Analysis Flow
Today we're going to think about the flow of analysis in your writing, and in order to do this, we'll be analyzing Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks (1942). More specifically, we're going to analyze the ways in which Hopper is able to convey the theme of loneliness.
But first, let's talk about the way in which your analysis should flow:
- Part #1: Start with the granular. Another way to think about this is that you start with the element(s) within the text that you're looking to highlight and analyze.
- You should identify, explain, and analyze this element in your first sentence.
- Part #2: Explain the connection. You're working to connect the thing(s) you analyzed back to your thesis. Be explicit in your explanation.
- You can, as long as you aren't too wordy about it, explain the connection to the thesis in your first sentence as well.
- Part #3: Reframe: Think of this as a moment to step back from the more granular analysis you were just doing and, without being repetitive, reground us in the idea of this paper and your thesis. It's bridging this evidence and analysis to the bigger idea.
- Sometimes, as long as it's not wordy, you can do this with the transition sentence.
- Part #4: Transition: The last thing you'll do is work to move us into the next idea.
- If you have a separate sentences that summarizes your last idea, be sure to acknowledge how the previous idea connects to the next idea. There are a few ways you might do this when transitioning:
- Moving to a new element supporting the same idea. Further developing.
- Moving to a new element and different idea. Creating new or contrasting.
- Moving to a new paragraph. Closing out an idea and moving on.
Something to consider. If you're struggling to flow through your analysis in this way, treat each one of these parts as a sentence in your initial writing. Then, as you're revising your work, go back and wordsmith what you have, working to make it more clear and concise.
Today, we're just going to practice writing the first three sentences.
On Friday, we'll take the sentences you wrote and the sentences a peer wrote and practice transitioning between those ideas, which is the final sentence of your analysis.