SophiaWilliams
New member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2026
- Messages
- 6
Let me save you the grade I lost. First rhetorical analysis essay, I picked a famous speech, and I wrote four pages describing what the speaker said and when they said it. I thought I was killing it. Got a C- with a note that just said "this is summary. where is the analysis?"
I was so frustrated because I didn't even know the difference. My friend explained it like this: summary is telling someone WHAT happened. Analysis is telling them HOW it works and WHY it matters . So instead of "he talked about his childhood" (summary), you say "he uses a personal anecdote about his childhood to establish ethos by creating common ground with working-class listeners" (analysis) . It's not just what they did, it's what effect that choice has on the audience. Once I got that, everything clicked. My next essay got an A-.
Now I tell everyone this because I wish someone had told me.
Don't summarize.
Analyze.
I was so frustrated because I didn't even know the difference. My friend explained it like this: summary is telling someone WHAT happened. Analysis is telling them HOW it works and WHY it matters . So instead of "he talked about his childhood" (summary), you say "he uses a personal anecdote about his childhood to establish ethos by creating common ground with working-class listeners" (analysis) . It's not just what they did, it's what effect that choice has on the audience. Once I got that, everything clicked. My next essay got an A-.
Now I tell everyone this because I wish someone had told me.
Don't summarize.
Analyze.