What is SOAPSTone? Speaker: The voice that tells the story Occasion: The time and the place of the

Transcription

1 SOAPSTone

2 What is SOAPSTone? Speaker: The voice that tells the story Occasion: The time and the place of the piece; the context that prompted the writing. Audience: The group of readers to whom this piece is directed Purpose: The reason behind the text Subject: The topic of the piece of writing Tone: The attitude of the author

3 Subject While reading the text, determine the SUBJECT OF THE TEXT. Ask yourself: What is this piece of writing about? What topic(s) does it concern? Why does it matter? Are they writing about the war in Iraq? A new law that just passed? A hot, new celebrity?

4 Occasion While reading, it s important to determine WHAT EVENT INFLUENCED THE TEXT. Why do we write? Why does it matter? Do we just write about anything and everything, or are we influenced to write? Ask yourself: Why is this person writing this text now? What major event or occurrence inspired this piece of writing? Are they writing in response to a new law? An ongoing war? A celebrity mishap? A major world crisis?

5 Audience While reading the text, it is important to determine WHO THE AUDIENCE IS. Don t think an article on the health risks of elementary school cafeteria food is an article for just anyone. Who could an article like that be targeting? Ask yourself: Who is the intended audience for this text? Why write to this specific audience? Is the audience the financial experts of the business world? Stay-at-home mothers? College students? Athletes? The audience is never anybody

6 Purpose While reading the text, it is necessary to understand the PURPOSE OF THE TEXT. Ask yourself: What s the purpose of the writing? What is it intended to do? What is the speaker hoping to achieve? Is there a goal? Are they trying to influence consumers to buy a certain product? Vote for a specific politician? Save their money by investing? Send their kids to private school? Purpose could be: to entertain, to advocate, to raise awareness, to persuade, to inform, to describe, to reflect on a personal level, to justify, to recommend

7 Speaker While reading the text, ask yourself this major question: WHO IS SPEAKING? Don t confuse the author with the speaker. They are two different voices; sometimes two different personas. For example, Jim is a reporter for the NY Times, but the speaker is a man trying to influence readers to steer clear of a new product. Ask yourself: What s the point of a speaker? Why do we care who is speaking? How does it influence the text? How does it influence the reader? Who is speaking to the reader? Is it an economist? A fashion guru? A teacher? A lawmaker?

8 Tone While reading the text, one of the most important questions is WHAT S THE TONE OF THE TEXT? How is the author saying what he or she is saying? What is his/her attitude towards the subject? Toward the audience? Is he/she angry? Biased? Persuasive? Neutral? Remember, DIDLS can help us create tone and analyze tone. See next slide

9 DIDLS Diction Slang, colloquial, jargon, dialect, concrete, abstract, denotation, connotation, formal, informal Imagery Sensory details, symbols, allusions, words/phrases, effect Details Chosen facts, details left out Language Literary devices, figurative language What does choice in language tell you about the audience? Syntax Sentence structure and patterns: simple, long, parallel structures, repetition, juxtaposition, interrogative, declarative, imperative, exclamatory

10 Other Considerations Organization Cause/effect Compare/contrast Chronology Classification Spatial Example Degree of importance Mode of Writing Expository Narrative Persuasive Descriptive

11 Dave Barry

12 Read The Ugly Truth about Beauty Annotate only for your personal reaction first.

13 Subject Differences in perceptions of beauty between genders

14 Occasion Written in 2006, still contemporary A reflection of common interaction between a man and a woman in modern American society

15 Audience You = male specific for first 9 paragraphs Paragraph 10: YOU is women Adults who conform to traditional stereotypes in modern America

16 Purpose To critique how the media s, and therefore out society s, unrealistic expectations of female beauty create dissonance between male and female perceptions of beauty

17 Speaker Middle-aged man in America Familiar with mainstream cultural beliefs about gender roles Takes on traditional male perspective

18 Tone Humorous, sarcastic, and honest

19 Stylistic Devices continue chart together during a second close reading Paragraph # Technique/Device Quotation Effect 1 Hypothetical scenario, 2 nd person pronouns, diction If you re a man Established audience. Use of words man and woman imply subject 2 Dialogue How do I look? she ll ask. 3 Hyperbole The best technique collapse on the floor Generalization about women made by man = male audience will say YES! While female readers will squirm. Creating opposition between sexes to set the scene for an essay about their differences. Creates humor to diffuse sensitivity of the upcoming topic

20 Other Considerations Structure Compare and contrast (women v. men beauty routines) Cause and effect ( Barbie + Cindy Crawford + other media sensations = women believe they are not good enough Mode of Writing Expository

21 Dave Barry

22 Directions Read Lost in the Kitchen by Dave Barry in groups. Annotate stylistic devices for each paragraph. At the end, identify all elements of SOAPStone.