Writing assigment help!

Question

Hi everyone!

I always have a hard time with my writing assignments so, naturally, I need help with the recent one. I need to write an analytical essay about any book I recently read, something like this (https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparative-analysis-of-two-characters-in-the-namesake/). And I have no idea where to begin :(

Answer 1

Hi Amy,

Don't let the "advisory for Lake County prosecutor" fool you. I also spent over 20 years in the English

department at Purdue University teaching English composition!

I hope that your teacher gave you a more specific assignment. Writing an analysis is a good place to begin but ask questions as to what kind of analysis you are supposed to write!

In my composition classes we always begin with defining the terms so that we understand the process. And analyze is one of the first and most important terms to start with because the ability to analyze is one of the most important processes in responding to text-any text!

So what does it mean????

Analyze means to break something down into smaller parts so that we can comprehend how to proceed with writing or how to build it.

I assume that your assignment is to write a rhetorical analysis-that is pretty much a sticking point to understanding and responding to any text.

So. What is "rhetoric"? Why it is nothing more than language!

Okay, so this is what we learn: a rhetorical analysis consists of a few important factors:

What is the purpose- in other words, why is the author writing this piece of text. What does he or she hope to accomplish.

The second most important factor is who is the audience. In other words, who is the author trying to reach.

If you know the audience you will understand how the text is being written.

In my comp class, we play a fun game. Students write one letter to 3 different people from different backgrounds.

For example. in writing the same letter to a friend, one to a parent, and one to a judge usually the language is different. Words are different, like your honor, or dude, or darling!

The different language tells us a lot about both the author and the receiver!

The third factor is the genre- what type of writing is being used. Is the text a play? a letter, does it make a claim, is it a personal narrative, etc.

The fourth factor is the tone. What is the tone of voice used in the text. Is it threatening, sweet, melancholy, or argumentative.

These are always the basic analytic elements in any text, and if you can answer them then you will be on your way to creating an excellent analysis!

Good Luck

Laura B.📚

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Answer 2

Hello Amy,

I echo much of Joaquin said. Also, focus your essay on the underlying themes present throughout the story. Then connect those teams to the characters themselves and see/discuss how the two given elements overlap literarily. Also, connect the themes to the plot, conflicts, and setting, and see how they all overlap literarily as well.

If you need any help writing the essay itself, feel free to reach out to me and I will be happy to tutor you!

Answer 3

The first thing you need to do is choose what plot element you are going to analyze. The essay that you linked analyzes character development, and then interprets the more specific details of the text through that lens.

Say you choose to analyze character development in your book. Once you've chosen the plot element that you're going to analyze, think about what the author does with it what role it plays in moving the story forward. In the essay you linked, the character development of the protagonist and his mother is contrasting and moves the story forward by providing conflict. Once you've established how the plot element moves the story forward, write a thesis. This thesis should explain how the plot element you've selected moves the story forward and why it is important. More specifically, it should answer the prompt (if you were given one).