The Triumphs and Tribulations of Writing Analytically

The Triumphs and Tribulations of Writing Analytically

Looking back at this massive unit, I am very proud to see how I have evolved as a writer. Before starting unit two, I feel I didn't truly understand the importance of writing analytically. I would simply spill out all of my thoughts and ideas onto paper without thinking of all the different layers to the piece I was writing about. From the op-docs to the New Yorker, all of these assignments have allowed me to communicate and support complicated ideas. Although at first it was tough for me to understand how to think and work critically, I ended up developing skills that not only apply to my writing but also everyday life. 

Starting out this unit by watching “Tough Guise 2” was a great opportunity for me to look at how other composers effectively use analysis. It showed me that a composer's work whether it is a documentary, article, or artwork has many different ideas layered into it. Being able to discover the underlying messages behind these pieces has allowed me to shift my thinking and arrive at multiple conclusions. However, I felt that this writing activity came easier to me because it centered around a topic that I already had many opinions about. For the op-docs presentation and The New Yorker assignment, I definitely had a difficult time analyzing and arriving to a set conclusion. There were many times watching the op-doc videos and analyzing my New Yorker cover that I thought, “I have absolutely no idea why they included this”. Due to a lack of background knowledge for these pieces I was pushed to discover my own unique interpretations. I began to look at things from all different angles without bias, and asked myself questions such as “why did they include this?” and “why is this significant to this work”. Both of these assignments were very important to my understanding of why authors include the things they do in order to allude to bigger ideas. This is something that I was able to transfer into my own writing and definitely broadened my critical thinking skills. 

For the final unit two assignment I wanted to choose an artifact that would challenge me as a writer and a thinker. I ultimately chose to analyze “Stop and Search”  because I always thought that art was a great tool that exposed people to new ideas, but also something that was not such an easy target. Art is a powerful outlet that aims to affect people emotionally and at times is definitely hard to decipher its true meaning. A successful tactic I chose to arrive at it’s meaning was to research contextual information while nitpicking at every little detail within the painting. This led me to my own interpretations as to what the artist was trying to criticize in his artwork, and ultimately nudged me to reevaluate my own thoughts and systems around me. 

The most important thing that I took away from this unit was that analysis is such a powerful way to reimagine cultural norms, social systems, power relations, and how we can challenge them. I learned that the valuable steps we take in analysis ultimately determine bigger objectives that teach us about who we are and how we think.