How can I analyse a quote?

Analysing a quote can be done in a number of ways and is often a key part of essay writing. My school taught me to use the PEEL approach but there are many other variants of this which you may have learnt in school. Having a structure to your answer is essential in an exam. It not only makes your writing more effective, but is a useful aid to you as the writer. I found this a simple but invaluable way to structure my answer. PEEL stands for Point, Evidence, Explain, Link.  The PEEL approach asks the student to first, make a Point about the text or quote. For example, you might be explaining the way in which a particular quote is a metaphor for something else. State what the quote could possibly mean. The 2nd step asks you to provide evidence for your point. Back up your point with some key words or phrases from the text or quote. The more analysis given to each, the higher mark you could attain (within reasonable bounds of course!). Thirdly, Explain how your evidence backs up your point. You can put in some more analysis here and bolster your argument. Finally, link all this information back to the question. There is no one way to analyse a quote, but an effectively structured answer can allow you to analyse mulitple components of the quote without getting lost in too much "waffle." The structure allows you to make seperate points and explain them individually without making empty points with no evidence, which is an easy mistake to make when you have lots to talk about in an essay.