This handout provides suggestions for writing papers or reactions that request you to evaluate a text through the lens of a crucial or theoretical secondary supply.
Generally speaking, the lens should reveal one thing in regards to the initial or “target” text that will never be otherwise obvious. Instead, your analysis may phone the credibility regarding the arguments regarding the lens piece into concern, expand the arguments for the lens text, or provoke several other reevaluation of this two texts. In any event, you will end up producing a vital “dialogue between texts.”
Reading the Texts
As you will fundamentally desire to hone in on points of commonality and discord involving the two texts, your order and way where you read them is vital.
First, read the lens text to spot the core that is author’s and language. Since theoretical or critical texts are thick and complex, it might be beneficial to develop a plan of this author’s points that are primary. According the to Brandeis Writing Program Handbook, a lens that is valuable will “grapple with main tips” of this lens text, in the place of working with isolated quotes that will or might not be indicative associated with the author’s argument in general. As a result, it is essential to make sure you certainly comprehend and may articulate the author’s details before continuing towards the target text.
Then, quickly see the target text to produce a general concept of its content. Then, think about: Where do we see basic points of disagreement or agreement between your two texts? Which associated with the lens text’s primary arguments could be reproduced to your target text? It may possibly be better to concentrate on 1 or 2 for the lens text’s arguments that are central.
With one of these a few ideas in your mind, return back and see the target text very carefully, through the theoretical lens, wondering listed here concerns: which are the primary aspects of the lens text and exactly what are their complementary components when you look at the edubiride writing service target text? How do I apply the lens author’s theoretical language or logic to circumstances into the target text? Are there any circumstances where in fact the lens text’s arguments don’t or can’t apply? How come this? It really is beneficial to keep a careful, written record of web web page figures, quotes, along with your ideas and responses while you read.
Since this variety of paper addresses a complex synthesis of numerous sources, it’s particularly crucial to possess a definite course of action before you start composing. It may help to cluster quotes or activities by subject material, by theme, or by whether they support, contradict, or elsewhere change the arguments when you look at the lens text. Hopefully, typical themes, tips, and arguments will start to emerge and you may begin drafting!
Composing the Introduction and Thesis
As your paper concerns the complex interactions between numerous texts, it’s important to explain what you would be doing the introduction. Remember to obviously introduce the lens text and its particular arguments that are specific may be using or assessing. Then introduce the target text and its particular themes that are specific occasions you will end up handling in your analysis.
These introductions of texts and themes should lead into some sort of thesis declaration. Though there are not any set guidelines or conventions for just what this thesis should appear to be, verify it states the points of relationship you’re going to be talking about, and describes exactly what your critical or theoretical analysis regarding the target text reveals in regards to the texts.
Composing your body
The human body is when you use particular arguments through the lens text to quotes that are specific circumstances into the target text. In each full instance, remember to discuss just just exactly what the lens text reveals concerning the target text (or vice versa). Utilize the lens text’s language and rational framework to examine the prospective text, but be sure to be clear about where a few ideas into the paper are coming from (the lens text, the mark text, your personal interpretation etc.) therefore the reader does not be confused.
By doing this particular analysis, you may be “entering an academic discussion” and inserting your personal tips. Since this is undoubtedly definitely easier in theory, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein’s notion of “Templates” may show of good use. Within their guide, they do say, I state, the authors set down numerous templates to aid authors take part in unknown types of critical discourse that is academic. They encourage pupils to utilize the templates in just about any ability they find helpful, be it filling them in verbatim, modifying and extending them, or with them being an entry that is analytical, then discarding them totally.
Here we modify their fundamental template (They say ________. I say ________.), to generate lens templates that are essay-specific help you to get started:
The writer associated with lens text lays down a helpful framework for understanding cases of ________ in the mark text. Certainly, within the target text, one sees ________, that could be looked at a typical example of ________ by the lens author’s definition. Consequently, we come across a point of commonality concerning ________. This similarity reveals ________.
Based on the lens text _______ tends to happen in situations where _______. Because of the lens author’s meaning, ________ in the goal text might be considered a case of _______. Nevertheless, this parallel is imperfect because _______. As a result, we become aware of ________.
One sees that is______ in the prospective text, which calls the lens author’s argument that ________ into question because ________.
In the event that writer of the lens text is proper that ________, you might be prepared to see ________ in the prospective text. Nevertheless, ________ really occurs, exposing a crucial point of disagreement. This discord shows that ________. This matter is crucial because ________.
Wrapping Things up and Drawing Conclusions
By this aspect in your essay, you ought to be drawing conclusions regarding exactly what your lens analysis reveals concerning the texts in concerns, or even the wider problems the texts target. Remember to explain why these discoveries are very important when it comes to control where you might be composing. Simply put, what was the purpose of performing your analysis into the place that is first? Happy lens writing!
Brandeis UWS Writing Handbook, 70.
Birkenstein, Cathy and Gerald Graff, They Do Say, I state. (Ny: W. W. Norton & Business, 2007), 2-3.