Analytical Writing
Your How-To Guide for AP
What is Analysis
• By definition, analysis is the process as a
method of studying the nature of something
or of determining its essential features and
their relations.
• Simply put, it is looking closely at something
and figuring out what is going on.
IT IS NOT SUMMARY!
Key Elements of Analysis
• There are three terms that you will need to
become familiar with for this class:
– Assertion
– Commentary
– Evidence
These are the three key elements of good analysis,
and it will be what I look for when I grade your
writing.
Assertions
• Assertions are the key points that you are making
in the paper.
• Your first assertion will be your thesis statement
as it will lay out each major point discussed in the
paper.
• Each body paragraph should begin with a concise
assertion that will lay out what the paragraph will
be about.
• Good assertions will eliminate problems with
transitions from paragraph to paragraph.
Evidence
• This one is the easiest, and most forgotten.
• You must have proof to support any assertion
you make in the paper.
• Your evidence can be in the form of summary
or direct quotes.
• Good analysis utilizes both.
Evidence cont.
• Remember: when using quotes, only use
relevant information that will help to get your
point across. Using 15 lines of extra
information does not make up for a lack of
information in your analysis, nor does it fake
out the reader into thinking that you have met
the paper requirements.
Commentary
• Commentary is your explanation of your
assertion—the analysis.
• It is the answer to “why is this important?”
• This should be the majority of the paragraph,
and should not include any summary of the
text
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
• One of the essays that you will have to
complete on the test will be a rhetorical
analysis essay.
• This essay will consist of an introduction, with
directions for the essay, as well as a passage
that you will have to analyze.
For example:
Step 1—Read the prompt for
background information
Question 2
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts one-third of the total essay section
score.)
Alfred M. Green delivered the following speech in Philadelphia in April 1861, the first
month of the Civil War. African Americans were not yet permitted to join the Union
army, but Green felt that they should strive to be admitted to the ranks and prepare to
enlist. Read the speech carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze the
methods that Green uses to persuade his fellow African Americans to join the Union
forces.
Alfred M. Green—speaker, should reference him by name (Green) in the piece
Speech—context of the format
Philadelphia, April 1861, first month of war—look a place and timing and their implications
“African Americans…enlist”—this gives you the purpose/topic of the speech
Step 2—Attack the Prompt
Question 2
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts one-third of the total essay section
score.)
Alfred M. Green delivered the following speech in Philadelphia in April 1861, the first
month of the Civil War. African Americans were not yet permitted to join the Union army,
but Green felt that they should strive to be admitted to the ranks and prepare to enlist.
Read the speech carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze the methods that
Green uses to persuade his fellow African Americans to join the Union forces.
Think about the methods that someone would use to persuade—
logos, pathos, ethos, repetition, allusion, etc. before you begin. Note
that his audience is African Americans—what perceptions will he have
to battle in order to convince them to join the Union?
Step 3—Annotate Prompt and Map
Your Answer
• Consider writing SOAPSTone on your prompt
and look for the answers as you read.
• You will need to read actively—this means
that you need to write ALL OVER THE
PROMPT!
• Make note of things that you see as you go—
literary devices, shifts in tone, etc.
Don’t worry!
• If you forget the name of a term it will be ok!
• This is not a quiz on terms, but, rather, a way
for you to showcase that you can verbalize
what is going on and why it is important.
• If you can’t remember anaphora, but you see
that there is repetition, just call it REPETITON
and move on to explaining its importance.
Practice
• Please read the prompt and annotate it. You
will have 10 minutes to complete this.
Mapping your answer
• You want to make sure that you have no less than
two devices and no more than three
• You want to choose rhetorical devices that you
can speak to intelligently—if you see asyndenton,
but you have no idea how it is used, DON’T USE
IT!
• Make sure you choose devices that are doing
what the prompt asks—there may be repetition,
but it may not function as something that will
answer the question
Mapping cont.
Inclusive
language
Ethos
Use of “we,” “brethren,”
and “us”
“It is true, the brave deeds of our fathers, sworn
and subscribed to by the immortal Washington of
the Revolution of 1776, and by Jackson and
others in the War of 1812, have failed to bring us
into recognition as citizens, enjoying those rights
so dearly bought by those noble and patriotic
sires.”
“While we remember the past and regret that our present position
Climax
in the country is not such as to create within us that burning zeal
and enthusiasm for the field of battle which inspires other men in
the full enjoyment of every civil and religious emolument, yet let us
endeavor to hope for the future and improve the present
auspicious moment for creating anew our claims upon the justice
and honor of the Republic; and, above all, let not the honor and
glory achieved by our fathers be blasted or sullied by a want of true
heroism among their sons. “
Step 4—Constructing Your Answer
• Be sure that your assertion is near the
beginning of your paragraph. This will help
keep you on task and keep your ideas
organized.
• Make sure that you have proof from the text
to support any point that you are making
about the piece—this can be a direct quote or
a paraphrase. Good writing utilizes both!
Introduction
• Be sure to reference information from the
prompt to set up the context of the paper for
the reader.
– Ex. In April 1861, Alfred Green addressed a group
of African Americans on the importance of
preparing to fight in the Civil War.
Thesis
• You want to be sure to cover the elements that
you will address in the essay, but you don’t want
to offer any analysis here.
– Ex. In April 1861, Alfred Green addressed a group of
African Americans on the importance of preparing to
fight in the Civil War. Facing dissention from his
audience over the fact that they were not allowed to
join the military, Green appeals to the audience’s
sense of Americanism and unity, and he creates an
argument that builds in emotion in an effort to inspire
the men.