Comp. 3 Primary Sources

• The Market Revolution
• Democracy in America
• Religion and Reform1
• The Cotton Revolution
• Manifest Destiny

Tutorial: Writing Document Analysis Paragraphs

The ability to identify*, summarize*, and analyze* a source, whether secondary or primary, is a vital skill. As this class progresses, you will be required to write a couple of short, argumentative essays. This type of writing, along with the interpretation required, calls for the incorporation of context from materials we’ve covered in class—i.e. the textbook, lecture slides, and primary sources. The goal is to use multiple sources/examples in one essay. As we build up to that point, I ask students to learn how to write “analysis paragraphs.” One paragraph written about a source or a piece of evidence from class material eventually serves as a building block for a longer essay.

*To identify is to explain the basics such as who created a piece and when/where it was written/spoken/etc.

*To summarize is to convey briefly the key ideas of a source (text, image, audio, etc.), using your own words.

*To analyze is to explain the significance of those key ideas within the context of what we’ve been learning in class, as well as to give your interpretation of specific elements of the text such as audience, style, and use of rhetoric. (Refer to the handout on Interpreting Primary Sources.)

Tips for writing an analysis paragraph with a primary source text:

• Read carefully, highlight or underline important text, take notes, look up unfamiliar words, ask questions, etc. in order to ensure you understand the source text. These are important pre-steps to being able to summarize (succinctly) what the source is about.
• Some basic identifying questions you might answer as you are taking notes and writing your paragraph:
  • Who wrote the document and what are his/her cultural biases? What is the author’s background (you can look this up!)? When and Where was it written? When or Where is the document describing (if different from where written)?
• Summarizing questions include:
  • What is the document’s purpose or argument? What are the key points of evidence used to support that argument? Are there specific lines you can identify to help demonstrate the point through brief “quotations”? Can you identify various rhetorical styles, such as pathos, logos, and ethos, in the writing? Explain.
• Some even more important questions that help explain why the ideas expressed are important within the context of what we’ve been learning in class:
  • What else was going on when and where it was written? Why is this document significant? How does it relate to what we’ve studied in class so far?
• Don’t assume knowledge on the part of the reader. Be thorough in your explanation of the 5 Ws/Journalistic Questions.