One of the essays that you are required to write in your end of year exam is an argument (or language) analysis essay. It is not an easy essay to write, as you are writing to an unseen text. Not to mention, it is very hard to get yourself into the author’s shoes and understand their purpose.

There’s good news though! If you have a good understanding of everything you need to include, you can really ace your essays. These language analysis essays are quite formulaic, and the more practise you do the easier they get.

This article will take you through some key things you need to remember when writing your language analysis essays.

Read and understand the context

An issue doesn’t just come from nowhere – there’s always a story behind where it came from. Maybe a parent is writing about underage drinking after seeing a news article, or a doctor wrote about the benefits of the COVID vaccine after the Government mandated them.

To make sure that correctly identify the author’s contention and purpose, it is important that you first understand the context.

Every time you receive a text to analyse, there will ALWAYS be a box with the context. Read it carefully and use it to your advantage!

Consider the authors arguments

In most persuasive pieces, the author will choose a few different arguments that support their contention. The better they frame their argument, the more likely the audience will agree with them.

For example, if an author was trying to persuade readers that cats should be raised indoors, their argument might be that cats are exposed to more sicknesses outside.

It is a good idea to base each of your body paragraphs one argument, and then analyse the persuasive techniques within it.

Make sure you identify the contention

Identifying the author’s contention is the very first thing that you should do when you read through the text. The contention is their opinion on the issue at hand, and it must be mentioned in the introduction.

This structure may be useful to you when writing out the contention:

The author [insert tone word] contends that [describe issue] is [good/bad] because [add justification] and therefore [proposed solution].

Use the What-How-Why structure

The what-how-why structure is a great way to frame your analysis. It makes sure that you are not just mentioning persuasive techniques without thinking about their effect.

WHAT persuasive technique is the author using, and what is their argument? The author is not always going to use obvious PLTs, such as rhetorical questions and inclusive language. Even their vocabulary choices can act as persuasive devices.

HOW is the reader positioned to feel and think?

WHY has the author used this language device? Why does it support their purpose?

Implement direct quotes

When you are identifying the persuasive language devices that an author is using, it is vital that you use quotes. This shows your marker that you are using evidence from the text to make your assertions. You don’t need to use full length quotes – it is important to paraphrase where you can. Additionally, the quotes should be embedded seamlessly into your sentences.  

Examples:

•    By using negatively connotated words such as ‘awful,’ and ‘atrocious,’ the author…
•    The author paints a picture of the zoo as being ‘like a scene from a horror movie…….’

The audience is important

Usually, when an author writes their pieces, they have a target audience in mind - it really depends on the situation! If they trying to get masks mandated, they might be writing to the Government, but if they believe children need to take healthier lunches to school, they will be writing to parents.  

Therefore, when writing about the intended effect of a persuasive device, you should always mention how the specific audience will feel. Every audience will respond differently!

Sometimes, an author will be writing to multiple audiences in one piece.

Don’t forget to comment on the author’s tone

Every piece of writing sounds different, and most of that is due to the tone that the author uses. The tone refers to the voice of the piece, and usually, the tone gives a good indication of how the author feels about the issue. Maybe they use strong words that signify their anger, or maybe they take a more light-hearted tone. Nonetheless, the tone really affects how the reader responds to the article. Therefore, it is important that you comment on the tone that the author uses, and any tonal shifts. You should also talk about the intended effect that the tone has on the reader.  

If you want more information about tone, you can refer to this article: 

Always talk about the desired effect

You can never be sure what the author’s intentions are. Therefore, when you are analysing a language device, you need to talk about the intended effect, not the actual one. To satisfy this, you need to be careful of your word choices. Also, try and avoid ‘fence sitting,’ – don’t sound uncertain about the effect that a persuasive device will leave.  

Don’t Use: Makes, will, perhaps, may, might, tells

Instead Try: Infers, suggests, positions, insinuates, encourages, intended, elicits

Analyse any images that are present

Most of the time, there will be an image that accompanies the piece of writing. You must analyse this image, and seamlessly embed it into one of your body paragraphs. You should mention the image when you discuss the argument that it best supports.

To analyse an image:

• Briefly describe what the image is depicting.
• Discuss the symbolic meaning of the important visual elements.
• Describe how it supports or contradicts the argument.  

Keep referring to the author’s purpose and intention

Authors don’t write their articles just for the sake of it - they usually have a clear purpose. Maybe they want the audience to sign a petition, rally against a certain party, or just disagree with what someone is saying. Everything that they say in their article links back to their purpose somehow, and where possible, you should always comment on it. 

Read the title

The title is the first thing that someone reads when they encounter a piece of writing. It is from the title that they decide whether they want to read the piece.

Therefore, a writer usually makes sure that their titles are strong enough to capture the attention of the reader. They may do this by using puns, alliteration, humour etc. If they have, you should include this in your analysis!

Be specific

Students tend to lose a lot of marks in their essays by making very broad assumptions.  When you are writing about the intended effect of a persuasive technique, you need to be very specific.

What is wrong with this sentence?

By using the statistic, ‘50,000 plastic cups end up in landfill each year,’ the author adds credibility into her argument.

This statement is very general, and simply uses the ‘textbook’ definition for the persuasive device. 

It would be better to write:

The statistic ‘50,000 plastic cups end up in landfill each year,’ is designed to shock readers into realising that the plastic waste we consume must be reduced urgently.

If you add the author’s purpose into the statements that you make, you are more likely to stay away from making generalised statements.

Writing a language analysis essay is not all that bad, and hopefully this article gave you some useful tips. The best way to improve is to keep writing essays and seek as much feedback. Good luck!