How to analyse a piece of writing

A simple step-by-step guide to analysing fiction, with relevant examples. This guide can be used by anyone, but is designed with students aged 11-16 in mind.

Analysing the work of others is an essential skill when studying English literature, and preparing for GCSE. In this guide, I will outline the steps you need to take to analyse a piece of work using examples and making close reference to a piece of text.

Firstly, when writing an analytical essay, you need to remember to use the PETAL acronym to structure each of your paragraphs. Here's what each letter stands for:

P – Point

E – Evidence

T – Technique

A – Analyse

L – Link to Context

So how do we use the PETAL acronym effectively?

Firstly, let's look at a text extract to analyse. Below is the opening to chapter one of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008).

Chapter One

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course she did. This is the day of the reaping.

I prop myself up on one elbow. There's enough light in the bedroom to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother's body, their cheeks pressed together. in sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down. Prim's face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.

Sitting at Prim's knees, guarding her, is the world's ugliest cat. Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the colour of rotting squash. Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me. Or at least distrusts me. Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home. Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas. The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay. It turned out OK. My mother got rid of the vermin and he's a born mouser. Even catches the occasional rat. Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails. He had stopped hissing at me.

This extract is filled with things to pick out and analyse. We're going to use the following question to help us analyse:

'How has the writer used language and structural devices to describe the family's life in this opening scene?''

We need to start off by selecting evidence to comment on. We also refer to evidence as 'quotations' and these will be surrounded by quotation marks (' ') to indicate that you have found them in the text. If you select a longer quotation, you can put an ellipses (...) in the middle to acknowledge that you have taken a part out to cut down on words. Your quotations should also be embedded, which means they are part of the sentence and not before or after it.

I have selected some quotations to explore below. It is recommended that you use a highlighter to help you identify and write about these later on.

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course she did. This is the day of the reaping.

I prop myself up on one elbow. There's enough light in the bedroom to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother's body, their cheeks pressed together. in sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down. Prim's face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.

Sitting at Prim's knees, guarding her, is the world's ugliest cat. Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the colour of rotting squash. Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me. Or at least distrusts me. Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home. Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas. The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay. It turned out OK. My mother got rid of the vermin and he's a born mouser. Even catches the occasional rat. Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails. He had stopped hissing at me.

Let's use the PETAL acronym to help us plan our first paragraph.

1) 'the other side of the bed is cold'

Point (what is the writer trying to do?):

The writer introduces us to the character's living conditions and suggests a disrupted family

Evidence:

'The other side of the bed is cold'

Technique:

'cold' = adjective

Analyse (what effect does this have on the reader?):

We empathise for the character's situation. 'Cold' has negative connotations and makes us think of vulnerability and a lack of family connections.

Link to context:

Maybe the writer is suggesting that the main character is alone in this world using this opening image, despite the blood ties with her sister and mother.

Great. Now we have the ingredients for a good PETAL paragraph. Another top tip before we move forwards: try to use a variation of words like 'suggests', 'conveys', 'portrays', 'shows', 'illustrates' and 'demonstrates' (etc) when writing your response. Also remember that sometimes what we analyse is subjective, which means there can be no right or wrong answers as long as we justify ourselves and explain our thought process  – so if you thought different things to me when you analysed the opening lines, that's absolutely fine, as long as you've reasonably justified your ideas.

Here is what my PETAL paragraph looks like when everything comes together:

In the opening line, Suzanne Collins introduces us to the main character and the challenging bonds she has with her family, which can be evidenced when she describes the other side of the bed as 'cold'. The adjective 'cold' has negative connotations and could reflects the main character's feeling of loneliness and detachment from her sister and mother as she wakes up alone.

*You can also extend your paragraphs with words like 'furthermore', 'moreover' and 'additionally'...

Here is another worked example, using a different piece of evidence:

2) 'rough canvas cover'

Point:

The writer provides an insight into the character's living conditions.

Evidence:

'rough canvas cover'

Technique:

'Rough' = adjective

'canvas' = noun

Analyse:

'Rough' suggests that the bedding is uncomfortable. 'Canvas' is not what we would usually sleep under – it's scratchy and uncomfortable.

Link to context:

The family have little money to afford luxury items and are forced to sleep under materials we wouldn't usually associate with bedding.

Putting it all together:

The writer provides an insight into the character's living conditions by describing their bedding as being a 'rough canvas cover', the use of the adjective 'rough' implying something uncomfortable while the noun 'canvas' is not what we would usually sleep under. This tells us that the family have very little money and cannot afford the luxury of a basic human right such as a comfortable bedding.

Now it's your turn. Try to write your own PETAL paragraphs using the other highlighted quotations in the text, which include techniques such as use of short sentences for effect, hyperbole, visual imagery, verbs, simile, and list of three.

I hope you found this blog post helpful! If you have any questions about analysing pieces of writing, please feel free to get in touch. I will uploading some more content similar to this soon – so keep an eye out!

Thank you for reading.