40 Analytical Essay Topics For High School And College

40 Analytical Essay Topics For High School And College

Published by on 2018-05-31 10:52:23

An analytical essay requires you to analyze something (a book, an article, a movie, an issue or an event) and support your arguments with evidence from the primary and secondary sources. We have already covered the basics of writing an analytical essay, and today we’ll talk about the first step that is sometimes the hardest of all - finding something to analyze. We’ll also share an analytical essay topics list. So if you are not interested in the theory behind forming a solid analytical question, you can skip ahead and choose among the analytical essay topics we’ve assembled for you.

Analytical Essay Topics Start With A Good Question

Whichever subject you choose for your essay, develop an analytical question to focus your writing and make the pre-writing stage easier. To define the problem, read the primary source first and have a good grasp of it. After that, think about an issue you would like to explore. When you consider which topic is best for an analytical essay, always go with an issue that leads you on a way of discovery. If you learn nothing new while writing, it is likely your readers won’t either.

To develop an actionable question that will be the basis of your analytical essay topic, follow a simple algorithm:

  1. Find a dilemma within the text or movie you are analyzing. It should cause ambiguity and confusion, create a variety of interpretations among the audience.
  2. Ensure there are two or more answers to the question. Otherwise, you will waste your essay convincing readers of something they already know.
  3. Evaluate whether the answer to the question is complicated and lengthy enough to yield enough arguments and evidence to make an essay. Remember the difference between summarizing and analyzing.
  4. Ascertain there is enough evidence within the primary source to support your claims without extensive secondary sources research and references.

If you can’t formulate any analytical essay topics with these tips, try changing the angle. Instead of asking Who, What, Where or When, ask How or Why. These questions allow more room for analysis and enable you to locate contradictions, connections, and patterns within the primary source.

We’ve gathered 40 top-notch topics for analytical essays for different academic levels. You are sure to find your inspiration among them.

Literature Analytical Essay Topics For High School

  1. How did horror fiction evolve through time from Shelley to King?
  2. Why aren’t popular fantasy novels the part of the school reading program?
  3. Why did Orwell use allegory and animal characters in “Animal Farm”?
  4. How are the ancient Greek and modern European tragicomedies similar?
  5. What are the similarities of vampire fiction of 19th and 21st centuries?
  6. What is the role of nemesis in Hamlet and Macbeth?
  7. Why have dystopias like “Hunger games” become popular in the 21st century?
  8. How do movie adaptations compare to books?
  9. How does “The Devil’s Dictionary” use cynicism and satire?
  10. How does Jonathan Swift implement satire in Gulliver’s Travels to undermine religions?

History Analytical Essay Topics

  1. Why did the French Revolution begin in the 18th century?
  2. How did Great Britain come to utilize the parliamentary system?
  3. Why are casts still present in modern Indian society?
  4. Why is English the primary language for international communication?
  5. Why were English settlements established in Australia?
  6. What were the reasons for the black plague in the Middle Ages?
  7. Why did the USA win the space race against the USSR?
  8. How did American women fight for their right to vote?
  9. Why did the USA join the Second World War so late?
  10. How did the founding fathers define American democracy?

Ethical Analytical Essay Topics For High School

  1. Who should be held responsible for doping at the Olympics?
  2. Why should LGBT rights parades be prohibited?
  3. How can society help homeless and poor people?
  4. Why do people still go to church in the 21st century?
  5. Why should euthanasia be legalized for non-responsive patients?
  6. What are the alternatives to the current penal system?
  7. What are the criteria to determine psychological maturity?
  8. Why do some people succumb to addiction while others don’t?
  9. How can a society function without inequality?
  10. How does divorce influence children’s psychology and wellbeing?

Analytical Essay Topics On Current Events

  1. How did hackers use social media to influence the results of the latest election in the USA?
  2. Why do certain countries ban messaging apps and social media websites?
  3. What are the real reasons behind terrorist attacks on American soil?
  4. How to European countries cope with the influx of Syrian refugees?
  5. How can immigration limitations support the American economy?
  6. Why do people live in regions with the high risk of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcano eruptions?
  7. How can cryptocurrency ensure safe and transparent economy?
  8. Why has the world come to the brink of the nuclear conflict?
  9. How did Elon Musk overtake everyone in the space race of the 21st century?
  10. How will virtual reality and artificial intelligence change our lives?

analytical essay format
We hope you’ve enjoyed our analytical essay topics list and found an excellent idea or two for your next paper. Don’t be afraid to alter the questions we have raised, combine them or change angles. These topics are meant to engage your imagination and ensure you are never out of inspiration.

Now that you know which topic is best for an analytical essay comes the hard part. You need to write the paper. We can help with that too. Start by checking out our guide on how to write an analytical essay. If that is not enough for you, contact our writers, and they will take the burden of writing the paper off your shoulders. Or you can submit your finished paper for editing and proofreading if you want to give it a polished look.

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