Analysis Paragraphs

Throughout the past labs, we have been working on formulating strong analysis paragraphs by looking at examples, critiquing them, and learning about the elements that are required. One of the most important factors is having transitions to allow thoughts to flow and connect to the next. I noticed that the excellent essay examples always had strong transitions and that was what separated it from the adequate essay examples. Because there has been strong emphasis on it, I am planning on utilizing more transitions for the final interdisciplinary essay exam. Another helpful point is to start wide and narrow down to specific details, creating a funnel-like effect. I feel like I can conceptualize the task better when I think about that analogy. After presenting the thesis, it should be broken down to the two period concepts, its significance within the culture or time period, and then supplemented with more details.

In an art analysis example that we looked at, the critique included that it needed more expansion to illuminate the thesis. Also, more features should have been picked out to help support the analysis and to make the thesis clear. Additionally, we took flexibility as an example of a concept that has multiple definitions and we could even state that we will expand on all of them within the essay. Concepts can be exhibited differently in literature, art, and music, so it should not be limited.

I think that I have been doing fairly well with picking cultures and times periods to which I feel comfortable writing about. Usually, I will pay attention to which works of literature that I understand the best throughout the semester, make connections to the period concepts, and see how the art and music relates. Although I feel like I understand the concepts for the most part, my connections and analysis can definitely be stronger. With a significant amount of material to work with, it can often seem overwhelming and it is a matter of filtering through and focusing on the ones that are relevant to the subject of the essays. I need to make my analysis paragraphs stronger by developing a clear line of thought and keep it consistent throughout my essays. The review of this process has been more helpful than the one in HUMN 2001 because I was still getting used to the format and process last semester. However, I am glad that I have stayed with the same professor because it would have been difficult adjusting to a different style of teaching and grading. Now that we have taken a look at what is required to attain a good grade through the use of example paragraphs and instructions for analysis, I feel like I have a better grasp of the task.

Word Count: 459