Handout and materials: Guidelines for Short Analytical Papers

GUIDELINES FOR SHORT ANALYTICAL PAPERS

The nature of an analytical paper:

The purpose of your paper is to reveal something about the work that it is not immediately apparent. In effect, the paper develops the answer to a question addressed to the work itself. It indicates what a merely casual reading would miss.

The paper should examine a relatively limited topic thoroughly rather than a broad topic (or series of topics) vaguely. Generalizations should be supported by specific references to the work. Perhaps it will help to indicate what an analytical paper is not.

1. An analytical paper is not a summary. Do not recapitulate the contents of the work. Assume that your reader also read the work.

2. An analytical paper is not a review which singles out and comments on a variety of prominent features of the work.

3. An analytical paper is not primarily a statement of your private.

The importance of the thesis: It is essential that you let the reader know early what the point of the paper is. This should be done without blatantly saying, "In this paper I will prove that . . . " Your introduction should lead into a thesis statement which is something like the following examples: "Faulkner's use of animal imagery in describing members of the Snopes family forms a pattern." "'Looking for the Buckhead Boys' can be used to illustrate Dickey's skill in using natural speech rhythms in his poetry." The body of the paper should then proceed to develop and support your thesis by citing and discussing details and examples from the work--whatever evidence you noted which led you to form the idea behind your thesis, A conclusion which restates the thesis in a fresh way usually enhances a paper but is not always needed. The title of your paper should point to its thesis.

Some common weakness: The most common fault in analytical papers is the inability to concentrate upon presenting and analyzing well-chosen specific examples. Inexperienced writers yield to the temptation to talk in vague terms about the overall meaning of a work or they make brief comments about a series of topics which are only vaguely related. Thus the worst papers tend to be rambling and over-ambitious; they touch on a number of points but explore none in detail. The best papers arrive at a valuable insight through close examination of specific examples and details. Many papers are spoiled by carelessness in handling mechanics, such as grammar, spelling, and proofreading. Paying attention to the mechanics of communication is part of the writer's job, and papers which are not carefully written and proofread will be penalized.

Written by Raymond D. Souza