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Close Reading A detailed analysis of a text

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Close Reading A detailed analysis of a text

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    1. Close Reading A detailed analysis of a text

    2. What is a Close Reading? A Close Reading is literally a microscopic examination of a text. As Scanlon defines it: “you start with the larger meaning you’ve discovered and use the small details – the language itself – to support your interpretation” (Scanlon, 35).

    3. Why do we do a Close Reading It is a critical thinking skill that help us with rhetorical analysis. By looking at a text like a jigsaw puzzle, if we understand the techniques the author uses in a small piece of a text, we can understand what techniques the author uses in the entire piece.

    4. When analyzing literature you must consider two questions: 1. What is the content (or summary) of the text? 2. What is the form (or techniques) the author is using to reach his audience?

    5. Elements of a Close Reading Read over the passage and annotate it looking for main ideas, themes, and rhetorical moves. Select a meaningful quote from the selection. Write a paragraph on the Content, or a summary of the text (considering the SOAPSTone). 4. Write a paragraph on the Form, or an examination of the author’s style, considering what rhetorical moves the author uses to persuade his audience.

    6. Let’s look at an example in The Crucible

    7. Step One: Choose a quotation that represents the purpose the author is conveying to her audience. Then, consider why this quote is significant to the piece. Significance of Quote: This quote from John Proctor in Act IV of The Crucible is significant in the play because it exemplifies Proctor’s useless struggle for truth in a society ruled by hearsay and paranoia. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller, 167).

    8. Step Two: Identify Key Passages in the quote that bolster your claim. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller, 167).

    9. Step Three: Writing the Content The Content is a paragraph that summarizes the plot or theme of the story or essay and why you have chosen the quote. In addition, weave in parts of the quote in your summary to demonstrate the connection between the quote and your paragraph on content. Consider both ethos and SOAPStone in your summary: -Who is the speaker? What gives him ethos? -What is the occasion/context of when this quote was spoken? -Who is the intended audience? -What is the purpose of this statement, and how does this statement exemplify the purpose of the larger piece? -What is the subject/dominant theme of the piece? How does this statement exemplify this? -What is the speakers tone? How does this reflect the tone of the larger piece?

    10. Content Example See if you can identify the following: -Author/Text –Speaker –Content –Audience –Purpose –Tone –Phrases from Quote In this quote in Act IV of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, an exasperated John Proctor is witchcraft, Proctor must choose between either publicly confessing a crime he did not commit and incriminate his friends in the process, or keeps his “name” but be condemned to the gallows. Facing this impossible choice, he informs the recalcitrant Judge Danforth he would rather face death than sign his name to a document hat is “not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!” Miller’s purpose here is to use Proctor as a martyr. Proctor finds himself gripped by the vice of his society’s crucible and thus is punished because of it. The tone is one of gloom, but with a hint of redemption. The reader feels distraught that Proctor will inevitably face a tragic death. However, we are inspired Procter chooses the noble path of sacrificing his life, but leaving him “his name.”

    11. Step Four: Writing the Form The Form is a paragraph that analyzes the author’s style and rhetorical moves she makes to reach her audience. Like the Content, weave in passages of the quote to demonstrate your analysis skills with evidence. Consider these questions relating to both diction (word choice) and syntax (the way the sentences are constructed): DICTION: Which words are concrete (rock, car, etc)? Which words are abstract (liberty, justice, etc)? Are the important words formal (used in lecture, business letter, etc)? Are the important words informal (slang, colloquial, etc)? Do any of the words or phrases use figures of speech (metaphors, similes, etc)? SYNTAX: What is the order of the words in the sentence (subject-verb-object), or is it inverted? How does the sentence connect its words and phrases (dashes, commas, colons, semicolons, periods, exclamation marks, question marks)? Are the sentences periodic (building toward something) or cumulative (adding details to support an important detail at the beginning of the sentence)?

    12. Form Example See if you can identify the following: -Concrete/Abstract Words –Formal/Informal Diction –Use of Rhetorical Moves –Periodic/Cumulative Sentences –Phrases from Quote Miller’s refraining of words, use of abstract and formal language, and periodic sentences is important in Proctor’s speech. When Proctor says, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! “ he refrains the word “Because.” This is important for a number of reasons: he clearly wants to emphasize his many reasons why he could never sign his confession. In addition, the refrain of “because” has the same tone as a sermon in a church. Miller has Proctor both plead with Judge Danforth, but more importantly, preach to the audience watching the play. The audience sympathizes with Proctor and we are inspired by his courage. Miller also constructs Proctor’s syntax using both abstract diction in periodic sentences. Each sentence begins with the word “because” and builds to an abstract concept Proctor will lose or being punished for: his “name,” “lies,” and his “soul.” Proctor then finishes uses a metaphor to leave an image in the reader’s brain: “I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!” If Proctor signs this document he may live, but will be reduced to the “dust” on the feet of the condemned. He would rather die and keep his integrity intact.

    13. Summary Read over the passage and annotate it looking for main ideas, themes, and rhetorical moves (rhetorical devices, figurative language, etc). Select a meaningful quote from the selection. Write a paragraph on the Content, or a summary of the text (considering the SOAPSTone). 4. Write a paragraph on the Form, or an examination of the author’s style (diction and syntax), considering what rhetorical moves the author uses to persuade his audience.

    14. Please Stand for Think on your Feet

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