How to Analyize and Argue an Essay Essay Example for Free

How to Analyize and Argue an Essay EssayA limited review is an move in which you evaluate (comment on the positive and minus aspects of) an essay or name. A criticism provoke be positive (reasons the argument worked), negative (reasons the argument did not work), or shaded (reasons separate of it worked and parts of it didnt). When you write a reexamination, it is important to keep in headspring that you are not making suggestions for the ca manipulation odds are the germ isnt interested in what you think she could oblige done other thanyou are writing for another reader. A evaluate is often born out of reaction (you like or disliked the argument), but is based on and live oned by close reading and evaluation, not just how you feel. Writing a literary criticism requires that you have a clear understanding of the essay. You should sleep together the argument, the purpose, and the shipway that the author supports the argument. If you cant clearly articulate those things, youll have a hard time critiquing them. For tips on that process, see the summary page. Sometimes a critique is called an analysis or a close reading.In all cases youre offering your own reasoned response to the ideas that the writer presents and the way the writer presents them. What to do Begin by summarizing the objet dart. Youll likely need a brief overview in your mental institution anyway, and it never hurts to have a firm sense of the argument in your head before you begin a critique. In many cases your instructor will require you to begin a critique with a summary. Decide whether your critique will be positive or negative. Are you interested in the positives of the piece or the negatives? Did the author convince you or not?Do you want to highlight a combination of positive and negative? Pick some(prenominal)(prenominal) precise points from the essay that you wish to use as your supporting margin calls. You might bestow issue with an authors organization or tone, or with her use of supporting arguments. The more specific you are in your points, the better your critique will be. See below for a list of manageable critique points. The thesis of a critique is relatively straightforward. You simply need to present your evaluation of the clause youre critiquing. You then support that thesis using the several points youve chosen.In apiece paragraph of a critique, develop one of your points. Use specific examples from the text. If you want to say that the authors tone was conflicting for the subject matter, find a quote and then explain how the tone is in usurp and why. Usually each paragraph explains only one example. You might have two paragraphs that discuss different examples of the same customary pointfor instance, two different examples of inappropriate tone. The number of organic structure paragraphs depends on the length of the assignment. A two-page critique might not have more than two or three body paragraphs.A four-page critique m ight require five or six body paragraphs. Choose enough examples so that you can discuss each one in its own body paragraph. A general rule of tack is that body paragraphs should be about a half a page long, double-spaced. In your conclusion, you want to motivate readers of your thesis and pull all of your examples together. You dont want your conclusion to simply restate your introduction, nor do you want to provide entirely new information. You want to naturally draw readers to an end. *Elements to reappraisal Here is a list of various elements you can look for in an article you want to critique.Keep in mind that not every item will be appropriate to every article. Logic Has the writer picked examples that logically support her claim? Is her reasoning (the way she works out her ideas) in line with the claim and what you know to be true? Logic Does the writer have reasonable support but is the overall claim itself flawed? (one might claim that global warm up doesnt exist, and t hen use sources that discover the late temperature shifts as normal geological cycles. The supporting claims are logical, but the overall claim that global warming doesnt exist is not logical because the temperatures are, in fact, rising.Does the writer use enough evidence to support his claims? Is the evidence the writer uses appropriate? For example, using outdated statistics is not in effect(p), nor is using evidence that is not really relevant to the topic. Tone Is the writers tone appropriate to the subject matter? Is the tone at an appropriate level to the earshot? If the writer is overly sarcastic, for example, that tone might not be appropriate to a subject like drunk driving. Tone Does the author seem overly critical of a single someone or movement in ways that do not support his or her thesis?Is the word choice appropriate for the audience? (If the article is from a popular magazine much(prenominal)(prenominal) as MacLeans, but the language is highly technical and s pecialized, that might be less appropriate. ) Organization Is the article organized in a way that makes sense? Does the organization make the article easier to read or more difficult? Expertise Does the author establish herself as an authority on the subject? If so, how?Does she describe her credentials? Use technical terms? Refer to sources? These are just some of the different aspects of an article that are open to critique. Pick a few, look for very specific examples in the text, and build your body paragraphs around them. What it looks like Below you will find two different samples. Each one contains the introduction and one body paragraph of a critique. One is a mostly positive critique, and one is a negative critique. Positive Critique In Game Theories Clive Thompson uses the story of a man, Edward Castronova, to discuss online swordplay worlds and their economy.He begins with a long introduction about Mr. Castronova, and then proceeds to outline several points about online bid while still using Castronovas story throughout the essay. His intent is to bring to light several opinions, facts, and de workes regarding virtual reality games. In writing this piece, Thompson is effective in reaching this goal. He does so by using Edward Castronova as a credible example and reference, by his language and word choices, by quoting volume highly involved in the virtual world, and by using recognizable and interesting examples of specific online gaming worlds.Thompson begins his essay by introducing readers to Edward Castronova, an economist who investigated the economy of online gaming worlds, and who submitted his findings on an academic website. Right off the bat Thompson draws the guardianship of readers by presenting Edward Castronova in a simple, story-like way. Readers find stories easy to read and to relate to, and for the first several paragraphs Thompson is in fact telling a brief story. Once Clive Thompson has successfully given readers Castronovas ba ckground, he brings himself into the piece in a brief paragraph telling how he met Castronova.This is very effective because it associates him with the person whom readers are now interested in, and gives them more reason to find his writing credible and worth interest. world able to associate with a real-life person allows readers to be more connected to the piece and to the author. It brings the entire piece closer to home, so to speak, which makes the entire essay more readable. Readers are more likely to enjoy an essay if they feel they can relate to its topic and to the author. Thompson accomplishes this reader comfort by introducing Edward Castronova and by connecting himself to this man. Negative CritiqueIn Image World, Michael Posner analyzes societys dependence on visual stimulation using quotidian events as examples. Posner demonstrates societys inability to distinguish reality from fantasy through numerous examples such as theme parks, rock concerts and political campai gns. Posner emphasizes on societys attachment to tomography because he gestates it is the only way to capture our attention, he also believes that it is the only way for people to understand the consequence of a piece of writing or event. Posners primary audience include readers of Queens Quarterly and his secondary audience include students.Although readers recognize Posners argument on the effects of imagery within the culture of society, they are not convinced because of his negative outlook therefore, he is not effective in his argument. In this essay I examine the different methods in which Posner is not effective the use of excessive examples, tone and language, and organization. Posners use of excessive examples to support his argument distracts the reader. Although some readers may believe that using numerous examples further supports Posners argument, that writing alone is not enough to captivate the attention of the reader, students would argue against.For instance, he lists Logos, billboards, banks of televisions, video monitors, camcorders, games downloadable to cellphones, examples that have been mentioned already (p. 326). When using example after example, the reader is temporarily distracted and must figure out his point again. As Posner asks, More examples? he insults the reader suggesting that his audience cannot recognize and perceive his main purpose (p. 327). By insulting the reader Posner subtly suggests he knows better, separating himself from his audience. This interval causes the audience, students mainly, to not take him or his writing seriously.