The difference between a summary and an analysis is actually quite clear just sometimes hard to put into words.
A summary can mean many things such as the summary of a book that’s on the back cover, giving the reader a bit of insight into the story to hopefully grasp their attention and make them want to read more. It can also be a summary of what a person read, like in an English class the teacher will want a summary of a chapter that was just read or a summary of someone’s presentation. A summary is just a brief explanation that when the next person reads it, allows them to understand what’s going or what might happen if they continue reading. It can also help to give a summary when describing something on a website to give the reader a heads up on what’s going to be on the site itself. I’m going to insert an example of both actually of how a summary is on a website and for a book all at once. This link will take you to the Barnes and Noble website, where I have chosen a book and in the overview section, it gives me a quick summary of what the book is going to be about:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maid-sama-volume-1-hiro-fujiwara/1101050315#Details.
An analysis is taking a piece of writing and looking at it through the lens of a writer and not a reader. Though you can do it as a reader, it is often better to do it as a writer so that you can get a better grasp on certain areas such as the author’s writing abilities and what kind of writing methods do they use throughout the piece. This tends to come up in Creative Writing classes. Since you are taking the class to study and become a better writer, what better way to do it than analyzing another writer’s work and learning off of them. An analysis can also be used in science, politics and business but for the sake of the subject, let’s stick with writing. This following link will give you an analysis that was used for The book of Ruth.
http://bible.org/article/literary-analysis-book-ruth.
I agree, I have trouble putting what I understand in words at times! It comes for me from having more of a math mind than a creative one. "Looking at it though the lens of a writer;" that is about how I feel about it. As a reader I don't often dissect what I am reading to learn more about what really is the writer’s personality and temperament. In order to do that well, you have to in part, think how they think.
ReplyDeleteI liked that you gave examples as to where and why you might come upon or create summaries and an analysis. The links you added were quite helpful. I agree that it is often to put into words especially for analysis, i tend to over think things to the point where i completely forgot my angle :p. But "looking at it through the lens of a writer" couldn't have been put into better words, and its true. When you look at the context in the point of view of what the writer may have been thinking it makes it easier to create an analysis.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it crazy how sometimes you just have to have something said to you in a certain way, and then it just clicks? I think that's where people get confused when determining the differences between a summary and an analysis. I personally find writing summaries to be terribly boring, and while an analysis might seem a bit more difficult, it is worth it in the end. Like you said, if you can see it as the writer of the piece saw it, it will change how you interpret it's meaning, and will open your mind to bigger possibilities the next time you read something.
ReplyDeleteI think you really hit the nail on the head here! I sometimes have trouble analyzing because I feel that I am not a great writer. I liked your quote, "Looking at it though the lens of a writer;" . Seeing it that way really made me think and it helped me to understand analysis better. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI have never been good at analyzing an author's work because i do not consider myself a good writer it is not easy and takes a lot of hard work and dedication to one's craft.Liked the link to barnes and noble.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about the "lens of a writer not a reader" although lately I feel a lot more like a critic and less like a reader. Sometimes my initial reaction is to just digest what I read and whether it be amusement, disgust, disdain or outright anger at what I read or heard or saw I feel it always take a second or even third glance to truly analyze something.
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