Summary vs. Analysis

By William Waterway (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

At first glance, summary and analysis can seem quite similar; they both answer questions and describe a piece of work, but the similarities stop there. Summaries describe by answering the questions who, what, when and where, but not why. They are flat, lack depth, and relate the story in black and white. While an analysis also briefly answers who, what, when and where, it focuses on why. To be more specific; the why of the who, what, when, and where. Analyses are more personal; they get into the meaning behind the story, which can vary from person to person. A summary gives a general outline of a story (e.g., the characters, setting and plot), where as an analysis gets into the meaning behind the story and what gives it depth; covering things like symbols, motifs, and character development. If the ocean was a novel, a summary would only show the surface, while an analysis would show what lurked beneath the waves.

By Mikhail Rogov (Canon S-60) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Here is a link to the summary and analysis of chapters 9-11 of To Kill A Mockingbird on SparkNotes.

 http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/section5.rhtml