Writing a critical analysis can be very confusing if you don’t know what you’re doing.
You might not even know what “critical analysis” even means.
That’s why, in this video, our experienced writers here at EssayPro have outlined
an in-depth explanation of what critical analysis is
and why you’re better off knowing how to do it.
At the end of the video I’ll give you tips to speed up your writing process.
Let’s get started.
What Is a Critical Analysis?
Why do you have to write one?
Critical analysis is when you analyze: • an argument;
• a modern or historical event; • a source of entertainment or information
like music, a book, or a film; • social and political issues;
and so on, and so forth.
Basically, you take something like a book, and dig deep into what the author means to
say, and how they present it.
Critical analysis is also known as a “critique”.
Like, what was the whole point of George Orwell’s 1984?
The answer is why Totalitarianism is a bad thing.
A critical analysis is a subjective observation and evaluation of a piece of work.
This means that you have to write with all the knowledge you have,
even if there’s information out there that could contradict your position.
In other words, it’s an opinion; not an expert’s point of view.
Next up: how to write a critical analysis essay.
But, before we continue to the writing part, check out our channel for instructional videos
on how to write essays by clicking the channel name below this video.
Let’s get down to writing:
Before you begin, make sure to read the work critically
To do this, you have to understand the purpose and thesis of the author’s work – that
is, the main ideas in his or her writing.
Also, make sure you’re able to summarize the work.
Coming back to the example of George Orwell’s 1984...
The thesis of his work is that Totalitarianism is a bad thing.
Once you have that covered, you can start on your critical analysis writing.
Here are the steps you should take to write your Critical Analysis Essay:
Step 1.
In your introductory paragraph or portion of your critical analysis, start with the
Background Information: Give the reader some context; help them understand the core idea,
or theme of the work.
Make sure to mention: • The Title
• The Author • The Publication information
• What you believe the topic and/or purpose of the work to be
After giving the reader some context, don’t forget to include a Thesis statement at the
end of your introductory paragraph. Your thesis statement is a condensed summary, or general
impression of the work — and all of this should fit into 1 sentence (2 max.).
Let’s take a look at an example:
Your thesis statement can be summarized in the very first sentence of your introduction:
That is: The dystopian novel 1984 by George Orwell is a look into the impact of Totalitarianism
on the human mind.
[Keynote: Totalitarianism is when you love what the dictator says.]
You can continue with:
Published in the United Kingdom, in 1949, Orwell’s novel explores the protagonist
Winston Smith’s dreary existence in Oceania, in the province of “Airstrip One” which
was once called Great Britain.
The purpose of the novel was to show the reader the psychological struggle of living in a
dictatorship that paralleled what it was like to live under the National Socialism of
Nazi Germany and the National Bolshevism of the USSR.
Step 2.
Moving on from your introductory section, you now need to include a Summary to demonstrate
your understanding of the source material.
In this section, we recommend trying to be objective in your description, instead of
leaving your impressions.
That comes next.
Step 3.
Your Critical Analysis (Interpretation and Evaluation): This is where you finally present
your analysis of the work based on your reading and critical evaluation.
Here are some things you can discuss: • How the source is organized;
• The style and rhetoric of the source; • How Effective the message is;
• How the topic was treated; was the writer biased or did he do it justice?
And • How the source appealed to its target
audience.
To continue with Orwell’s 1984, let’s look at that last one: how it appealed to
its target audience.
Frankly, it’s everywhere.
The book’s name is now a synonym for government tyranny.
Anytime something happens in the news that deals with creepy laws on surveillance of
the population, someone always brings up 1984.
The target audience was originally the general adult population entering the decade of the 1950s.
The point was to warn them about giving in to dictatorships that wanted them to submit
to Fascism.
George Orwell’s goal, to teach people the horrors of political cults, continues to be
accomplished as high school students all throughout the United States and beyond read this as
part of their curriculum.
Two things to keep in mind: When writing this essay, avoid saying things
like: “I think”, or “in my opinion,” because not only do we already know the whole
essay is your opinion, saying this sort of thing naturally makes your opinion seem unsure.
If you quote or paraphrase the author’s work, don’t forget to properly cite it.
Step 4.
Your Conclusion: Paraphrase your thesis; summarize your main ideas with new and stronger
words; and include a call to action for your reader (a positive or negative recommendation).
At the end of your essay, you should write something to convince your reader that the
source you wrote about has something practical to say.
For instance, that we should do everything we can to prevent us from slipping into a
world like that in 1984.
If you master structuring your thoughts in this way, this skill will transfer over to
how you defend your point of view, and this is a necessary skill to have when interacting
with people.
So let’s recap:
A critical analysis essay is when you show that you understand what the author was trying
to say.
You do this by giving your opinion on what the core message is, and pointing out the
evidence in the text to back it up.
To write it, you use the following steps:
I. Start with background information Who wrote it and where
What you believe the author was trying to say
II. Summarize the text in your own words
III. Interpret and evaluate the text based on: How the text is organized
The style and rhetoric How effective the message is
Whether or not the author did justice to the message (e.g. was it objective?)
How the text appealed to its target audience.
IV. Conclusion
And, as promised, here are some Top Tips to Save You Time:
Always simplify your language and thoughts.
Do not try to impress anyone with your thesaurus.
You’re being graded for your ideas, not your advanced vocabulary.
Explain everything.
Within reason, don’t leave big ideas hanging without an explanation.
The introduction and thesis statement can be produced later.
Focus on the facts first, and then determine what message they’re all pointing to.
Get a friend to help you proofread your work.
Always seek a second pair of eyes for your work.
Too often, people are blind to their own errors, so getting someone else to check your work
is really, really important.
Remember to Avoid being vague.
Be brave and confident in your point of view to be direct with what you have to say.
And of course: Plan your time well.
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Thanks for watching.