Transcript Close Reading of Poetry and Fiction

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It can help you
organize your
thoughts.
It can help you avoid
frustration and
procrastination.
It can help you use
your time productively
and efficiently.
1. Inventing & Collecting
(Prewriting & research)
2. Organizing
(Outlining)
3. Drafting
(Put in paragraph form)
4. Revising
(Editing: adding, cutting, moving)
5. Proofreading
(Checking grammar, punctuation,
spelling, capitalization, and formatting)
THESE STEPS MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR EVERY
WRITING ASSIGNMENT IN THIS COURSE!
Inventing is
brainstorming -getting your ideas on
paper so you can give
yourself the widest range
of topics possible. It can
be done by listing,
clustering, freewriting,
or in other ways.
“aquiver”
“delicious”
“monstrous”
adjectives
adverbs
“tumultuously”
parts of speech
“Free!”
“fearfully”
“twittering”
vivid
verbs
“warmed”
“relaxed”
symbols
descriptive
language in
“The Story of
an Hour”
“like a goddess
of Victory”
“possess”
“sank”
“closed door”
“a heart trouble”
figurative language
“paralyzed”
“she felt it,
creeping…”
personification
metaphors
similes
“as a child who has
cried itself to sleep”
“open window”
“storm
of grief”
“thing… was
approaching to
possess her”
STARTING QUESTION: What’s theme of The Wizard of Oz?
THESIS (not statement yet): shows that people must find
help/strength/happiness/satisfaction??? in themselves
Dorothy already has strength: stands up to Miss Gulch about Toto
Seeks help from Professor Marvel; goes home to save Aunt Em (strong)
The Wizard can’t help them because he’s a sham
“There’s no place like home”=you already have it all
Kills Wicked Witch of the East without meaning to
Kills Wicked Witch of West only by defending Scarecrow
Scarecrow wants a brain, but he’s already intelligent
Uses big words
In book, he is named leader of Oz when Wizard leaves
Tin Man wants a heart, but he’s already a sweetie!
Cries all the time because he’s such a softie
Lion wants courage, but that’s inside him; he’s just got to do it!
Is Toto (a best friend) the answer? No, he causes all the problems, but
she needs that push to start and continue her own personal journey
He’s reason she gets caught in tornado
He pulls back curtain on Wizard
Good Witch tells Dorothy, “You don’t need to be helped any longer; you’ve
always had the power,” but “she had to find it out for herself.”
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Locating,
gathering,
and
evaluating
research
Conducting
interviews
OUTLINE
I. Introduction
A. Grab attention
B. State thesis
II. Body
A. Build points
B. Develop ideas
C. Support main claim
III. Conclusion
A. Re-emphasize
main idea
B. Provide sense of closure
STARTING QUESTION: What’s theme of The Wizard of Oz?
THESIS (not statement yet): shows that people must find
help/strength/happiness/satisfaction??? in themselves
Dorothy already has strength: stands up to Miss Gulch about Toto
Seeks help from Professor Marvel; goes home to save Aunt Em (strong)
The Wizard can’t help them because he’s a sham
“There’s no place like home”=you already have it all
Kills Wicked Witch of the East without meaning to
Kills Wicked Witch of West only by defending Scarecrow
Scarecrow wants a brain, but he’s already intelligent
Uses big words
In book, he is named leader of Oz when Wizard leaves
Tin Man wants a heart, but he’s already a sweetie!
Cries all the time because he’s such a softie
Lion wants courage, but that’s inside him; he’s just got to do it!
WE
NEED
A SPECIFIC
DETAIL
ABOUT
THE LION
Is Toto (a
best
friend)
the answer?
No,
he causes
all the problems, but
Lion
does
show
courage
to Dorothy
(invades
she needs
that
push
to start
and sometimes--thanks
continue her own personal
journey
Wicked
Witch’s
“I’ll go
there for Dorothy”)
He’s reason
shecastle:
gets caught
inin
tornado
He pulls back curtain on Wizard
Good Witch tells Dorothy, “You don’t need to be helped any longer;
you’ve always had the power,” but “she had to find it out for herself.”
What is a thesis statement?
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The MOST IMPORTANT
SENTENCE in your paper
Lets the reader know the main
idea of the paper
Answers the question: “What
am I trying to prove?”
Not a factual statement, but a
claim that has to be proven
throughout the paper
Purdue University Writing Lab
The Thesis Statement
• should contain a narrowed topic and a
controlling idea:
TS = narrowed topic + controlling idea
• should make a strong statement
(No wimpy thesis statements!)
• should not be too limited or too broad (Can you
address it adequately in 1,100 or 2,250 words
without being repetitive?)
• usually is the last sentence in the introduction
• may change as the research affects your ideas
Explain why each thesis statement is or
is not effective for an argument about
the need for V-chips in televisions?
1.
Monitoring children’s viewing habits with the aid of
the V-chip.
2.
To help parents monitor their children’s viewing
habits, the V-chip should be a required feature for
television sets sold in the U.S.
3.
This paper will describe a V-chip and examine the
uses of the V-chip in American-made television sets.
4.
Televisions manufactured for the U.S. market since
1999 are required to have a V-chip.
Purdue University Writing Lab
THESIS STATEMENT: The Wizard of Oz shows that people
must find strength in themselves.
The Wizard can’t help them because he’s a sham (?)
I.
Don’t be afraid to
Too top-heavy?
change
your mind!
Dorothy already has strength
a. Stands up to Miss Gulch about Toto
b. Seeks help from Professor Marvel; goes home to save
Aunt Em (strong)
c. Kills Wicked Witch of the East without meaning to
d. Kills Wicked Witch of West only by defending Scarecrow
II. Scarecrow wants a brain, but he’s already intelligent
a. Uses big words
b. In book, he is named leader of Oz when Wizard leaves
III.Tin Man wants a heart, but he’s already a sweetie!
a. Cries all the time because he’s such a softie
IV. Lion wants courage, but that’s inside him; just gotta do it!
a. Scared of guards at castle but “I’ll go in there for D…”
CONCLUSION: Good Witch tells Dorothy, “You don’t need to be
helped any longer; you’ve always had the power,” but “she had
to find it out for herself.”
“There’s no place like home”=you already have it all
THESIS STATEMENT: In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, like all
young people, must learn that she has strength in herself.
I.
Dorothy already has strength when it comes to those she
loves.
NEW FOCUS—BETTER?
a. Stands up to Miss Gulch about Toto
b. Goes home to save Aunt Em when sees her in crystal ball
c. Kills Wicked Witch of West only by defending Scarecrow
II. Dorothy shows leadership.
a. Inspires other three to join her in her trip to Emerald City
b. Lion scared of guards at castle but says, “I’ll go in there
for Dorothy.”
III.All along, no one had the power to help Dorothy but herself.
a. Put her hopes in the Wizard, but he was a sham
b. Good Witch tells Dorothy, “You don’t need to be helped
any longer; you’ve always had the power.” Why didn’t
Glinda tell Dorothy that in the beginning?
CONCLUSION: Dorothy “always had the power,” but “she had to
find it out for herself.” “There’s no place like home”=you
already have it all (home is where the heart is; home=self)
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Give yourself
ample time to
work on your
project.
Find a
comfortable place
to do your writing.
Avoid
distractions.
Take breaks.
THESIS STATEMENT: In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, like all
young people, must learn that she has strength in herself.
I.
Dorothy already has strength when it comes to those she
loves.
a. Stands up to Miss Gulch about Toto
b. Goes home to save Aunt Em when sees her in crystal ball
c. Kills Wicked Witch of West only by defending Scarecrow
II. Dorothy consistently shows leadership.
a. Inspires other three to join her in her trip to Emerald City
b. Lion scared of guards at castle but says, “I’ll go in there
for Dorothy.”
III.All along, no one had the power to help Dorothy but herself.
a. Put her hopes in the Wizard, but he was a sham
b. Good Witch tells Dorothy, “You don’t need to be helped
any longer; you’ve always had the power.” Why didn’t
Glinda tell Dorothy that in the beginning?
CONCLUSION: Dorothy “always had the power,” but “she had to
find it out for herself.” “There’s no place like home”=you
already have it all (home is where the heart is; home=self)
THESIS STATEMENT: In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, like all
young people, must learn that she has strength in herself.
I.
First,
Dorothy
already
has strength
it comes
to she
Dorothy
already
has strength
when when
it comes
to those
those
loves. she loves.
Add transitions
a. Stands up to Miss Gulch about Toto
b. Goes home to save Aunt Em when sees her in crystal ball
c. Kills Wicked Witch of West only by defending Scarecrow
the story,shows
Dorothy
consistently shows
II. Throughout
Dorothy consistently
leadership.
leadership.
a. Inspires other three to join her in her trip to Emerald City
b. Lion scared of guards at castle but says, “I’ll go in there
for Dorothy.”
III.All along, no one had the power to help Dorothy but herself.
a. Put her hopes in the Wizard, but he was a sham
b. Good Witch tells Dorothy, “You don’t need to be helped
any longer; you’ve always had the power.” Why didn’t
Glinda tell Dorothy that in the beginning?
CONCLUSION: Dorothy “always had the power,” but “she had to
find it out for herself.” Why? “There’s no place like home”=you
already have it all (home is where the heart is; home=self)
Reviewing higher-order
concerns:
• Clear communication of
ideas
• Organization of paper
• Paragraph structure
• Strong introduction and
conclusion
Reviewing lowerorder concerns:
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◦
Spelling
Punctuation
Capitalization
Sentence structure
Documentation style
(MLA)
◦ Typos
Slowly read your paper
aloud.
 Read your paper
backwards.
 Exchange papers with a
friend.
 NOTE: Spell-check will
not catch everything,
and grammar checks
and automated citations
are often wrong!
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Academic Success
Center: YLRC 105
My Office: YADM 108
Phone: 813-259-6470
E-mail: [email protected]
Websites (links on MyHCC):
SmarThinking (access through hccfl.edu)
Ms. Bielecki’s Library Guide
(http://libguides.hccfl.edu/bielecki)
Re: Writing
(http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rewriting/)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu
Writing is not just about meeting a word
count or putting words on a page. It is
about communicating ideas. College
writers should want their readers to
understand the nuances of their ideas.
To do this successfully, they must not
just write; they must write well.
Similarly, reading is not just about
comprehending facts or plot points. It is
about understanding ideas—and
developing new ones.
Based on a PowerPoint provided by
The Ohio State University at Lima
Writing Center
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Literary analysis requires that one not
only read the text but look closely at
what the author is really saying as well
as how the author is saying it.
When close reading, it is important to
look at the small details and
understand how they work together in
the piece to create deeper meaning.
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When reading, look
at passages that
seem important in
the text.
Underline, highlight or take notes
on passages that
stand out (see pp.
22-23).
Things you might
look for:
◦ Symbolism
◦ Repeated images,
words or ideas
◦ Words or phrases that
jump out as significant
◦ Words or phrases that
can be interpreted in
more than one way
◦ Irony or ambiguity
◦ Passages you don’t
understand
◦ Figurative language
(similes, metaphors, personification, allusions, etc.)

Before you look too closely at what you’ve
marked, make sure you understand the basic
plot and characters.
◦ Look at characters and their roles in the work.

Try paraphrasing (putting into your own
words) passages that you don’t understand.

Look up the meanings of words! There
may be a meaning that you didn’t think of
before or a word that may have had
different meanings at different times in
history.

Look for associations you make with words
that the work challenges.
◦ An angel is normally associated with cleanliness and
purity, so passages that emphasize dirtiness might
be important.
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Keep in mind that in good literature, everything is intentional, not accidental. Ask
yourself why the author chose to write it
that way.
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Re-read passages
you did not
understand the first
time.
Never ignore
anything that you
don’t understand.
Keep working at
difficult passages
until they make
sense.
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After reading and making note of important
passages, ask what the elements seem to be
saying. Then try to find a theme (unifying idea).
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Any idea supported by the text is valid. There
are no “crazy” or “stupid” ideas unless there is
no evidence from the text to support them.
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Don’t try to cover everything you found in the
story; use the parts that create one unifying idea.
◦ However, don’t ignore anything that contradicts this
unifying idea. Remember to present and discuss any
contradicting evidence you find.
If you have trouble finding a unifying idea (theme):
 Try writing about ideas that interest you.
◦ By writing your ideas down, you may begin to see
connections that you did not see before.

Consider “big-picture” (“meaning of life”–type)
ideas:
◦ Alienation/relationships (often involving race or gender)
◦ Political or social commentary (often involving race or
gender)
◦ Appearance vs. reality (judgment, expectations, truth)
◦ Independence/freedom
◦ Personal growth or transformation/spiritual reassessment
or moral reconciliation
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The thesis (unifying idea) of your essay should
point to something about the text that people
might not otherwise have realized or with
which they might not agree. It should not
just state a fact. It must start a discussion or
controversy.

If no one would argue your point, ask yourself,
“So what?”
◦ Sometimes, the answer to this question is the thesis.

Use everything from
the text that works for
your idea.

Quote from the text.

Quotes, summaries,
and paraphrases
support your
argument, and you
need to support every
idea with evidence
from the text.

If you have no
evidence, you can’t
make your case.
◦ Show what details you
found and explain why
they are important.
Noun
A noun is a word that
names a person, place,
or thing.
Person(s): astronauts, Rihanna, boy
Place(s): stores, McDonald’s, fantasyland
Thing(s): dog, love, ideas, books
Verb
An action verb is a word
that tells what people or
things do.
A linking verb connects
the subject to a word
that describes or
renames it.
A helping verb changes
the tense of another verb.
Action verbs: run, play, sing, laugh, cry,
ran, played, sang, laughed, cried
Linking verbs: is, are, seem, becomes,
was, were, seemed, became
Helping verbs: will, has, have, would,
had, did, was, am, is, are, will be
A pronoun is an identifying word used in place of
a noun and can be the
Pronoun
subject or object of a
sentence, show possession, or be reflexive.
(The helping verbs “to be” and “to have”
are never used with present-tense verbs,
only with participle forms [“-ing” or “-ed”].)
Subject forms: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
He and I missed class when we were sick.
Object forms: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
“All of us can meet him at the park,” Jill said.
Possessive forms: my, mine, your, yours,
his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs
That is not my book. I left mine at home.
Adjective
An adjective describes a
noun. It can answer the
question “Which one?”
“What kind?” or “How
many?”
An adverb describes a verb,
an adjective or another
adverb. An adverb can
Adverb
answer the question “How?”
or “When?” Many adverbs
end in -ly.
Article
Which one
The noisy, crying baby made me tense.
What kind
Her red, uncombed hair was tangled.
My dog has big eyes and long, brown fur.
How many
There are ten students in our club.
Numerous people called my office.
How
Mom talks loudly if she is very angry.
I quickly read the instructions.
When
He often walks but rarely takes the bus.
The package soon arrived at my house.
Articles are used to tell
Articles: a, an, the
which noun you mean. They
The dog barked. An orange tastes good,
are sometimes classified as
but a strawberry tastes better.
adjectives.
Conjunctions connect two sentences,
Conjunc- two clauses, two
tion
phrases, or two (or
more) of the same
part of speech.
Conjunctions: and, but, or, however,
also, nevertheless, because, since, if
Do you want lettuce, onion, or tomato?
I liked the film, but it was too long.
I liked the film; however, it was too long.
I liked the film although it was too long.
Preposition
A preposition combines with a noun
or pronoun (its object) in a phrase.
Most fit in this blank:
Birds fly _______
the clouds.
Prepositions: at, by, in, to, from
We worked on our project at home.
With the money, I got shoes for work.
Put your gift to Ann beside mine.
I live in an apartment over the garage of
the red house behind the church.
Interjection
Interjections are
exclamations.
(They are informal.)
Interjections: wow, ugh, well, yo, hey
"Wow!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Ugh!" Joe
muttered. “Gee whiz," Sue complained.
COMPLETE THIS EXERCISE ON CANVAS! Identify the part of speech
indicated in each sentence (noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition).
1.
2.
3.
4.
It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences.
The storm of grief had spent itself.
She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees.
The notes of a distant song … reached her faintly, and countless sparrows
were twittering in the eaves.
5. Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously.
6. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every
inch of her body.
7. She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her.
8. There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live
for herself.
9. And yet she had loved him—sometimes.
10.She was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.
Look for adjectives, adverbs, and vivid verbs like these in
Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour.”
DEFINE THESE LITERARY TERMS (50 points)
Using your textbook’s glossary, write definitions to these terms on the handout.
These definitions are due Tuesday, Jan. 19, as a hard copy at the start of class.
1. alliteration
11. image, imagery
2. allusion
12. irony
3. climax
13. metaphor
19. simile
4. conflict
14. meter
20. speaker/ narrator /
5. connotation
15. overstatement /
6. denotation
hyperbole
18. rising action /
falling action
persona
21. stanza
7. diction
16. personification
22. symbol
8. exposition
17. resolution /
23. theme
9. foot
10. foreshadowing
conclusion /
dénouement
24. tone
25. understatement
1. Read pp. 71-82 of your textbook or the
Michael Meyers PDF on Canvas.
2. Complete the “Definitions of Literary
Terms” handout.
3. Submit the syllabus quiz on Canvas.
4. Post your research paper book title on
Canvas and begin reading or rereading the book.
5. Begin Grammar #1 on Canvas (due
Thursday, January 21).