While synthesis compares and contrasts themes or ideas, analysis pulls apart the smaller elements of a text or object to determine how they affect the whole piece. Analysis is different than summary and often includes interpretation of the purpose, context, audience, and who the author is.

Rhetorical Analyses: An Overview: this UWC-produced text introduces rhetorical analysis. Rhetorical analysis evaluates how well a spoken or written work accomplishes its purpose by examining the techniques the creator uses to persuade. Any act of communication intended to alter someone’s perspective can be rhetorically analyzed, including speeches, advertisements, news articles, opinion pieces, social media posts, works of art, songs and music videos, films, informational pamphlets, and academic texts. 

Annotated Rhetorical Analysis: this UWC-produced companion to the overview above offers thoughtful responses to the moves and choices in a JMU student's rhetorical analysis paper (written in response to a Breeze opinion piece).

Distinguishing between analysis and summary: the UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center always offers useful resources, and this page on identifying and limiting summary in favor of analysis is no exception.