Become a Real Critic in Your Critical Analysis Paper

A critical analysis paper is designed to examine a piece of work or article that has been written by someone else and the goal is to determine how effectively they present their point or argument. It is one of the most difficult pieces because many students don’t understand how to handle this type of assignment. However, by following this advice, you will be able to write your paper like a real critic.

1. Read the Piece a Few Times
   Read the text you need to write a critical analysis on a few times. While you are reading, be sure to try and answer several questions. You can make some notes on the answers to make sure that you can effectively analyze the piece.
   – What is the artist arguing for or against? Analyze the writer’s thesis statement.
   – Decide the context of the argument. Why is the author arguing for the point?
   – Decide if they have provided a solution to the problem they are discussing. Is the solution plausible?
2. Jot down the Supporting Evidence for the Main Points
   Has the author utilized the information to support their main point or points?
3. Determine the Author’s Appeal to the Reader
   How does the author appeal to the reader to persuade them to believe in their point? Do they appeal to emotion (pathos)? How about to their logic or reason (logos)? Or their credibility (ethos)?
4. Draw the Line
   Do any questions arise when you are reading the piece or have all of the questions been effectively answered?

Tips that will help you along the way:

• Always start by introducing your piece giving the pertinent information like the title and author. You will give a brief summary of what the piece is about as well.
• You should state the author’s argument early in the piece. Possibly even in the first paragraph.
• Be sure to discuss all of your main points in the introduction and utilize the other paragraphs to describe the evidence relating to each topic and evaluate them individually.
• Use citations to support your evaluation. Make sure to properly cite the sources using quotes or paraphrased material.
• Please keep in mind that a critical analysis varies from a summary. It is a critique of the content.
• The main purpose is to evaluate the piece of work. You will need to decide if the piece is valid, significant, important, useful, or truthful.

When you are writing this type of paper, it will be important to remember that you are analyzing how the content is used, rather than just the content itself. Most writers look at the piece and just think about whether or not the story-line works. The focus needs to be on how the content is written. It should concentrate on how the author uses the information to get their point across. This is an entirely different concept than what most people think of when they are writing this type of paper. Think of the “why” rather than the “what” and you will be able to ace at this assignment.

It is a good idea to find a sample critical analysis essay paper to help you understand how the paper is handled. Read through a few examples by our research paper writing service and get some ideas on how to get it done. It can be used as a guide that will help you write your paper effectively. You should have all of the help that you need to get the job done. Good luck.