How to Write Better Essays

Learning to Analyse 23

Unfortunately, we all seem to assume that everyone knows how to

do it, so there’s no need to teach it. This, however, is far from the case.

Most of us do it poorly because, rather than it being a natural thing to

do, something we do almost by second nature, it seems to most of

us to be the most unnaturalthing. We have to force ourselves to ask

the most deliberate questions about things that appear obvious. This

seems to be unwarranted: it seems forced and unnecessary. I often

ask students that most annoying and awkward of all questions,

which begins, ‘But what do you mean by... ?’ Usually their response

is to gasp in amazement that anyone, particularly one bearing the heavy

responsibility for their education, could have any difficulty under-

standing a concept or the meaning of a word they use everyday of their

lives. Their usual response is, ‘But everyone knows what that means!’

But then, once they’ve begun thinking about the word and arguing

what they all understand by it, they begin to realise that there is any-

thing but consensus over its meaning. And, to their delight, as they

analyse the implications of the concept they uncover for themselves

rich sources of ideas they never knew they had, and the most percep-

tive observations that surprise even themselves.

Blinded by preconceptions

In fact, the more awkward and deliberate this process feels the better

the results are likely to be. In this lies the strength of the analytical

method. We all carry around with us patterns of ideas through which

we’re able to structure unfamiliar experience and give it meaning. But,

while this can be useful in giving us emotional safety, particularly in

times of rapid change, it can be quite deceptive: we see what we want

to see, even when it’s perfectly obvious that we’ve got it wrong.

We’ve all heard police officers explain that, if they have, say, twelve

eyewitnesses to a crime, they will more than likely have twelve differ-

ent accounts of what happened. We all carry certain preconceptions

that prepare our minds to see what they want to see. For example, read

the phrases in each of the triangles below.

PARIS

IN THE

THE SPRING

ONCE

IN A

A LIFETIME

BIRD

IN THE

THE HAND

HTW3 7/26/01 8:45 PM Page 23