It's possible that the last time you were given an definition for analysis, you were in English 101, which may seem like a long time ago. When you were there, you probably heard a definition something like this one from the textbook Writing Analytically: "To analyze something is to ask what that something means. It asks how something does what it does or why it is as it is" (Rosenwasser 41). We want to remind you of this definition, because the emphasis on asking questions about what something means, how it "does what it does," or even why it does what it does will occupy a great portion of your energy in your classwork (and writing) for classes in the English Department.
For example, if you were reading a poem like the Ronald Johnson poem (from ARK, "BEAM 24") below for a class, you would be expected to not only describe what it looks like, but to ask questions about why the poem is made the way that it is, or how a reader is supposed to go about reading it. For instance, what words does the poem seem to be made of?
:earthearthearth
earthearthearth
earthearthearth
earthearthearth
earthearthearth
Your answer to this question would hopefully lead to further questions, since analysis is a process of continuing inquiry. You might wonder: what does "heart" have to do with "hearth," or "art" with "ear," and all of this with "earth?" At some point in your class, you might be asked to interpret the meaning or significance of the poem, about which you will have come to some conclusion by trying to answer these and subsequent questions. In other words, analysis of literature is a process that helps to "unearth" the significances that might underlie an otherwise incredibly difficult, or even an incredibly simple seeming, text.
For further help with what analysis looks like when writing critical papers, have a look at our page on Analyzing vs. Summarizing.