essay vs analytical

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How to craft an engaging and insightful analytical essay that captivates your readers.

Embark on a journey of intellectual discovery as you learn how to unravel the complex layers of meaning in your chosen subject matter. Analytical essays require a keen eye for detail and an unwavering commitment to exploration. Step into the shoes of a detective armed with a pen, and prepare to unlock the hidden secrets that lie beneath the surface.

Beyond the mere act of writing, an analytical essay challenges you to transform ordinary observations into profound insights, shedding light on the deeper significance of the topic at hand. In this step-by-step guide, we will unveil the secrets to crafting a compelling analysis that captivates your readers, leaving them enlightened and inspired.

Discover the power of analysis as you learn how to dissect your subject matter, exploring its various components and piecing them together to reveal a greater truth. Dive into the intricate nuances of language, symbolism, and narrative structure, as you employ critical thinking to dissect the elements that shape your chosen topic. Through this process, you will develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter and cultivate an appreciation for the art of analysis.

Understanding the Basics of an Analytical Essay

Analytical essays are a popular form of academic writing that require students to carefully examine and interpret a given topic or text. These essays go beyond simply summarizing or expressing personal opinions; rather, they involve a deep analysis and evaluation of the subject matter. In an analytical essay, a writer breaks down the topic into its various components and examines them critically to gain a comprehensive understanding.

When writing an analytical essay, it is important to approach the topic with objectivity and a critical mindset. The purpose of such an essay is to analyze, evaluate, and interpret the subject matter, providing insights and arguments that are supported by evidence and logical reasoning. It is not about expressing personal preferences or biases, but rather about presenting a well-structured and well-supported analysis.

One key aspect of an analytical essay is the use of evidence to support the writer’s claims and arguments. This evidence can come in various forms, such as quotes from the text being analyzed, statistical data, expert opinions, or examples from real-life situations. The writer must carefully select and present this evidence in a way that enhances their analysis and strengthens their overall argument.

In addition to evidence, an analytical essay should also include logical reasoning and clear organization. The writer needs to present their ideas in a coherent and logical manner, guiding the reader through their analysis step by step. Each paragraph should focus on a specific idea or aspect of the topic, with smooth transitions between paragraphs to ensure a seamless flow of ideas.

Furthermore, an analytical essay requires attention to detail and critical thinking. The writer must carefully examine the subject matter, paying close attention to nuances, patterns, and underlying meanings. They should ask questions, challenge assumptions, and consider different perspectives in order to develop a well-rounded analysis.

In conclusion, an analytical essay is a form of academic writing that involves a deep analysis and evaluation of a given topic or text. It requires objectivity, evidence-based arguments, logical reasoning, and attention to detail. By understanding the basics of an analytical essay, students can effectively approach this type of writing and develop strong analytical skills that are crucial for academic success.

Choosing a Topic for Your Analytical Essay

One of the crucial steps in writing an analytical essay is selecting the right topic. To ensure the success of your essay, it is important to choose a subject that is both interesting and allows for in-depth analysis. Here are some tips to help you select the perfect topic for your analytical essay:

• Consider your interests: Start by thinking about subjects that you are passionate about or have a strong curiosity towards. Analytical essays require in-depth analysis and critical thinking, so choosing a topic that genuinely interests you will make the process more enjoyable.
• Research potential topics: Once you have identified a few areas of interest, conduct preliminary research to familiarize yourself with the subject matter. Look for relevant articles, books, or academic papers that provide insight into the topic. This will help you assess the availability of information and determine if the topic has enough substance for analysis.
• Narrow down your options: After conducting initial research, narrow down your list of potential topics. Consider the scope and feasibility of each topic. Ensure that your chosen subject can be adequately explored within the given word count and time frame.
• Identify the focus: Analytical essays often require a specific focus or thesis statement. Determine the angle or perspective you want to take towards your chosen topic. Think about the questions you want to answer or the arguments you want to make in your essay.
• Consider the audience: Keep in mind the intended audience for your essay. Think about their interests and prior knowledge on the topic. Choose a subject that is both accessible and engaging for your readers.
• Seek feedback: Once you have narrowed down your topic options, seek feedback from peers, professors, or writing tutors. Their insights and suggestions can help you refine your topic and ensure that it aligns with the objectives of your essay.

By following these guidelines, you can choose a topic for your analytical essay that not only captivates your readers but also allows you to showcase your analytical and critical thinking skills.

Conducting In-Depth Research for Your Essay

Thorough research is an essential part of writing a compelling analytical essay. By delving deep into your topic, you can gather a wealth of information and evidence to support your arguments and strengthen your analysis. In this section, we will explore effective strategies and resources for conducting in-depth research for your essay.

When embarking on your research journey, it is crucial to start by clearly defining the scope and objectives of your essay. This will help you narrow down your focus and determine the specific areas you need to explore. Consider the main themes, concepts, or theories that are relevant to your essay and identify keywords that will guide your research.

One approach to conducting research is to utilize various academic databases and online libraries. These platforms offer a vast collection of scholarly articles, peer-reviewed journals, books, and other resources that can provide you with authoritative and reliable information. Be sure to use appropriate search terms and filters to refine your search and find the most relevant sources.

In addition to academic sources, it is also beneficial to explore different types of media, such as news articles, documentaries, podcasts, and interviews. These sources can offer unique perspectives, real-life examples, and current events related to your topic, enhancing the depth and breadth of your analysis.

As you gather information, it is crucial to critically evaluate the credibility and reliability of your sources. Consider the author’s credentials, the publication date, and the reputation of the source. Look for sources that have been peer-reviewed or published by reputable institutions to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the information presented.

Furthermore, taking organized notes while conducting research can greatly facilitate the writing process. Use a structured approach, such as creating an outline or using note-taking software, to record key points, quotes, and references from your sources. This will help you keep track of your research findings and make it easier to incorporate them into your essay later on.

By investing time and effort into conducting in-depth research, you can lay a solid foundation for your analytical essay. Engaging with a diverse range of sources, critically evaluating their reliability, and taking organized notes will enable you to develop a well-rounded and evidence-based argument.

Developing a Thesis Statement and Outline

Creating a strong thesis statement and outline is a crucial step in the process of writing an analytical essay. These components provide a solid foundation for your essay, helping you to organize your thoughts and present a clear and logical argument.

A thesis statement is the main claim or argument of your essay. It is a concise and focused statement that expresses your position on the topic. Your thesis statement should be specific, debatable, and supported by evidence. It sets the tone for your entire essay and guides the reader in understanding the main point you will be making.

To develop a strong thesis statement, you need to thoroughly analyze your topic and gather evidence to support your argument. Consider the main ideas or themes that emerge from your analysis and choose one that you can effectively argue. Your thesis statement should be clear, concise, and written in a way that engages the reader.

Once you have developed your thesis statement, it is important to create an outline for your essay. An outline helps you to organize your thoughts and ensure that your essay flows smoothly and logically.

In your outline, include the main points you want to address in each paragraph, along with supporting evidence or examples. This will help you structure your essay and ensure that you stay focused on your main argument. Consider the order in which you want to present your points, and make sure that each paragraph builds upon the previous one.

In addition to organizing your thoughts, an outline also helps you to identify any gaps in your argument or evidence. By seeing the structure of your essay laid out in an outline, you can easily identify areas that need further development or additional research.

In conclusion, developing a strong thesis statement and outline is essential for writing an effective analytical essay. These components provide a clear roadmap for your essay and ensure that you present a well-reasoned argument supported by evidence. Take the time to carefully consider your thesis statement and outline before you begin writing, as they will greatly contribute to the overall success of your essay.

Analyzing and Interpreting the Evidence in Your Essay

Once you have gathered and presented your evidence in your analytical essay, the next crucial step is to analyze and interpret it. This process involves carefully examining your evidence to derive meaningful insights and draw informed conclusions.

When analyzing the evidence, you should consider its relevance, credibility, and significance. Ask yourself whether the evidence directly supports your thesis statement and helps you prove your main argument. Assess the sources of your evidence and evaluate their trustworthiness and authority. Additionally, determine the significance of the evidence in relation to your overall analysis and the broader context of your essay.

Once you have analyzed the evidence, you need to interpret it. Interpretation involves extracting meaning from the evidence and making connections to your thesis statement and argument. Consider the underlying themes, patterns, and implications of the evidence. Look for relationships between different pieces of evidence and identify any possible contradictions or alternative interpretations.

Effective interpretation requires critical thinking and a deep understanding of the subject matter. Consider different perspectives and viewpoints, and critically evaluate the implications of your interpretation. Ensure that your interpretation aligns with your main argument and supports the overall thesis of your essay.

Remember that analyzing and interpreting evidence in your essay is a continuous process. As you delve deeper into your analysis, you may discover new insights and perspectives that require further examination. Stay open-minded and be willing to revise or adjust your interpretation if new evidence or arguments warrant it.

By effectively analyzing and interpreting the evidence in your essay, you can provide a robust and compelling argument that engages your readers and demonstrates your analytical skills.

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Analytical vs Argumentative Essay: How Do They Compare?

by  Antony W

May 2, 2023

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you should know about analytical vs argumentative essay.

While the two require concise writing without skipping the most significant points, they have quite dissimilar fundamentals.

Key Takeaways 

• An argumentative essay presents two sides of an argument and then uses evidence and facts to demonstrate why one side of an issue is stronger, better, or more favorable.
• The analytical essay, on the other hand, is an evaluation of information collected from different sources put together in one document.
• An analytical essay gives a sound explanation and interpretation while an argumentative essay communicates your strong stand on a controversial topic to an audience that may or may not agree with you.

What is Argumentative Writing?

The argumentative writing goes beyond demonstrating your ideas in a manner that support your thesis statement. An author takes one side of an argument and develops it.

By using irrefutable and solid evidence, they attempt to convince the reader that the position they hold on the claim or subject at hand is the correct one.

An important element that must reflect in argumentative writing is the credibility of the sources used. In other words, you can only use reliable scholarly sources as evidence to support your arguments.

What is Analytical Writing?

In analytical writing , an author gathers information from a number of credible and reliable sources and then combines the information to come up with an analysis in the form of an essay.

Instead of taking a side and defending your argument, analytical writing requires you to present both positive and negative viewpoint.

In order to come up with a well-written analytical paper, you need to conduct more research to dig up as much data and information as you possibly can.

Analytical vs Argumentative Essay: Objective

Purpose of an argumentative essay.

The primary objective of an argumentative essay is to demonstrate to your reader that you can take a strong stand on a controversial subject.

When it comes to writing this essay, you should first highlight opposing views and then use strong argument to refute those views.

The secret to writing a thought-provoking argumentative essay is to make sure you choose opposing arguments that are inferior to your own.

Again, your logic has to be as authentic as possible, which means you must never include logical fallacies in the essay.

Purpose of an Analytical Essay

In analytical essay, your objective is to examine a subject for the purpose of accurate explanation and sound interpretation.

You’ll analyze different aspects of literary work, an event in history, or a concept, depending on the subject area, and relate its purpose to a theme or structure.

Literary essays require you to analyze the form and structure of the work, or its content in terms of the characters, plot, or setting.

In analyzing a concept, the analyst needs to evaluate a concept and provide means for defining and understanding the concept and its overall implication.

Analytical vs Argumentative Essay: Writing

Writing an analytical essay.

In analytical writing, you have to use a balanced or neutral approach to present a clear picture of the topic and draw an appropriate conclusion.

To present your ideas clearly , you should divide the analytical essay into four major parts. The assignment should have an introduction, an analysis of the text, a personal response, and a conclusion.

In the introduction of your analytical essay, tell your audience what to expect from your writing.

As with any literary writing, your analytical essay should include a thesis statement or research question , and  make sure you bring out the major theme so that they focus of the essay is very clear to understand.

The analysis part of the essay is more than likely going to be the longest. That means you have sufficient room to analyze an issue and connect it with your argument.

As you analyze the text, make sure you pay close attention to the literary devices that the author uses for communication. 

An in-depth analysis should make it easy for you to draw an objective conclusion on whether make their ideas or goals clear to their intended reader. 

More importantly, rather than just making personal assumption when doing your analysis, you should accompany them with reasonable evidence.

The third step to writing an analytical essay is to write your personal response.

Here is your chance to show that you understand the topic. You should use a critical approach when writing your response. And don’t forget to give reasonable evidence throughout.

Include a strong conclusion for your analytical essay.

The goal here isn’t to introduce an idea or find a quote to conclude the essay .

Instead, you should show a clear relationship between the text or subject that you’ve analyzed and the argument that you have presented.

If you need help to get your analytical essay written, check out our analysis paper writing service and place your order. You get a coupon of up to 15% discount on your first order. Plus, our team will do custom writing, so you don’t have to worry about plagiarism.

Writing an Argumentative Essay 

Unlike an analytical essay, an argumentative essay doesn’t take a balanced approach on a topic.

You take a persuasive approach instead, in which case you have to show that your opinion, claim , theory, or hypothesis is either correct or more truthful than other arguments.

When writing an argumentative assignment, it’s important to make sure your arguments are clear, focused, and concise.

For a chance to stand out and prove that your position on an issue is convincingly more truthful, you should pick a side that you can easily support with strong evidence.

The most important writing rule when it comes to writing your argument is to work with a proper formatting in mind. In other words, you need to structure your arguments properly.

Write an interesting introduction with a thesis statement. Also, you need to get your body paragraphs right, making sure that each covers a single idea.

Ensure there are proper transitions between paragraph, each ending with a closing link and easily taking the reader to the next idea. End the essay with a very strong conclusion.

Do in-depth research before working on your arguments. Even if you already understand your audience and know what can win them over, you need to look into the evidence that you want to present to make sure it’s convincing.

Keep your language formal, easy to read and understand, and add a bit of attention-grabbing clauses or phrases to make the essay easy to read.  

Writing an argumentative essay isn’t as easy. Even if you have an interesting topic to explore, you must invest hundreds of hours in research, evidence extraction, and writing. With the help of our argumentative essay writer , you can spend less time on the task and get high quality paper delivered.

Similarities Between Analytical and Argumentative Essays?

While there are obvious differences in writing analytical and argumentative essay, there is one thing that both essays must reflect.

When working on either paper, your writing should reflect logical thinking, in-depth research, and comprehensive evaluation of the information you include in them.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

How To Write an Analytical Essay

If you enjoy exploring topics deeply and thinking creatively, analytical essays could be perfect for you. They involve thorough analysis and clever writing techniques to gain fresh perspectives and deepen your understanding of the subject. In this article, our expert research paper writer will explain what an analytical essay is, how to structure it effectively and provide practical examples. This guide covers all the essentials for your writing success!

What Is an Analytical Essay

An analytical essay involves analyzing something, such as a book, movie, or idea. It relies on evidence from the text to logically support arguments, avoiding emotional appeals or personal stories. Unlike persuasive essays, which argue for a specific viewpoint, a good analytical essay explores all aspects of the topic, considering different perspectives, dissecting arguments, and evaluating evidence carefully. Ultimately, you'll need to present your own stance based on your analysis, synthesize findings, and decide whether you agree with the conclusions or have your own interpretation.

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How to Structure an Analytical Essay

Crafting an excellent paper starts with clear organization and structuring of arguments. An analytical essay structure follows a simple outline: introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introduction: Begin by grabbing the reader's attention and stating the topic clearly. Provide background information, state the purpose of the paper, and hint at the arguments you'll make. The opening sentence should be engaging, such as a surprising fact or a thought-provoking question. Then, present your thesis, summarizing your stance in the essay.

Body Paragraphs: Each paragraph starts with a clear topic sentence guiding the reader and presents evidence supporting the thesis. Focus on one issue per paragraph and briefly restate the main point at the end to transition smoothly to the next one. This ensures clarity and coherence in your argument.

Conclusion: Restate the thesis, summarize key points from the body paragraphs, and offer insights on the significance of the analysis. Provide your thoughts on the topic's importance and how your analysis contributes to it, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Meanwhile, you might also be interested in how to write a reflection paper , so check out the article for more information!

How to Write an Analytical Essay in 6 Simple Steps

Once you've got a handle on the structure, you can make writing easier by following some steps. Preparing ahead of time can make the process smoother and improve your essay's flow. Here are some helpful tips from our experts. And if you need it, you can always request our experts to write my essay for me , and we'll handle it promptly.

Step 1: Decide on Your Stance

Before diving into writing, it's crucial to establish your stance on the topic. Let's say you're going to write an analytical essay example about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work. Before you start writing, you need to decide what your opinion or viewpoint is on this topic.

• Do you think remote work offers flexibility and improved work-life balance for employees?
• Or maybe you believe it can lead to feelings of isolation and decreased productivity?

Once you've determined your stance on remote work, it's essential to consider the evidence and arguments supporting your position. Are there statistics or studies that back up your viewpoint? For example, if you believe remote work improves productivity, you might cite research showing increased output among remote workers. On the other hand, if you think it leads to isolation, you could reference surveys or testimonials highlighting the challenges of remote collaboration. Your opinion will shape how you write your essay, so take some time to think about what you believe about remote work before you start writing.

Step 2: Write Your Thesis Statement

Once you've figured out what you think about the topic, it's time to write your thesis statement. This statement is like the main idea or argument of your essay.

If you believe that remote work offers significant benefits, your thesis statement might be: 'Remote work presents an opportunity for increased flexibility and work-life balance, benefiting employees and employers alike in today's interconnected world.'

Alternatively, if you believe that remote work has notable drawbacks, your thesis statement might be: 'While remote work offers flexibility, it can also lead to feelings of isolation and challenges in collaboration, necessitating a balanced approach to its implementation.'

Your thesis statement guides the rest of your analytical essay, so make sure it clearly expresses your viewpoint on the benefits and drawbacks of remote work.

Step 3: Write Topic Sentences

After you have your thesis statement about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work, you need to come up with topic sentences for each paragraph while writing an analytical essay. These sentences introduce the main point of each paragraph and help to structure your essay.

Let's say your first paragraph is about the benefits of remote work. Your topic sentence might be: 'Remote work offers employees increased flexibility and autonomy, enabling them to better manage their work-life balance.'

For the next paragraph discussing the drawbacks of remote work, your topic sentence could be: 'However, remote work can also lead to feelings of isolation and difficulties in communication and collaboration with colleagues.'

And for the paragraph about potential solutions to the challenges of remote work, your topic sentence might be: 'To mitigate the drawbacks of remote work, companies can implement strategies such as regular check-ins, virtual team-building activities, and flexible work arrangements.'

Each topic sentence should relate back to your thesis statement about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work and provide a clear focus for the paragraph that follows.

Step 4: Create an Outline

Now that you have your thesis statement and topic sentences, it's time to create an analytical essay outline to ensure your essay flows logically. Here's an outline prepared by our analytical essay writer based on the example of discussing the benefits and drawbacks of remote work:

Step 5: Write Your First Draft

Now that you have your outline, it's time to start writing your first draft. Begin by expanding upon each point in your outline, making sure to connect your ideas smoothly and logically. Don't worry too much about perfection at this stage; the goal is to get your ideas down on paper. You can always revise and polish your draft later.

As you write, keep referring back to your thesis statement to ensure that your arguments align with your main argument. Additionally, make sure each paragraph flows naturally into the next, maintaining coherence throughout your essay.

Once you've completed your first draft, take a break and then come back to review and revise it. Look for areas where you can strengthen your arguments, clarify your points, and improve the overall structure and flow of your essay.

Remember, writing is a process, and it's okay to go through multiple drafts before you're satisfied with the final result. Take your time and be patient with yourself as you work towards creating a well-crafted essay on the benefits and drawbacks of remote work.

Step 6: Revise and Proofread

Once you've completed your first draft, it's essential to revise and proofread your essay to ensure clarity, coherence, and correctness. Here's how to approach this step:

• Check if your ideas make sense and if they support your main point.
• Make sure your writing style stays the same and your format follows the rules.
• Double-check your facts and make sure you've covered everything important.
• Cut out any extra words and make your sentences clear and short.
• Look for mistakes in spelling and grammar.
• Ask someone to read your essay and give you feedback.

What is the Purpose of an Analytical Essay?

Analytical essays aim to analyze texts or topics, presenting a clear argument. They deepen understanding by evaluating evidence and uncovering underlying meanings. These essays promote critical thinking, challenging readers to consider different viewpoints.

They're also great for improving critical thinking skills. By breaking down complex ideas and presenting them clearly, they encourage readers to think for themselves and reach their own conclusions.

This type of essay also adds to academic discussions by offering fresh insights. By analyzing existing research and literature, they bring new perspectives or shine a light on overlooked parts of a topic. This keeps academic conversations lively and encourages more exploration in the field.

Analytical Essay Examples

Check out our essay samples to see theory in action. Crafted by our dissertation services , they show how analytical thinking applies to real situations, helping you understand concepts better.

With our tips on how to write an analytical essay, you're ready to boost your writing skills and craft essays that captivate your audience. With practice, you'll become a pro at analytical writing, ready to tackle any topic with confidence. And, if you need help to buy essay online , just drop us a line saying ' do my homework for me ' and we'll jump right in!

Do Analytical Essays Tend to Intimidate You?

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How to Write an Analytical Essay?

What is an analytical essay.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

Analytical Essay

Definition of analytical essay, difference between an analytical essay and a critical essay, types of analytical essay, examples of analytical essay in literature, example #1: liposuction: the key to energy independence (by barbara ehrenreich).

“I say to my fellow humans: It’s time to stop feeding off the dead and grow up! I don’t know about food, but I have a plan for achieving fuel self-sufficiency in less time than it takes to say ‘Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.’ The idea came to me from reports of the growing crime of French fry oil theft: Certain desperate individuals are stealing restaurants’ discarded cooking oil, which can then be used to fuel cars. So the idea is: why not skip the French fry phase and harvest high-energy hydrocarbons right from ourselves?”

Example #2: Freedom (by Joyce M. Jarett)

“On the first day of school, I was escorted by hordes of national guardsmen. Like a funeral procession, the steady stream of official-looking cars followed me to the campus. Some patrolmen were parked near campus gates, while others, with guns strapped to their sides, stood near building entrances. Though many of my escorts had given me smiles of support, still I was not prepared for what I encountered upon entering my new school.”

This is a paragraph from a process analysis. The author, Joyce M. Jaret, has beautifully described her experience of the security in this paragraph, and how it is deployed when an important figure faces security issues in his life. This is an analysis of the process of security deployment.

Example #3: The Ways of Meeting Oppression (by Martin Luther King, Jr.)

“The third way open to oppressed people in their quest for freedom is the way of nonviolent resistance. Like the synthesis in Hegelian philosophy, the principle of nonviolent resistance seeks to reconcile the truths of two opposites—the acquiescence and violence—while avoiding the extremes and immoralities of both. The nonviolent resister agrees with the person who acquiesces that one should not be physically aggressive toward his opponent; but he balances the equation by agreeing with the person of violence that evil must be resisted. He avoids the nonresistance of the former and the violent resistance of the latter. With nonviolent resistance, no individual or group need submit to any wrong, nor need anyone resort to violence in order to right a wrong.”

Function of Analytical Essay

An analytical essay dissects something such as a concept, an idea, a thing, or even a character . Its major aim is to enhance the understanding of readers. An analysis could be done through a process, definition, classification and division, or comparison and contrast. The thing or idea is broken into several parts, through classification and division, and then analyzed. A process is broken into several steps for analysis. Not only do analytical essays enhance understanding, but they also make readers aware of minute details of things.

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Do you need to write an analytical essay for school? What sets this kind of essay apart from other types, and what must you include when you write your own analytical essay? In this guide, we break down the process of writing an analytical essay by explaining the key factors your essay needs to have, providing you with an outline to help you structure your essay, and analyzing a complete analytical essay example so you can see what a finished essay looks like.

What Is an Analytical Essay?

Before you begin writing an analytical essay, you must know what this type of essay is and what it includes. Analytical essays analyze something, often (but not always) a piece of writing or a film.

An analytical essay is more than just a synopsis of the issue though; in this type of essay you need to go beyond surface-level analysis and look at what the key arguments/points of this issue are and why. If you’re writing an analytical essay about a piece of writing, you’ll look into how the text was written and why the author chose to write it that way. Instead of summarizing, an analytical essay typically takes a narrower focus and looks at areas such as major themes in the work, how the author constructed and supported their argument, how the essay used literary devices to enhance its messages, etc.

While you certainly want people to agree with what you’ve written, unlike with persuasive and argumentative essays, your main purpose when writing an analytical essay isn’t to try to convert readers to your side of the issue. Therefore, you won’t be using strong persuasive language like you would in those essay types. Rather, your goal is to have enough analysis and examples that the strength of your argument is clear to readers.

Besides typical essay components like an introduction and conclusion, a good analytical essay will include:

• A thesis that states your main argument
• Analysis that relates back to your thesis and supports it
• Examples to support your analysis and allow a more in-depth look at the issue

In the rest of this article, we’ll explain how to include each of these in your analytical essay.

How to Structure Your Analytical Essay

Analytical essays are structured similarly to many other essays you’ve written, with an introduction (including a thesis), several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Below is an outline you can follow when structuring your essay, and in the next section we go into more detail on how to write an analytical essay.

Introduction

Your introduction will begin with some sort of attention-grabbing sentence to get your audience interested, then you’ll give a few sentences setting up the topic so that readers have some context, and you’ll end with your thesis statement. Your introduction will include:

• Brief background information explaining the issue/text
• Your thesis

Body Paragraphs

Your analytical essay will typically have three or four body paragraphs, each covering a different point of analysis. Begin each body paragraph with a sentence that sets up the main point you’ll be discussing. Then you’ll give some analysis on that point, backing it up with evidence to support your claim. Continue analyzing and giving evidence for your analysis until you’re out of strong points for the topic. At the end of each body paragraph, you may choose to have a transition sentence that sets up what the next paragraph will be about, but this isn’t required. Body paragraphs will include:

• Introductory sentence explaining what you’ll cover in the paragraph (sort of like a mini-thesis)
• Analysis point
• Evidence (either passages from the text or data/facts) that supports the analysis
• (Repeat analysis and evidence until you run out of examples)

You won’t be making any new points in your conclusion; at this point you’re just reiterating key points you’ve already made and wrapping things up. Begin by rephrasing your thesis and summarizing the main points you made in the essay. Someone who reads just your conclusion should be able to come away with a basic idea of what your essay was about and how it was structured. After this, you may choose to make some final concluding thoughts, potentially by connecting your essay topic to larger issues to show why it’s important. A conclusion will include:

• Paraphrase of thesis
• Summary of key points of analysis
• Final concluding thought(s)

5 Steps for Writing an Analytical Essay

Follow these five tips to break down writing an analytical essay into manageable steps. By the end, you’ll have a fully-crafted analytical essay with both in-depth analysis and enough evidence to support your argument. All of these steps use the completed analytical essay in the next section as an example.

#1: Pick a Topic

You may have already had a topic assigned to you, and if that’s the case, you can skip this step. However, if you haven’t, or if the topic you’ve been assigned is broad enough that you still need to narrow it down, then you’ll need to decide on a topic for yourself. Choosing the right topic can mean the difference between an analytical essay that’s easy to research (and gets you a good grade) and one that takes hours just to find a few decent points to analyze

Before you decide on an analytical essay topic, do a bit of research to make sure you have enough examples to support your analysis. If you choose a topic that’s too narrow, you’ll struggle to find enough to write about.

For example, say your teacher assigns you to write an analytical essay about the theme in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath of exposing injustices against migrants. For it to be an analytical essay, you can’t just recount the injustices characters in the book faced; that’s only a summary and doesn’t include analysis. You need to choose a topic that allows you to analyze the theme. One of the best ways to explore a theme is to analyze how the author made his/her argument. One example here is that Steinbeck used literary devices in the intercalary chapters (short chapters that didn’t relate to the plot or contain the main characters of the book) to show what life was like for migrants as a whole during the Dust Bowl.

You could write about how Steinbeck used literary devices throughout the whole book, but, in the essay below, I chose to just focus on the intercalary chapters since they gave me enough examples. Having a narrower focus will nearly always result in a tighter and more convincing essay (and can make compiling examples less overwhelming).

#2: Write a Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is the most important sentence of your essay; a reader should be able to read just your thesis and understand what the entire essay is about and what you’ll be analyzing. When you begin writing, remember that each sentence in your analytical essay should relate back to your thesis

In the analytical essay example below, the thesis is the final sentence of the first paragraph (the traditional spot for it). The thesis is: “In The Grapes of Wrath’s intercalary chapters, John Steinbeck employs a variety of literary devices and stylistic choices to better expose the injustices committed against migrants in the 1930s.” So what will this essay analyze? How Steinbeck used literary devices in the intercalary chapters to show how rough migrants could have it. Crystal clear.

#3: Do Research to Find Your Main Points

This is where you determine the bulk of your analysis--the information that makes your essay an analytical essay. My preferred method is to list every idea that I can think of, then research each of those and use the three or four strongest ones for your essay. Weaker points may be those that don’t relate back to the thesis, that you don’t have much analysis to discuss, or that you can’t find good examples for. A good rule of thumb is to have one body paragraph per main point

This essay has four main points, each of which analyzes a different literary device Steinbeck uses to better illustrate how difficult life was for migrants during the Dust Bowl. The four literary devices and their impact on the book are:

• Lack of individual names in intercalary chapters to illustrate the scope of the problem
• Parallels to the Bible to induce sympathy for the migrants
• Non-showy, often grammatically-incorrect language so the migrants are more realistic and relatable to readers
• Nature-related metaphors to affect the mood of the writing and reflect the plight of the migrants

#4: Find Excerpts or Evidence to Support Your Analysis

Now that you have your main points, you need to back them up. If you’re writing a paper about a text or film, use passages/clips from it as your main source of evidence. If you’re writing about something else, your evidence can come from a variety of sources, such as surveys, experiments, quotes from knowledgeable sources etc. Any evidence that would work for a regular research paper works here.

In this example, I quoted multiple passages from The Grapes of Wrath  in each paragraph to support my argument. You should be able to back up every claim you make with evidence in order to have a strong essay.

#5: Put It All Together

Now it's time to begin writing your essay, if you haven’t already. Create an introductory paragraph that ends with the thesis, make a body paragraph for each of your main points, including both analysis and evidence to back up your claims, and wrap it all up with a conclusion that recaps your thesis and main points and potentially explains the big picture importance of the topic.

Analytical Essay Example + Analysis

So that you can see for yourself what a completed analytical essay looks like, here’s an essay I wrote back in my high school days. It’s followed by analysis of how I structured my essay, what its strengths are, and how it could be improved.

One way Steinbeck illustrates the connections all migrant people possessed and the struggles they faced is by refraining from using specific titles and names in his intercalary chapters. While The Grapes of Wrath focuses on the Joad family, the intercalary chapters show that all migrants share the same struggles and triumphs as the Joads. No individual names are used in these chapters; instead the people are referred to as part of a group. Steinbeck writes, “Frantic men pounded on the doors of the doctors; and the doctors were busy.  And sad men left word at country stores for the coroner to send a car,” (555). By using generic terms, Steinbeck shows how the migrants are all linked because they have gone through the same experiences. The grievances committed against one family were committed against thousands of other families; the abuse extends far beyond what the Joads experienced. The Grapes of Wrath frequently refers to the importance of coming together; how, when people connect with others their power and influence multiplies immensely. Throughout the novel, the goal of the migrants, the key to their triumph, has been to unite. While their plans are repeatedly frustrated by the government and police, Steinbeck’s intercalary chapters provide a way for the migrants to relate to one another because they have encountered the same experiences. Hundreds of thousands of migrants fled to the promised land of California, but Steinbeck was aware that numbers alone were impersonal and lacked the passion he desired to spread. Steinbeck created the intercalary chapters to show the massive numbers of people suffering, and he created the Joad family to evoke compassion from readers.  Because readers come to sympathize with the Joads, they become more sensitive to the struggles of migrants in general. However, John Steinbeck frequently made clear that the Joads were not an isolated incident; they were not unique. Their struggles and triumphs were part of something greater. Refraining from specific names in his intercalary chapters allows Steinbeck to show the vastness of the atrocities committed against migrants.

Steinbeck also creates significant parallels to the Bible in his intercalary chapters in order to enhance his writing and characters. By using simple sentences and stylized writing, Steinbeck evokes Biblical passages. The migrants despair, “No work till spring. No work,” (556).  Short, direct sentences help to better convey the desperateness of the migrants’ situation. Throughout his novel, John Steinbeck makes connections to the Bible through his characters and storyline. Jim Casy’s allusions to Christ and the cycle of drought and flooding are clear biblical references.  By choosing to relate The Grapes of Wrath to the Bible, Steinbeck’s characters become greater than themselves. Starving migrants become more than destitute vagrants; they are now the chosen people escaping to the promised land. When a forgotten man dies alone and unnoticed, it becomes a tragedy. Steinbeck writes, “If [the migrants] were shot at, they did not run, but splashed sullenly away; and if they were hit, they sank tiredly in the mud,” (556). Injustices committed against the migrants become greater because they are seen as children of God through Steinbeck’s choice of language. Referencing the Bible strengthens Steinbeck’s novel and purpose: to create understanding for the dispossessed.  It is easy for people to feel disdain for shabby vagabonds, but connecting them to such a fundamental aspect of Christianity induces sympathy from readers who might have otherwise disregarded the migrants as so many other people did.

The simple, uneducated dialogue Steinbeck employs also helps to create a more honest and meaningful representation of the migrants, and it makes the migrants more relatable to readers. Steinbeck chooses to accurately represent the language of the migrants in order to more clearly illustrate their lives and make them seem more like real paper than just characters in a book. The migrants lament, “They ain’t gonna be no kinda work for three months,” (555). There are multiple grammatical errors in that single sentence, but it vividly conveys the despair the migrants felt better than a technically perfect sentence would. The Grapes of Wrath is intended to show the severe difficulties facing the migrants so Steinbeck employs a clear, pragmatic style of writing.  Steinbeck shows the harsh, truthful realities of the migrants’ lives and he would be hypocritical if he chose to give the migrants a more refined voice and not portray them with all their shortcomings. The depiction of the migrants as imperfect through their language also makes them easier to relate to. Steinbeck’s primary audience was the middle class, the less affluent of society. Repeatedly in The Grapes of Wrath , the wealthy make it obvious that they scorn the plight of the migrants. The wealthy, not bad luck or natural disasters, were the prominent cause of the suffering of migrant families such as the Joads. Thus, Steinbeck turns to the less prosperous for support in his novel. When referring to the superior living conditions barnyard animals have, the migrants remark, “Them’s horses-we’re men,” (556).  The perfect simplicity of this quote expresses the absurdness of the migrants’ situation better than any flowery expression could.

In The Grapes of Wrath , John Steinbeck uses metaphors, particularly about nature, in order to illustrate the mood and the overall plight of migrants. Throughout most of the book, the land is described as dusty, barren, and dead. Towards the end, however; floods come and the landscape begins to change. At the end of chapter twenty-nine, Steinbeck describes a hill after the floods saying, “Tiny points of grass came through the earth, and in a few days the hills were pale green with the beginning year,” (556). This description offers a stark contrast from the earlier passages which were filled with despair and destruction. Steinbeck’s tone from the beginning of the chapter changes drastically. Early in the chapter, Steinbeck had used heavy imagery in order to convey the destruction caused by the rain, “The streams and the little rivers edged up to the bank sides and worked at willows and tree roots, bent the willows deep in the current, cut out the roots of cottonwoods and brought down the trees,” (553). However, at the end of the chapter the rain has caused new life to grow in California. The new grass becomes a metaphor representing hope. When the migrants are at a loss over how they will survive the winter, the grass offers reassurance. The story of the migrants in the intercalary chapters parallels that of the Joads. At the end of the novel, the family is breaking apart and has been forced to flee their home. However, both the book and final intercalary chapter end on a hopeful note after so much suffering has occurred. The grass metaphor strengthens Steinbeck’s message because it offers a tangible example of hope. Through his language Steinbeck’s themes become apparent at the end of the novel. Steinbeck affirms that persistence, even when problems appear insurmountable, leads to success. These metaphors help to strengthen Steinbeck’s themes in The Grapes of Wrath because they provide a more memorable way to recall important messages.

John Steinbeck’s language choices help to intensify his writing in his intercalary chapters and allow him to more clearly show how difficult life for migrants could be. Refraining from using specific names and terms allows Steinbeck to show that many thousands of migrants suffered through the same wrongs. Imitating the style of the Bible strengthens Steinbeck’s characters and connects them to the Bible, perhaps the most famous book in history. When Steinbeck writes in the imperfect dialogue of the migrants, he creates a more accurate portrayal and makes the migrants easier to relate to for a less affluent audience. Metaphors, particularly relating to nature, strengthen the themes in The Grapes of Wrath by enhancing the mood Steinbeck wants readers to feel at different points in the book. Overall, the intercalary chapters that Steinbeck includes improve his novel by making it more memorable and reinforcing the themes Steinbeck embraces throughout the novel. Exemplary stylistic devices further persuade readers of John Steinbeck’s personal beliefs. Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath to bring to light cruelties against migrants, and by using literary devices effectively, he continuously reminds readers of his purpose. Steinbeck’s impressive language choices in his intercalary chapters advance the entire novel and help to create a classic work of literature that people still are able to relate to today. 

This essay sticks pretty closely to the standard analytical essay outline. It starts with an introduction, where I chose to use a quote to start off the essay. (This became my favorite way to start essays in high school because, if I wasn’t sure what to say, I could outsource the work and find a quote that related to what I’d be writing about.) The quote in this essay doesn’t relate to the themes I’m discussing quite as much as it could, but it’s still a slightly different way to start an essay and can intrigue readers. I then give a bit of background on The Grapes of Wrath and its themes before ending the intro paragraph with my thesis: that Steinbeck used literary devices in intercalary chapters to show how rough migrants had it.

Each of my four body paragraphs is formatted in roughly the same way: an intro sentence that explains what I’ll be discussing, analysis of that main point, and at least two quotes from the book as evidence.

My conclusion restates my thesis, summarizes each of four points I discussed in my body paragraphs, and ends the essay by briefly discussing how Steinbeck’s writing helped introduce a world of readers to the injustices migrants experienced during the dust bowl.

What does this analytical essay example do well? For starters, it contains everything that a strong analytical essay should, and it makes that easy to find. The thesis clearly lays out what the essay will be about, the first sentence of each of the body paragraph introduces the topic it’ll cover, and the conclusion neatly recaps all the main points. Within each of the body paragraphs, there’s analysis along with multiple excerpts from the book in order to add legitimacy to my points.

Additionally, the essay does a good job of taking an in-depth look at the issue introduced in the thesis. Four ways Steinbeck used literary devices are discussed, and for each of the examples are given and analysis is provided so readers can understand why Steinbeck included those devices and how they helped shaped how readers viewed migrants and their plight.

Where could this essay be improved? I believe the weakest body paragraph is the third one, the one that discusses how Steinbeck used plain, grammatically incorrect language to both accurately depict the migrants and make them more relatable to readers. The paragraph tries to touch on both of those reasons and ends up being somewhat unfocused as a result. It would have been better for it to focus on just one of those reasons (likely how it made the migrants more relatable) in order to be clearer and more effective. It’s a good example of how adding more ideas to an essay often doesn’t make it better if they don’t work with the rest of what you’re writing. This essay also could explain the excerpts that are included more and how they relate to the points being made. Sometimes they’re just dropped in the essay with the expectation that the readers will make the connection between the example and the analysis. This is perhaps especially true in the second body paragraph, the one that discusses similarities to Biblical passages. Additional analysis of the quotes would have strengthened it.

Summary: How to Write an Analytical Essay

What is an analytical essay? A critical analytical essay analyzes a topic, often a text or film. The analysis paper uses evidence to support the argument, such as excerpts from the piece of writing. All analytical papers include a thesis, analysis of the topic, and evidence to support that analysis.

When developing an analytical essay outline and writing your essay, follow these five steps:

Reading analytical essay examples can also give you a better sense of how to structure your essay and what to include in it.

What's Next?

Learning about different writing styles in school? There are four main writing styles, and it's important to understand each of them. Learn about them in our guide to writing styles , complete with examples.

Writing a research paper for school but not sure what to write about? Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you.

Literary devices can both be used to enhance your writing and communication. Check out this list of 31 literary devices to learn more !

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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The Difference in an Analytical & Argumentative Thesis Statement

Analytical and argumentative essays require different approaches. When you're asked to analyze something, for example a piece of literature, you are being asked to examine and evaluate the work to answer some how or why questions. When you're asked to make an argument, you must investigate a topic, collect, generate and evaluate evidence, then establish a position. In both cases, the thesis statement should always communicate to your reader what to expect from your essay.

General Analytical Thesis Statements

An analytical essay explores and attempts to answer the hows or whys that emerge with a particular topic or issue. Analyzing requires you to break down a subject into its component parts for examination, so your thesis statement should not only present your topic, it should also communicate how you will analyze it. Essentially, the reader should understand the relationship among the components being examined and how those relationships reveal something about the issue.

Literary Analysis Thesis Statements

In a literary analysis essay, you're still answering a how or why question, but you're answering those questions by examining elements of a piece of literature. This may require you identify a major theme and show readers how this theme is prevalent in the work, why the author presents this theme to readers or maybe how this theme impacts the plot and character development. For example, “The fate of the main characters in Sophocles' "Antigone" illustrates the dangers of excessive pride.” In this thesis statement, you have a theme, fate, and the literary work, "Antigone," and your analysis should show readers how fate affects the development of the work. Because your readers know what to expect, they can more easily navigate your analysis.

General Argumentative Thesis Statements

When writing an argumentative essay, a clear and defined thesis statement should explain why the topic is important and why readers should care. The thesis statement should not be so broad that readers cannot identify your position, nor so narrow that your position cannot fully be argued. If an argumentative thesis statement doesn't assert a defined position on an issue, the essay fails to achieve the goal of argumentation -- the reader cannot agree or disagree with a statement that isn't arguable. For example, this thesis statement presents no argument for reader to ponder: “Considering its geological position, Turkey has an important geopolitical role in the EU.” This is a fact, not an argument. A better thesis statement would read: “Considering its geopolitical role in the European Union, the EU clearly cannot survive without Turkey.” Here, the author presents an argument that must now be defended.

Similarities of Argumentative and Analytical Writing

Whether writing an analytical or argumentative essay, the thesis statement should always be arguable, clear and concise. If the thesis statement does not clearly communicate the topic and purpose of the writing, your readers may feel confused as to the direction or purpose of your essay. Another similarity is the need for research. Before writing either an analytical or argumentative essay, it's important to do your research, especially if the topic is complex. The more facts at your disposal, the better informed you are and the better argument or analysis you can achieve.

• University of Arizona Writing Center: Analytical Thesis Statements
• Owl Purdue Online Writing Lab: Argumentative Essays
• Bucks.Edu: How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay
• Bogazici University: Argumentative Essay
• Cape Fear Community College: Writing the Analytical Essay

Alyssa Sellors has been in the field of education for five years, teaching English and journalism at the high school level. In addition to teaching, she has also advised the school newspaper and currently advises the yearbook. As a yearbook adviser, she speaks at national conventions hosted by Journalism Educator’s Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.

Critical Writing 101

Descriptive vs analytical vs critical writing.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | April 2017

Across the thousands of students we work with , descriptive writing (as opposed to critical or analytical writing) is an incredibly pervasive problem . In fact, it’s probably the biggest killer of marks in dissertations, theses and research papers . So, in this post, we’ll explain the difference between descriptive and analytical writing in straightforward terms, along with plenty of practical examples.

Descriptive vs Analytical Writing

Writing critically is one of the most important skills you’ll need to master for your academic journey, but what exactly does this mean?

Well, when it comes to writing, at least for academic purposes, there are two main types – descriptive writing and critical writing. Critical writing is also sometimes referred to as analytical writing, so we’ll use these two terms interchangeably.

To understand what constitutes critical (or analytical) writing, it’s useful to compare it against its opposite, descriptive writing. At the most basic level, descriptive writing merely communicates the “ what ”, “ where ”, “ when ” or “ who ”. In other words, it describes a thing, place, time or person. It doesn’t consider anything beyond that or explore the situation’s impact, importance or meaning. Here’s an example of a descriptive sentence:

  “Yesterday, the president unexpectedly fired the minister of finance.”

As you can see, this sentence just states what happened, when it happened and who was involved. Classic descriptive writing.

Contrasted to this, critical writing takes things a step further and unveils the “ so what? ” – in other words, it explains the impact or consequence of a given situation. Let’s stick with the same event and look at an example of analytical writing:

“The president’s unexpected firing of the well-respected finance minister had an immediate negative impact on investor confidence. This led to a sharp decrease in the value of the local currency, especially against the US dollar. This devaluation means that all dollar-based imports are now expected to rise in cost, thereby raising the cost of living for citizens, and reducing disposable income.”

As you can see in this example, the descriptive version only tells us what happened (the president fired the finance minister), whereas the critical version goes on to discuss some of the impacts of the president’s actions.

Ideally, critical writing should always link back to the broader objectives of the paper or project, explaining what each thing or event means in relation to those objectives. In a dissertation or thesis, this would involve linking the discussion back to the research aims, objectives and research questions – in other words, the golden thread .

Sounds a bit fluffy and conceptual? Let’s look at an example:

If your research aims involved understanding how the local environment impacts demand for specialty imported vegetables, you would need to explain how the devaluation of the local currency means that the imported vegetables would become more expensive relative to locally farmed options. This in turn would likely have a negative impact on sales, as consumers would turn to cheaper local alternatives.

As you can see, critical (or analytical) writing goes beyond just describing (that’s what descriptive writing covers) and instead focuses on the meaning of things, events or situations, especially in relation to the core research aims and questions.

Need a helping hand?

But wait, there’s more.

This “ what vs so what”  distinction is important in understanding the difference between description and analysis, but it is not the only difference – the differences go deeper than this. The table below explains some other key differences between descriptive and analytical writing.

Should I avoid descriptive writing altogether?

Not quite. For the most part, you’ll need some descriptive writing to lay the foundation for the critical, analytical writing. In other words, you’ll usually need to state the “what” before you can discuss the “so what”. Therefore, description is simply unavoidable and in fact quite essential , but you do want to keep it to a minimum and focus your word count on the analytical side of things.

As you write, a good rule of thumb is to identify every what (in other words, every descriptive point you make) and then check whether it is accompanied by a so what (in other words, a critical conclusion regarding its meaning or impact).

Of course, this won’t always be necessary as some conclusions are fairly obvious and go without saying. But, this basic practice should help you minimise description, maximise analysis, and most importantly, earn you marks!

Let’s recap.

So, the key takeaways for this post are as follows:

• Descriptive writing focuses on the what , while critical/analytical writing focuses on the so what .
• Analytical writing should link the discussion back to the research aims, objectives or research questions (the golden thread).
• Some amount of description will always be needed, but aim to minimise description and maximise analysis to earn higher marks.

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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19 Comments

Thank you so much. This was helpful and a switch from the bad writing habits to the good habits.

Great to hear that, Sarah. Glad you found it useful!

I am currently working on my Masters Thesis and found this extremely informative and helpful. Thank you kindly.

I’m currently a University student and this is so helpful. Thank you.

It really helped me to get the exact meaning of analytical writing. Differences between the two explains it well

Thank you! this was very useful

With much appreciation, I say thank you. Your explanations are down to earth. It has been helpful.

Very helpful towards my theses journey! Many thanks 👍

very helpful

very helpful indeed

Thanks Derek for the useful coaching

Thank you for sharing this. I was stuck on descriptive now I can do my corrections. Thank you.

I was struggling to differentiate between descriptive and analytical writing. I googled and found this as it is so helpful. Thank you for sharing.

I am glad to see this differences of descriptive against analytical writing. This is going to improve my masters dissertation

Thanks in deed. It was helpful

Thank you so much. I’m now better informed

Busy with MBA in South Africa, this is very helpful as most of the writing requires one to expound on the topics. thanks for this, it’s a salvation from watching the blinking cursor for hours while figuring out what to write to hit the 5000 word target 😂

It’s been fantastic and enriching. Thanks a lot, GRAD COACH.

Wonderful explanation of descriptive vs analytic writing with examples. This is going to be greatly helpful for me as I am writing my thesis at the moment. Thank you Grad Coach. I follow your YouTube videos and subscribed and liked every time I watch one.

Very useful piece. thanks

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• How to write a literary analysis essay | A step-by-step guide

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.

A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.

Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :

• An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.
• A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
• A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.

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Table of contents

Step 1: reading the text and identifying literary devices, step 2: coming up with a thesis, step 3: writing a title and introduction, step 4: writing the body of the essay, step 5: writing a conclusion, other interesting articles.

The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis.

Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices —textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.

To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.

Language choices

Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?

What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. “her eyes were oceans”) and simile (e.g. “her eyes were like oceans”).

Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.

Narrative voice

Ask yourself:

• Who is telling the story?
• How are they telling it?

Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?

Consider the narrator’s perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.

The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?

Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.

• Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.
• Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.
• Plays are divided into scenes and acts.

Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.

There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?

With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.

In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for  dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.

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See an example

Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It’s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.

If you’re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:

Essay question example

Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?

Your thesis statement should be an answer to this question—not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn’t the case:

Thesis statement example

Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.

Sometimes you’ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you’ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.

Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.

Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:

Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:

The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:

Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.

Finding textual evidence

To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.

It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they’re convincing.

To start your literary analysis paper, you’ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.

Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.

A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.

If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don’t worry—this will be easier once you’ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.

“Fearful symmetry” : The violence of creation in William Blake’s “The Tyger”

The introduction

The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.

A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.

Then you can end with a brief indication of what’s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn’t be more than one sentence.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it’s not a bad idea. After all, you’ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you’ve begun writing them!

If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.

The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.

Paragraph structure

A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.

Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don’t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text—only analysis that drives your argument.

In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.

Robert’s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels “a sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.” He identifies the moment of their meeting as “the beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it” (p. 89). Gil-Martin’s “invisible power” seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.

Topic sentences

To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like “however” or “moreover” are useful for creating smooth transitions:

… The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.

Nevertheless, the “radiance” that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.

This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word “nevertheless” points out a contrast with the previous paragraph’s conclusion.

Using textual evidence

A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.

It’s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you’re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:

It isn’t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you’re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you’ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can’t be captured in a short quote.

In these cases, it’s more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the text—that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:

The conclusion of your analysis shouldn’t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it’s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.

A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they’ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.

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An analytical essay  is a type of essay that requires the writer to analyze and interpret a piece of literature or a particular topic. The purpose of an analytical essay is to present a detailed analysis and evaluation of a particular subject or idea.

If you wish to learn how to write an analytical essay, you are at the right place! Before beginning any academic assignment, one needs an understanding of what it is all about. Knowing a task's purpose is the first step that helps build a specific strategy to follow. We will help understand what an analytical essay assignment implies and explain how to write it and get a high grade. Get ready that your professor will be stunned by your results. Brace yourselves as we are about to begin!

What Is an Analytical Essay?

Talking about analytical essay definition, it is not as sophisticated as it might seem at first glance. An analytical essay is a paper that expects students to  pose a claim after analyzing a particular source . It can be a book, an article, a specific situation, or a film. Writing an analytical essay does not entail a simple summary of one chosen issue. The scope is somewhat broader. One's goal is to go deeper into selected source and  see the author's ideas . Another point is to discover the reason why these arguments were presented. Once you do this, start analyzing  how the content was created and why its author favored such an approach .  

Analytical Essay vs. Argumentative Essay

For sure, there is a distinctness between analytical essays and  argumentative essay examples . You won't be using complicated persuasive techniques like in the latter. Instead, take your focus on making arguments evident and understandable for your readers. Show them that you can see the author's way of using various literary elements. Understand how they structure their ideas in logical order. The principle here is to scrutinize information you've analyzed and bring it on a plate to your reader.  

How to Write an Analytical Essay?

If you don't know how to write an analytical essay, completing one can be an issue. Successful analysis essay writing will require your comprehension of the basics and other steps that will make your paper flawless. But don't worry, we will help avoid headaches and sleepless nights. Our guide will describe the essentials and main elements of this type of work. Keep reading and find them out. Ultimately, you will ace your writing assignment and get a fantastic outcome!

What to Do Before You Start Writing an Analytical Essay?

Below we will outline some simple pre-writing steps that will help students meet the assignment's requirements. Completing the preparatory process is half the job done. If you succeed at doing all these steps right, writing the paper itself won't be your nightmare anymore.

Understand the Objectives

Your first task is to check an analytical essay rubric. Usually, teachers give it along with the instructions. Make sure it's clear what you are expected to do and which approach you should take. Writing an analytical essay doesn't require summarizing the source of analysis only. If you want to write the best paper, remember that you need:  

• Personal opinion regarding the matter of analysis
• Well-organized main idea
• Awareness of conflicting arguments
• Trustworthy and reliable sources.

Once you grasp the task's concept and choose the right direction, it will make your start towards a strong paper much more manageable. If academic writing isn't your thing, rely on our essay service for outstanding and efficient outcome.

Brainstorm for Ideas

Usually, teachers assign topics and give the requirements if this is a task received in class. But what if you don't have any clue on what to write about? Don't panic. You will handle it either way. Think of something simple and what you have enough expertise about. Search for a list of analytical essay topics online or use our topic generator . All these options can help find one rather convenient theme of choice. Suppose you have already found a good topic for an analytical paper. If you feel that it's too broad, you can always narrow it down.  Keep in mind that the more information about a specific topic is available, the more investigation you will need to carry out.  And it is one of many reasons that can increase your writing time. Now we are ready for brainstorming. Think of some theses about the chosen topic that come to mind and just write them down. This way, you won't keep all ideas in your head. Search for materials to back up your arguments with corresponding clues. Collect everything you can find and divide it into categories of primary and secondary sources. And you are good to go.  

Develop an Analytical Thesis Statement

The analytical essay thesis is a central reference point of an entire piece. Once your readers see the thesis statement, they should recognize what your paper will be about. It should also determine what exactly you will be analyzing. Also, make sure that the claim you make can be arguable. You shouldn't provide bare facts that everyone is aware of. Instead,  take a stand and make an argument . Use facts and evidence retrieved from chosen sources and prove it. The thesis statement for analytical essay must be precise and connected with the entire paper. Since it sets a direction for your reader from beginning, make sure that they will not lose your main point after the introduction.  

Create an Analytical Essay Outline

Now, as you have crafted a thesis statement, start creating an analytical paper outline. It is a great idea that will ease the tracking of information to include in your paper. A good plan will ensure your expression of thoughts clearly and logically. Of course, outlining the work is not always obligatory. But it is an excellent option that helps during your writing process. This way, you won't keep all data in your head and not forget about including something important later. It's a real blessing for both students and professional writers. There are different ways to create an outline for analytical essay. But most of the time, students can follow a standard five paragraph essay outline . This one includes an introduction, main body (with 3 paragraphs), and a conclusion. You may see an analytical essay outline example on this picture below:  

Analytical Essay Structure

Let's talk about structure of an analytical essay in more detail. Keep in mind that your thesis statement should have a bond with each paragraph. Therefore carefully plan about things to incorporate in each section.

Analytical Essay Introduction

If you are wondering how to start an analytical essay, let's say that its opening paragraph has three common elements. Those are:

• Hook for essay
• Background information
• Thesis statement

Begin writing an introduction with a hook. It's a catchy statement that can be in the form of an amazing fact, statistics, or an anecdote. You may also use a question or a quote by a famous person. However, these techniques are often overused. So it's better to avoid using those unless there is no other option. Next, provide some  background information  about your topic. It can be some general data that will help draw a broader picture of your subject. Let it be like a trampoline for your argument. As a final touch, introduce your  thesis statement . Ensure that it represents your main argument, is clear, and directly relates to the topic of choice. It shouldn't sound general. On the contrary, narrow it down based on the chosen area of concern.  

Body Paragraphs in Analytical Paper

While writing an analytical paper, it's best to  start body paragraphs with good topic sentences . This way, you let your readers know what information they should expect further in the text. Ensure that your thesis traces back to each section you write. After you set up the central idea of a paragraph:  

• Provide its reasoning by making an assertion.
• Use previously collected materials to justify your issue and show why it matters.
• Close a body paragraph with concluding your findings and making a transition to the next part.

If you decide to make your main body more than 3 paragraphs long, repeat the same procedure as above until you are out of ideas.

Analytical Essay Conclusion

Once you finish the introduction and paper body parts, a question appears: "How to conclude an analytical essay?". The answer is simple. Avoid introducing any new points in the end. Try to remind your audience about how you backed up your arguments. Rephrase the thesis statement and provide a summary of your central ideas. The conclusion alone should let your reader know what they could find out after going through the essay. The best way to end a closing paragraph is to leave your audience thinking. Make a connection of your topic to broader issues along with a couple of deducing thoughts. For more inspiration, take any  diagnostic essay example . It will help you with creativity and show your strong writing skills.

Bottom Line

We hope that this open guide has cleared things up and provided detailed instructions on how to write an analytical essay. As you see, there is nothing complicated if you know the basic rules. And the more different assignments you complete, the easier it will be to get acquainted with other academic tasks. Analysis paper is also helpful in terms of newly acquired skills. It allows students to see their strengths and weaknesses in analytical thinking which is requred to complete different assignments, including character analysis or DBQ essay . Keep in mind that there is always room for improvement.

If you believe that you cannot meet the assignment's deadline due to other important activities, consider asking our writing service for help. Our professional writers will be glad to assist you with writing an analysis essay and other academic tasks. Premium quality and on-time delivery are guaranteed!  

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

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Although research paper assignments may vary widely, there are essentially two basic types of research papers. These are argumentative and analytical .

Argumentative

In an argumentative research paper, a student both states the topic they will be exploring and immediately establishes the position they will argue regarding that topic in a thesis statement . This type of paper hopes to persuade its reader to adopt the view presented.

 Example : a paper that argues the merits of early exposure to reading for children would be an argumentative essay.

An analytical research paper states the topic that the writer will be exploring, usually in the form of a question, initially taking a neutral stance. The body of the paper will present multifaceted information and, ultimately, the writer will state their conclusion, based on the information that has unfolded throughout the course of the essay. This type of paper hopes to offer a well-supported critical analysis without necessarily persuading the reader to any particular way of thinking.

Example : a paper that explores the use of metaphor in one of Shakespeare's sonnets would be an example of an analytical essay.

*Please note that this LibGuide will primarily be concerning itself with argumentative or rhetorical research papers.

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The Difference between an Essay and an Analysis

Every day, while you're watching television or driving your car or reading a book, you are analyzing what is in front of you. While that analysis may include complex internal discussions or just passing thoughts, your brain is endlessly analyzing your world.

Essays are short, informative pieces of writing that focus on a specific, chosen topic that comes in four traditional forms. An expository essay requires no real written analysis, just a presentation of facts or positions on that topic. Descriptive essays only require that a writer paint a picture using words that puts a reader inside the scene as if they're experiencing it themselves. A narrative essay tells a story of a personal experience, and an analysis of what the writer learned from that experience may be included. A persuasive essay requires that a writer make arguments that support their point and includes the writer's analysis of those points to reach a conclusion.

An analysis requires an examination that deconstructs something in order to draw conclusions and make decisions. For instance, your brain analyzes the signs and traffic at a four-way stop to determine how to proceed when driving your car. Watching a television show requires your brain to analyze what you are seeing and reach a conclusion about it by making references to what you already know about the story. In both instances, even without thinking too hard about it, you are taking apart the information or experience in front of you to reach a conclusion.

A written analysis requires a writer to look at many different pieces of information available on a topic to form conclusions about it. The writer's thoughts on a topic are broken down into separate points to explain their reasoning and the conclusion is based on the synthesis of all of those separate points to explain how they work together to prove a writer's main point.

So, What's the Difference?

The difference is simply in the definition. An analysis can be performed and expressed verbally, through the decisions you make, or through writing. Analyzing information requires breaking down a topic to see how it works and then drawing a conclusion about it. Not all the essays you write will include an analysis.

An essay, on the other hand, will always require writing. Writing an essay may include forming an analysis of the information in front of you, but it may also require that you simply compile the information in order to present it in an organized structure.

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Guide to Different Kinds of Essays

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An essay is a paper that discusses, describes or analyzes one topic. It can discuss a subject directly or indirectly, seriously or humorously. It can describe personal opinions, or just report information. An essay can be written from any perspective, but essays are most commonly written in the first person ( I ), or third person (subjects that can be substituted with the he, she, it, or they pronouns).

There are many different kinds of essays. The following are a some of the most common ones:

Descriptive Cause/Effect Argumentative Definition Narrative Critical Compare/Contrast Process

Descriptive:

Examples: A descriptive essay could describe . . .

The descriptive essay provides details about how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, or sounds. It can also describe what something is, or how something happened. These essays generally use a lot of sensory details. The essay could be a list-like description that provides point by point details. Or, it could function as a story, keeping the reader interested in the plot and theme of the event described.

Definition:

Examples: A definition essay may try and define . . .

A definition essay attempts to define a specific term. It could try to pin down the meaning of a specific word, or define an abstract concept. The analysis goes deeper than a simple dictionary definition; it should attempt to explain why the term is defined as such. It could define the term directly, giving no information other than the explanation of the term. Or, it could imply the definition of the term, telling a story that requires the reader to infer the meaning.

Compare/Contrast:

Examples:A compare/contrast essay may discuss . . .

The compare/contrast essay discusses the similarities and differences between two things, people, concepts, places, etc. The essay could be an unbiased discussion, or an attempt to convince the reader of the benefits of one thing, person, or concept. It could also be written simply to entertain the reader, or to arrive at an insight into human nature. The essay could discuss both similarities and differences, or it could just focus on one or the other. A comparison essay usually discusses the similarities between two things, while the contrast essay discusses the differences.

Cause/Effect:

Examples:A cause/effect essay may explain . . .

The cause/effect essay explains why or how some event happened, and what resulted from the event.

This essay is a study of the relationship between two or more events or experiences. The essay could discuss both causes and effects, or it could simply address one or the other. A cause essay usually discusses the reasons why something happened. An effect essay discusses what happens after a specific event or circumstance.

The example below shows a cause essay, one that would explain how and why an event happened.

If this cause essay were about a volcanic eruption, it might go something like this: “Pressure and heat built up beneath the earth’s surface; the effect of this was an enormous volcanic eruption.”

The next example shows an effect essay, one that would explain all the effects that happened after a specific event, like a volcanic eruption.

If this effect essay were about a volcanic eruption again, it might go something like this:

“The eruption caused many terrible things to happen; it destroyed homes, forests, and polluted the atmosphere.”

Examples:A narrative essay could tell of . . .

The narrative essay tells a story. It can also be called a “short story.” Generally, the narrative essay is conversational in style and tells of a personal experience. It is most commonly written in the first person (uses I ). This essay could tell of a single, life-shaping event, or simply a mundane daily experience.

Examples: A process essay may explain . . .

A process essay describes how something is done. It generally explains actions that should be performed in a series. It can explain in detail how to accomplish a specific task, or it can show how an individual came to a certain personal awareness. The essay could be in the form of step-by-step instructions, or in story form, with the instructions/explanations subtly given along the way.

Argumentative:

Examples: An argumentative essay may persuade a reader that . . .

An argumentative essay is one that attempts to persuade the reader to the writer’s point of view. The writer can either be serious or funny, but always tries to convince the reader of the validity of his or her opinion. The essay may argue openly, or it may attempt to subtly persuade the reader by using irony or sarcasm.

Examples: A critical essay may analyze . . .

A critical essay analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, and methods of someone else’s work. Generally, these essays begin with a brief overview of the main points of the text, movie, or piece of art, followed by an analysis of the work’s meaning. It should then discuss how well the author/creator accomplishes his/her goals and makes his/her points. A critical essay can be written about another essay, story, book, poem, movie, or work of art.

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The 4 Different Types of Essays

Let’s face it. At some point in your life, you will be required to write an essay — whether for a school homework, college standardized tests or even for work-related purposes.

There are several basic types of essays to choose from, the most common are expository, narrative, persuasive and analytical. Which one you choose really depends on your objectives. We'll explore each type in depth, and offer recommendations on the typical word counts for each essay type.

Expository Essay

An expository essay gives a brief explanation of an issue, idea or theme. Purdue OWL expands on this, offering some common requirements in step form: investigation of an idea, evaluation of evidence, a systematic and detailed explanation of the idea, and a clear and concise statement of an argument about the idea.

Because brevity is required for this type of essay, the recommended length is around 500-800 words.

In order to be effective, an expository essay should possess:

• A clear-cut thesis statement, research question, or statement of intent
• A no-frills approach to answering the question or addressing your thesis - factual evidence to support your claim or position
• Conciseness

The first paragraph of an expository essay should be the shortest since it only seeks to briefly yet clearly state your thesis, research question, or intent. A maximum of 200 words should suffice.

Now, the succeeding paragraphs will be VERY crucial because they should contain all the necessary details to support your thesis statement. That means they would require a bigger chunk of your word count. But remember to still keep them succinct — no- frills, factual, and straightforward.

Finally, the last paragraph will serve as your conclusion to tie it all together. Emphasize your point but don’t dwell on it too much.

Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is all about the storytelling of real-life experiences. This essay type usually relays a personal or experiential account and uses a first-person point-of-view. Any story requires a beginning, middle and end — a narrative essay should be structured in the same way.

According to Essay Info a narrative essay possesses the following qualities:

• It is usually written with a first-person point-of-view
• It contains vivid imagery and sensory details
• It has all the essential elements of a story (i.e. plot, theme, character, setting, style, tone, etc.)

Because descriptive and evocative language is needed for this type of essay, around 1,000 words may be required at the least in order to tell a full-bodied story. Think of a narrative essay as a short version of a novel — each paragraph represents a “chapter” in the story.

Make your essay riveting by adding anecdotes or dialogues into the narrative. Most importantly, end your essay with a conclusion or a personal statement — a takeaway will make your story more memorable to the reader.

Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay (also referred to as an argumentative essay) makes use of logical reasoning to influence the reader to adopt the writer’s point of view. This essay type works harder compared to other essay types because the writer needs to convince the reader to espouse his position. In order to be eloquent and convincing, a definitive rationale or argument is imperative.

The qualities of a persuasive essay include:

• Factual evidence
• Valid reasoning
• Sustaining the reader’s interest
• A natural progression from one idea to the next - a forceful and convincing conclusion

To create a compelling argument, Scribbr advises an essay length of about 2,500 words . Anything under 2,000 words may be construed as “under-explaining” your point. However, your essay should go beyond just meeting the required length. Your writing should still be concise, on-point and progressive. Avoid fluff or fillers because they will only digress from the topic and may discredit your argument altogether.

Scribbr also provides some useful tips on how to structure paragraphs. It is important for paragraphs “to support a single claim or idea that helps establish the overall argument or purpose of the paper.”

To be able to achieve this, having a topic sentence for every paragraph will be helpful. However, the core of a persuasive essay is its ability to provide substantial evidence to support one’s argument. Additionally, the use of transitional devices will make your sentences more coherent and cohesive.

Analytical Essay

An analytical essay requires the presentation of an argument or claim by breaking down and examining the core components of an issue, idea, or works of art such as films, books, paintings, etc.

Some of its characteristics include:

• An introduction and presentation of argument to highlight the text in the literary work which you will be deliberating about
• An analysis of said text which should be relevant to your argument as well as your own take on whether the author’s goals were met or not supported by examples
• A personal response to demonstrate your in-depth comprehension of the text in formulating your opinion — whether positive or negative

A literary analysis essay can be from 500-700 words. For as long as it covers all the principal points, it need not be lengthy. However, the bulk of your essay should concentrate on the analysis of the text.

Bucks Community College elaborates on these three principles to help you write an essay that has “tight organization and control.”

• Your writing “must stick with great determination to the specific point of development”
• Your essay should have a central idea or thesis that will dictate its development
• Your writing should be systematic and organized such that every paragraph aids the reader to have a deeper understanding of your central idea

Here are some other helpful tips to guide you through writing an analytical essay:

• Always write in the present tense
• Avoid using contractions and informal language or colloquialisms
• Avoid writing in the first person
• Analyze, don’t retell the story
• Be critical — your personal response need not be positive

Now that you have a clearer idea of the different types of essays and how to go about each of them, it’s time to start writing one. Make sure to use our word counter to keep it succinct.

How to Write Essay Titles and Headers

Don’t overlook the title and section headers when putting together your next writing assignment. Follow these pointers for keeping your writing organized and effective.

101 Standout Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas

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Analytical Essay vs. Classification Essay

What's the difference.

Analytical essays and classification essays are both types of academic writing that require critical thinking and organization. However, they differ in their focus and purpose. Analytical essays analyze and interpret a topic or issue, examining its components and relationships to draw conclusions or make arguments. On the other hand, classification essays categorize and group items or ideas based on shared characteristics or criteria. While analytical essays delve deep into the complexities of a subject, classification essays provide a clear and structured overview of different categories within a topic. Both types of essays require strong thesis statements, evidence, and logical reasoning, but they serve different purposes in presenting information and analysis.

Further Detail

Introduction.

When it comes to academic writing, there are various types of essays that students may encounter. Two common types are analytical essays and classification essays. While both essays require critical thinking and analysis, they have distinct attributes that set them apart. In this article, we will compare the attributes of analytical essays and classification essays to help students understand the differences between the two.

An analytical essay is a type of essay that requires the writer to analyze a topic, idea, or text and present an argument or interpretation based on evidence. The writer must critically examine the subject matter and provide a clear thesis statement that outlines their main argument. On the other hand, a classification essay is a type of essay that organizes and categorizes information into different groups or categories based on a specific criterion. The writer must identify the categories, provide examples for each category, and explain how they are related.

Thesis Statement

In an analytical essay, the thesis statement is crucial as it serves as the main argument or interpretation that the writer will explore throughout the essay. The thesis statement should be clear, specific, and debatable to guide the reader through the analysis. In contrast, a classification essay does not necessarily require a thesis statement. Instead, the focus is on organizing information into categories and explaining the relationships between them.

The structure of an analytical essay typically follows a traditional essay format with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should introduce the topic and provide background information, while the body paragraphs should present the analysis and evidence to support the thesis statement. The conclusion should summarize the main points and restate the thesis. On the other hand, a classification essay follows a different structure. It usually begins with an introduction that explains the purpose of the classification and provides a brief overview of the categories. The body paragraphs then discuss each category in detail, with examples and explanations. The conclusion summarizes the categories and their relationships.

Analysis vs. Categorization

One of the key differences between an analytical essay and a classification essay is the focus of the writing. In an analytical essay, the writer must analyze and interpret the subject matter, providing insights and arguments based on evidence. This requires critical thinking and the ability to evaluate information. In contrast, a classification essay focuses on categorizing information into groups based on a specific criterion. The writer must identify the categories, provide examples, and explain how they are related. This requires organization and clarity in presenting information.

Evidence and Examples

In an analytical essay, the writer must support their arguments with evidence and examples from the text or topic being analyzed. This evidence can come in the form of quotes, statistics, or other sources that help strengthen the writer's interpretation. The use of evidence is crucial in an analytical essay to demonstrate the validity of the argument. In a classification essay, the writer must provide examples for each category to illustrate how they fit into the overall classification. These examples help clarify the criteria for each category and show the relationships between them.

In conclusion, while both analytical essays and classification essays require critical thinking and analysis, they have distinct attributes that set them apart. An analytical essay focuses on analyzing and interpreting a topic, idea, or text, while a classification essay focuses on categorizing information into groups based on a specific criterion. The structure, thesis statement, and focus of the writing differ between the two types of essays. By understanding these differences, students can effectively approach each type of essay with the appropriate skills and strategies.

Comparisons may contain inaccurate information about people, places, or facts. Please report any issues.

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Difference between Analytical Writing and Critical Writing

I have been spending time online since yesterday trying to understand the difference between analytical summary writing and critical writing. I intend to write an analytical summary essay on the topic of gender bias in academia after going through multiple sources (e.g: two academic research papers, a magazine article and a statistical report).

However, I am getting confused on certain points of analytical writing. Other than a lot of websites that I referred to understand the approach (e.g: this ), I also read some examples of analytical writing, such as this . It seems that the most of the websites/examples suggest adding a thesis in the introduction -- the topic/statement that will be supported in the following paragraphs. However, as in the example above, the thesis seems to stem out of author's own opinions and judgment of the analysed work and doesn't seem to be objective. Isn't it the same in the case of critical writing as well where the writer needs to form opinions and provide evidences to prove their point. What difference then does it leave between analytical and a critical essay?

Am I correct to think that the writer should not form their own opinion, rather extract the hidden meaning from the readings to come up with a thesis? On the other hand, in case of an academic article where the author provides general-specific-general flow and accurate methodology of experiments, if I am not to critique, what shall I specify in the analytical essay that is not evident to the readers of the original academic articles?

• academic-writing
• text-analysis

• Who do you write this for, and why don't you ask them about their expectations? If this is not homework, what is your intention with this essay? –  user5645 Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 7:32
• @what I'm a non-native English speaker and a prospective graduate student following a book on academic writing in which this topic came up, albeit mentioned very briefly in the chapter on summaries. I intend to do it as a personal exercise in case such a writing comes up in future (as my online search suggest that such a writing is very common for graduate students). However, there's not much mentioned beyond instruction of writing an analytical summary essay and so I thought it'd be good to know of the commonly followed method of writing such an essay. –  Cipher Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 7:57

I would not worry about the difference. Every teacher will have a different definition of what analytical writing is and therefore different expectations of what their students should hand in. For an exercise, I would simply take any of the instructions you found and follow that one. If you want you can do different ones and see how the different instructions work for you and how they lead to different outcomes, all of them valid.

In "professional" academic writing, analytical writing is usually a part of a larger work. For example, a doctoral dissertation starts out with a review of the relevant literature that summarizes the findings of other researchers in the same area and explains how they lay the groundwork for your own research or how your research can improve upon them. A meta analysis does the same, except that it restricts itself to the review and does not continue to describe your own theories or research. Finally, any research article begins with a selective review of the relevant literature (this is part of the "introduction") and deduces hypotheses for your own research from this.

So if you want to see how analytic writing is done beyond homework exercises, any scholarly literature in your field should provide examples. You will soon realize, that there are conventions that everyone follows, but that there are also a wide spectrum of how these conventions are followed or deviations from them.

Take this exercise not as something you learn once and then know forever, but as a first step in building a habit of reading critically, taking concise notes, and writing down what you found in differing formats and for different purposes. There is no one correct format for analytical writing, but there is a correct way to approach this task. Learn this approach. There are a host of books that explain how to write for science. Pick up a few from your local library (don't buy any, you'll soon grow beyond them) and try to apply their recommendations.

As for your more specific question, their answer will depend on the circumstances of your writing, such as allowed maximum length, amount of sources found, is it a single article review or a meta analysis of everything relevant, and so on. Try different things and see how they work out for you. Studying is not about being perfect (althought that's easy to forget when you get marks for every comma you forget), but about trying out things and learning in the process.

• Thanks a lot for the answer. Helps a lot. Would you also be able to add a few links to some meta-analysis papers I could refer to for understanding the kind of language/style/organization/tone/etc. they follow? For e.g. Do they question author's methods, assumptions or add their own conclusions or suggestions etc.? To begin with this exercise, I intend to go more on the lines of meta-analysis review (around 2 pages length after reading 2 academic research papers, 1 magazine article, 1 statistical govt. report) –  Cipher Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 8:53
• Use Google Scholar to locate sources in your field. If you use it from inside the network of your institution, you might have access to more papers, because your institution might have bought that access. Search for something like "[your field] meta analysis". All the writing I mentioned does criticise the writings they review. For example, they might mention that the methodology was deficient. Just make sure you are respectful in your critique. Always assume that mistakes are not deliberate and consider that there might be differing but equally valid theoretical viewpoints. –  user5645 Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 9:13

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• DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108752
• Corpus ID: 270572123

Exoskeletons vs. exosuits: A comparative analysis using biological-based computer simulation.

• J. Bermejo-García , F. Romero-Sánchez , +1 author Francisco Javier Alonso Sánchez
• Published in Computers in Biology and… 17 June 2024
• Engineering, Medicine

40 References

Dynamic optimization of anchor points positions in a cable driven exosuit: a computer simulation approach, direct multiple shooting and direct collocation perform similarly in biomechanical predictive simulations, age-related changes in gait biomechanics and their impact on the metabolic cost of walking: report from a national institute on aging workshop, actuation strategies for a wearable cable-driven exosuit based on synergies in younger and older adults, design and validation of a lightweight soft hip exosuit with series-wedge-structures for assistive walking and running, force and torque characterization in the actuation of a walking-assistance, cable-driven exosuit, simulating ideal assistive strategies to reduce the metabolic cost of walking in the elderly, a survey on soft lower limb cable-driven wearable robots without rigid links and joints, simulation-based biomechanical assessment of unpowered exoskeletons for running, a review of soft wearable robots that provide active assistance: trends, common actuation methods, fabrication, and applications, related papers.

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United States vs. Bolivia Highlights | 2024 Copa América

Check out the top moments from this group-stage match between the united states and bolivia.

Colombia vs. Paraguay Highlights | 2024 Copa América

Catch up with highlights, paraguay's julio enciso scores in 69' against to reduce deficit to 2-1 against colombia | 2024 copa américa, jefferson lerma's header gives colombia a 2-0 lead vs. paraguay | 2024 copa américa, daniel muñoz's header in 32' gives colombia a 1-0 lead over paraguay | 2024 copa américa, uefa euro 2024: every goal from monday, june 24 | fox soccer, croatia vs. italy highlights | uefa euro 2024, croatia vs. italy: instant analysis following ridiculous finish | euro today, albania vs. spain highlights | uefa euro 2024, mattia zaccagni scores in stoppage time to bring italy to a 1-1 draw with croatia | uefa euro 2024.

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Spain vs Italy. European Championships Group B.

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Euro 2024 - Spain 1-0 Italy: Riccardo Calafiori own goal sends Spain into last 16 as Group B winners

Report from Euro 2024 as Spain reach last 16 with impressive 1-0 victory over Italy in Group B; Spain dominate first half but are denied by outstanding Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma; Riccardo Calafiori scores own goal in second half from Nico Williams’ low cross

Friday 21 June 2024 07:35, UK

A Riccardo Calafiori own goal sent Spain into the Euro 2024 last 16 as Group B winners with a 1-0 victory over Italy.

Spain impressed again having thrashed Croatia 3-0 in their opening game and should have won in Gelsenkirchen by a bigger scoreline had it not been for a mix of superb saves from Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma and poor finishing.

They dominated from the start with Donnarumma called into action within two minutes, spectacularly tipping over Pedri's close-range header.

Nico Williams terrorised Italy right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo and should have scored with a header from inside the six-yard box before Donnarumma saved twice more from Alvaro Morata and a long-range blast from Fabian Ruiz.

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Spain picked up from where they left off in the second half with Pedri side-footing a golden chance wide within minutes of the restart, but Italy did the hard work for them when defender Calafiori turned into his own net from Williams' low cross.

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• Spain made one change from their victory over Croatia with Aymeric Laporte coming in at centre-back for Nacho.
• Italy stuck with the same XI that beat Albania in their opening game.

Calafiori nearly scored a second, Andrea Cambiaso hacking his team-mate's rogue header at a corner off the goal line while 16-year-old Lamine Yamal and Williams both continued to dazzle, the former sending a shot inches wide of the top left corner and the latter hitting the crossbar with a delicious curler.

Italy were simply outclassed, mustering just one shot on target, with Donnarumma keeping them in it until the final minute with a late save from substitute Ayoze Perez when one-on-one.

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Star performer: 'Williams pure quality'

Sky Sports' Roy Keane on ITV :

"It was pure quality. That real pace, you can't coach that. It's a threat. When he gets one-on-one with the full-back, there's trouble for the defender.

"He can go left or right. His shooting power and his crossing is excellent. He showed great strength at times and his attitude was spot on.

"He was the best player on the park."

Will missed chances cost Spain?

Sky Sports' Gary Neville on ITV :

"Spain needed to be more ruthless. They could have been two or three up at half-time.

"They weren't ruthless in the last tournament. Is that going to carry on here and cost them in the end?

"They should be scoring more goals with the way they play football. Some of the play is outstanding."

Spain new favourites to win Euro 2024

Sky Sports' David Richardson:

Spain are the team to beat at Euro 2024 after making Group B look easy.

They eased past Croatia in their opening match and then tore Italy apart. The only concern will be the chances they missed, but they won't be coming up against goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma every time.

There is a familiar zip and flair to their play seen during their four-year domination from 2008. Rodri is the glue that holds it all together in the middle of midfield, pulling the strings for the likes of Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams to express themselves.

Spain are well-placed to end their 12-year tournament drought.

Door open for Croatia?

Sky Sports' Oliver Yew :

Italy showed plenty of resilience against Spain but in the end that wasn't enough against Luis de la Fuente's slick side.

Captain Donnarumma was required to make a number of smart saves to keep the score at 1-0 on a night when, in truth Luciano Spalleti's side were second best.

They looked disjointed for a lot of the night and when defending so deep, they need an outlet, but they did not give Spain's defence a lot to think about at they could not get their counter-attacking game going.

The result still leaves holders Italy with work to do if they want to keep the defence of the trophy going and qualify for the knockout stages.

They face Croatia, who were dealt their own blow on Wednesday when Albania snatched a last-gasp 2-2 draw, on the final matchday in Group B in what could be a winner-takes-all clash for second spot in the group and a potential last-16 match with the runners-up in Group A, which could potentially be either hosts Germany or Switzerland.

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Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Trump and biden: the national debt.

The national debt is on course to reach a record share of the economy under the next presidential administration, due in part to policies approved by Presidents Trump and Biden during their time in office, including executive actions and legislation passed by Congress. 

While it is important to understand the fiscal impact of the promises candidates make on the campaign trail – particularly because they reflect the candidates’ own policy preferences and are not impacted by unexpected external events or the actions of Congress – the fact that both leading candidates have served as President also allows for a comparison of their actual fiscal records. This analysis focuses on the estimated ten-year debt impact of policies approved by Presidents Trump and Biden around the time of enactment. 1 In this analysis, we find:

• President Trump  approved $8.4 trillion of new ten-year borrowing during his full term in office, or $4.8 trillion excluding the CARES Act and other COVID relief.
• President Biden , in his first three years and five months in office, approved $4.3 trillion of new ten-year borrowing, or $2.2 trillion excluding the American Rescue Plan.
• President Trump approved $8.8 trillion  of gross new borrowing and $443 billion  of deficit reduction during his full presidential term. 
• President Biden has so far approved $6.2 trillion of gross new borrowing and $1.9 trillion of deficit reduction.

In companion analyses, we will show:

• Roughly 77 percent  of President Trump’s approved ten-year debt came from bipartisan legislation, and 29 percent  of the net ten-year debt President Biden has approved thus far came from bipartisan legislation. The rest was from partisan actions.
• President Trump approved $2.2 trillion of debt in his first two years in office and $6.2 trillion  ($2.6 trillion non-COVID) in his second two years. President Biden approved $4.9 trillion ($2.9 trillion non-COVID) in his first two years in office and has so far approved over $600 billion of net ten-year deficit reduction since. 
• President Trump approved $5.9 trillion of net spending increases including interest ($2.8 trillion non-COVID) and $2.5 trillion of net tax cuts ($2.0 trillion non-COVID). President Biden has approved $4.3 trillion of net spending increases including interest ($2.3 trillion non-COVID) and roughly $0 of net tax changes ($60 billion revenue increase non-COVID).
• Debt held by the public rose by $7.2 trillion during President Trump’s term including $5.9 trillion in the first three years and five months. Debt held by the public has grown by $6.0 trillion during President Biden’s term so far. 
• President Trump’s executive actions added less than $20 billion to ten-year debt on net. President Biden’s executive actions have added $1.2 trillion to ten-year debt so far. 
• The President’s budget was on average 39 days late under President Trump and 58 days late under President Biden. 

Summary Table: Executive Actions & Legislation Approved by Presidents Trump & Biden

Note: bipartisan indicates legislation passed with votes from both political parties in either chamber of Congress. *Includes $23 billion of executive actions in the form of student debt payment pauses. 

How Much Debt Did President Trump Approve?

During his four-year term in office, President Trump approved $8.4 trillion  of new ten-year borrowing above prior law, or $4.8 trillion  when excluding the bipartisan COVID relief bills and COVID-related executive actions. Looking at all legislation and executive actions with meaningful fiscal impact, the full amount of approved ten-year borrowing includes $8.8 trillion of deficit-increasing laws and actions offset by $443 billion of deficit-reducing actions. 2

These estimates are based on scores of legislation and executive actions rather than retrospective estimates. Scores are generally made on a conventional basis, though the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is scored dynamically. The actual debt impact of the policies was likely somewhat higher than these scores. In particular, the TCJA likely reduced revenue more than projected and saved less from repealing the individual health care mandate penalty, 3 while the Employee Retention Credit was likely far more expensive than originally estimated.

Sources: CRFB estimates based on CBO and OMB projections.

The major actions approved by President Trump (and ten-year impact with interest) include:

• The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 ( $1.9 trillion debt increase )
• The Bipartisan Budget Acts of 2018 and 2019 ( $2.1 trillion debt increase ) 
• ACA Tax Delays and Repeals ( $539 billion debt increase )
• Health Executive Actions ( $456 billion debt increase ) 
• Other Legislation ( $310 billion debt increase )  
• New and Increased Tariffs ( $443 billion debt reduction )
• The CARES Act ( $1.9 trillion debt increase ) 
• The Response & Relief Act ( $983 billion debt increase ) 
• Other COVID Relief ( $756 billion debt increase )

How Much Debt Has President Biden Approved?

Over his first three years and five months in office, President Biden has approved $4.3 trillion  of new ten-year borrowing, or $2.2 trillion  when excluding the American Rescue Plan Act. This includes $6.2 trillion of deficit-increasing legislation and actions, offset by $1.9 trillion of legislation and actions scored as reducing the deficit.

These estimates are based on scores of legislation and executive actions rather than retrospective estimates and do not include preliminary rules, unexecuted “side deals,” or actions ruled illegal by the Supreme Court. Updated scores and in-process actions would increase the total. For example, an updated estimate would likely wipe away the $252 billion of scored savings from the Inflation Reduction Act, 4 the informal FRA side deals would reduce its savings by  about $500 billion , and the new student debt cancellation plan could cost  $250 to $750 billion .

The major actions approved by President Biden so far (and ten-year impact with interest) include:

• Appropriations for FY 2022 and 2023 ( $1.4 trillion debt increase ) 
• The Honoring Our PACT Act ( $520 billion debt increase )
• The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ( $439 billion debt increase ) 
• Other Legislation ( $422 billion debt increase )
• Student Debt Actions ( $620 billion debt increase )
• Other Executive Actions ( $548 billion debt increase ) 
• The Fiscal Responsibility Act ( $1.5 trillion debt reduction )
• The Inflation Reduction Act ( $252 billion debt reduction )
• Deficit-Reducing Executive Actions ( $129 billion debt reduction )
• The American Rescue Plan Act ( $2.1 trillion debt increase )

The next presidential term will present significant fiscal challenges. While past performance is not necessarily indicative of future actions, it is helpful to examine the fiscal performance from each President’s time in office for clues as to how they plan to confront these challenges or how high of a priority fiscal responsibility will be on their agendas.

Both candidates approved substantial amounts of new borrowing in their first term. President Trump approved $8.4 trillion in borrowing over a decade, while President Biden has approved $4.3 trillion so far in his first three years and five months in office. Of course, accountability also rests with Congress as a co-equal branch of government, which passed legislation constituting the majority of the fiscal impact under both presidents.

Some of this borrowing was clearly justified, particularly in the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic when joblessness was rising rapidly and large parts of the economy were effectively shut down. However, funding classified as COVID relief explains less than half of the borrowing authorized by either President, and arguably, a meaningful portion of this COVID relief was either extraneous, excessive, poorly targeted, or otherwise unnecessary. 5

In supplemental analyses, we will compare a number of other aspects of the candidates’ fiscal records. 

During the next presidential term, the national debt is projected to reach a record share of the economy, interest costs are slated to surge, the debt limit will re-emerge, discretionary spending caps and major tax cuts are scheduled to expire, and major trust funds will be hurtling toward insolvency. 

Adding trillions more to the national debt will only worsen these challenges, just as both Presidents Trump and Biden did during their terms along with lawmakers in Congress. The country would be better served if the candidates put forward and stuck to plans to reduce the national debt, secure the trust funds, and put the budget on a sustainable long-term path.

Appendix I : Details of Policies Approved by President Trump

• Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 ( $1.9 trillion debt increase )   – The TCJA included several tax cuts and reforms. Among those changes, the law reduced individual and corporate income tax rates, virtually eliminated the alternative minimum taxes, repealed or limited numerous deductions and tax breaks, replaced personal and dependent exemptions with an expanded standard deduction and Child Tax Credit, established a new deduction for pass-through business income, shrunk the estate tax, offered full expensing of equipment purchases, and reformed the tax treatment of international income. Most individual and estate tax changes were temporary while most corporate changes were permanent. The legislation also repealed the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty. As a result of these policy changes, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected the TCJA would boost output by roughly 1 percent at peak and 0.6 percent after a decade. The estimate incorporated in this analysis includes the dynamic feedback effects of this faster growth, based on CBO’s April 2018 analysis of the bill. While it is impossible to know exactly how the bill’s fiscal impact compared to this prospective estimate, a number of factors point towards it adding significantly more to the debt, including: higher-than-expected inflation and nominal incomes and profits leading to higher revenue loss; SALT cap workarounds; increased use of bonus depreciation; and lower than expected revenue from limiting the use of pass-through losses. As a reference point, CBO’s latest estimate for extending the expiring elements of the TCJA is almost  50 percent higher than its 2018 estimate. In addition, the budgetary savings from the individual mandate penalty repeal were likely less than originally projected.
• The Bipartisan Budget Acts of 2018 and 2019  ( $2.1 trillion debt increase )   – The Bipartisan Budget Acts (BBA) of 2018 and 2019 increased the caps on defense and nondefense discretionary spending set by the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) and further reduced through a ‘sequester’ activated after the failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. BBA 2018  increased the caps in FY 2018 and 2019 by a combined $296 billion,  effectively repealing the $91 billion per year sequester and further increasing spending above the BCA caps. BBA 2019 essentially codified these increases by  boosting the FY 2020 and 2021 caps by a combined $320 billion. Because the 2021 cap was the final year of the BCA caps, BBA 2019 increased baseline discretionary spending levels beyond 2021 to the new 2021 level plus inflation. Both bills also included smaller additional policies, including some partial offsets. In total, BBA 2018 added $418 billion to the ten-year debt and BBA 2019 added $1.7 trillion.
• ACA Tax Delays and Repeals  ( $539 billion debt increase )   – Three taxes enacted by the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) – the health insurer tax, the “Cadillac tax” on high-cost health insurance, and the medical device excise tax – were delayed in a 2018 continuing resolution. They were subsequently repealed in one of the full-year funding bills for FY 2020. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimated that the health insurer tax would have raised about $150 billion over a decade, the Cadillac tax would have raised $200 billion, and the medical device excise tax would have raised $25 billion. In addition to these tax repeals, policymakers enacted roughly $70 billion of other unpaid-for policies related to health care, retirement savings, and other priorities in these two bills. Interest costs added $64 billion more.
• Health Executive Actions  ( $456 billion debt increase )   – President Trump approved two health-related executive actions with significant costs over his term. Ending federal appropriations for the  ACA’s cost-sharing reduction payments in 2017 led insurers to raise premiums on “silver” ACA plans to fund low-income cost sharing subsidies, ultimately increasing the cost of federal subsidies by an estimated $220 billion. Meanwhile, a  2020 rule to restrict prescription drug rebates paid to pharmacy benefit managers and insurer plans was estimated to cost $177 billion. Interest costs added $59 billion more. Importantly, the rebate rule was delayed and ultimately repealed by Congress under President Biden.
• Other Legislation ( $310 billion debt increase )   – President Trump signed a number of other deficit-increasing bills into law over the course of his term. This includes several appropriations bills for disaster relief as well as the changes to mandatory programs (CHIMPs) that boosted spending in the full-year appropriations bills enacted in his term. Additionally, President Trump signed a permanent extension of several tax “extenders,” which are tax policies that have been routinely extended for short periods. Finally, he signed the Great American Outdoors Act, which transferred certain offsetting receipts and authorized them to be spent without appropriation, and the permanent authorization of the 9/11 victims fund, which authorized funds to pay out claims to 9/11 victims.
• Tariffs  ( $443 billion debt reduction )   – Over the course of his presidency, President Trump used his authority under the Trade Act of 1974 and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1978 to increase a number of import tariffs through executive action. Beginning in 2018, the Trump Administration announced the imposition or increase to a variety of tariffs, including on washing machines, solar panels, and steel and aluminum products. In 2019, the tariff rate on many Chinese imports was increased from 10 percent to 25 percent. Based on CBO’s estimates at the time, we estimate these tariffs will have generated over $440 billion of revenue and interest savings over a decade.
• The CARES Act  ( $1.9 trillion debt increase ) – Enacted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the bipartisan CARES Act included expanded and extended unemployment benefits, economic relief checks of $1,200 per eligible adult and $500 per child, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide support to small businesses to keep employees on payroll, and emergency disaster loans and grants to businesses, industries, health care facilities, educational institutions, state and local governments, and others, among many other provisions. Based on our ongoing  tracking , the actual fiscal impact of the CARES Act was likely similar to the initial score though perhaps slightly higher overall.
• The Response & Relief Act  ( $983 billion debt increase )   – Enacted in December 2020 as part of the omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, the  Response & Relief Act included funding for a second tranche of PPP payments and small business grants, an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits, economic relief checks of $600 per eligible person, funding support for schools and higher education institutions, vaccine and testing funding, targeted support to industries greatly impacted by COVID-19, an extension and expansion of the Employee Retention Credit, and an extension of various other COVID-related tax and spending relief programs. Based on our ongoing  tracking , the actual fiscal impact of the Response & Relief Act was likely higher than the initial score due to the significantly higher-than-expected deficit increase from the  Employee Retention Credit .
• Other COVID Relief  ( $756 billion debt increase )   – President Trump approved several other measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. This includes the three other COVID relief laws enacted in March and April 2020: the  Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act , the  Families First Coronavirus Response Act , and the  Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act . It also includes the student loan repayment pauses enacted at the onset of COVID and extended after the CARES Act’s pause ended in October 2020. President Trump also approved  other executive actions that resulted in little deficit impact. Based on our ongoing  tracking , the actual fiscal impact of these bills were likely much higher than the initial score due to the significantly higher-than-expected revenue loss from the  Employee Retention Credit and the higher Medicaid and SNAP costs resulting from a longer-than-projected public health emergency.

Appendix II : Details of Policies Approved by President Biden So Far

• Appropriations for FY 2022 and 2023  ( $1.4 trillion debt increase )   –President Biden signed full-year omnibus appropriations bills for  FY 2022 and  2023 , boosting nominal appropriations by 6 percent and then 9 percent. While those bills only set funding for those specific years, future-year projected levels are calculated by assuming continued inflation growth. This is consistent with the reality that appropriators generally work from the prior year’s spending levels. Based on CBO, we estimate the FY 2022 omnibus directly increased spending by $50 billion and indirectly by $519 billion above baseline, while the FY 2023 omnibus increased spending directly by $58 billion and base discretionary spending indirectly by $511 billion. Interest costs added $175 billion more. Both laws’ impacts on baseline deficits would be substantially smaller had they been scored against an updated CBO baseline that reflected actual inflation rather than projections – the bulk of the increases under both laws kept spending apace with the very-high rate of inflation for those years.
• The Honoring Our PACT Act ( $520 billion debt increase )   – Enacted in August 2022, the PACT Act created new benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their tours of duty, expanded existing health and disability benefits, and modified eligibility tests that allowed more veterans to automatically qualify for benefits. Although veterans’ health spending is generally discretionary, the PACT Act allowed the cost of the expansion to be classified as mandatory spending and allowed lawmakers to  shift existing discretionary costs to the mandatory side of the budget. Based on CBO’s score, the PACT Act increased spending by between $277 billion and $667 billion, depending on how much funding was reclassified. Our estimate reflects the midpoint (plus interest), which policymakers effectively codified in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. 
• The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law  ( $439 billion debt increase )   – The 2021  Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorized more than $500 billion of direct spending and tax breaks related to surface transportation, broadband, energy and water, transit, and other infrastructure. The law also increased baseline levels of highway spending, translating to more than $50 billion in indirect costs. While lawmakers claimed that it was fully paid for at the time of passage, CBO determined that it only contained $173 billion of scorable savings, leading to $439 billion of new borrowing when interest is included.
• Other Legislation  ( $422 billion debt increase )  –  President Biden signed several other bipartisan pieces of legislation during his first term. This includes  several   packages   of aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza, additional emergency spending related to disaster relief and military readiness, $80 billion of investments and tax credits to encourage onshoring manufacturing facilities for semiconductors in the CHIPS and Science Act, and additional FY 2024 appropriations spending based on  “side deals” to the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
• Student Debt Actions ( $620 billion debt increase )   – The Biden Administration has instituted several changes to the federal student loan program through executive actions. Most significantly, the Education Department introduced the Savings on a Valuable Education (SAVE)  income-driven repayment (IDR) program , which reduced required payments and interest accrual for those enrolled, among other changes – estimated to cost $276 billion. In addition, President Biden extended the  pause of student debt repayments and cancellation of interest for 31 months at a cost of $146 billion. And finally, President Biden enacted a number of targeted debt cancellation measures, including expansions of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and cancellation of debt borrowed for institutions that closed or were found to be fraudulent, at a cost of $145 billion. President Biden also enacted a policy to cancel up to $20,000 per borrower of student debt that would have cost an additional $330 billion (after interactions with the SAVE plan), but this was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court. Recently, the Administration introduced  an alternative debt cancellation plan that could cost between $250 and $750 billion, though it has yet to be implemented and is not counted here because our estimates only include regulations that have been finalized through the full rulemaking process.
• Other Executive Actions  ( $548 billion debt increase )   – President Biden has also expanded deficits through other executive actions. Most significantly, he approved over $200 billion of borrowing by  changing the way Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits – also known as food stamps – are calculated and adjusted. More recently, the Administration announced a rule to limit vehicle emissions, which we estimate will add nearly $170 billion to the debt by boosting the cost of electric vehicle tax credits expanded under the IRA and reducing gas tax revenue. Other executive actions will add a combined $180 billion to the debt by expanding Medicaid enrollment, changing the way prescription drug price concessions are considered by Medicare plans, addressing the ACA’s “family glitch,” allowing states to boost Medicaid payments to managed care plans to pull in additional federal dollars, and an expansion of allowed income for Supplemental Security Income recipient households.
• Fiscal Responsibility Act ( $1.5 trillion debt reduction )   – In June 2023, President Biden signed the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), which capped discretionary spending for FY 2024 and 2025, among other changes. The FRA set 2024 nondefense discretionary levels to 5 percent below the 2023 level, set defense to be 3 percent higher, and set both to grow by 1 percent between 2024 and 2025. These  caps, along with other measures, were scored to generate over $250 billion of direct savings and also reduce the baseline for future spending to generate an additional $1.1 trillion of additional savings. With interest, the FRA was estimated to reduce deficits by $1.5 trillion over a decade. Importantly, negotiators at the time agreed to a number of  “side deals” mentioned above that would reduce the FRA’s savings to roughly $1 trillion if enacted in full in future appropriations bills. A different but similar set of side deals were enacted for FY 2024 and added about $85 billion to deficits – these are included in the “other legislation” category. Additional side deals will not be counted until enacted.
• Inflation Reduction Act  ( $252 billion debt reduction )   – In August 2022, President Biden signed the  Inflation Reduction Act (IRA ) into law, a reconciliation bill focused on energy, health care, and tax changes. The IRA established new and increased existing energy- and climate-related spending and tax credits, expanded ACA health insurance subsidies, required prescription drug negotiations and other drug pricing reforms, introduced a 15 percent corporate “book minimum tax,” established an excise tax on stock buybacks, increased funding to the IRS to close the tax gap, and made other changes. At the time of passage,  CBO and JCT estimated the IRA’s tax breaks and spending would reduce revenue and increase spending by about $500 billion, while its offsets would generate almost $740 billion. Recent estimates of the impact of repealing the IRA tax credits suggest these provisions will reduce revenue and increase spending by $260 billion higher than the official score; at the same time, the IRA’s offsets are also likely to raise more in revenue. On net, we expect a full re-estimate of the IRA would score as roughly budget neutral through 2031, excluding effects related to subsequent regulatory changes. This analysis attributes the additional cost of these regulations as executive actions.
• Deficit-Reducing Executive Actions  ( $129 billion debt reduction )   –President Biden approved two other executive actions that would result in savings over a decade, including changes to payments for Medicare Advantage plans and a temporary stay of the subsequently repealed Trump prescription drug rebate rule.
• American Rescue Plan Act  ( $2.1 trillion debt increase )  –  Enacted in the Spring of 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act was the final piece of legislation that contained many major components designed to provide COVID relief. It included several extensions of enhanced unemployment benefits, additional relief checks of $1,400 per person, and a slew of funding for state and local governments, educational institutions, health care providers, public health agencies, and others. The legislation also included  about $300 billion of policies that we have described as extraneous to the COVID crisis – including a pension bailout and expansions of the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, health insurance subsidies, and child care tax credit – and roughly $100 billion of offsets.

Appendix III: Methodology 

This analysis estimates the additional borrowing approved by Presidents Trump and Biden through tax and spending changes passed by Congress or contained in executive actions from their administrations. It does not estimate the amount of debt that accumulated over their terms, which partially reflects actions taken prior to their time in office and does not account for the fiscal impact of the actions approved by the President but incurred outside of his four-year term. We will publish changes in debt during their terms in a supplemental analysis.

Our analysis incorporates all major pieces of legislation and executive actions – those with more than $10 billion of ten-year budget impact – approved by Presidents Trump and Biden. Estimates rely on ten-year budget scores, as under standard convention. In order to rely on official scores wherever possible, however, all estimates are based on the ten-year budget window at the time of enactment – meaning different policies cover different time frames and thus are not purely additive or comparable.

In general, estimates rely on official estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) presented prospectively. When such scores are not available or not comprehensive, we may use estimates from the Office of Management and Budget, the regulatory agencies, or our own estimates. 

Estimates are not updated to incorporate data and results made available well after implementation; no legislation signed by either President Trump or President Biden has been re-estimated in full to incorporate observed costs or effects, and partial updates would bias the overall numbers. However, possible differences between initial scores and actual costs, including from the TCJA, the IRA, and COVID relief, are discussed throughout this paper.

Estimates incorporate impact on interest costs, which we calculate using the most recent CBO debt service tool at the time of enactment, unless interest impact is included in the estimate. Estimates are generally based on conventional scoring, but in the case of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we incorporate macroeconomic impacts as estimated by CBO shortly after enactment.

All estimates are in nominal dollars at the time of approval, which means deficit impact from earlier budget windows generally represent a larger share of GDP per dollar due to higher price levels and output over time. 

Finally, the estimates are based on the policies as written and do not try to correct for arbitrary cliffs, side agreements, or other budget gimmicks that may create a misleading picture of the intended fiscal impact of the policy.

1 Our estimates compare ten-year estimates of each action before implementation, generally using prospective scores of policies and adding them together despite being over different windows. Although this is not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison for a variety of reasons, it allows us to rely on official numbers and continue to compare over time. See the methodology section for a more detailed explanation.

2 Many pieces of legislation with fiscal impact include tax and spending changes that both add to and reduce projected deficits. The $8.8 trillion figure is based on the net deficit impact of deficit-increasing bills, rather than the gross deficit increases within those bills. For example, the $1.9 trillion impact of the TCJA represents the combination of tax cuts, base broadening, lower spending as a result of repealing the individual mandate penalty, interest, and dynamic effects on revenue and spending.

3 The larger deficit impact from the TCJA is due to a combination of a larger nominal tax base, lower health savings from individual mandate repeal, the unexpected use of a SALT cap workaround, reduced revenue collection from the limit on pass-through losses, higher revenue loss related to bonus depreciation, and other factors.

4 Due to higher prices and output, greater demand for subsidized activities, and laxer-than-expected regulations, the IRA’s energy provisions are now expected to have a fiscal impact of  $660 billion – about two-thirds more than the original estimate of roughly $400 billion. This excludes the effects of the Administration’s vehicle emissions rule, which we’ve scored separately. At the same time, revenue collection under the IRA is also likely to be higher in light of  higher-than-projected nominal corporate profits , greater expected  voluntary tax compliance , and less-than-expected responsiveness to the buyback tax. Overall, we believe a re-estimate of the IRA would be roughly budget neutral. The emissions rule approved by President Biden would increase deficits by about $170 billion – mainly by further increasing the fiscal impact of the IRA tax credits – and is included in our tally of his executive actions.

5 In a previous analysis, we estimated that  $500 to 650 billion of COVID relief was extraneous – unrelated to the pandemic or subsequent economic fallout – including $300 to $335 billion enacted under President Trump and $200 to $315 billion under President Biden. These prior estimates are not perfectly comparable to estimates in this paper but give a sense of scale. In additional analyses, we estimated that the American Rescue plan likely  significantly overshot the output gap it was aiming to close while providing excessive relief to a number of sectors. There were also excesses and lack of targeting in earlier COVID relief packages, including as it related to  stimulus checks , the additional $600 of weekly  unemployment benefits , and the  Paycheck Protection Program.

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