After this lesson, you will be able to write analysis that goes beyond paraphrase — making a specific interpretive point about what evidence reveals about your argument.
Why this matters for your grade: Analysis is the difference between a C and a B, and between a B and an A. The Analysis section of your grader score directly measures whether you explain what evidence proves, or just repeat what it says.
What Analysis Is (and Isn't)
Analysis is not retelling what happened. Analysis is not explaining what a quote means literally. Analysis is answering one question:
What does this evidence reveal about the deeper argument?
Many students write what looks like analysis but is actually just paraphrase — restating the quote in different words. This earns partial credit at best.
✗ Paraphrase (not analysis)
"The phrase 'Of course it's yours' shows that Mrs. Price is telling Rachel the sweater is hers."
✓ Genuine analysis
"The phrase 'Of course it's yours' is revealing not for what it asserts but for how it asserts it. The words 'of course' — as if the matter is obvious, settled, beyond question — expose Mrs. Price's real assumption: that her judgment requires no verification. She is not deciding whether the sweater belongs to Rachel. She has already decided, and Rachel's protest is an inconvenience to be dismissed rather than a claim to be evaluated."
Notice that the strong analysis doesn't just restate the quote — it examines specific language ("of course") and explains what that language reveals about Mrs. Price's mindset and her relationship to authority.
The "So What?" Method
After every quote, ask yourself: So what? What does this prove about my argument? Keep asking until you reach something genuinely interpretive.
Write down what the quote literally shows. (Mrs. Price ignores Rachel.)
Ask: Why does that matter? (Because she has authority and doesn't need to listen.)
Ask: What does that reveal about the bigger argument? (Authority without accountability silences the people it should protect.)
Write that last insight as your analysis sentence.
✗ Stops too early (step 1)
"This shows that Mrs. Price ignored Rachel's protest."
✓ Goes all the way to step 3
"Mrs. Price's silence in the face of Rachel's quiet protest reveals how the classroom power structure makes resistance not just futile but invisible — Rachel's 'not mine' is not even heard as a claim worth considering."
🌐 Language Support — Analysis Sentence Frames
This reveals that ___.
The word/phrase "[specific word]" suggests ___.
This is significant because ___.
[Character]'s [action/words] show not just [surface meaning] but also [deeper meaning].
Cisneros uses this moment to show that ___.
What makes this [action] significant is not [obvious thing] but [deeper insight].
Practice — Analysis Deepening
In this exercise you will write analysis for a quote from "Eleven." Claude will use the "So What?" test to push you deeper if your first attempt is still too close to paraphrase.
You need to complete this exercise to mark the lesson done.
🔬
Analysis Workshop
3 rounds — Claude coaches you deeper each time
"'Rachel,' Mrs. Price says. She says it like she's getting mad. 'You put that sweater on right now and no more nonsense.'"
— Sandra Cisneros, Eleven
Write 2–3 sentences of analysis for this quote. What does it reveal about Mrs. Price and her relationship to authority? Use the "So What?" method — go beyond just restating what happens.
0 words
✅
Excellent analysis!
You've successfully gone beyond paraphrase to make a genuine interpretive point. This is what separates strong essays from average ones.