Creating A Strong Contextual Analysis Essay In 5 Easy Steps
The contextual analysis essay is a kind of work that disintegrates a piece of writing into small parts, analyzing each one separately. This allows us to point out the true intentions of the author, and analyze the whole context. Almost anything can be a subject of such an analysis – a book, a play, a magazine article, etc., but how to write such an essay? It would be quite an easy task, if you are a pro, but what about the newbies?
- Write the introduction.
- Describe the body of the piece.
- Move on to the theme.
- Move on to style.
- Write a conclusion.
The introduction is based upon what happens in the piece you are analyzing. It will make people understand that you’ve found its context. You can complete your analysis by including some other pieces, if they fit into the same concept. Keep in mind, that context is a framework, which defines all the specific parts of the piece you analyze. So be careful while taking something out of the context, as you can be easily misunderstood.
After moving on to the body of the piece you are writing about, describe the style, it’s written in, the theme, etc. Describe characters of the piece if there are any, or a problem postulated in it. Also, there is no harm in additional research to see what other people think of this. Maybe you can include some citations in your article (which is beneficial). Try using trustworthy sources, or get advice from someone with experience.
What is the main theme of the piece you are analyzing? Express your opinion on how the author influenced you through his creation, and what you think is the main response he originally intended to create. An important part is pointing out whether there is a specific statement in the context of the piece.
Describe the style of the piece by pointing out some important elements. Does the author use first-person interaction? Describe whether it is a plain narrative, or if it is dialogue based. Describe the imagery and artistic methods that the author used, and the effect he is trying to achieve.
The conclusion is the part where you express your opinion on whether the author achieved his goal. Try pointing out whether the piece has a dramatic impact, and whether it fully expresses the depth and the value of the topic discussed. For a literature piece, for example, there can be some discussion about the cultural value of the piece and its impact on the creativity of future authors.