Summary vs. Analysis
(Example based on Susan Allen Toth’s “Going to the Movies”)
Summary (Section 1)
Toth first introduces us to her
first date, Aaron, who takes her
to art films. She explains how
they arrive to the movies in
separate cars and how
throughout the movie he is
disconnected from her, even
jumping at her touch and then
leaving her alone at the end of
the night.
This is an example of what NOT
to do. It merely retells the story
rather than explaining HOW it
was crafted (with logos, ethos,
pathos)
Analysis (Section 1) DO THIS!
To introduce us to her story, Toth uses first person
“I” to create a confessional tone for her piece. She
jumps right in to her story by giving the details of
her first date with Aaron that reveal him to be a
lover of art films. She uses footnotes to reveal that
the films they watch are filled with seduction and
passion which reveals the irony of her reality with
Aaron—he likes the movies more than he likes her.
These ironic details create a sense of sadness and
frustration because the speaker is clearly
mismatched with Aaron. She utilizes imagery to
show the awkward physical and emotional
separation between the two when she describes
how he “leans away from me, careful not to touch
the bare flesh of his arm against the bare flesh of
mine” (1105). This imagery further reveals the
disconnect that exists and perpetuates the tone of
sadness throughout Section I as Toth begins her
journey to find real love that ultimately only exists
inside herself.
Red = logos
Blue = pathos
Orange = purpose