GEC 211
Analytical
Writing/Essays
Dr Richmond Ngula
• Understand what analytical writing is
• Understand how to develop an analysis
on a topic in the form of an essay
Goals of the • Practice the writing of analytical essays.
lesson • Appreciate analytical writing as a very
important type of writing in the
academy.
• Encourage you to see analytical writing
as something that must be part of your
life, even after school.
What is analytical writing?
• Analytical writing primarily involves analysis, which means to cut a
whole into various parts or categories to understand what it is or how
it works.
• Analysis is often tied to specific disciplinary methods. Every analysis
usually follows a certain theory, method, or procedure, and these may
differ across disciplines.
• Analysis is initiated by some need or desire to know the components,
dynamics, structure, or workings of some phenomenon in greater
detail than is at first evident.
[Bazerman, 1997: 192–194]
What, then, is an analytical essay?
• An analytical essay is that type of essay whose main aim is to provide
a substantial or thorough analysis on a given topic/issue.
• Analytical essays can be written on a vast range of topics in different
fields including literary works (Literature), scientific studies, art works,
current events, historical events, politics, media stories, society,
culture, law reports, etc.
• Criticality and argumentation are also part of analytical essays.
• An analytical essay, like other types of essay, is structured in terms of
introduction, body, and conclusion.
Purposes of doing analytical essays
• Analytical essays serve two main purposes: one for the writer and one
for the reader.
• Teachers and lecturers give analytical essays to help students grow as
writers and thinkers; analytical essays boost a student’s writing skills
and enhance their comprehension of a particular topic.
• Analytical essays also benefit readers. Critical analysis essays, which
may be written by experts, are routinely published in newspapers and
magazines to enhance knowledge and understanding of readers.
Critical analysis papers also get published in journals which are mainly
read by the writer’s peers and students.
Analysis is interpretation, not just description
• Description mainly takes the form of summaries, synopsis, reporting
information, often without including analysis or opinion
• Thus, while descriptive essays summarize facts, analytical essays delve
into interpretation, based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• An analytical essay demands that you examine the information and
evaluate it.
• Analysis and interpretation often follow established methods or
procedures, which may vary across disciplines
Some types of analytical essays
• Rhetorical analysis essay
• Literary analysis essay
• Character (real or imaginary) analysis essay
• Poetry analysis essay
• Multimodal analysis essay
• Critical book/article review essay
• Critical discourse analysis essay
Steps to follow in writing analytical essays
• Establish your aim or point of view on the ‘object’.
• Identify the appropriate method of analysis you want to use.
• Examine the object carefully in light of the task and method,
trying to understand it and gathering relevant
data/information.
• Establish the specific categories suggested by the object of
analysis.
• Isolate and record all relevant details around the categories.
Steps to follow in writing analytical essays
• Examine the data or information carefully to answer your
underlying aim or question.
• Formulate your analytical conclusions.
• Write an outline for your essay.
• Introductory paragraph
• Body paragraphs
• Concluding paragraph
• Write the first draft
• Revise, edit and proofread
