Critical Analysis Essay

Critical Analysis Essay
In a critical analysis essay, you systematically evaluate a work’s effectiveness including what it
does well and what it does poorly. It can be used to discuss a book, article or even a film. You must
read the piece carefully and may need to look up terms or concepts you are unfamiliar with or
research related reading prior to writing your essay.
• • state the title of the work, the author’s name and the date of publication
• • outline main ideas of the book and identify the author’s thesis
• • state your own thesis statement and your main idea about the work
The novella, The Metamorphosis, by Frank Kafka is an excellent story because the author…
The article “Narratives of intercultural transformation” by Ingrid Adams is informative and insightful
because the author…
Introduction
• • briefly outline the main ideas of the book, article or film
• • should involve who, what, where, when, why and how
• • you may also choose to discuss the structure, style or point of view
This book is about… The author argues that…
The setting is… The research was…
The main character… The main points are…
The theme is… The authors conclude…
Summary
• • critically state what you like and do not like about the book, article or film
• • explain your ideas with specific examples from the book, article or film
• • assess whether the author has achieved their intended goal
• • the analysis may look at whether the work is
• ▪ focused, understandable, persuasive, clear, informative
• ▪ original, exciting, interesting, well-written
• ▪ directed at the appropriate audience, meeting the purpose
• ▪ well researched, with appropriate conclusions, and more…
The analysis is made up of several different paragraphs.
Analysis
• • restate your thesis in new words
• • summarize your main ideas if possible with new and stronger words
• • include a call to action for your reader
You must read this book because … or This article is not useful because…
Conclusion
Remember critical analysis should be fun! This is your chance to say what you think about a piece,
but you must back up your opinions with supporting arguments and specific details from the text.
Authors: Keiran Rankin and Sara Wolfe
Assignment
For this essay you will be reading and analyzing the following articles:
Twenge, J. M., Martin, G. N., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). Decreases in psychological well-being
among American adolescents after 2012 and links to screen time during the rise of
smartphone technology. Emotion, 18(6), 765–780.
And
“Teens and Social Media Use: What’s the Impact?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical
Education and Research, 26 Feb. 2022,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-andsocial-media-use/art-20474437.
The articles are located in the lessons folder.
● Use the notes above to guide your writing. Remember, the point is to analyze and share
your opinion of the information in the articles. You should not just restate what they said.
If you agree, tell me why. If you disagree, why?
● You should also compare/contrast the articles. Do they agree? What are the major
differences?
● Your analysis should be +/-1250 words (or about 5 pages in MLA format).
● It must be Double-spaced, 12-point font, and left aligned.
● Don’t forget to use MLA format.
● Remember your thesis should indicate the main idea for the whole paper.
● The paper should be free of grammar and spelling errors.