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Critical Analysis What is Critical Analysis? We define critical analysis as an effort to understand a text based on its purpose, audience, form and/or tone. Critical analysis is built on intellectual reasoning and not personal opinion. It will attempt to determine the success of a text in achieving its goals. It will also attempt to uncover opinion or bias. Critical analysis is used in all disciplines with a variety of textual materials (including books, articles, reports, essays, films, etc.). Tips for Doing Critical Analysis in Writing Seminar: Read the text carefully, more than once. Read actively by underlining key terms and passages; write comments or questions in the margin. Focus on the big picture first: Then move on to the details: What is the context for the text; what issues, ideas or problems is the author attempting to address? How is the author supporting his/her claim? What is the thesis or claim? Whom do they cite and what kind supporting evidence do they use? How successful is this evidence? Is there a difference between what the text is saying and doing (i.e. are there underlying goals beyond the thesis statement)? What key terms/phrases/concepts does the author define or develop? Who is the intended audience? What opinion or bias can you detect from the author? Example of Critical Analysis might include: • • • A Movie or Book Review Literature, Article or Website Analysis Evaluation of arguments (ex. political speeches) A Tips for Good Critical Analysis: Use short, targeted quotations rather than long pieces of text. Quote only those sections of a text that you plan to discuss in detail. Use active verbs that show an author doing something in their work: • • • • • • argues admits agrees asserts believes claims • • • • • • comments compares declares denies emphasizes endorses • • • • • • illustrates implies insists notes observes rejects • • • • reports responds suggests thinks Sample Article Analysis (excerpt) The title of Bartholomae’s essay acts as an analogy for the aspect of writing that he feels is the most important, the ability of a writer to establish his audience. Bartholomae believes that before each paper, the student must “invent the university for the occasion.” That is, the student must determine the professor’s expectations for style and voice as well as anticipate the professor’s reaction to the content of the paper. Once student writers are able to pinpoint their audience, they must then take on the challenge of “appropriating a specialized discourse.” This simply means to utilize a specific language to appear as though one with the audience. Bartholomae attributes a large amount of the effectiveness of advanced writing to the development of this skill. Sample Visual Analysis (excerpt) An example of this sensationalized media can be seen below in this slide progression of a commercial for the antidepressant drug Zoloft. A “blob” representing the patient is seen as depressed with a rain cloud hanging over their head, then the drug Zoloft is introduced and all of a sudden the patient is happy again. Along with this depiction is sad background music followed by happy uplifting music after Zoloft has been introduced. This is a carefully thought out, highly sensationalized and manipulative advertisement. Let’s first examine the subject, the “blob”. This blob is essentially a mirror for the viewer. It is neither male nor female, young nor old, and has neither a race nor ethnicity of its own, it isn’t even human. It is a blank slate. This lack of definition allows for absolutely any viewer to relate to this advertisement and mentally place themselves into it. It cuts across all demographics. Once the viewer has placed themselves into the advertisement they are taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride. At first they feel sad and depressed, encouraged by the gloomy music and rain clouds. Next, they meet a new friend, Zoloft, who magically appears and floats across the screen. After they have met their new friend they feel happy again, the rain clouds have subsided and the gloomy music has been replaced with a cheerful melody. The viewer did not simply watch this happen to the blob, but rather, they fully experienced it happen to themselves. Since the material in the television programs that precede and follow advertisements such as this is less than thought provoking, a viewer is not prepared to critically analyze this advertisement. It is not until we step back and isolate this advertisement that we can see what it is truly meant to be doing, persuade, not inform. For more information, see Chapter 5 of Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers