Summary vs. Analysis Responding to Literature

Summary Summary simply tells what is there. It describes what happened, or briefly retells a narrative.

Summary If we simply describe what’s there, we are summarizing. Summary: – Telling what the story is about – Telling what happens in the story

Example: Summary of the story: The Cat in the Hat is about a cat who wears a hat. He appears at the home of two children and makes a very big mess. Luckily, the Cat helps clean it up before the children’s parents return.

Summary Example: The cover of the book features a cat wearing a tall, red and white striped hat. The cat is also wearing a red bow tie.

Summary Most high school classes reward essays that feature summary. English 102 does not.

Analysis Analysis builds on summary to tell why or how something is there.

Analysis Analysis builds on summary to tell why or how something is there. Analysis isn’t necessarily true. It just sounds true.

An analysis of The Cat in the Hat might tell why the cat wears a hat.

Analysis below is underlined. The Cat in the Hat’s main character is the Cat. Throughout the book, the Cat acts with impunity, singing songs and wrecking havoc without check. The animal has more authority than either of the children he visits and seems to control all nearby creatures with the exception of the family fish. This authority stems not from the animal itself, after all a Cat is just a cat, but from the Cat’s headwear: the hat. In the wider culture, Americans have come to associate hats with the upper classes and/or authority figures. The style of hat the Cat wears is also important. He wears a top hat, one the children have doubtlessly seen on upper class adults or on authority figures such as Abraham Lincoln.

Writing Analysis 1.Give a quote (counts as summary) 2.Use this helper phrase to provide analysis: This quote proves my thesis because: ______ ___________________________________ _________________________________ 3.Finish the sentence. 4.Remove the helper phrase (important!!!) 5.What’s left is 1 sentence of analysis.