Symbolism, Lenses and Writing Your First Analysis

Summary

In this video, the host, Moon, expresses gratitude for reaching 10,000 subscribers and discusses the importance of critical analysis in literature. They introduce various lenses such as postcolonialism, ecocriticism, new criticism, and post-structuralism, explaining their applications and significance in understanding texts beyond the author's intent. The host also addresses the topic of symbolism, using TS Elliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' as an example, and offers guidance on writing analytical pieces, emphasizing the need for practice to improve analytical skills.

Takeaways

• 🎉 The video is a part of 'Analysis 101' series aimed at teaching critical analysis of literature and media.
• 📈 The channel has reached 10,000 subscribers, a significant milestone for the content creator.
• 🏆 The creator took a break to finish their degree and recover from top surgery, wearing a compression binder during the video.
• 📚 The video focuses on deepening the understanding of lenses and symbolism in critical analysis.
• 🤔 It addresses the question of turning evidence into a critical analysis by discussing the first steps and considerations.
• 🔍 The importance of using critical lenses is emphasized over relying solely on author intent, due to the subjective nature of art and literature.
• 🌐 Postcolonialism, ecocriticism, new criticism, and post-structuralism are introduced as additional critical lenses for analysis.
• 🌿 Ecocriticism is highlighted for its interdisciplinary approach to examining the relationship between humans and nature.
• 🔬 New criticism is presented as a formalist lens that treats literary texts as distinct and studies them with a scientific rigor.
• 📖 The process of identifying and writing about symbolism is explored, using 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' as an example.
• ✍️ The video concludes with advice on writing an analytical piece, emphasizing the importance of practice and starting with familiar material.

Q & A

What milestone did the content creator, Moon, achieve that they never imagined reaching?

Moon achieved 10,000 subscribers, a milestone they never imagined reaching.

Why was Moon absent from posting content for a while?

Moon was absent because they needed to finish their degree and also took some time off for their top surgery.

What is the purpose of the 'dirt' that Moon mentions wearing in the video?

The 'dirt' is actually a compression binder that Moon needs to wear for about a week following their top surgery.

What is the main focus of the content Moon plans to share with their audience?

Moon plans to share content focusing on the most commonly requested topics from the first 'Analysis 101' video, particularly diving deeper into lenses and discussing how to identify and write about symbolism.

Why did Moon receive many questions about turning evidence into a critical analysis?

Moon received many questions because viewers were struggling with how to take all the evidence they had gathered and start writing an actual critical analysis.

What does Moon suggest for viewers who feel confused or left behind in the 'Analysis 101' series?

Moon suggests that if viewers feel confused, they should go back and watch the previous videos in the series to better understand the progressively complex content.

What is the significance of the blue curtains in the example given by Moon?

The blue curtains are used as an example of how readers can interpret subtextual evidence differently based on cultural implications and personal perspectives.

Why does Moon emphasize the importance of considering the reader's perspective in literary analysis?

Moon emphasizes this because literature is subjective, and different readers may pick up on different subtextual evidence based on their own experiences and cultural backgrounds.

What are the four new critical lenses introduced by Moon in the video?

The four new critical lenses introduced are postcolonialism, ecocriticism, new criticism, and post-structuralism.

How does Moon define symbolism in the context of literary analysis?

Moon defines symbolism as the use of words or imagery to represent a specific object or idea, which can be identified and analyzed through the use of critical lenses.

What advice does Moon give for starting to write a critical analysis?

Moon advises to start with something easy and familiar, make observations, and then dig deeper. They also emphasize the importance of practice in improving critical analysis writing.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Celebrating Milestone and Upcoming Content

The speaker, Moon, expresses gratitude for reaching 10,000 subscribers and acknowledges the privilege of creating content for a global audience. They've been absent due to completing their degree and recovering from top surgery, wearing a compression binder as part of the recovery. Moon promises a wealth of new content and encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and support through their 'cofi' for tips. The focus will be on analyzing lenses and symbolism, addressing a common question about transforming evidence into critical analysis. Moon emphasizes the complexity of upcoming videos compared to the first in the series, suggesting that viewers revisit previous content if they feel left behind.

05:00

🔍 Exploring New Critical Lenses and Their Overlaps

Moon introduces new critical lenses: postcolonialism, ecocriticism, new criticism, and post-structuralism, noting their potential for overlap. Postcolonialism examines the effects of colonization, especially on the Caribbean, Africa, and India, and can be uncomfortable due to its focus on racism and identity. Ecocriticism looks at the relationship between humans and nature, often interdisciplinary and appearing in various literary forms. New criticism is a formalist approach that treats literary texts as distinct, focusing on their formal aspects and requiring evidence for analysis. Post-structuralism, or deconstruction, aims to break down texts and reject the idea of a single theme or message, often highlighting flaws by pointing out reliance on traditional assumptions.

10:01

🎨 Understanding Symbolism Through Visual and Literary Examples

Symbolism is defined as the use of words or imagery to represent objects or ideas, with visual media providing clear examples like road signs and traffic lights. In literature, symbolism can be identified through the use of critical lenses that focus on specific themes, allowing for the recognition of recurring symbols that align with the chosen lens or theme. The speaker uses T.S. Elliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' to illustrate how symbols like personified time, coffee spoons, and the Eternal Footman reveal the protagonist's mentality and struggles with mortality and self-perception.

15:02

✍️ Crafting the First Analytical Piece: Structure and Tips

The paragraph discusses the process of writing an analytical piece, emphasizing the importance of an introduction and conclusion that highlight key points. The body of the analysis should include an introduction of topics, evidence, and arguments that tie the theme and evidence together. The speaker suggests starting with familiar material and gradually delving deeper, making observations and then exploring beneath the surface. They encourage practice as the best way to improve analytical writing skills, recommending starting with easy examples and progressively challenging oneself.

20:03

🌐 Engaging With the Audience and Wrapping Up Analysis 101 Part Two

Moon concludes by expressing hope that the video met the audience's expectations and mentions that not all requests could be covered but will be addressed in future videos. They share their active presence on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram, having given up on TikTok for the time being. The speaker asks viewers to like and subscribe for updates and hints at the continuation of the series, inviting engagement and discussion in the comment section or via direct messages.

Keywords

💡Critical Analysis

Critical Analysis refers to the detailed evaluation and interpretation of a work, often a literary one, by examining its themes, symbols, and context. In the video, this concept is central as the speaker discusses various lenses and methods to dissect and understand the deeper meanings in literature, providing examples and strategies for turning evidence into a coherent analysis.

💡Lenses

In the context of literary analysis, 'lenses' are theoretical or critical perspectives through which a text is examined. The video introduces several lenses, such as postcolonialism and ecocriticism, which allow for the exploration of themes like cultural identity and the relationship between humans and nature, respectively. The use of these lenses helps in uncovering subtextual evidence and adding layers to the analysis.

💡Postcolonialism

Postcolonialism is a critical lens that focuses on the impacts of colonization, particularly on cultures of the Caribbean, Africa, and India. The video explains how this lens can be used to analyze cultural identity, language change, and struggles for independence in literature, often revealing uncomfortable truths about racism and privilege.

💡Ecocriticism

Ecocriticism, also known as environmental criticism, is a lens that examines the representation of the relationship between humans and nature in a text. The video suggests analyzing cultural attitudes towards nature, the portrayal of natural issues, and characters that bridge humanity and nature, as ways to explore themes of environmental concern.

💡New Criticism

New Criticism is a formalist lens that emphasizes the study of literary texts as distinct entities, focusing on their formal aspects like themes and aesthetics as objective elements. The video describes how this lens has influenced the way literary analysis is conducted, with an emphasis on evidence and citation to support interpretations.

💡Post-Structuralism

Post-Structuralism, sometimes equated with deconstruction, is a lens that challenges the idea of a single, unified theme or message in a text. The video illustrates how this lens can be used to dissect a text, pointing out its reliance on traditional assumptions and highlighting the complexity of its themes and their intersections.

💡Symbolism

Symbolism is the use of objects or imagery to represent ideas or concepts in a literary work. The video explains how to identify and write about symbolism, using the poem 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' by T.S. Eliot as an example to show how symbols like the personification of time and the Eternal Footman contribute to the poem's exploration of mortality and self-perception.

💡Personification

Personification is a literary device where abstract ideas or inanimate objects are given human qualities or characteristics. In the video, the script uses the example of time being personified in 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' to illustrate how this device can convey the character's feelings about life and mortality.

💡Evidence

In the context of the video, 'evidence' refers to the specific textual details, quotes, or references used to support an argument in a critical analysis. The speaker emphasizes the importance of providing evidence to make an analysis believable and to allow for fact-checking by the audience.

💡Argument

An 'argument' in literary analysis is the central claim or thesis that ties together the theme and evidence to form a coherent interpretation of the text. The video explains that the argument should make up the bulk of the analysis and should logically connect the chosen theme with the supporting evidence.

💡Practice

The concept of 'practice' in the video relates to the idea of improving one's ability to perform critical analysis through repeated attempts and exercises. The speaker suggests starting with familiar texts and gradually delving deeper to enhance analytical skills, emphasizing that practice is key to becoming proficient in critical analysis.

Highlights

Reaching 10,000 subscribers, a significant milestone for the content creator.

Taking a break to finish a degree and undergo top surgery, with a commitment to wear a compression binder post-operation.

The importance of viewer engagement and support through likes, subscriptions, and financial contributions.

Addressing the most common requests from the first Analysis 101 video, focusing on lenses and symbolism.

The challenge of turning evidence into a critical analysis and the first steps in writing.

The complexity of subsequent videos in the Analysis 101 series and the suggestion to revisit previous content if confused.

Discussion on the importance of considering author intent and the role of subjectivity in literary analysis.

The use of critical lenses to uncover subtextual evidence beyond the author's conscious intent.

Exploring the concept of postcolonialism as a lens to analyze the effects of colonization on literature.

Introduction to ecocriticism, focusing on the relationship between humans and nature in literature.

New criticism as a formalist lens emphasizing the study of literary texts as distinct from other forms of text.

Post-structuralism, or deconstruction, as a lens that challenges the idea of a single theme or message in a text.

The significance of symbolism in literature and how it can be identified and analyzed.

Using specific lenses to identify recurring symbols and their deeper meanings in a text.

The process of writing an analytical piece, including structuring an introduction, evidence presentation, and argument development.

The recommendation to practice analysis by starting with familiar texts and gradually delving deeper.

Invitation for viewers to share their thoughts and engage in discussion about the texts and analysis methods presented.

Transcripts

hi I'm Moon and welcome back to analysis

[Music]

101 I want to thank you all so much for

10,000 subscribers this is a goal that I

never imagined I could possibly reach

it's a huge privilege to be able to make

and post this content and to have people

from all across the world watch it and

interact with it as well and I'm just so

grateful to all of you thank you I've

been gone a while because I needed to

finish my degree and also take some time

off for my top surgery and this dirt is

actually a compression binder that I

need to wear for the next week or so so

you have to promise not to judge me for

how weird it looks and I actually ended

up being away for a lot longer than I

wanted to be but I have so much content

that I'm really excited to share with

you guys and I appreciate everyone who's

waited this long for another part in

this series and remember that if you

like my content and you want to support

me the best way to do that is by liking

this video and subscribing to my channel

and if you're feeling extra generous you

can also check out my cofi as well and

maybe send me a tip today we're going to

focus on the most commonly requested

topics from the first analysis 101 video

you guys really wanted me to dive deeper

into lenses and also talk about how to

identify and write about symbolism and

one question in particular has popped up

a lot not only in the comments of that

video but also across my other socials

and in my DMs and that question is

always along the lines of I have all of

my evidence I just don't know how to

turn it into an actual critical analysis

how do you take everything that you have

and start actually writing how do you

take that first step all of these topics

are really cool and I'm I'm certain that

you're going to find them really

interesting but a thing to note is that

they're a lot more abstract than the

last ones and I just want to take this

time to note that as we continue through

this analysis 101 series each video is

going to be a bit more complex than the

last one which is to say that if you're

confused and feel a little bit left

behind I suggest that you go back and

watch the video before this and this

will be true not only for this part of

the series but for the rest of it as

well so if you watch video one and two

and you feel confused when you start

video 4 maybe go back and watch video 3

it's just a suggestion and I'm sure that

this isn't going to be a problem for

most of you because so many people have

been begging me for a part two but look

to be honest I expected that part one

would just flop and be a sad stand alone

yet here we are I've already talked for

long enough about nothing so let's get

into

it first I want to talk about critical

lenses because you guys really loved

them last time but before I introduce

you to a couple more I want to address a

really good question that someone asked

me in the comments of the last video and

that question was why not just focus on

the author intent and meaning why use

something like a critical lens while it

is important to consider the author's

perspective and experiences when we're

analyzing their work you'll remember

that a historical lens does this really

well it's sometimes really hard for us

as readers to empathize with or even

understand and it just comes back to the

fact that all art including literature

is entirely subjective something that

sticks out to me might not be that

important to you and vice versa that's

just how it works so we use specific

lenses that interest us to pick up on

the subtextual evidence that the author

has left behind we can use a classic

example and imagine that you're reading

a text where the character is sitting in

a room and the only thing that's

described about that room is that there

are blue curtains half covering the

window now because of the cultural

implications that are associated with

the color blue for me it's very easy to

assume that these curtains are supposed

to signify a depressed or saddened state

of the character and we can read into

them even further by thinking about

their shape how much they cover the

window whether or not they clash with

any of the other internal Decor but the

question then becomes did the author

actually intend to leave behind all that

information by just describing the

curtains as blue and to answer this I

want to share with you one of my

favorite Tumblr posts of all time

sometimes it doesn't matter if the

author intended for the blue curtains to

have meaning sometimes the author grew

up in a society where colors have

learned associations and subconsciously

applied those associations in the text

sometimes a reader who grew up in the

same Society or who has studied a

certain Society is able to pick up upon

those associations and it enhances the

story sometimes recognizing the

associations that can be made

consciously or subconsciously within a

text Will Reveal a hidden layer of real

world context about the author sometimes

the curtains are just blue and sometimes

the reason an author has chosen to use a

goblin race as its evildoers is rooted

in anti-Semitism do you see what I'm

saying I don't think people in general

realize how much power they have when it

comes to consuming any kind of media and

not to be like kids these days but I can

access literally any movie any music any

book at any time anywhere and it's

really easy when things like this are so

accessible to forget just how important

they are I just think that in general

it's a shame that people treat Books and

Music in particular as accessories to

fit into a certain social group and

people are doing that instead of

actively thinking about what media

they're consuming but that's besides the

point anyway you are going to have your

own opinions about what I just said what

seems the most important to you out of

everything did anything in particular

stick out did it all make sense the

message that I'm trying to get across

probably won't 100% align with what you

learned and that's essentially the

reason that constructing your own

analysis is really important and you

shouldn't just listen to everything that

the author thinks anyway lenses let's go

so in the last video we looked at

psychoanalytic feminist Marxist and

queer lenses today I want to talk you

through postcolonialism ecocriticism new

criticism and post structuralism and

something that I can't remember whether

or not I mentioned in the last video is

that these lenses can really overlap

quite a lot in fact it's quite rare to

look at a text and only be able to apply

one lens to anything at a time let's

start with postcolonialism this is the

lens that I really hated throughout high

school because we used it in literally

everything but I have grown to

appreciate this lens even if the subtext

that you can uncover tends to be quite

depressing like his name suggests

postcolonialism focuses on the effects

of colonization particularly British

colonization of the Caribbean Africa and

India and something that I definitely

forgot to mention last time is that

lenses tend to be created in response to

literature or literary movements so

postcolonialism first existed as a genre

of text that was created by those who

had been affected by colonization and

that developed into a lens which can now

be used on any text including those that

are written by colonizers and while the

overall idea of discussing colonization

seems quite simple there are so many

ways that you can delve into this kind

of analysis you could talk about

cultural identity including forced

identity changes lost Identity or

diasporic identity you could talk about

language change and here I want to note

that postcolonialist works are written

in English which is the colonizers

language you could write about struggles

for independence from literal battles to

institutionalized racism or you could

talk about internalized racism

xenophobia Etc and specifically look at

how this is portrayed within the text by

the author is it accidentally there or

did they put it there on purpose you to

look at this lens can be more

uncomfortable for some people to use

than others because some people are

dealing with trauma that stems from

racism and some people like myself were

born into privilege and using a

postcolonial lens or reading a

postcolonial book will most likely mean

that you have to face that trauma or

privilege head on and that can be a

really weird experience if you're unable

to think critically about racism and

internalized racism in particular this

lens is going to be really difficult for

you to use but this lens is deep deeply

interesting especially if you're in a

position where you can talk about how

your own experiences relate to it so I

really highly recommend that you try it

next we have ecocriticism or

environmental criticism which focuses on

the way that the relationship between

nature and humans is depicted and

ecocritical texts tend to be

interdisciplinary and they appear in

fiction and non-fiction forms and like

the postcolonial lens ecocriticism

appears to be rather simple at first but

there are so many angles that you can

approach this argument from for example

you could focus on cultural attitudes

towards nature and maybe compare

multiple cultures including your own and

this approach very easily goes hand in

hand with the postcolonial lens so if

you're willing to try two new lenses at

the same time I really recommend these

two or maybe you could focus on the way

that issues within nature are portrayed

so you could focus on the way that

characters react to big issues within

nature itself so like natural disasters

for example or you could choose to focus

on characters who are in between

humanity and nature and look at how they

are portrayed and treated through out

the text could be a character who's more

rooted in our reality so someone like an

environmental scientist or it could be a

Fantasy character like The Lorax for

example personally I love ecocriticism

and I was thinking about it from way

before I even cared about literature or

knew what a critical lens was and of all

the possible stories that you could use

this lens on I would recommend to you

princess monoke Ka of the great snow sea

or Fern Gully some of you will

definitely have recognized those names

and all of them bring an element of

fantasy that just ties in with the

ecocriticism lens so well next we have

new criticism which is a really

interesting one because it's totally

different to any of the other lenses

that we've discussed so far it's a type

of formalist lens which states that

literary texts should be totally

distinguished from any other text and it

states that because of this literary

texts should be studied differently to

do this new criticism assigns formal

aspects to literary texts which makes

this lens about a scientific as you can

get when you're discussing specific

themes or Aesthetics because themes and

Aesthetics when they're viewed through

new criticism lens become more than just

subjective ideas they become formal

assets of a literary work and look to be

honest I got really overwhelmed when I

was looking into this lens and what it

was but then I came to a really

important realization new criticism

isn't only a type of formalist lens it

is the formalist lens and it gained so

much popularity in the 1960s that it

changed the literary world forever and

we still use it in all of our analyses

today you can tell when someone is using

new criticism lens just by checking

whether or not they include any evidence

and that's kind of a given nowadays

you'll notice that in all of my analyses

that I post on here I have as much

information as I possibly can whenever I

provide you with a snippet of text for

example and evidence goes hand in hand

with this lens because the most

important aspect of a scientific

discussion is that people can go ahead

and fact check you and when the audience

can ensure that you're basing your

claims around real aspects of the text

it makes your analysis more believable

so to use a new criticism lens just

continue as you were but make sure that

you site your sources that is incredibly

important now let's move on to the last

lens of this video which is post

structuralism it's sometimes called

deconstruction and this lens is again

super different to any of the other

lenses that we've discussed so far

because the aim of this lens is to tear

apart the text or deconstruct it and

reject the idea that there is a single

theme or message at the center of

everything so this is basically the

villain of lenses if you will and when

you're using this you want to be paying

very close attention to all of the

themes within the text and how they

intersect with one another it's the idea

of taking something apart to understand

what makes it work and how it runs and

pointing out that it isn't just one

thing that makes the whole machine run

it's lots of little things that link

together and often post structural lists

will focus on pointing out the flaws of

the text usually by pointing out that it

relies way too heavily on traditional

assumptions to move the story along the

best example that I can think of to

utilize this lens in would be in a work

that's been translated across languages

because often those translations aren't

100% accurate and the cultural meaning

is changed or completely lost so it

makes sense to its new audience and I'd

like to challenge any of you who have a

story that you really like that was

originally written in a different

language to go back to that text and

have a closer look at it is there any

wording that seems a bit strange

something that doesn't really make a lot

of sense something that really stuck out

to you and for anyone who wants a text

suggested to them I have two links in

the description that you can go check

out the first is Hell screen by OCT word

andos and the second is the Moon Over

the Mountain by atsushi Nakajima and

what's interesting about both of these

stories is that they're retellings but

hell screen is the retelling of a

Japanese story and the Moon Over the

Mountain is the retelling of a Chinese

story and if you've noticed anything

strange and especially if you've gone

ahead and tried to figure out why I

would love to hear your observations as

well now let's move on to symbolism

because this is another topic that was

really heavily requested in the last

video firstly what is symbolism it's a

word that we hear all the time but it's

rarely ever defined symbolism is the use

of words or imagery to portray a

specific object or idea and the best way

to understand how symbolism works is by

looking at visual media particularly

Road sides and costume design take this

sign for example it indicates that you

should drive carefully because there are

potentially kangaroos on the road ahead

of you and also look at traffic lights

for example green means go yellow means

slow down and red means stop and you'll

notice that these lights don't say go

slow down or stop but we have a cultural

understanding that green is a good color

and yellow and red are warning colors

and that's one reason why road signs at

least in Australia follow this color

scheme we have green signs that give us

place names and directions yellow signs

that give us warnings and red signs that

say stop and when we turn our attention

to other forms of visual media you'll

notice that color plays a really

important role I've already talked

extensively about costume design in

Bongo stay dogs so if this is something

that interests you I'd suggest you go

check out that video but for the rest of

you let's just move on now how do you

identify symbolism the best way is

definitely to use a lens of your choice

because remember when we're looking at a

text through a lens we're paying

attention to really important things

that match up with a certain theme so

when you're using a feminist lens you're

looking at how gender roles are

portrayed within the story when you're

using an ecocriticism lens you're

looking at the relationship between

humanity and nature and how they are

portrayed and as you do this you're

going to notice that there are specific

Sy symbols that you can associate with

your lens or theme and often but not

always these symbols will recur they'll

pop up again and again and again so

let's say that we're analyzing a text

through a psychoanalytic lens we would

want to pay close attention to our

character state of mind and our goal

this time is to focus on the symbolism

that is used to do that so let's work

through an example together this is one

of my favorite poems of all time it's

called the Love Song of J Alfred

proofrock by TS Elliot and we're only

going to look at two exerpts for this

example but I've linked the full poem in

the description as well and as a hint

this is going to feature heavily in the

Poetry analysis video so if you want to

have a little look through and do your

own analysis first you can go ahead and

do that now to me the most interesting

thing about proof rock is that he thinks

very highly and very poorly of himself

at the same time and throughout this

poem which we can imagine is like an

entry into his journal we notice that

he's also really struggling with the

idea of his own mortality and both of

these exerpts use imagery or symbolism

to describe the ever ongoing cycle of

life let's have a look at exerpt 1 first

for I have known them all already known

them all have known the evenings

mornings afternoons I have measured out

my life with coffee spoons I know the

voices dying with a dying fall beneath

the music from a far the room so how

should I presume it's suggested here

that proof Rock knows the mornings

evenings and afternoons Elliot has

personified time he's given it human and

animal qualities not only in this

excerpt but throughout the poem and this

is our first symbol he also says I have

measured out my life with coffee which

creates a very specific image of how

this character lives his life his life

seems secluded and lonely and not at all

exciting it's the kind of life where the

number of coffee spoons that he used

indicate how many days have passed so

this becomes our second symbol now let's

look at exerpt 2 and the afternoon the

evening sleep so peacefully smoothed by

long fingers asleep tired or it mingers

stretched on the floor here beside you

and me should I after tea and cakes and

ises have the strength to force the

moment to its crisis but though I have

wept and fasted wept and prayed though I

have seen my head grown slightly bald

brought in upon a platter I am no

prophet and here is no great matter I

have seen the moment of my greatness

Flicker and I have seen the Eternal

footman hold my coat and Snicker and in

short I was afraid here we see more of

the personification of time the evening

is described in the way that you would a

domestic dog or cat and there are lots

of tiny interesting little details and

symbols within this passage but I'm

going to leave it to you and skip to the

very end where we see a reference to a

cultural icon the Eternal footman is

supposed to represent the Grim Reaper

this is one of my favorite lines in the

entire poem because it's so creepy but

again it gives us a really good insight

into proof Rock's mentality he thinks

about his own death so much that he has

personified it so these symbols the

personification of time the Grim Reaper

and coffee spoons are easier for us to

spot when we use the psychoanalytic lens

because we're paying really close

attention to proof Rock's mentality and

we're able to conclude that he's a very

anxious individual may be driven a

little bit crazy by loneliness and he

has no self-confidence to speak of now

as we're thinking about that poem and

moving on to how to write your first

analytical piece I want you to know that

it's extremely unlikely that you'll ever

uncover absolutely everything hidden

within a text even if you want to I

promise that if you go into reading

something trying to think of every

single lens and every single symbol it's

not going to go well it's just not going

to compute and look it's really easy to

get overwhelmed when you're trying to

decide if your Focus will be on a

character or a plot point or a symbol

when I'm trying to decide exactly what I

want to analyze I kind of end up like

that

[Music]

c but knowing the things that you need

to talk about is the best way to narrow

down what kind of lens you're going to

use for example and in the first

analysis 101 video I talked a little bit

about the basic things that you should

include but I didn't talk about

everything so let's get into that

now the way that you write your analysis

will depend on the kind of evidence that

you want to show and whether or not you

need to comply to any specific standards

I know that literature teachers love to

ask people to use the teal and ticker

methods because they're really easy to

remember but assuming that you're

writing these in your spare time or you

don't have to follow a specific set of

Standards not every single paragraph has

to be topic evidence explanation link

you can Verge out and make it more

interesting you'll need an introduction

and a conclusion at the beginning and

the end and the role of the introduction

is to introduce the text that you're

analyzing but also to highlight the

important points that you'll be making

throughout the analysis you'll notice

that I did that in the beginning of this

video so I think that's a pretty good

example honestly you can go back and

check that if you want and your

conclusion gives you the chance to

highlight all of your important points

one more time you want to draw your

audien's attention to everything that

you've just shown them so that they take

away the most important pieces of

information and we don't write

conclusions because we think our

audience is stupid we write them because

we imagine that they're possibly

forgetful every everything else is

totally up to you here are the three

things that you need and as long as they

make sense and it flows really well they

can be put in any order that you like

number one you want to introduce the

topic or topics that you'll be

discussing in each part of your analysis

and this part can be as long or as short

as you like but give us a little bit of

an overview of what you'll be discussing

in depth two you want as much evidence

as you can possibly give them without it

being too much if you're highlighting a

specific quote for example you don't

want to put in the entire paragraph you

just want to take out the important

context and make sure that you site your

sources as well so include page numbers

volume numbers line numbers anything

that can make it as easy as possible for

your audience to fact check you and

three you need an argument and this

should make up the bulk of what you're

writing I talked a bit in my last video

about what an argument is and in this

context it should tie together your

theme and your evidence so that

everything makes sense take those three

things wrap them up in a bundle and you

have a single paragraph or chapter or

whatever it is that you're writing and

depending on how long those paragraphs

or chapters are you'll want three to

four of them in each analysis if you're

doing something in short form then one

or two is plenty but still this all begs

the question how do you take your

thoughts and ideas and turn them into a

critical analysis and this really isn't

an easy question to answer because at

this stage for me it feels like

everything's just laid out in front of

me for me it's very natural when I want

to analyze something all of the symbols

and important parts pop up in front of

my eyes and I just have to talk about

them and I know that this isn't the

answer that you all really want but the

best way to get better at this is by

practicing when I was in your 12 there

was a period of like 3 weeks where my

literature teacher wanted us to write an

essay every day and I don't think I did

it every day but I really tried did I

get any better no but to be fair I was

studying for three other subjects at the

same time and she was being extra harsh

on me because I needed to practice but

you know whatever now practicing doesn't

mean that you have to write an essay

every day it doesn't have to be

difficult in fact I would really

recommend that you start with something

that's really easy to you and then try

to dig a little bit deeper you can look

into an example that we've worked

through together you can look at a book

that you're studying at school maybe

your favorite story of all time it's

okay to start by looking at the surface

making some observations and then

digging a little bit deeper and if you

wanted to talk to me or anyone else in

the comment section about some

observations that you're making try any

of the three texts that I've Linked In

the description you've got a pretty wide

variety of choices there they're all

really different they have really

different themes and ideas and of course

if you don't want to talk about your

ideas publicly you can send me a DM on

any of my platforms or you can send an

anonymous ask via Retros spring or

Tumblr I'm really excited at the idea of

seeing your thoughts because these three

texts are ones that I really love and

that brings us to the end of analysis

101 Part Two I really hope that this is

everything you guys wanted I know I

couldn't get to every request but they

will feature in future videos in between

these longer video posts I'm much more

active on Twitter Tumblr and Instagram

I've kind of given up on Tik Tok for now

if you go to my profile you see exactly

why but it's the whole thing and because

I've got such a huge following on there

I'm still going to post important

updates like when I post new videos for

example so please give this video a like

if you want to that would mean a lot to

me subscribe if you want to that would

also mean a lot to me and I'll see you

in the next one

[Music]

bye

[Music]

n