Explain how the author/creator/producer makes the argument you identify in your argument, and use evidence from the work to prove your point.

ESSAY : ANALYSIS ESSAY

Purpose: Critically think about some work of art instead of merely summarizing or describing it.

Frequently, the most effective arguments are those told in narrative, through art, or in music.

This assignment asks students to choose a work of art and explore its argument.

Your argument should identify the work’s argument—instead of just a summarizing that work.

“The character of Hamlet is consumed by his need to exact revenge” is just a summary and a bad argument.

“William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet argues that revenge is a fundamentally corruptive pursuit” is an example of an analysis and a good argument. The first example is bad because it’s just what happens in the play. The second example is good because it articulates the implied argument of the work as a whole.

Explain how the author/creator/producer makes the argument you identify in your argument, and use evidence from the work to prove your point.

Here’s an example of an analysis essay:

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