ANALYTICAL
WRITING
WHAT IS “ANALYTICAL WRITING”?

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Writing that asks the questions “Why” and “How”
Writing that challenges both its writer and its
readers to look beyond surface presentations, and
disassemble “complete things” to examine their
parts.
Writing that proposes and expresses an informed
and supported point of view
WHAT’S MAKES IT AN ANALYSIS ESSAY?
A Successful Analysis Essay Consists of
THREE Compontents

Introduction: Introduces the topic, summarizes
what the essay will be about, presents an original
argument (THESIS STATEMENT!)

Body/Supporting Paragraphs: supports and
furthers the claims made by the Thesis Statement
using specific examples from your text and expanding
on and explaining information.

Conclusion: Restates the Thesis and ties up loose
ends.
WHAT IS “THESIS STATEMENT”?

A “thesis statement” is your argument. Any piece
of writing should have a recognizable thesis
statement if the argument is sufficiently
developed.
What does it do?
 If it is well crafted, a thesis statement is a
snapshot of your paper; it prepares the reader for
the experience they are about to have.
WHAT DOES A THESIS STATEMENT LOOK
LIKE?
Unacceptable Thesis Statement (F-D range)
 The Hunger Games is a novel about the role of
entertainment media in civilized cultures.
Acceptable Thesis Statement (C-B- range)
 Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games uses setting,
class systems, and cultural circumstances to explore the
role of entertainment media in civilized cultures.
Preferred Thesis Statement (B-A range)
 Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, makes a bold
claim regarding the role of entertainment media in civilized
cultures. Through the use of futuristic settings, rigid sociopolitical class systems and exaggerated cultural
circumstances Collins explores the terrifying possibilities of
our culture’s obsession with “reality television.”
Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, makes
a bold claim regarding the role of entertainment
media in civilized cultures. Through the use of
futuristic settings, rigid socio-political class
systems and exaggerated cultural circumstances
Collins explores the terrifying possibilities of our
culture’s obsession with “reality television.”
Based on the above “Thesis Statement,” what
would you expect the essay to include?
WHAT IS A THESIS STATEMENT MADE OF?

Argument:
Collins explores the terrifying possibilities of our culture’s
obsession with “reality television.”

Primary Source:
Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games

Means of Support:
Through the use of futuristic settings, rigid
socio-political class systems and exaggerated cultural
circumstances
HOW TO WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT
[I argue that] Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, makes
a bold claim regarding the role of entertainment media in
civilized cultures.
[It does this] Through the use of futuristic settings, rigid sociopolitical class systems and exaggerated cultural circumstances
[This paper will use this information to explain how] Collins
explores the terrifying possibilities of our culture’s obsession
with “reality television.”
Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, makes a
bold claim regarding the role of entertainment media in
civilized cultures. Through the use of futuristic settings,
rigid socio-political class systems and exaggerated
cultural circumstances Collins explores the terrifying
possibilities of our culture’s obsession with “reality
television.”
WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH?

A paragraph is a substantial (in size and content)
length of writing, within a larger piece.
ie: More than a sentence, less than an page.
What does a paragraph do?
 A paragraph is what a writer uses to organize his/her
thoughts in order to manipulate the reader’s
experience of the material they are presenting.

In an Analysis: a paragraph furthers the author’s
main point, clarifying his or her position by
connecting smaller related claims, and uses
information (from a credible source) to support the
author’s thesis statement.
WHAT IS A SUPPORTING PARAGRAPH
MADE OF?
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A Topic Sentence: This is the first sentence of
any paragraph. It clearly indicates to the reader
what the topic of the paragraph (or section) will
be.
Supporting Sentences: These sentences will
make up the body of the paragraph.
Transition Sentence: the sentence that leads
you out of one topic and into another, while
enforcing the overall connection between the two.
TOPIC SENTENCE
A “Topic Sentence” works much in the same way a
“Thesis Statement” works.

It introduces what the paragraph will be about

It states its individual focus

It connects its focus to the essays main argument
EX: Collins uses an exaggeratedly rigid socio-economic
class system to call attention to our current reality
television viewing habits and proposes a worst case
scenario if this obsession continues with any change.
SUPPORTING SENTENCES
Here is where you will:
 Explain how the topic of this paragraph supports your
overall claim.

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Explain why this topic is important to your argument.
You will give the reader an example of this topic (use
evidence from your source—in the form of quotes and
paraphrases—to prove how your topic exists in
harmony with your thesis)
Explain why and how this evidence is crucial to your
argument, making certain that your reader
understands the connection very clearly.
TRANSITION SENTENCES
Once you have adequately supported your topic using evidence
that has been thoroughly explained, it is your job to advance
your argument by “transitioning” between two topics.
A Transition Must:
 Conclude the business of the previous paragraph
 Introduce the forthcoming paragraph
 Indicate a connection between the previous, and the
forthcoming paragraphs as well as suggest a connection to the
overall argument.
Transitions are complicated—often the most complicated and
time consuming parts of writing a paper.
 You may find it helpful to write full paragraphs and come
back to the transition sentences once your argument in fully
formed and develop.
 You should do this because once you know the shape of your
argument you will understand better how the paragraphs fit
together.
Collins uses an exaggeratedly rigid socio-economic class system to call attention to our
current reality television viewing habits and propose a worst case scenario if this obsession
continues without any change. In The Hunger Games the citizens of Panem are forced to view
and participate in the annual Hunger Games, a televised event in which 24 children are
selected from the impoverished districts and forced to fight to the death for the amusement
of the citizens of the Capitol. In this practice the country’s very rich eagerly anticipate and
accept the chance to view the suffering of those they consider their social lessers. It is a
theme that we see in our current viewing habits; programs like Cops, Here Comes Honey Boo
Boo, Repo Wars, and MTV’s Trailer Fabulous as well as many others allow middle-class to
wealthy viewers a voyeuristic look into the lives of the economically depressed for their
entertainment. These programs allow viewers the chance to watch someone’s life as if it was
fiction. Collins tackles this issue in a variety of ways, but nowhere more clearly than in the
presentation of the tributes once they are brought to the Capitol. The exaggerated district
costumes of the tribute parade and the shallow/insipid interview questions asked by Caesar
Flickerman only serve to transform the very real children going into the arena into characters.
It makes them unreal caricatures of people, making them easy for the audience to distance
themselves from and by extension allows the Capitol citizens to dismiss the seriousness of
the poverty in the districts. The Hunger Games clearly uses the dramatic differences between
the rich and the poor to draw a connection between the Capitol’s treatment and acceptance
of the exploitation of the districts to our own culture of dismissing and diminishing the poor
to one dimensional stereotypes, and hypothesizes that if left unchecked our own future could
look shockingly similar to the one imagined in Collins’ mind.
Collins uses an exaggeratedly rigid socio-economic class system to call attention to our current
reality television viewing habits and propose a worst case scenario if this obsession continues
without any change. In The Hunger Games the citizens of Panem are forced to view and
participate in the annual Hunger Games, a televised event in which 24 children are selected
from the impoverished districts and forced to fight to the death for the amusement of the
citizens of the Capitol. In this practice the country’s very rich eagerly anticipate and accept the
chance to view the suffering of those they consider their social lessers. It is a theme that we
see in our current viewing habits; programs like Cops, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Repo Wars,
and MTV’s Trailer Fabulous as well as many others allow middle-class to wealthy viewers a
voyeuristic look into the lives of the economically depressed for their entertainment. These
programs allow viewers the chance to watch someone’s life as if it was fiction. Collins tackles
this issue in a variety of ways, but nowhere more clearly than in the presentation of the
tributes once they are brought to the Capitol. The exaggerated district costumes of the tribute
parade and the shallow/insipid interview questions asked by Caesar Flickerman only serve to
transform the very real children going into the arena into characters. It makes them unreal
caricatures of people, making them easy for the audience to distance themselves from and by
extension allows the Capitol citizens to dismiss the seriousness of the poverty in the districts.
The Hunger Games clearly uses the dramatic differences between the rich and the poor to
draw a connection between the Capitol’s treatment and acceptance of the exploitation of the
districts to our own culture of dismissing and diminishing the poor to one dimensional
stereotypes, and hypothesizes that if left unchecked our own future could look shockingly
similar to the one imagined in Collins’ mind.
PRACTICE
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In Partners
Choose an a topic from The Hunger Games that
interests you.
 Write THREE practice “Thesis Statements”
(Unacceptable, Acceptable, & Preferred)
 Explain how it developed along the way

Write a “Topic Sentence” for each of THREE body
paragraphs
 Create an outline for each paragraph.
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