Introduction:

A type of academic paper which establishes a student’s capability to analyze a part of cinematography or literature is called critical analysis. That is the reason why high school and college lecturers assign this type of written task very often. It sometimes is confused with a report since a critical essay also deals with articles, movies, books, or even paintings. A respectable critical analysis offers the reader a deep evaluation of the piece and reflects its positive and negative aspects. 

How to Start?

If you have to analyze a piece of writing such as a play, a novel, or a poem, first you should read it very carefully. Arm yourself with a notebook, stickers, and a pen or a pencil. Pay attention to the given topic of your essay and jot down notes of the critical parts of the book. Concentrate more on the unfamiliar terms and concepts. Follow the assignment instructions given to you since proper formatting and successful completion matters a lot.

Discover the author's opinion:

Decide whether the author is arguing for or against. The theory of an academic article is easier to identify than the idea of a movie, creative work, or painting. If critiquing a work of creative nonfiction or fiction, in either written form or film form, identify one main theme of the story. Analyze what the painter may be trying to establish for a painting.

Make a note of all the main ideas:

Find the chief ideas of the work in order to analyze its structure. The main ideas in an academic article can typically be found amongst the topic sentences of each section or paragraph. For fictional work and paintings, you will have to ask yourself what signal the author presents in an attempt to explain his or her ideas. You can even try and make flow charts or web charts which keep your ideas more organized.

Research about the materials unfamiliar to you:

Use an encyclopedia or a dictionary to get an idea of the words and other material that you know little to nothing about. You can also read more about it online on sites like Wikipedia. In-Depth research is not generally necessary. You should just have enough information for you to understand the piece you want to analyze.

Define the work in your own words:

Make an outline of the work you are working on and then write a brief summary about it in your own words. A thorough reading of the work is absolutely necessary for this step.

While writing a summary of the work, make sure it does not exceed one or two paragraphs. Attempt to phrase the summary in your own words as much as possible.

Avoid turning the focus inward:

Most of what you write in your critical analysis essay is going to be subjective. But still, you should avoid keeping your tone personal and try keeping it more academic and formal. You must avoid using phrases like "in my opinion." Or "I think". You must try staying away from the first person view as much as you can. By categorizing something as your own subjective opinion, you might tend to end up weakening your creative analysis essay in an academic sense.

Identify the appeals used:

There are three basic types of appeals which are logos, pathos, and ethos.

Logos- An attempt to use reason and logic to sway a reader's opinion or perspective.

Pathos- An attempt to appeal to a reader's emotions. The works which are meant to entertain commonly rely on pathos.

Ethos- An appeal to credibility. The author explains why he or she should be reliable based on professional, personal, or academic merit is done by using ethos.

Explain how well the author has conveyed the meaning.

From your own perspective as a reader, conclude how effective the author's appeals were. Ask yourself what kind of response you had to the emotional appeal. Did you become upset, happy, or angry at any point? If yes, ask yourself why you felt that way. Check if the author's attempts at reason and logic sufficed to change your mind. Question yourself if the material was accurate, clear, and cohesive. Explain why or why not you think the author to be credible.

Break into your critique:

The analysis of the work you are working on plus the summary of the same should roughly be 80 per cent of your essay. Each different idea should be addressed in a different paragraph. Make sure you follow the guidelines given to you. Try to cover the minute details you may have missed the first time you came across the piece you are working on.

Identify any controversies surrounding the topic:

Include information about the other side of the issue if the author chose to write about a disputable matter and explain how the author was successful in arguing for or against it. This is very significant when specific issues or points from the other side are mentioned directly in the article. You must mention common oppositions in your critical analysis essay even if the author did not exactly mention his opposing opinions.

Justify why the topic is relevant:

The reader of your essay must be convinced that he or she should care. The reader must realize that the topic is relevant to contemporary standards. If the subject has implications for the current day and age the article can be considered relevant. It can also be relevant if a notable thinker or writer is the author. 

Conclude with your final finding:

Openly restate your theory and opinion of the analyzed work in your final concluding paragraph of your critical analysis essay. Give suggestions on how the analyzed work could be improved. Improvements can include appeals, ideas, and research approach. 10 per cent of the overall paper should be taken up by the conclusion.