How To Write An Analytical Essay

December 17, 2022 support

by support

Table of Contents

The act of doing an analysis is a common practice in academics. Students learn a topic or a phenomenon and then engage in the activity of understanding and taking note of the things in that topic. This activity can be personal or with other students as in a group or class activity. Even teachers help students in drawing parallels and extract themes from the source material.

Doing the same thing on paper makes it an analytical essay. It is one of the most common types of essays that are written in schools and colleges by students. But it is harder and more complicated than other types.

In this blog, we will cover the introduction to analytical essays, the structure of a traditional analytical essay, and then a simple manual on how to write a great analytical essay in six simple steps.

Introduction To Analytical Essay

Analytical essays are about examining a topic or a piece of work and drawing conclusions from it. These essays are used in all major fields of study including Economics, History, and so on. Yet the most receptive field for analytical essays is Literature where students study pieces from other writers and then draw their conclusions from them.

In terms of focus and scope, they are more related to expository essays because they do not have space to express personal opinions and views. Instead, the bulk of the analytical essays is about scientific or empirical information. In case the author’s views are not backed by references and citations, they must follow logic and reasoning.

The major highlight of an analytical essay is about digging deeper into the text and surface of a writing piece and then uncovering hidden themes and issues. These include poetry and prose from prolific authors.

Structure of An Analytical Essay

When students are tasked with writing an analytical essay, they often lack the necessary skills and training in balancing its elements. Although there are certain aspects of analytical essays that are similar to other essay types, the basic framework of the essay is different. That’s why it pays to understand the mechanics and dynamics of researching and writing an analytical essay. In this section, we will cover the structure of an analytical essay because this is what stands before anything else.

Opening

As the name indicates, this is where the action starts. The opening lines of an essay have a hook to capture the imagination of the readers. This can be a direct question, a statement connecting the context with the main point of the essay, and so on. After the hook comes the context or background of the essay. This should not be more than a couple of lines that shed light on the literary context of the problem. The opening lines lead to the thesis statement which connects this section with the next one.

Main Body

The main body of an analytical essay takes care of the main premise or argument of the essay. A typical five-paragraph essay takes three paragraphs. The main argument is covered in the body of this section. For instance, if you are speculating on the themes and ideas of an author in his stories, it will be in this section where you can formulate arguments and then provide relevant examples and references for it. Once this is out of this way, it leads to the conclusion of the essay.

Closing

The closing or conclusion of the analytical essay is another important section. Many students make the mistake of leaving or simply winging it to the end. This can be costly since readers read this section and then leave the essay. Many experts believe that a conclusion should stand alone in its structure and contents. One of the most important things is that it should cover the main arguments in a concise form and should not add to it in any case. The closing lines of this section should be one-liners and catchy.

Writing An Analytical Essay In 6 Steps

In this section, we will go through the simple manual on how to write an analytical essay in six simple steps. Students should keep in mind that they can always hire a professional essay writer from Write My Essay if they are not up for the task themselves. The company has a team of trained and highly skilled writers with years of experience and expertise in researching, writing, and editing analytical essays for students across the globe. For those who want to learn how to compose an analytical essay, let us get started!

Picking The Right Topic

Whether you are writing a school analytical essay or a college paper, the first step of the process is to pick the right topic. The best way to do this is to go through online resources and see what is hot in the news and other platforms. The editorials of leading newspapers and other literary sources can shed light on things that can help you get started with your essay. Once this is out of the way, you need to collect relevant information for the selected topic.

Collecting Relevant Information

First of all, no matter how adept and well-versed you are in a topic or a field of study, you need to collect information before writing an analytical essay, especially a compelling analytical essay. There are two main sources of research, the primary one is the online libraries and directories that are created and updated by universities. The second one is online journals and blogs concerning the industry. This step of the process is closely related to the outlining of the essay.

Mapping The Essay – Start To End

If you are confused with the word “map”, don’t be as it is just another word for an outline. Many students believe that they are more creative and more spontaneous when they write freely. There is no harm in doing so except opening yourself to the countless possibilities of bottlenecks and roadblocks. Outlining also sets the scope and direction for further sections and research of the analytical essay without spoiling the fun for the writer. Also, you can get to the finish line before getting started!

Finishing The First Draft

The first draft may not very much define the final quality and quantity of the essay, but it is a major step in the right direction. After researching and outlining the essay from start to finish, it is best to get to writing and finishing the first draft as soon as possible. There are chances of getting lost in the process of losing the spark. By completing this step in a timely fashion, you ensure that you are indeed moving in the right direction at the right pace.

Editing & Proofing

Even the best writers make mistakes in the initial drafts. This is the reality of life and no one can escape that. After you have finished your first draft of an analytical essay, it is time to take a step back and relax, only to approach the manuscript with fresh eyes and perspectives. From grammatical errors to contextual inconsistencies, anything can be rectified in this step to further strengthen the writing and ultimately the essay. Only after doing so, it becomes feasible to get peer reviews.

Peer Reviews Before Submission

Once you are done with your analytical essay, it is time to get more eyeballs on it. The obvious choice is the peers and siblings, especially who are well-educated or still pursuing their academics. They cannot only point out issues with your writing but also provide feedback to help you better tell your perspective. You will also notice that there were certain things that were just missed by you in the subsequent drafts. When everything is cleared, it is time to turn the essay in.

F.A.Q

What does an analytical essay look like?

The look and feel of an analytical essay are the same as that of any other essay. The format and structure are standard but it differs in the nature of the contents. Where narrative and descriptive essays cover the story and description of a subject under consideration, an analytical essay deals with studying and examining a piece of writing and extracting themes and issues from it.

What is a good example of analytical writing?

Unlike expository writing where you can easily find examples from daily life, analytical essays or the type of writing is more academic and niche. The most common and even good examples of analytical writing include movie or book analysis by a writer or critic. In addition to this, an in-depth study of a piece of work comes under this condition.

What are the 4 features of analytical writing?

The most important features of analytical writing are as follows:

A synopsis is different from an essay
The thesis of an analytical essay should be declared
The main premise of the essay should be supported by research, logic, and reasoning
The structure of the essay should be rigid

Any essay that claims to be analytical should have these features. Otherwise, it will be anything but an analytical essay.

How do you start an analytical essay introduction?

The introduction of any essay, including an analytical essay, is its most important section. It hooks the readers and makes them invested in the essay in the first place. One of the best ways to start an analytical essay is by sharing a fact or statistic from a credible source that is related to the main argument or premise of the essay.

What are the don’ts in an analytical essay?

An analytical essay is based on facts, or at least logical statements and observations. There is no room for personal opinions and comments if they are not backed by logic or reasoning. On the other hand, if you cannot find any references, you should rely on logic and reasoning to make your point.

What are the three main elements of an analytical essay?

The three most important elements of an analytical essay are the structural elements. These are the introduction, the main body, and the conclusion. While writing an analytical essay, you should understand the role of an individual section and how it is stacked up against the rest.

Final Thoughts

An analytical essay is about going through a subject and then coming up with its strengths and weaknesses. It is a tough take than writing a narrative or a descriptive essay because it requires deeper knowledge and understanding of the topic. In this blog, we have gone through the brass tacks and shown students how to write a compelling analytical essay for schools and colleges. We hope that students will find the resource helpful in dealing with the process of writing a good analytical essay. WriteMyEssay also offers excellent essay writing and editing services to students across the globe. With competitive pricing and attention to detail, you will be able to secure maximum marks.