Critical thinking skills are an essential part of your college experience, and once you graduate, you’ll see that they’re an important part of success in your career and life in general. You may already know this, and chances are you use critical thinking skills daily but don’t realize it. Your ability to use critical thinking skills is an integral part of one of the more thoughtful and “deeper” types of essays – the critical analysis essay. Critical thinking skills are also vital to any excellent essay writer’s repertoire. If you’re reading this, you may have just been assigned a critical essay in your English class, or perhaps you know that writing one is an assignment in an upcoming required course.
Keep reading as I unpack what critical analysis is, how to properly prepare a critical analysis essay, how to actually write an engaging critical essay analysis, and what are a few dos and don’ts of critical analysis essay writing that will help you become a better essay writer!
What Is a Critical Analysis Essay?
Before you begin writing, it’s important to know what a critical analysis essay is. Maybe your teacher or professor has already defined it, but possibly you weren’t paying attention. I know how that is, and even if you were, it wouldn’t hurt to hear it again.
A critical analysis essay is an essay that examines a particular piece of literature. It goes beyond a simple book report and is a thoughtful analysis that uses critical thinking skills. The nature and tone of a critical analysis essay are formal and academic, as they are usually intended for a more educated audience. Your task in writing a critical analysis essay is to “peel back the layers” of the book. The book in question can be nonfiction or fiction, but it’s often fiction because part of the goal of the critical analysis essay is to determine if the author of the book met his or her goal.
So, ruminate on that definition for a bit and keep reading. I guarantee that as you do, the process of writing a critical analysis will become clearer!
Preparing to Write a Critical Analysis Essay
I can tell you from experience that planning and organization are probably the most crucial parts of crafting any essay. Sure, the actual writing is important, but that’s something you can always improve with more work and practice. Yet, if you don’t put the proper time into planning and organizing your essay, it will always be subpar, no matter how good of a writer you are. So, with that in mind, let’s take a step-by-step journey through the process using a hypothetical example.
For our hypothetical example, let’s pretend that our English professor has assigned us a critical analysis essay on an important work of fiction, which is of our choice, from the twentieth century. I’ve chosen the 1932 novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley because it deals with ideas that are just as relevant today as they were then. The book is also enjoyable, has been written about extensively by other authors and researchers, and is relatively short, so I’ll be able to make the deadline. If you are given your own choice of book to write about for a critical analysis essay topic, consider all of these factors before you move on to the next step.
Once you’ve chosen your book, the next step is research. Obviously, you’ll have to read the book you’ve chosen, but remember to do so with a critical eye. Take plenty of notes about the book’s thesis, major themes, symbolism, the intent of the author, the language used, and the author’s intended audience. In addition to reading the book and taking plenty of notes, it will also help to read what other people have said about the book. Do some internet searches for magazine articles and blogs about the book, and don’t be afraid to dive a little deeper. Use your school’s library databases to read some academic articles about the book. In addition to getting some helpful information, academic articles will show you the proper tone and style you should use when writing a critical analysis essay.
With your reading and research done, you can move on to the final step of your preparation – writing an outline. It’s important to know how to write an outline, not just for a critical analysis essay but for any type of essay or report you’ll write throughout your life. There are many different styles of outlines you can use, ranging from simple bullet points to alphanumeric and decimal outlines. I prefer to use a more detailed, alphanumeric outline that is divided into different levels following numbers and letters. The most important points, usually the paragraphs you intend to write, are marked by uppercase Roman numerals. The next level is capitalized letters, followed by Arabic numerals, then lowercase letters, and finally lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv) if you get very detailed. Let’s look at a bare-bones working outline I’ve created based on my hypothetical example.
A Critical Analysis of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World Outline
- Intro Paragraph
- Hook
- Brief background
- Thesis
- “Huxley’s dystopian vision of the future told people of his time where he thought they were headed, but even today, it can still tell us where we may go.”
- Summary Paragraph
- Plot
- Examples
- Plot
- Critical Analysis Paragraph
- Breakdown why it was important at the time
- Breakdown why it’s still important
- Examples from contemporary society
- DNA testing
- i. Potential for manipulation
- DNA testing
- Examples from contemporary society
- Conclusion
- Conclusion Hook
- Summary
- Restate thesis
It’s important to know that this is a working thesis and, therefore, can be edited when necessary. Just think of your outline as a roadmap to where you’re going with your essay and where you want to take your reader(s). With this in mind, let’s move on to the actual writing of the critical analysis essay.
How to Write a Critical Analysis Essay
Okay, now let’s get to the fun part – the writing! Before you type your first word, it’s important to relax and find a good location where you won’t be disturbed. It might help to turn your phone off and eliminate any other distractions, but I know that in our well-connected world, it can be difficult, so do your best. Let’s use the hypothetical example I’ve given and develop each paragraph.
- The first thing you need to learn before you do any advanced level of writing is how to write a hook for an essay. The hook should be catchy yet relevant. For my hypothetical example, a good hook could go something like this: “We all want to create the best society for the greatest number of people, but what is the price we have to pay for this quest?” For the next two or three sentences, I’ll discuss how Aldous Huxley raised and attempted to answer this question in Brave New World. After relating that short background, I state my thesis: “Huxley’s dystopian vision of the future told people of his time where he thought they were headed, but even today, it can still tell us where we may go.”
- You then summarize the book in the next paragraph. It’s important to remember that this isn’t a book report, so instead of going through each chapter of the book, you should stick to the themes relevant to your thesis. For my example, I’ll focus on how Brave New World was a world where humans were genetically modified, personal relationships were meaningless, and the satisfaction of physical desires was the primary goal of people. After summarizing the parts of the book pertinent to your thesis, move on to the next paragraph with a transition sentence. “Although not as extreme as Brave New World, many people would argue that modern society is well on its way to a similar end” would be a good segue for my hypothetical example.
- The next paragraph is the heart of your critical analysis essay because it’s the critical analysis. This is where you cite examples and sources that support your argument. All of that research you did online at the library pays off here because you will reference other experts who have made previous critiques of the book. Referring to my hypothetical example, here are a couple of sentences to consider. “Modern society is quickly resembling Brave New World every day. A report from ______ claims that humans will soon be able to modify certain physical features of their children while they are still in the womb. Statistics show that divorce rates are still extremely high, but even more important, the percentage of children born to unmarried parents continues to skyrocket. Finally, fentanyl addiction is at an all-time as more states legalize recreational marijuana, and liquor stores can be found on nearly every corner. Modern society may not be as clean and controlled as Huxley’s Brave New World, but it is certainly becoming just as soulless and empty.” Again, refer to statistics, reports, and other authors to support your arguments in this paragraph.
- The final paragraph is the conclusion, where you summarize everything and restate your thesis. The first sentence in the conclusion paragraph should be a secondary-type hook like the hook at the beginning of your essay. “Good science fiction novels are popular for a reason: they touch on fundamental truths about society” is the conclusion hook I’m going to use for my example.
Remember, the conclusion paragraph is a summary, so don’t go through each of your main points. Write your hook, a sentence or two summary, and then restate your thesis.
Common Challenges in Writing a Critical Analysis Essay
As you write your critical analysis essay, be aware of a few things you should always avoid. Because critical analysis essays are generally more academic and formal, you should avoid slang and familiar language. Yes, you want to connect with your reader(s), but you should only do so in a professional way that demonstrates you are the expert on this topic.
You should also avoid any first-person references. Although your opinion is important to a good critical analysis essay, you want to appear objective and a bit detached. If you really feel the need to add your opinion specifically, use the pronoun “one” instead of “I” or “me.” “A careful reading of Brave New World leaves one wondering if much of hit has come true” is an example of how not to use first-person pronouns while still getting your opinion across.
Finally, don’t use contractions in any academic writing, including critical analysis essays. A contraction is an abbreviation of two words that are commonly used together, often a pronoun and a verb: “they’ll” is the contraction of “they will”; “don’t” is the contraction of “do not”; and “it’s” is the contraction of “it is.” Be especially aware of the last one. “Its” is actually the possessive of “it.” I even get a little confused by that last one!
Tips and Best Practices for Writing a Critical Analysis Essay
The first thing to keep in mind is not to procrastinate. Once you get the assignment, start working on your topic, or if your teacher/professor has given you a topic, start your research. As I mentioned earlier, writing a good outline should take much of your time, but much of the time you spend on your outline should be spent developing your thesis and critical analysis section.
It’s also important to give yourself enough time to proofread and edit a rough draft. You may want to add or eliminate some sources or you could feel that moving some things around makes the essay flow better. And you will always find at least a couple of typos when you reread your paper. It can also help to have another set of eyes read your paper, so don’t be afraid to ask a classmate or friend to give it a read.
Being Critical Is Good!
As you work to become a better essay writer, you’ll find that the critical analysis essay may be the most challenging yet rewarding. If you follow the steps in this article, you’ll find the process a bit easier than going it alone, and once you’re done, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the final result.
Just remember: Questioning things is good, so always be critical of the subject matter at hand and your own work.
Good luck with the writing and have fun!
