College Composition / Unit 29 CMP 0718 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
What a Text Says and How
The idea
Analyzing a text means examining both what it says and how it says it: its language, its structure and its effect.
In practice
Work in order. First, summarize what the text says: its main point and supporting ideas. Second, identify its form and organization: how it is put together. Third, examine its language: diction, figurative language, imagery and sentence style. Fourth, consider its context: when and for whom it was written. Fifth, ask how the parts work together to create meaning or persuade. Sixth, state your reading of the text and support it with specific passages. Analysis goes beyond liking or disliking a text; it explains how the text works.
Where people slip
Texts can be read in more than one way. A good analysis argues for one reading with evidence, while acknowledging that others may read it differently.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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