Yes, good answer, Michael! Analysis is often described as breaking something down into its parts. However, another approach is helpful here: Challenging ideas.
You can write arguments, and then write about what is wrong with those arguments. Then, you can consider other points of view. The idea is to make statements, and then talk a little about how those statements may be partially untrue. Like this:
When I write about how my first job affected my outlook on life, the first thing that comes to mind is a feeling that people are cruel. People were trying to make me do as much work as I would do, and they hired me because as a high school student I would accept low wages. this seems cruel. However, as I analyze my ideas, I have to also keep in mind the fact that I was not qualified for any other jobs, and I have to admit that it was kind -- not cruel -- to give me a job. After careful analysis, I see that job as an experience of a mixture of kindness and cruelness.
