Textual Analysis Essay: A Full Guide

Does your teacher like assigning to write textual analysis essays? Then, devote a little bit of time to learn what this kind of essay is and how it differs from other academic papers. A textual essay is also known as the literary essay. Even if it is the first time you are going to write it, you may easily guess that it is intended to teach you how to express your thoughts on a particular text.

This type of assignment isn't a piece of cake at all as it should contain in-depth analysis. However, if you have a clear understanding of how the paper should look like, the process of its crafting will become much more effective. Want to compose an impressive essay and get an A-grade? Be careful and check the complete guide on how to write a textual paper the right way.

What is a Textual Analysis Essay: Define the Purpose

Before you get started, answer the question “What is a textual analysis essay?” This kind of paper can be defined as a piece of writing, which should contain your own thoughts on certain literary work and the evidence from the text in the form of poems, quotes, etc. You are supposed to process the text and conduct in-depth analysis before you start structuring it. Don't hurry to make any conclusions. This type of task isn't as easy as ABC. It requires an ability to think logically. When writing this kind of work, your main purpose is to provide the persuasive textual evidence of your ideas.

Textual Analysis Essay Structure: How to Organize It?

Remember that you'll get the desired high score for the essay if you stick to the correct structure. You should divide your paper into three major parts: an introduction, the main body, and the conclusion. What should you write about in each of them? Have a closer look at the tips on how to write a textual analysis essay structure below.

  • An introduction: Read a hooking introduction able to attract the reader to your analysis paper. The well-written thesis statement is a must for the successful textual paper writing. Your chances to get the desired A-grade will increase if you craft a powerful thesis statement reflecting the main text idea. Place the thesis sentence at the end of the introductory part.
  • The main body: The largest part of your work will be devoted to the main points of the text that you have identified while reading it. You should look for the textual evidence to each thought you include in your paper. As for the volume of the main body, usually, it is either 3 or 4 informative paragraphs that help the reader to understand what the text is about and what your attitude to the author and his/her work is.
  • The conclusion: Every paper has a final part. A textual paper isn't an exception. Write a short paragraph summarizing all ideas and evidence and helping the reader to make his/her own conclusions with the help of your in-depth text analysis.

How to Start a Textual Analysis Essay: Tips for Writing

In the very beginning of your paper, you should provide the following information: the name of the author of the literary work used for the analysis and its title. How to start a textual analysis essay? Start with a summary of the text, use quotes from the text. Introduce the topic and do your best to engage the reader. There are different tricks that can help you to hook your target audience. Think of some interesting facts you can start your paper with. Sure, that the search of factual information will take you a certain amount of time but believe that it is worth it! Your reader will be attracted!

How to End a Textual Analysis Essay

It is not a secret that most people memorize the end of the read text better than any other part. That's why you should make sure that your conclusion is really powerful and well-written. There are two things to keep in mind when crafting a final part of the textual analysis essay. So, how to end a textual analysis essay?

First of all, make it clear that it is the end of the paper and assure that your conclusion doesn't contain any new information. It should provide a high-quality evaluation of the text arguments and your standpoint. Assure that the reader has understood whether you evaluate the text high or you consider it to be of the poor quality and why.

10 Textual Analysis Essay Topics: Impress Your Teacher

Check the list of the interesting topics for a textual analysis essay and choose the one you like most:

  1. Choose any play by Shakespeare and analyze it.
  2. Write a textual essay on the poetry of Robert Burns.
  3. Write an analysis of the literary work “ To Kill a Mockingbird.”
  4. Provide the textual analysis of the Bible story.
  5. Write a Great Gatsby essay.
  6. Analyze the characters of M.Twain.
  7. A textual analysis of a famous speech of D.Trump.
  8. Choose successful/unsuccessful advertising and provide the textual evidence of why it is successful/unsuccessful.
  9. Choose a slogan of some famous company and analyze its text quality.
  10. A textual analysis of the religious text.

A Textual Analysis Essay Outline Sample

Check a sample of the textual analysis essay outline before you get started with crafting your own paper. Remember that at this stage you should concentrate on the major points not to miss anything important. You are expected to craft an outline, which will become your helper. The detailed plan is the key to success! Here, there is an example of how to write a textual analysis essay on a poem.

  • Introduction:
    • Time (place) of writing, history of creation;
    • Genre peculiarity;
    • The place of this poem in the poet's work or a series of poems on a similar theme (with a similar motive, plot, structure, etc.);
    • Explanation of unclear places, complex metaphors, and other transcripts.
  • The Main Body:
    • Feelings expressed by the lyrical hero of the poem; feelings, which a poem causes in the reader;
    • The author's thoughts, feelings from the beginning to the end of the poem;
    • The interdependence of the content of the poem and its artistic form.
  • The Conclusion:
    • Associations, caused by this poem (literary, life, music, picturesque – any);
    • Typicality and originality of this poem in the poet's work, deep moral or philosophical meaning of the work, opened as a result of the analysis.

Study these recommendations, and you will succeed in writing a textual analysis paper!