By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.
You need to know how to analyze quotes in essays for high school, college, and beyond. Finding and including quotes to support your argument is an important first step, but the true skill is in how you analyze citations to convince the reader of your essay’s thesis. (Need to write an essay in a week or less? Here is your roadmap.)
How to Analyze Citations in 3 Tier Essays
A good quote analysis has three parts. The sequence of each level is important because each level builds on the one before it. Below are the three levels of correct analysis of textual evidence (quotes) that you include in your essays:
- Level 1: Explanation
- Level 2: Link to paragraph claim
- Level 3: Connection to dissertation thesis and broader ideas/themes
In the following sections, I will explain exactly how to analyze quotes at all three levels. To better illustrate how to do this, I will use a quote from John Knowles’ novel A separate peace. If you haven’t read this book, you can still follow along.
Here is a quote from A separate peace which I will refer to throughout this blog post. This is the estimate that we will analyze at 3 levels: “Although these are old stairs, the worn moons in the middle of each step were not very deep. The marble must be exceptionally hard. It seemed very likely, only too likely, although with all my thoughts on those stairs, this exceptional hardness had not occurred to me. It was surprising that I forgot that, that crucial fact” (Knowles, 10).
Quote background (to help you understand better, in case you haven’t read the book): Gene Forrester returns to the campus of his old boarding school. While touring the campus as an adult, he comes across a grand marble staircase and pauses to reflect on his appearance. It’s the stairway his childhood best friend Phineas fell, leading to his death. Gene is partly responsible for Phineas’ death.
Quotation analysis Level 1: Explanation
At this level, the objective is to ensure that the reader fully understands the meaning of the quote and the purpose of the author’s language. Here we analyze the quote for:
- The choice of words
- Literal meaning
- Connotation
- word order
- Symbolism
- Figurative language
Example of quotation analysis at level 1 (explanation):
Analysis: When the author describes the stairs with “worn moons” in the middle, he indicates that Gene has repeatedly replayed the staircase incident in his memory over the years. In other words, while the stairs are literally worn out, the memory of the staircase incident has “worn moons” in its ruminations.
Citation Analysis Level 2: Link to Paragraph Claim
Each paragraph in the body of your essay should start with a statement (topic sentence). This sentence must refer to the thesis statement of the essay and introduce the idea that appears in the paragraph. Once you have inserted your quote and analyzed it for explanation (level #1), we need to link the quote to your complaint.
To show you what this looks like in real life, I’ve written a sample claim statement (topic sentence). I want you to imagine this is the opening line of a body paragraph. Next we will analyze the same staircase quote as before, but this time we will connect it to the claim.
Example of a claim declaration: Gene’s insecurity and anxiety as a teenager cloud his judgment, alter his reality, and prevent him from making meaningful connections to the truth.
Example of quotation analysis at level 2 (connection to complaint):
Analysis: When the author describes the stairs with “worn moons” in the middle, he indicates that Gene has repeatedly replayed the stairs incident in his memory over the years. In other words, while the staircase is literally worn out, the memory of the staircase incident has “worn out moons” in its ruminations (level one analysis). Even while attending school, Gene’s excessive ruminations and insecurities prevent him from seeing the truth about what is right in front of him, including the love that Phineus extends to Gene, unrequited, throughout the novel ( connection to the claim).
Citation analysis Level 3: Link to thesis and larger ideas
Level 3 citation analysis highlights the connection between the citation you have chosen and the overall argument of your essay. In other words, you have to prove to the reader exactly why this quote validates your thesis.
A tip for this type of citation analysis is to think of the following sentence entries:
- This quote* validates the idea that [thesis statement] because _____.
- This quote* is essential to prove [thesis statement] because _____.
* Using “this quote” isn’t the best way to introduce the analysis, but you get the idea. What I want you to focus on is completing the BECAUSE statement: it’s essential.
To show you how to analyze citations in Level 3 essays, I’ve written a sample thesis statement that I want you to imagine as the introductory paragraph of your essay. Next, we will analyze the same staircase quote as before, but this time we will link it to the thesis.
Example of thesis statement: Gene’s insecurities and anxiety as a teenager are at the root of his toxic interactions with himself and those close to him, ultimately leading him to choose between accepting or rejecting responsibility for his role in the tragedies surrounding it.
Example of estimate analysis at level 3 (link with the thesis):
Analysis: When the author describes the stairs with “worn moons” in the middle, he indicates that Gene has repeatedly replayed the stairs incident in his memory over the years. In other words, while the staircase is literally worn out, the memory of the staircase incident has “worn out moons” in its ruminations (level one analysis). Even while attending school, Gene’s excessive ruminations and insecurities prevent him from seeing what’s right in front of him, including the love Phineus extends to Gene, unreciprocated, throughout the novel (connection to the claim). Because Gene’s cognitive abilities are hampered by his anxiety, his ability to form and maintain relationships is nil. As a result, his relationship with Phineus is superficial and one-sided, indirectly leading him to contribute to Phineus’ death. It is only after Phineus’ death that Gene is able to face the choice of accepting or denying responsibility for his role. His real reflection on the stairs, years later, reveals that he is finally able to recognize and accept the truth (relation to the thesis).
Final Notes on Citation Analysis for Essays
Knowing how to analyze quotes in essays is literally the golden key to writing solid literary analysis articles. It is never enough to say, “This quote proves the thesis. you have to show why and how this proves the thesis. And just when you think you’ve made your point, go a step further and challenge yourself to analyze why analysis is important. That IS the golden nugget of citation analysis right there.
If you find it difficult to edit your own essays, here is my ultimate guide to editing your own papers …I include a free trial editing checklist.