One of the big adjustments for doing a rhetorical analysis is learning the distinction between summary and analysis.
Many of us wrote book reports in school. If you did, you would mostly be doing summary. Summary takes the most important parts that you think an audience would want to know, and assemble them in a “big picture” way to give your audience a sense of the meaningful parts of a given object. If it is a book report, that means the highlights and general trajectory of the plot. If it is an “executive summary” for, say, an annual report for a given business or non-profit, that means including the main takeaways in terms of yearly earnings, future directions, etc.
Summary is useful in a rhetorical analysis! Especially when you are analyzing an object that your audience is unfamiliar with–say a brief summary in the beginning (like no more than a paragraph). But, the bulk of what you are doing in a rhetorical analysis is not summary, but (surprise!) analysis.
In the “Tools for Analyzing Texts” chapter, these are the sorts of things you are trying to figure out when analyzing a text:
- the central meanings of the text
- how meanings are expressed in the text
- why the text is important
- why the text is unusual, unique, or odd
- why it is influential or what influences it
- how it describes social, cultural, or historical ideas
- how it conceals, exposes, reinforces, or challenges hidden violence or prejudiced attitudes
- what philosophical, psychological, or affective concepts it channels
- or where it stands (or should stand) in relation to other texts
On pages 109-110, there is a great example of summarizing, summarizing + analyzing, and analyzing only.
To get some practice with this distinction, and to get you in that revision headspace you all should be in now anyway (!), do the following in the comments below:
- Write a brief summary of your first draft of your literacy narrative
- Write a brief analysis, using a lens from “Tools for Analyzing Texts,” of your first draft of your literacy narrative.
You can do a hybrid summary and analysis or do a separate summary and analysis in the same comment below. Make sure you have something substantive: about 150-300 words.
Brief Summary Literary Draft
The common theme throughout the paper would have to be the progression of learning Spanish and how it is used in my life in school and at home. Another common theme is how language can differ from household and that not all Spanish is the same although it is similar. How the influence of others was able to attribute to my language skills and how the languages that I know were able to help my parents, other family members and friends. The first draft has a heavy emphasis on this and is balanced on the main topic and does not sway away from the point.
Brief Analysis of Literary Draft
One of the lenses that I was able to see that was present in my work was the lens of Intersectionality. That lens focuses on the way that various cultures and social groups function and how they act in the world in many different ways. The life of someone from a different racial group and culture may live a completely different life and can progress through their day completely differently. I would say that this lense is able to convey the point that I was trying to convey in my draft and how my language is able to help me in my daily life and how being bilingual is also another advantage that I have for my Spanish speaking parents.
Summary
I have experience two languages in two distinct cultures. On one hand, I grew up in China, and I developed a deep sense of respect for the language. One aspect of the Chinese language that I found fascinating is its history, which can be traced back to thousands of years ago, and which are still used today. Another aspect that I enjoy is Chinese calligraphy. I feel that the characters, when written in a certain way, can convey different tones, such as power and status. On the other hand, English to me functions more like a tool I use to get around and make a living in the country. My time spent on these two languages has led me to conclude that learning a language exposes me to different perspectives that enriches my life.
Analysis
I’m going to use Marxist Theory because none of the theories remotely seem to be in sync with my theme, including this one.
Marxist Theory, as I have read, is about the disparities between the working class and the capitalists. In my draft, I have noted that literacy is a powerful that is mostly reserved to the aristocrats in ancient times. However, almost everyone has a chance to rise up in the socioeconomic ladder via the meritocratic system, which values literacy. In this case, the working class and the capitalists can also be distinguished by their level literacy. It is no different in today’s society, where the highly literate enjoys a high status. To that point, language mastery gives one an edge in any occupation.
Summary:
I was born on Long Island, NY, to Israeli immigrants who fought all of their lives to lead better lives for their children. As I am a Jew, I am a minority. I am not necessarily extremely devoted to my religion, but I do have much respect for it, and the ideas that surround said religion. I believe in parts of it, and stray away from other parts. Normally, I am a very quiet person who does not like to get in the way of things. I am shy/ quiet and only really open up once I start talking to someone for a bit. I have learned over time not to speak too openly about my religion, as again it is a minority, and the world as of late as been a very evil place. I do not go in depth about my beliefs as far as religion goes very often, and like to keep to myself to avoid unwanted attention/ to not attract any negativity.
Analysis:
The environment plays a critical role of why I do not speak very openly on my religion. History has shown us that most minority groups go through many issues and face many obstacles. The Holocaust is just one of many examples that describes my point perfectly. I have realized that it is very important to focus on the environment of the world when speaking about something controversial.
Brief Summary of Literary Draft
As a little child, I experienced great difficulty learning how to read and write because the two processes appeared too complex for my young mind. I was also amazed by how adults could communicate in English so easily and fluently. However, all this changed when I began pre-school because my interaction with others emboldened me to become more interested in expressing myself. This interested as well as the subsequent effort in exploring various literature resulted in my being more adept at reading and writing. Nevertheless, I feel that there is still much to learn and that I can only get better at using language to tell the story of I really am.
Brief Analysis of Literary Draft
The intersectionality lens is the one that closely relates to my literary draft. The reason as to why I chose this lens is that it considers the many factors that affect one’s identity and position in a cultural or social setting. In this case, my interaction with other kids from different cultures opened my eyes to the fact that people may speak different languages but they can still understand each other if they put effort into utilizing the available communication tools and avenues. It is based on this understanding that I subsequently decided to put in more effort in finding out how I could use my voice to explain myself in a way that others would best understand me.
Summary of Literary Draft
From the day I was born and named Nissim my life has been one of language and culture. As I grew up I constantly battled with my identity and acceptance of my name. Until I was inspired and gained a sense of identity and culture. From then I was proud of my language and used my ability to read and write to further embrace my culture. In the end it’s important to speak your language and take a part in your culture so you can build your identity.
Analysis of Literary Draft
My essay can be closely analyzed using the intersectionality lens. Through this lens we can see how I ultimately struggled with being apart of my family’s culture and the culture of America. Growing up I was embarrassed of my name and just wanted to be like everyone else. We saw this when I didn’t give my real name at Starbucks and other places. But eventually I took pride in my culture and learned how to mix both Americas culture and my own culture at home.
Summary:
Language usage was always important in Lina’s life. She realizes it in a school setting when the way she spoke was not acceptable to write in for New York State testing. When she goes to high school she also was made aware that her ability to code switch her language may have given her an upper hand. In addition, her family being bilingual added another struggle in her relationship with language. Most of her family members can speak Haitian Creole and she can’t. This made her feel left out of her own family sometimes.
Analysis:
Using the Marxist theory lens I could see why Lina struggled with language. The class she was in spoke a different language than the class that was above her. Throughout her life she was being taught how to speak the language of the upper class in order to be able to have a seat at their table. In trying to do that she leaves out the language of her family. Within the family it is problematic because she no longer “fits in” but some may believe it is for the best because they would probably try to teacher of the language of the upper class within that language as well. Overall, to her language was not just about communication. It was about being able to sit at many different tables (classes).
Summary.
Communication is a very essential part of being human. In this modern times forms of communication like writing are directly intertwined to the academic use of it, hence school. For someone like me, whose handwriting is very messy , writing in school was rather frustrating since my work would be judged based on its apereance rather than its content, at some point I got so frustrated that I just stopped trying. Looking back, there was a form of literature I unowingly didn’t abandon, music and lyric analysis. Once in highschool things tuck a turn and I was actually able to give in my assignments without them being judged by my caligraphy.
Analysis.
In my text, I primarily target the reader’s feelings, pathos. At first, I briefly talk about the importance and evolution of language and writing as a form of communication and expression, followed by that I formulate the question of what would happen if one’s calligraphy was challenging to read, would figuring out its content to be worth? My objective is to help the reader see the struggle from my younger-self perspective, further understanding why it caused frustration towards writing. Later, I mention how and why highschool was a good time to overcomes this feelings that holded me back, since there I was not veing judeged by what I couldnt change but rather by something that was in my control, the content of my writing.
Summary of Literary Draft:
My literary draft essentially broke down one of the most significant (but also one of the most unpleasant) moments of my life. In particular, it talked about my struggle with finding my identity based on the dialect I used, which were AAVE and “academic English”. In the draft, I gave an example of a moment where the cultural difference between AAVE and “academic” English directly affected my performance as a student. I then went on to talk about how it affected my life as a whole and caused me to have a legitimate identity crisis before I was out of middle school. In the end, I was somewhat successful in having my identities intersect, but it’s still something I definitely need to work on.
Analysis for Literary Draft
I think you could view my draft through either the intersectionality lens, OR the postcolonial lens. Personally I’d choose the postcolonial lens, because it can be said that the draft is essentially taking on a postcolonial atmosphere in itself, what with the discussion of different cultural dialects in comparison to “academic English”. It talks about my struggle with finding my identity within both dialects and also begins to get into how important language is to identity. It also talks about the “linguistic terrorism” that had been mentioned earlier by Andalzua , which in itself is a result of colonialism and forced assimilation.
Early on, I had noticed a commonality between other narratives. It was usually a conflict from bilingualism or speaking a certain dialect that was not widely accepted. I did not have such an experience like those topics, so I decided on discussing mass communication. Through the Kairos lens, one could clearly see that I developed a framework based on my observations of recent events (which is also emphasized in the title). It begins with my recollection of a time before smartphones and WiFi, where most people read through printed media. I reflected on new methods of communication and how our society adapted to maximize profit. It then segues into my observations about political journalism regarding polarization on issues, specifically the pandemic and how it affected public safety. I also remarked on my motivation to study full time based on an educational phone app that would have not been possible before recent years. In my revision I will need to connect a second theme which would be “mass communication brings out conflict and understanding”.
Summary:
In my literacy narrative draft, I discuss the differences in my feeling between language, reading and writing throughout my life. In the beginning, I talk about how my love for language grew when I would talk to my mom. The conversations that my mom and I had would end up having a lasting impact on me wanting my voice to be heard. I also discuss the transformation of my reading and writing experience from grade school up to high school, and how that system ended up making me enjoy reading and writing less. At the end, I talk about how I am trying to move towards a place where I enjoy reading things that I want to read and writing what I want to write.
Analysis:
Throughout my literacy narrative, I discuss the impact that different experiences in my life have had on my attitude towards language, reading, and writing. Through annecdotal experience, I talk about how conversations with my mom positively influenced my attidude towrds writing. Using logos, I discuss how the school system forces students to write and read about the same things over and over again, which often results in students losing the love for reading and writing that they might have had at an earlier age. Finally, I offer a solution for my problem: to start reading and writing on your own. The point of this is to focus on what interests you intead of focusing on what you have been required to do for years.
Summary of my literary draft:
In my first draft, I expressed my complicated relationship with my identity growing up. Throughout my life, I constantly found myself confused of where I belonged because of my lack of understanding in both the English and Spanish language. I felt like I did not fit into any community, which had a major impact on my self-esteem. In my narrative, I explained how I felt that I was too American to associate myself with my Hispanic culture and that I was too Hispanic to associate myself with the other kids in my grade. This led to an identity crisis that lasted until I began high school. Fortunately, I have found a perfect balance in expressing both cultures through my identity.
Analysis of First Draft:
The intersectionality lens would best relate to my first draft. The lens explains how social and cultural aspects can affect a person’s identity. In my first draft, I explained just that. I could not relate to the American culture nor the Hispanic culture. I was too focused on trying to identify as one, that I totally missed the fact that I can embrace both in my identity.
Summary: In my first draft I touched upon how the pronunciation of my name varied based on the speaker and so my name never reflected me but the speaker. I wrote about a conversation I had with my parents often trying to understand this. I then spoke about how I came to terms with my name and identity through literature written by authors similar to me.
Analysis: Using the intersectionality lense the reader can best understand how although the subject of the story refers to something as simple as pronouncing a name. Cultural assimilation deeply impacts individuals in all aspects of life. However, no struggle is too small because it still depicts the greater struggle of fitting into two distinct identities.