How to Write a Critical Analysis Essay

If in your studies you have to deal with literature, chances are you are going to be given a task to write critical literary analysis essays more often than not. At first many students are justifiably afraid of dealing with tasks of this kind, but some tips and a little bit of practice will rectify it in no time. So, what should you pay attention to when you have to write an assignment of this kind? Actually, one of the best ways to get a good mark is to be original. If you think that it is easier said than done, you are probably right – at least to some extent. The thing is, you don’t have to actually think of what you write in your analysis – it is much easier to make the interpretation of the text as wild and unusual as possible and then to try to prove your point. Rest assured – any text may be interpreted in ways the author never even dreamed of, and, this being literature and not algebra or physics, there is no way of actually defining who is right and who is not. Your theory doesn’t correspond to any way this text has been perceived in the past? It is just the way you see things. Tutors are supposed to support creative thinking – show them what it looks like.

Critical Literary Analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God, a novel by Zora Neale Hurston, is a text that is pretty often used as a material for critical analysis, so it is pretty natural to use it as an example. Study the text’s plot: can it be divided into large meaningful parts? What signifies transitions between different parts? Are there any constant main characters? Do they undergo any character development in the course of the book? What are the main motifs of the text? Are there any stylistic peculiarities that characterize the text as a whole? Or, perhaps, some parts of it? These questions should give you some understanding of what you should ask yourself before you start writing. Don’t leave answering them until later – you should prepare the factual basis beforehand.

Writing an Analytical Essay on Janie Crawford

Coming back to what has been said earlier, what unusual take on Their Eyes Were Watching God can you think about? Usually this analysis is concentrated around the way the author depicts the life of African American communities in the first half of the 20^th century – so this is exactly what you should avoid writing about. Try out other variants – for example, study the characters and their development. Is Janie Crawford really the main character of the book? Maybe the way her life completely changes every time she marries makes her into some kind of a reflection to the specific parts of African American community, or periods of its history? Perhaps they could just as well be three separate characters instead of a single one? It is just an example – you can do the same with almost any text.