How to Write a Critical Analysis Essay Step by Step
When you know how to write a critical analysis essay step by step, you do not have to panic when your teacher, tutor or lecturer gives you this assignment. A critical analysis essay can be defined as an essay in which the writer analyzes a text, idea or literature by discussing its validity while evaluating its worth. Usually, the analysis entails a summary or concise restatement of the main message of the work under analysis as well as an evaluation of how well the message is put across. For instance, a critical analysis essay on a piece of literature can examine the tone, style and rhetorical appeals that the author of the text employs. A critical analysis essay on a scientific paper can examine the accuracy, relevance and methodology of research.
A simple guide on how to write a critical analysis essay step by step
The goal of a critical analysis essay is to provide an interpretation or text of certain aspects of a given text or to simply situate it in the broader context. For instance, a critical analysis essay on a book can focus on determining how the used tone influences the overall text meaning. A critical analysis essay on a film can focus on the importance of recurring symbols in it. Regardless of the topic of your critical analysis essay, there are sections that you should include and steps that you should follow during the writing process to make your critical analysis essay stronger.
They are as follows:
- Understand the critical analysis essay writing assignment
Once your instructor assigns you the essay writing assignment, read the provided guidelines carefully highlighting what you may not understand. Seek clarification where necessary to ensure that every aspect of the assignment is clear to you.
- Study your source critically
This assignment requires you to evaluate a given work such as a movie or a painting. To analyze the work critically, you need to familiarize yourself with it. Take your time to read the work carefully so that you can understand it. If you are required to write a critical analysis essay on a film or any other visual work, watch it severally. If it is a painting, view it from different angles. Take notes while studying the work. This will enable you to recall various aspects of the work and think critically about it while writing the essay. Therefore, ask important questions while studying the work.
For instance, ask yourself:
- What purpose does the work accomplish?
- What is the main message of the work?
- What are the major points or ideas?
- What makes the work puzzling?
- Is the purpose of the work accomplished successfully? If yes or no, how or why?
Review notes so that you can identify problems and patterns
After studying the work and taking notes, go through the notes carefully so that you can determine which patterns are the best for presenting the text as well as problems that should stand out in your essay. Identify solutions to some of these problems.
Select a topic for your critical analysis essay
This is one of the most important steps of a guide on how to write a critical analysis essay step by step. The topic that you select for your critical analysis essay will determine what you include in the essay. For instance, do you prefer critiquing a modern movie or a classical book? It is important that you consider the given assignment or prompts as you select the topic. You might also be given a topic to write your essay on. However, if the assignment allows you the freedom to select a topic, pick a strong topic to make your critical analysis essay unique.
Conduct secondary research
If the assignment requires you to use secondary sources, you have to conduct some research from the right sources. The assignment guidelines might specify the sources that you should use. Scholarly journals, books, magazine articles, trustworthy websites and newspaper articles are examples of sources that you should consider exploring. You can also use the database of your college library because this allows you access to various articles freely. Nevertheless, evaluate each source carefully to ensure that it is credible. Take notes while reading the sources that you identify and ascertain their credibility. Highlight important passages to make coming back to them easier. Additionally, jot down information about the sources to make crafting a bibliography or reference page easier.
Come up with a tentative thesis
After developing ideas of your critical analysis essay from the primary source and secondary sources, draft a thesis statement for your critical analysis essay. A good thesis statement should express your main idea while stating an arguable claim. Using a thesis statement that has a multi-sentence nature is helpful. Such a statement has a first sentence providing a general idea while these second refines it into an idea that is more specific. Make sure that your thesis statement is arguable and that it provides adequate details.
Outline your critical analysis essay
On the basis of the research notes that you took in step 5, develop an outline for your essay. This will enable you to organize the information that you have gathered in a more effective manner. Come up with a detailed outline on the basis of the information that you will include in the sections that your outline highlights.
Use an engaging sentence to start your essay
You should start discussing the topic of your essay immediately at the introduction. To determine what to include in your introduction, think about the main ideas or points that you will discuss in the essay. Note that you should identify the key points or ideas of the essay at the introduction. Crafting a good introduction is also a vital step of a guide on how to write a critical analysis essay step by step because the introduction provides a preview of your essay.
Include background information
You should include background information in the introduction because this will guide the readers of your essay. Background information establishes a context for the essay. Therefore, think about the information that your readers may want to know so that they can understand the entire essay and include this in the introductory paragraph.
Discuss specific components in the body
Instead of attempting to discuss multiple aspects of the text in one paragraph, come up with several body paragraphs with each focusing on a specific aspect of the work. Make sure that each aspect contributes in proving the stated thesis statement.
In each paragraph:
- State a claim in the topic sentence
- Support the claim with an example from the work under analysis or the primary source
- Support the claim with an example from the secondary sources
Write a strong conclusion
In the conclusion, emphasize on what you were trying to show readers about the work under analysis. Take time to reflect on the content and message of your essay before you draft a conclusion. Determine which the best way to end the essay is. For instance, you can review and summarize your main points regarding the work under analysis. You can also explain the effects of the topic on the readers. Alternatively, you can explain the application of the topic to a broader observation or theme. Your conclusion can also be a call to action such as further exploration or present a question introduced by your essay.
Revising is a crucial aspect of a guide on how to write a critical analysis essay step by step
After writing your crucial analysis essay, set it aside for some days before you revise it. This will give you a fresh perspective of your essay once you revisit it. Take time to substantively revise your essay by clarifying confusing arguments or logics. Ensure that your main points come out clearly and that they are supported by adequate evidence or examples from both primary and secondary sources. Proofread your essay for grammatical and spelling errors.
Bonus tips on how to write a critical analysis essay step by step
- Revise the introduction of your critical analysis essay after writing the rest of the paper to ensure that it gives the best preview of the entire essay.
- Start the process of writing your critical analysis essay early to come up with a much better essay.
- Hire a professional editing service to ensure that your essay is proofread properly because you might not see some errors that you make while writing.
- Use a sample critical analysis essay as your guide. Click here for a critical analysis essay sample.
Get online help with critical analysis essay
If you face difficulties while writing your critical analysis essay, get in touch with us for immediate assistance. You may also visit our website’s homepage for additional information regarding our writing services. Alternatively, keep reading for more guidelines on how to write a critical analysis essay step by step and sample essays on our blog.
Sources
http://www.webster.edu/academic-resource-center/writingcenter/writing-tips/analysis.html
https://www.gallaudet.edu/tip/english-center/writing/essays/writing-critical-essays-about-literature.html
http://www2.southeastern.edu/Academics/Faculty/elejeune/critique.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Critical-Essa