Analysis

Who am I?

SAMPLE ANALYSIS OF TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

You CANNOT just throw Evidence into a paragraph without making an effort to analyze it.  The purpose of Analysis is to explain how the Evidence that you’ve provided proves your Topic Sentence/Thesis AND CONNECTS TO YOUR OWN LIFE.  You’ll need several sentences of  Analysis following each piece of Evidence.

Example 1: Self-sacrifice

Poor: (Underlined Analysis does not connect Evidence to the Topic Sentence/Thesis Statement)

(Topic Sentence) Though often I want to wait for an extraordinary person to stop injustice, Homeboy Sandman identifies situations where I can choose to help others or ignore their situations. (Statement) The narrator claims that he has a busy life and he cannot spare time to help someone who was not hardworking. (Integration) He makes an excuse, noting that the responsibility is not his own (Evidence) “I work my 9 to 5 trying to provide for me and mine, Not to sponsor every slob that survived Vietnam.” (analysis) So he continues to go on about his life.  He ignores the homeless man.  

Improved: (Underlined Analysis now links Evidence to Topic Sentence/Thesis Statement)

(Topic Sentence) Though often I want to wait for an extraordinary person to stop injustice, Homeboy Sandman identifies situations where I can choose to help others or ignore their situations. (Statement) The narrator claims that he has a busy life and he cannot spare time to help someone who was not hardworking. (Integration) He makes an excuse, noting that the responsibility is not his own (Evidence) “I work my 9 to 5 trying to provide for me and mine, Not to sponsor every slob that survived Vietnam.” The narrator claims that he has a job. He is busy doing his job.  Since many people who are homeless are ex-veterans from the military he stereotypes the homeless man as a slob from the Vietnam war.  I once passed a man on the street wearing dirty tattered clothes and thought to myself, “Why doesn’t this guy get a job? He is disgusting.”