Essay Analysis Unit

							Essay Analysis Unit
     Analysing Essay Writing
 In this unit you will learn how to break
  down and analyse the various parts of an
  essay, in order to evaluate the
  effectiveness of the author's argument.
 There are 6 parts to this evaluation
  process
                         Thesis
   Begin by reading the essay, keeping an eye out
    for the author’s central argument or thesis.
   The thesis can be either
       explicit – stated openly (usually in the first few
        paragraphs)
                                   or
       implicit – implied or suggested through a series of
        sentences
       Read “It’s Time to Think About Visors” on p. 248 and
        do questions 1 a,b,c
                Thesis examples
   Explicit: Experiential learning is the most
    effective way to raise and educate today’s youth.

   Implicit: A combination of the following:
       Title: “It’s Time to think About Visors”
       “We need to imagine accident as part of the game
        and generate plans to minimize it.”
       “Safety doesn’t need to straitjacket performance.
        Usually, it enhances it.”
       “Would wearing a visor have made most of today’s
        eye injuries less likely? Yes.”
               Thesis con’t…
   The thesis statement is the controlling or
    central argument in the essay. It should
    be:
     Provides the logical core of the essay
     Answers the essay question or issue
     Makes a specific argument
    Is ONE main idea, expressed in one, or at most
      two, sentences
      Purpose and Audience
 Any essay is specifically targeted to
  address a particular issue or topic, but is
  usually also directed at a specific group.
 Identifying the purpose and audience can
  help you identify the thesis, tone and other
  elements in the essay.
 Knowing the purpose and audience is key
  to assessing the overall effectiveness of
  the essay.
      Purpose and Audience
 Read the essay “Chicken Hips” on page
  319 and answer questions 1 a,b,c,d,e and
  2.
 Identify the purpose and audience of this
  essay.
           Organizational Patterns
   Organizational Patterns refer to the overall
    structure or organization of the essay.
   This means “how” the author goes about
    arranging their points or evidence for maximum
    impact and effectiveness.
   There are 5 major organizational patterns:
          Cause and Effect
          Chronological
          Classification
          Compare and Contrast
          Definition
Organizational Patterns con’t…
   Cause and Effect

   Chronological

   Classification

   Compare and Contrast

   Definition
Organizational Patterns con’t…

   Read “Whose Lathe” on p.256
     Answer questions 1 a, b and 3
     Take notes on the 5 organizational patterns
      from question 3
   What are some advantages and
    disadvantages of each pattern?
     Methods of Development
 Methods of Development describes how
  an author supports their main points in the
  essay
 In a formal literary essay, quotations are
  the chosen method of development, but in
  a persuasive, personal or expository
  essay, several different methods of
  development may be employed.
    Methods of Development con’t…
 Example
 Anecdote
 Analogy
 Quotation or reference to authority
 Facts or statistics
 Personal experience
 Comparison/contrast
 Cause and effect
    Methods of Development con’t…
 Read the essay “Dis?Ability on the
  Internet” on page 315 and do questions 1
  a,b,c,e and 3.
 Find 4 different methods of development
  that the author uses to support her points
  in the essay. Ensure you include excerpts
  from the text to support your answers.
                        Tone
   The tone of the essay reflects the author’s
    attitude toward the subject matter in question.
   The tone is revealed through the author’s
    specific use of diction or choice of words. For
    example, using “hovering” instead of “attentive”
    changes one’s view of a parent; using “bizarre”
    rather than “interesting” to describe a question,
    changes our peception of the teacher.
             Tone con’t…
 Read the essay “Progress” on page 272
  and answer questions 1 a,b,c 3.
 Using the handout of tone words, choose
  three words to describe Alan Lightman’s
  tone, and provide 2 examples of specific
  diction which illustrates it.
      Literary/Stylistic or Rhetorical
                 Devices
   These three terms all refer to essentially the
    same thing, but refers to the objective of the
    device. These devices include elements such as
    alliteration, allusion, metaphor, hyperbole,
    rhetorical questions, etc.

          Literary/stylistic devices are used to create mental images
           and draw attention to different segments of the essay for the
           purpose of illustrating a concept or reinforcing a point.
          Rhetorical devices are similar, but focus on reinforcing the
           persuasiveness of the essay through emphasis, illustration or
           imagery. (Rhetoric means the art of persuasion)
       Literary/Stylistic Devices
 Read the essay “A Comparison” by Sylvia
  Plath on page 293 and do questions 1 a,
  b, c and 2.
 Find three different stylistic devices in the
  essay and describe the impact of each on
  the essay.