{"id":627,"date":"2017-08-02T21:40:33","date_gmt":"2017-08-02T21:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=627"},"modified":"2024-04-24T22:19:59","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T22:19:59","slug":"analytic-thesis","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/chapter\/analytic-thesis\/","title":{"raw":"Analytic Thesis","rendered":"Analytic Thesis"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objective<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Evaluate the keys to successful analytic writing<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nWhen formulating an analytic thesis statement in college, there are three words\/phrases to remember:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>How?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Why?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>So what?<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nLet\u2019s take a look a closer look at these terms in action. Suppose you want to analyze the lyrics to a popular song. Telling readers what the lyrics are might be a useful way to let them see what you are analyzing and\/or to isolate specific parts where you are focusing your analysis. However, you need to move far beyond \u201cwhat.\u201d Instructors at the college level want to see your ability to break down material and demonstrate deep thinking.\r\n\r\nPretend that a rapper called Escalade has the biggest hit of the summer with a song titled \u201cMissing You.\u201d You listen to the song and determine that it is about the pain people feel when a loved one dies. You have actually already done analysis at a surface level, but something along the lines of the following claim is not a great thesis statement: \u201cEscalade\u2019s hit song \u201cMissing You\u201d is about being sad after a loved one dies.\u201d There isn\u2019t much depth to such a claim because there isn\u2019t any \u201chow,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201cso what.\u201d Good analytic thesis statements require digging deeper and often looking into the context. Let\u2019s say you do some research and learn that the rapper\u2019s mother died not long ago, and when you examine the lyrics more closely, you see that a few of the lines seem to be specifically about a mother rather than a loved one in general (\u201cwhy\u201d).\r\n\r\nThen you also read a recent interview with Escalade in which he mentions that he's staying away from hardcore rap lyrics on his new album in an effort to be more mainstream and reach more potential fans (\u201cso what\u201d). Finally, you notice that some of the lyrics in the song focus on not taking full advantage of the time we have with our loved ones (\u201chow\u201d). All of these pieces give you material to write a much deeper thesis statement, maybe something like this: \u201cIn the hit song \"Missing You,\" Escalade draws on his experience of losing his mother and raps about taking time with family for granted in order to connect with a broad audience.\u201d Such a thesis statement is focused while still allowing plenty of room for support in the body of your paper.\r\n\r\nCertainly, there may be many ways for you to address \u201chow,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201cso what,\u201d and you may want to play with other ideas, but the above example is just one way to go deeper with material. There is no secret formula to help you balance the \u201chow,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201cso what.\u201d Just remember to think about all three as you try to determine why something is what it is or why something means what it means.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Key Takeaways for analytic theses<\/h3>\r\n<strong>Don\u2019t be afraid to let your claim evolve organically<\/strong>. If you find that your thinking and writing don't stick exactly to the thesis statement you have constructed, your options are to scrap the writing and start again to make it fit your claim (which might not always be possible) or to modify your thesis statement. The latter option can be much easier if you are okay with the changes. As with many projects in life, writing doesn\u2019t always go in the direction we plan, and strong analysis may mean thinking about and making changes as you look more closely at your topic. Be flexible.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use analysis to get you to a main claim.<\/strong> You may have heard the simile that analysis is like peeling an onion, because you have to go through layers to complete your work. You can start the process of breaking down an idea or an artifact without knowing where it will lead you or without a main claim or idea to guide you. Often, careful assessment of the pieces will bring you to an interesting interpretation about the whole. In their text <em>Writing Analytically<\/em>, authors David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen posit that being analytic doesn\u2019t mean just breaking something down. It also means constructing understandings. Don\u2019t assume you need to have deeper interpretations all figured out as you start your work.\r\n\r\n<strong>When you decide upon a main claim, make sure it is reasoned<\/strong>. In other words, if it is very unlikely anyone else would reach the same interpretation you are making, it might be off base. Not everyone needs to see an idea the same way you do, but a reasonable person should be able to understand, if not agree, with your analysis.\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Objective<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Evaluate the keys to successful analytic writing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>When formulating an analytic thesis statement in college, there are three words\/phrases to remember:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>How?<\/li>\n<li>Why?<\/li>\n<li>So what?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look a closer look at these terms in action. Suppose you want to analyze the lyrics to a popular song. Telling readers what the lyrics are might be a useful way to let them see what you are analyzing and\/or to isolate specific parts where you are focusing your analysis. However, you need to move far beyond \u201cwhat.\u201d Instructors at the college level want to see your ability to break down material and demonstrate deep thinking.<\/p>\n<p>Pretend that a rapper called Escalade has the biggest hit of the summer with a song titled \u201cMissing You.\u201d You listen to the song and determine that it is about the pain people feel when a loved one dies. You have actually already done analysis at a surface level, but something along the lines of the following claim is not a great thesis statement: \u201cEscalade\u2019s hit song \u201cMissing You\u201d is about being sad after a loved one dies.\u201d There isn\u2019t much depth to such a claim because there isn\u2019t any \u201chow,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201cso what.\u201d Good analytic thesis statements require digging deeper and often looking into the context. Let\u2019s say you do some research and learn that the rapper\u2019s mother died not long ago, and when you examine the lyrics more closely, you see that a few of the lines seem to be specifically about a mother rather than a loved one in general (\u201cwhy\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>Then you also read a recent interview with Escalade in which he mentions that he&#8217;s staying away from hardcore rap lyrics on his new album in an effort to be more mainstream and reach more potential fans (\u201cso what\u201d). Finally, you notice that some of the lyrics in the song focus on not taking full advantage of the time we have with our loved ones (\u201chow\u201d). All of these pieces give you material to write a much deeper thesis statement, maybe something like this: \u201cIn the hit song &#8220;Missing You,&#8221; Escalade draws on his experience of losing his mother and raps about taking time with family for granted in order to connect with a broad audience.\u201d Such a thesis statement is focused while still allowing plenty of room for support in the body of your paper.<\/p>\n<p>Certainly, there may be many ways for you to address \u201chow,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201cso what,\u201d and you may want to play with other ideas, but the above example is just one way to go deeper with material. There is no secret formula to help you balance the \u201chow,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201cso what.\u201d Just remember to think about all three as you try to determine why something is what it is or why something means what it means.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Key Takeaways for analytic theses<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t be afraid to let your claim evolve organically<\/strong>. If you find that your thinking and writing don&#8217;t stick exactly to the thesis statement you have constructed, your options are to scrap the writing and start again to make it fit your claim (which might not always be possible) or to modify your thesis statement. The latter option can be much easier if you are okay with the changes. As with many projects in life, writing doesn\u2019t always go in the direction we plan, and strong analysis may mean thinking about and making changes as you look more closely at your topic. Be flexible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Use analysis to get you to a main claim.<\/strong> You may have heard the simile that analysis is like peeling an onion, because you have to go through layers to complete your work. You can start the process of breaking down an idea or an artifact without knowing where it will lead you or without a main claim or idea to guide you. Often, careful assessment of the pieces will bring you to an interesting interpretation about the whole. In their text <em>Writing Analytically<\/em>, authors David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen posit that being analytic doesn\u2019t mean just breaking something down. It also means constructing understandings. Don\u2019t assume you need to have deeper interpretations all figured out as you start your work.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When you decide upon a main claim, make sure it is reasoned<\/strong>. In other words, if it is very unlikely anyone else would reach the same interpretation you are making, it might be off base. Not everyone needs to see an idea the same way you do, but a reasonable person should be able to understand, if not agree, with your analysis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-627\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Keys to Successful Analysis. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Guy Krueger. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: University of Mississippi. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":15005,"menu_order":8,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Keys to Successful Analysis\",\"author\":\"Guy Krueger\",\"organization\":\"University of Mississippi\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"198b7034-0f6e-4571-8b27-800973858142, d3276cb6-0c8d-4e4b-88ba-f0ebef0bbb4b","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-627","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":589,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15005"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1632,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/627\/revisions\/1632"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/589"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/627\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=627"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=627"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-writingskillslab-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}