Analyzing written text

• Analyzing a written text

  • Purpose/Context
  • Author's
  • Audience
  • Topic and Positions
  • Research/Sources
  • Proof/Evidence
  • Organization
  • Style
• Purpose/Context


  What does the text aim to do? Does it mean to persuade or does it contribute to a discussion of an existing topic? What content does the text cover? What purpose does it serve its readers?
• Author's


  Who wrote the text? What are his qualifications for writing about the topic?
• Audience


  What is its target audience? Where is the text found? What does the author expect the reader to get from his/her composition? Are you a part of the author's audience?
• Topic and Positions


  The author's argument on the topic at hand supported by vivid evidence? Is the author's position clear? Is it presented as objective? Is his/her stand based on other author's position or simply from personal observation/experience?
• Research/Sources


  Do previous researchers have a role in supporting the author's argument? Which of the references elicits further discussion?
• Proof/Evidence


  What are the proofs/evidences presented by the author throughout the text? Did they come from credible resources? What type of proof is used by the author? Do these proofs validate the argument? Which of the evidence carries the most weight?
• Organization


  How are the information organized in the text? For what particular reason are they arranged in this particular way? Where did the author plainly state his/her stand on the topic?
• Style


  What can you infer from the author's choice of words? From what perspective did the author write the text? Was he/she inclusive with his/her choice of words? Did they use jargons or slanted meanings? If there are, were they properly defined for the reader's convenience and understanding? What other writing techniques did the author apply in writing the text? Analyze each sentence structure, figurative language and rhetorical questions existing in the text