Whereas a summary most often answers the question of what a text says, an analysis is your interpretation of how a text conveys its main idea. As you read an image or a multimodal text, you are forming a judgment of it. Your analysis says to readers: “Here’s my reading of this text. This is what the text means and why it matters.”

When you are assigned to analyze an image or a multimodal text such as a painting, a podcast, or a PowerPoint slide, you will usually be expected to look at how the different parts contribute to its central purpose, often with the aim of judging how effective the text is in achieving its purpose.

Analysis of an advertisement: Yoshida, “Sometimes a Cup of Coffee Is Just a Cup of Coffee”

Analysis of an advertisement: Lee, “The Golden Arches Go Green: McDonald’s and Real Lettuce”