Summary versus Analysis

1. Summary versus Analysis “Facing Two Ways at Once”

2. Why is summarizing important? “…to argue persuasively you need to be in dialogue with others…” (Graff p. 28) “Because writers who make strong claims need to map their claims relative to those of other people, it is important to know how to summarize effectively what those other people say.” (Graff p. 28)

3. What is the relationship between summary and analysis? Summary: WHAT Analysis: HOW Cunningham uses historical and social examples of powerlessness—African slaves, newborn babies—to make a logical argument connecting a lack of political or social power to the insincere smiles of the oppressed, especially women. In her article “Why Women Smile,” Amy Cunningham argues that a woman’s excessive smiling reflects power dynamics in our society, and that these dynamics could change if we regain control of our faces and lives. What we did last week: Ethos, Pathos, Logos

4. Good Advice on Summarizing There are a lot of ways to summarize. You may highlight some aspects of a text over others. “Generally speaking, a summary must at once be true to what the original author says while at the same time emphasizing those aspects of what the author says that interest you, the writer.” (Graff p. 29)

5. Good summary: True to what the author says + Emphasizes the parts you care about A good setup for your own analysis or argument

6. Does this summary set up the analysis? Summary: In her article “Why Women Smile,” Amy Cunningham argues that a woman’s excessive smiling reflects power dynamics in our society, and that these dynamics could change if we regain control of our faces and lives. Women Power dynamics Excessive smiling Society Focuses: Analysis: Cunningham uses historical and social examples of powerlessness—African slaves, newborn babies—to make a logical argument connecting a lack of political or social power to the insincere smiles of the oppressed, especially women.

7. Does this summary set up the analysis? Summary: In her article “Why Women Smile,” Amy Cunningham asserts that the biological reasons humans have for smiling, beginning in infancy, are the root of a person’s insincere smiling. Analysis: Cunningham uses historical and social examples of powerlessness—African slaves, newborn babies—to make a logical argument connecting a lack of political or social power to the insincere smiles of the oppressed, especially women. Women Power dynamics Excessive smiling Society Biology/infancy Insincere smiling Focuses: Focuses:

8. BEWARE • It is a good idea to make sure your summary and your analysis are complementary to each other. • But this advice does NOT give you free license to distort the author’s argument or summarize only one part. Always relate the specific element you focus on back to the “big picture” of the argument.