Literary Analysis papers. In a literary analysis, the instructor will usually expect you to examine the writing of a text more closely. There are many different choices to make when analyzing literature, and often your instructor will give you guidelines as to what you might focus on. You might be asked to analyze the author’s writing style, or the plot development. You could focus on symbolism, metaphor, or irony. You could also focus solely on plot, setting or characterization.

You may have the option to take a broader approach, analyzing the historical framework, critical theory, or the social, political, or religious context of the text. Whatever you choose, or are instructed, to analyze, you will be expected to make an argument, or main point, about the literature. Once you decide what the main point is you want to make, you’ll need to include evidence from the text. It’s like an argument paper where you have a persuasive thesis, but focused on a piece of literature. You will most likely be asked to include some quotes, and a brief summary, but usually you’ll want to avoid lengthy summary in an analysis. The personal “I” pronoun is usually not used in analysis essays, though this is often the discretion of the instructor. If in doubt, leave “I” out.

RESPONSE OR REFLECTION

If your instructor has asked you write a “Response” or “Reflection” paper, you will most likely write about your own thoughts and feelings about a text. When we “reflect” on a piece of writing, we often think about the emotions the piece has conveyed in us as readers. Responses and reflections ask the writer to offer his opinions, so the reader expects a face and a voice behind the words, a first-person “I,” as opposed to the more formal third person common in the analysis essay. You will most likely include “I think” or “I felt” throughout your essay.

It’s easiest to write a response or reflection immediately after reading a text, when it’s fresh in your mind and your emotions about the piece are fresh. At least try to jot down some notes as you read. Did the writer make you angry? Did you feel sympathy? Did it compel you to act in some way? Reflect on why you have responded the way you did. What in the text compelled you to respond this way, or how has the writer manipulated your feelings? This type of paper may require short summary, but usually you’ll only analyze your reaction, not the text.

These are broad guidelines for writing different types of essays. If in doubt, always ask your instructor what their expectations are for any given assignment.
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Students: Do you have any assignments right now with directions or guidelines you are confused about? Share them here and we’ll try to break them down next week!

 

Research Papers: Argument or Analysis?

Understanding Assignments Part II

Last week on our blog we talked about different types of assignments, including literary analysis, summary, and response or reflection essays. This week we’ll talk about two different types of research papers: analytical research papers and argumentative research papers.

A research paper is a type of essay that requires the writer to investigate and integrate sources related to his or her subject. It is not a summary, nor an exposition, nor an opinion piece, but might take on elements of all of those genres. Research papers offer an informed study of a topic that engage outside source material, including primary and secondary sources, to offer other perspectives on an issue.

Argumentative Research Paper

The goal of an argument paper is to persuade the audience of the merits of a debatable topic. If the topic is not debatable, meaning there are two sides to the topic, it is not considered argumentative.  The writer of an argument paper must make a claim (the thesis statement) and back it up with source material. Outside research is included to support and prove your point, or claim (thesis). The writer of a successful argument paper will spend a good amount of time pouring over research that best supports his or her argument. The argument paper will also include opposition. If there is no opposition, there is no argument.

The topic for an argument paper must be debatable and is often controversial. Read the following examples of arguments, and decide if they are debatable:

1. Body piercing is popular among the youth of today.
2. There are a lot of benefits to using computers in grade school.
3. There are some negative and positive aspects to lowering the drinking age.

If you guessed they are not debatable, you are right. How can you reword each one to make it an argumentative thesis statement?

Analytical Research Paper

An analytical research paper differs from the argument paper in that it often begins with a research question which the writer will explore and evaluate. An analysis leads us to determine what something “means”; what is the “how” or “why” behind a topic? A thesis statement in an analytical paper will most often answer a “how” or “why” question.

Some examples of analytical thesis statement might be

1. Childhood obesity may result from environmental factors, socio-economic factors, and genetics.
2. An analysis of the sandhill crane reveals conflicting research on their once-believed monogamous mating habits.

As you can see, the thesis statements above do not present the topic in the form of an argument, but in the form of a statement that clearly communicates or forecasts the essays’ contents. The analysis will often analyze different points of view on an issue or topic, but may not necessarily support either side of the issue. The topic may very well be debatable, but the writer’s purpose is not necessarily to persuade the reader of a position, as in the argument paper.

Other Types of Analysis Papers

Literature instructors will often require students to write a literary analysis paper on an assigned reading (see last week’s blog post). A literary analysis paper attempts to present an idea about a text through careful examination of the text’s components, incorporating the writer’s insights. A literary analysis research paper will incorporate outside research or sources other than the primary text. The literary analysis will significantly expand a reader’s understanding of a text, often by making an assertion about the text.  The writer might introduce a theory or interpretation (the thesis statement) about the text, then fully “analyze” this interpretation through close reading, textual support, and secondary source material.

Academic jargon can often be difficult for the new students to understand. Always refer to your assignment objectives and ask your instructor to clarify any ambiguous or confusing lingo.

For more information on research papers, visit the following links:

Purdue Owl
Research Thesis Statement Examples
Literary Analysis Thesis Statement Examples