Rosenwasser’s Writing Analytically offers new insight to what it means to properly analyze reading. Reading analysis, according to Rosenwasser, is more than just being able to understand what you read – rather, it is being able to make connections and put together puzzle pieces that didn’t seem to fit before.
Rosenwasser offers the reader five moves that will help him/her improve their reading analysis skills. One point that Rosenwasser makes is to “Make the Implicit Explicit,” which is something I never thought of before. In this particular point, Rosenwasser offers a differentiation between inference and implication – which is something that I’ve never considered before. Inference, in short, is what you are thinking. Implication, on the other hand, is what the reading actually says.
Rosenwasser also explains that when reading, it is important to consider questions that might help one further analyze reading. He offers a few of these questions, and explains that “learning to write well is largely a matter of learning how to frame questions.” This provided me new insight simply because I’ve never considered (or actively thought of) these questions while reading.
One last point that Rosenwasser offers is the differentiation between an argument and analysis. In an argument, Rosenwasser explains, the thesis includes a “should” statement. In an analysis, however, the thesis provides an answer to a particular question.
Rossenwasser’s point on “Make the Implicit Explicit” is something I never considered either. What I took from this is that you shouldn’t conclude to your first inference, but to make an inference on the implication.
I too have never considered that inference is what you are thinking while implication is what the reading actually says. Very interesting point.