Analysis is the move from evidence to meaning — the writer’s explanation of what the evidence shows, how it connects to the claim, and why it matters. If evidence is the raw material of an argument, analysis is the processing that turns it into support.
The most common failure in essay writing is presenting evidence without analysis. A paragraph that quotes a source, states a statistic, or describes an example and then moves on has given the reader data but no interpretation. The reader is left asking: “So what? What does this mean? Why did the writer include this?” Analysis answers those questions.
Analysis typically involves three moves:
- Explanation — what does the evidence say? This is not repetition but translation: putting the evidence into the essay’s terms, showing the reader what to notice about it.
- Interpretation — what does the evidence mean? This is where the writer’s thinking is visible. Two writers can present the same evidence and interpret it differently; the quality of the interpretation is what distinguishes a strong essay from a weak one.
- Connection — how does the evidence relate to the claim? This is the warrant made visible: the writer shows the reader the logical path from evidence to claim.
A useful ratio: for every sentence of evidence, write at least two sentences of analysis. This ratio is a guideline, not a rule, but it corrects the common tendency to over-quote and under-interpret. The essay’s value is not in the evidence it assembles but in what the writer does with it.