Assignment Author
Phil BarrishPedagogical Goals of the Assignment
Useful tips for writing an analytic paper.
Assignment Description
Thesis: Does your first paragraph establish an analytic--not merely descriptive--thesis? That is, do you not only introduce and describe your subject, but also articulate a focused, probing approach to this subject? Have you staked out a position or question worth arguing for? One that is not obvious, clichéd, or too general? One that can be explored within the page limits of your essay?
Evidence: Do you support your argument with sufficient evidence? Do you supply specific details from the text rather than broad generalizations? Do you analyze your textual evidence (for example, calling your reader's attention to specific words and phrases within a longer quotation), rather than merely citing or quoting a portion of the text as if its relationship to your argument were self-evident? Are you developing an analytic point with your use of evidence, not just paraphrasing or summarizing the work about which you are writing?
Structure: Has your analytic thesis remained the center of a unified paper? Are the elements of your thesis clearly joined by an organizing principle? Do your paragraphs have sharply defined topics? Do you lead the reader through them using strong, considered transitions which develop toward a particular end?
Beginnings and Endings: Is the introduction specific and focused, rather than platitudinous (and hence boring)? Does the conclusion follow from the body of the essay, rather than merely reiterating the introduction? Is the conclusion rich in thought (a fresh concluding idea, a further expansion, an exciting synthesis, etc.) or is it purely mechanical (flat, repetitious, betraying boredom)? If your key point suddenly revealed itself at the very end of the writing process, did you go back and begin again, reshaping not only your thesis paragraph but the rest of your paper as well?
Mechanics: Have you written in the present tense? (It generally results in a stronger, cleaner style.) Have you used active verbs and avoided relying too heavily on the passive voice and other forms of "to be"? Have you tried to vary your sentence structure and sentence length in order to avoid monotony? Have you left time to revise contorted syntax or awkward diction, as well as to catch all spelling and punctuation errors--so that your reader knows you care?