What is considered to be analysis?

[Manfred]

Hi.

My teacher kept on telling us that a commentary must be more in-depth and must be more analytical. SOme questions:

(1) What is analysis in the context of literature? Can you provide examples as to what is analysis and as to what is not>

(2) How do we structure an essay? Based on SCASI? Or base on three points of interest?

[sweetnsimple786]

Well the way I look at it, you can take a quotation and explain it. Or you can make a claim and use a quotation to back it up. The second is better & more analytical. Analysis in a nutshell is taking what the author writes and looking beyond what is just said to what is implied. Or it's connecting seemingly different things to one idea or theme. I think I first learned 'analysis' to be breaking down what you're given [what you read] and putting it back together while presenting something different.

My teacher actually just told us what SCASI was last week. I would use SCASI to help you analyze. You can notice some important points using it, but I don't see how you can successfully structure your essay that way. Is this for a key passage commentary? I'm pretty rusty on those, I believe you talk about the passage that you're given. You might notice one thing about it that is a thread that links to the rest of the book. Let's say in your passage, the color red was used to describe something. So you could talk about how the author uses the color red to represent ________. In a commentary, you talk a bit about the passage and then spend the majority of the time relating it to the rest of the work.

If you're not asking for the structure of a commentary, then I need a bit more context to help you out. =)

[Ruan Chun Xian]

To be honest I'm very rusty at literature analysis right now but meh, here's a shot.

(1) What is analysis in the context of literature? Can you provide examples as to what is analysis and as to what is not>

Click!, also have a look at the post above that.

An extract from this commentary.

The first paragraph of the story describes the setting. We realise that the story takes place at dawn, as

the sun is rising. There is a certain sense of loneliness in the first paragraph. The sun is described as

“thin”, implying that its light does not reach every corner of the hill it is shining on. This is a strange

way to describe the sun. However, this description implies that the hills are so “bleak” and lonely that

even the sun could not make it seem less desolate. The hills only seem more miserable with the “hard

and dry” ground and “bristling” grass. All in all, the setting does not seem very cheerful. Among this

very bleak landscape stands a cottage which seems even lonelier as it is the “only sign of civilisation

for miles around.” The cottage stands “as if anticipating the approach of an intruder.” This anticipation

only emphasises the loneliness of the cottage more, because it shows that the cottage is not used to

having people visiting it, so that a visitor is called an “intruder”. However, this anticipation also

foreshadows the visits of the little girl that are to come in the story.

So I start off with saying what the paragraph is about - the setting. Then I go through different aspects of the setting, starting with the sun. I state what the author described the sun as - "thin" and then went to give two different possible explanation for this description, and give the significance of that description and/or its effect on other parts of the text. To do this, I also tried to tie the sun in with other aspects of the setting such as the hills (purple part).

The main idea is to state something and explain its significance. So the sun is thin, who cares? Well, you care because you mentioned it. So what? What does it mean, how does the sun being thin contribute to the text as a whole? If you can't explain the significance of something, be it a description, a metaphor, a simile, then you should not mention it at all.

In a commentary, you talk a bit about the passage and then spend the majority of the time relating it to the rest of the work.

Actually for an unseen commentary (paper 1 essay), you should not mention the rest of the work at all. The examiners will not expect you to know where the extract comes from, and you will not be expected to relate it to anything. For an unseen commentary, you treat the extract as an independent work.

However, yes, for an oral commentary/other types of commentary where you may do in class, as part of reading a particular text, then you should demonstrate to your teacher that you have read the rest of the text by relating it to the text as a whole. What I mean is, for example, you are given the witches' scene (Act 1 Scene 1) in Macbeth to do a commentary on, you should tie in how they foreshadow Macbeth's arrival later in the play etc.

[Manfred]

thank you so much. that was fast. anyway, i went to the link that you've highlighted.

"Click!, also have a look at the post above that. "

When i clicked the link, there's a link in LC's post "VIP Only: Downloadable PDF supplement documents on writing skills." It doesn't seem to be working.

[Ruan Chun Xian]

When i clicked the link, there's a link in LC's post "VIP Only: Downloadable PDF supplement documents on writing skills." It doesn't seem to be working.

Yeah that is for VIP+ only. But what I meant was Lc's post itself.

[Manfred]

again that was very fast. thanks a lot Chun Xian and sweetnsimple.

[Ruan Chun Xian]

Haha it takes an Asian to realise that Ruan is the surname and Chun Xian is my name

[Tilia]

Hi.

My teacher kept on telling us that a commentary must be more in-depth and must be more analytical. SOme questions:

(1) What is analysis in the context of literature? Can you provide examples as to what is analysis and as to what is not>

(2) How do we structure an essay? Based on SCASI? Or base on three points of interest?

DO not just describe what is happening. Try to find symbols (very easy in some wqorks, impossible in some). Especially if you're HL, they'll love if you'll talk about techniques. Eg. "Here we get to know this character by dialogue and his thoughts". Also talk about effects, "Here it's rainy, which reinforces the gloody mood."