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Analysis
Whereas a classification paragraph puts items together around a common
idea, a paragraph that engages in analysis divides a
single subject or idea into separate parts so the reader can better understand
it. A paragraph written for the purpose of analysis usually begins by
stating a topic idea and then explaining the elements that constitute
it. Analysis implies going beyond simply identifying related facts or
items; it involves thinking critically about your topic idea with the
intent of exploring its meaning and significance.
In the paragraph below, esteemed Canadian scientist Ursula Franklin analyses
how electronic new media creates what she calls "pseudorealities":
In
French the news is called les actualités, although there
is very little that is actual and real in the images and the stories
that we see and hear. The technological process of image-making
and image transformation is a very selective one. It creates for
the eye and ear a "rendition" rather than an "actualité."
Yet for people all around the world the image of what is going
on, of what is important, is primarily shaped by the pseudorealities
of images. The selective fragments that become a story on radio
and television are chosen to highlight particular events. The
selection is usually intended to attract and to retain the attention
of an audience. Consequently, the unusual has preference over
the usual. The far away that cannot be assessed through experience
has preference over the near that can be experienced directly.
There is a sense of occasion that is conducive to making what
is seen to appear seem as if it was all that happened. Anyone
who has ever been at a demonstration and then seen their own experience
played back on television knows what I mean. Frequently a small
counter-demonstration to a large demonstration is treated as if
it were the main event. Side-shows move into the center and the
central issues become peripheral.
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