A critical analysis examines an article or other type of work to determine how effective the argument or point of view is. Such criticisms are usually directed at articles or books, but it is also possible to analyze films, paintings and other less traditional works. While it is possible to examine the author's use of rhetorical references, to write a critical analysis you should focus on the capabilities and effectiveness of the article as a whole. Read on to learn more about the different steps involved in the process of writing a robust critical analysis.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Critical Reading
Step 1. Identify the author's thesis
Determine what the author's argument is, whether for or against a particular subject.
- The thesis of an academic article may be easier to identify than the thesis of a creative work, film or painting. When criticizing a work of creative nonfiction or fiction, whether in written form or as a film, try to identify a main theme of the story. For a painting, we analyze what the painter is trying to demonstrate.
- Ask yourself what the context of the argument is and why the author may have felt the need to support it.
- Ask yourself if the author offers a solution to all the problems raised in his theses. If so, ask yourself if that solution is realistic.
Step 2. Take note of all the main ideas
Identify the main ideas of the work in order to analyze its structure.
In an academic article, the main ideas can usually be found among the key phrases of each paragraph or section. For works of fiction or paintings, you will need to ask yourself what evidence the author presents in an attempt to explain his thesis
Step 3. Research the material you are unfamiliar with
Use a dictionary and encyclopedia to briefly search for words and other material you know little or nothing about.
More in-depth research is usually not needed. The only exception would be if the whole work was built around a concept that you are not very familiar with; at that point, it would be advisable to read other articles that describe the concept more clearly in order to provide context for the piece you are analyzing
Step 4. Describe the job in your own words
One option would be to create some sort of outline of the work, while the second is to write a short summary. A particularly detailed reading of the work will include both.
In case you write a summary of the work, only one or two paragraphs are needed. Try to summarize it in your own words as much as possible
Step 5. Identify any references used
The three basic types of calls are Ethos, Logos and Pathos.
- The Pathos is an attempt to recall the reader's emotions. Works made for entertainment generally rely on pathos.
- The Logos is an attempt to use logic and reason to guide a reader's perspective or opinion.
- Ethos is a call to credibility. An author who explains why their work is trustworthy based on personal, professional, or academic merit uses ethos.
Step 6. Evaluate how well the author is able to convey the meaning of his opinions
Determine how effective the author's calls have been from your perspective as a reader.
- Ask yourself if you have had an emotional response to an emotional recall. Have you experienced strong emotions at some point like happiness, anger, disappointment? If so, ask yourself why.
- Determine if the author's attempts to use logic and reason were enough to change your mind. Also ask yourself if the material was clear, accurate and consistent.
- Ask yourself if you think the author is credible. Determine the reasons both if it were and not.
Part 2 of 3: Writing an Effective Analysis
Step 1. Choose several noteworthy areas to analyze
Review the notes you took during the critical reading and identify the different observations that can be explored in more detail.
- For a critical review, you will usually focus on how effective the recalls the author used that we saw in the previous steps have been. You can focus on one area if it feels firmer than the others, or you could look at two or three types of recall and how they apply to a particular main idea that develops in the work.
- Alternatively, you can examine the author's overall ability to support his or her thesis. Your analysis may examine how accurate the author's research is, how cohesive the work as a whole is, how the author's use of structure and organization influenced the work, and other similar questions at your discretion.
- Divide each important point into a separate paragraph. Regardless of which areas you choose to write, each imported concept should be developed individually. For more complex ideas, you may need to expand your discussion into several paragraphs.
Step 2. Positive and negative balance
Most critical reviews will be a mix of positive and negative elements.
- If your criticism includes more positive elements, start with the negative part before defending the article with the positive.
- If not, identify the positive elements before supporting your opposition with the negative ones.
- In case you have conflicting comments (both positive and negative) regarding the same point or aspect, it is possible to write a mixed paragraph that reflects this possibility. To do this, you will usually conclude by stating the positive aspect before explaining why the idea is limited.
Step 3. Identify any controversies inherent in the subject
If the author chose to write about a questionable topic, include information on the other side of the matter and explain how the author was able to prove otherwise.
- This is particularly significant when specific points or issues relating to the counterparty are mentioned directly in the article.
- Even if the author didn't mention them, you can always mention them in your critical analysis.
Step 4. Explain why the topic is relevant
Try to get the reader interested in your essay.
Let the reader know that the topic is relevant by contemporary standards. An article can be considered relevant when the implications of the subject remain topical, but it can also be relevant if the author were a great writer or thinker
Step 5. Don't shift the focus towards yourself
While much of this is subjective, you should keep your tone academic rather than personal.
Avoid phrases like "I think" or "In my opinion". In fact, you should completely avoid the first person. By identifying something as your own personal opinion, you do nothing but weaken that same thought from an academic point of view
Step 6. Don't focus on the summary
You need to be able to provide a sufficient general idea of the work so that your critique has a meaningful context, but much of the essay must still contain your thoughts rather than those of the author.
Part 3 of 3: Organizing the Review
Step 1. Introduce the work object of your analysis
Include both bibliographic and more in-depth information.
- Specify the title of the work, the type of work, the name of the author and the field or genre of reference.
- Include information about the context in which the article was written.
- Clearly state the author's purpose or thesis.
- The general introduction should only take up about 10% of the total length of your writing.
Step 2. Include your thesis
The thesis should be a short statement summarizing the overall assessment of the work being criticized.
- A thesis that is both positive and negative is common practice for a critical review, but it can also be strictly positive or only negative.
- Note that your statement is technically part of your introduction.
Step 3. Summarize the work
Quickly summarize the key points the author of the original article cited in his defense.
- You can also give a limited number of examples, but try to be brief. Overall, the abstract should take up no more than a third of your essay's body. Even less; is generally preferred.
- You could also briefly describe how the text was organized as well.
Step 4. Move on to your critique
Critical analysis should occupy most of the body and should conform to the guidelines mentioned.
- The analysis and summary should collectively form approximately 80% of the essay.
- Each separate idea should be addressed in its own paragraph.
Step 5. Conclude with your final judgment
The concluding paragraph clearly reaffirms the thesis or the overall opinion of the work analyzed.
- You should also use this space to briefly present suggestions on how the analyzed work can be improved. Improvements can include ideas, recalls and research approaches.
- The conclusion should only take up about 10% of the entire document.
