The most difficult part of doing a critical analysis essay is thinking critically. It may seem that an article or a book by an outstanding author is close to perfection and you have nothing to say about it. However, critical analysis is not the same as criticism. Here's what you can do to cope with this task with minimum effort.
Best Ways to Do a Critical Analysis Essay
Here's what critical analysis really means:
- Interpretation;
- discussion of different elements;
- parallels with theory, other works, real life;
- evaluation of author's techniques and ideas.
So, you may pick a couple of these approaches or combine all of them to make your essay analytical and critical at the same time.
Questions for Your Critical Analysis Essay
If you get stuck with your critical analysis paper or you simply do not know how to start it, the following questions can be excellent starters:
- Is the author's personal position clear from the work under analysis? How does the author express it?
- Are there any unfamiliar or vague concepts in the text? Did the author explain them properly?
- Are the author's arguments persuasive?
- Does the author consider the counterarguments to his/her position? (If applicable)
- Can the author's findings be used in practice?
- Are there any limitations to the author's investigation?
Critical Analysis Essay: Common Mistakes
Whereas you already have a pretty good idea of how to deal with this type of assignment, here's how not to do it:
- Avoid bias - make sure to support your arguments with proper evidence from the text.
- Avoid too much criticism - give proper credit to the author's achievements.
- Avoid arrogance - support your claims with excerpts from text and cite other sources.
So, good luck with your critical analysis project. Just write it! See you!
