Analytical Writing: Cultural, Textual, Media Evaluation & Curation

Analytical writing comes in many forms. Regarding art, it concentrates on the components of the text as a whole to determine how they work together (successfully or not) to create a certain effect, evoke particular ideas or emotions, etc. This type of writing is also applied to specific characters we meet in life or literature. It may also come in the form of a film/television show, music, book, exhibit, or restaurant review, in response to an article, or as a cultural or political critique. And, of course, whenever we make an argument for our interpretation–analyzing the ideas and artistic objects of others to determine their logic, value, beauty, and rhetoric–which helps to inform our own claims.