Analysis Guidelines - Thomas
Use the following questions to guide your analysis of the four texts under consideration for Analysis Paper I.
Answer the following questions thoroughly and specifically.
Glean examples from the text. Some of the questions may not apply to all the
texts. This analysis will serve as a collecting strategy for your paper.
- What overall purpose(s) does the text serve? Is its intent to
answer a question, pose a problem, add to research on a given topic, introduce
a new idea, argue a point, etc.? How can you tell?
- Where did this text originally appear? What, from the context in which it
appeared or the article itself, can you tell about its audience? For
example, are they experts in the topic, novices? Do you feel you are
part of the intended audience? How can you tell?
- What is the subject of the text? What themes does the text
explore/reflect?
- What types of evidence are used? What does this suggest about the
author's assumptions regarding the audience? What does the choice of evidence
tell you about what is valued in the humanities?
- What strategies does the writer use? Examples of strategies include
argument, inductive/deductive reasoning, narration, analysis, application of
theory.
- Assess the style of the piece. List examples of techniques
(figurative language, repetition, complex sentences, etc.) and specialized
vocabulary. If specialized vocabulary is used, is it explained or are readers
expected to know it?
Look over your answers to all of the questions above. What patterns emerge?
What values and assumptions are revealed? What can you say about writing in the
humanities based on this text? Make some tentative generalizations about
expository writing in the humanities based on the texts you were
given.