Literary Analysis Close reading and analysis strategies for interpre3ng the meaning of literary prose.
Unit Focus SIFT acronym for analysis purposes Tone word con3nuum Theme chart Advanced Placement Literature and Composi3on mul3ple choice ques3on stems.
Close Reading and Annota3ons It is important to interact with the text as you read. In other words, read ac3vely rather than passively. This can involve many different strategies, but one common way is to annotate, literally to make nota3ons (take notes), as you read. I have a separate handout on what annota3ons may look like for you.
Analysis There are many different ways to interpret author craj and how that creates meaning within a text. One method involves the acronym SIFT. S symbol and semng I imagery and irony F figura3ve language T tone and theme
S symbol Symbol: An item or character that is complete in itself, but can also stand for something greater than itself. For example, in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the mirrors that are set up in the laboratory are on one level just mirrors, a device for reflec3ng an image, but on a deeper level they are also devices that reflects the true horrors hidden deep in the soul of an intelligent, curious doctor who went too far in an experiment to split his personality.
S semng SeMng is ojen one of the most overlooked, yet most important, devices used to set the tone of a literary work. Consider semng as more than just 3me and place. Yes, these are important, but no3ce also things like 3me of day, weather, urban/pastoral, barren/lush, etc. A lush, verdant locale that ojen has gentle rains could be indica3ve of fer3lity, for example.
I imagery Imagery is language that appeals to the senses. Typically these are: tac3le(touch), auditory(hearing), visual(sight), gustatory(taste), and olfactory(smell). Also remember the literary device of synesthesia. This occurs when the imagery crosses sense for example when a color is described as having a smell.
I irony Irony: the use of language to manipulate meaning from what one expects to something quite different Drama3c irony: Irony that results when the audience or reader is aware of ac3on within the plot that the characters themselves are not privy to. (Think horror movies) Situa3onal irony: Irony that results when an an3cipated resolu3on based on a series of events does not actually occur, and what does occur is quite unexpected. (Even if you saw it coming. ) Verbal irony: Irony that results when a character says something, and although it may have meaning within that par3cular context, it also has meaning outside of this context as well, and this meaning is ojen more important. (Sarcasm is a type of verbal irony.)
F figura3ve language Figura3ve language, ojen referred to as figures of speech, is language that is not meant to be taken literally, but rather it is used to create a comparison for easier understanding of some topic or concept. For the purpose of this ac3vity we will focus on the figures of thought, more commonly referred to as tropes, where the meaning of words are actually changed for effect. There are five primary tropes: metaphor, simile, personifica3on, synecdoche, and metonymy.
F figura3ve language Metaphor a trope that associates two district things without using a connec3ve word (one thing becomes the other such as he is a snake ) Simile a trope that associates two district things by using a connec3ve word such as like or as ( he is like a snake ) Personifica3on a trope in which human characteris3cs are bestowed upon anything nonhuman (saying that (love is blind ) Synecdoche a trope in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part (referring to a car as a set of wheels ) Metonymy a trope in which one thing is represented by another that is commonly and ojen physically associated with it (calling a monarch a crown for example)
T tone Tone is the author s amtude toward the audience or subject ma[er of a literary work. An author s tone may be sarcas3c, playful, somber, or etc. Consider the tone of a literary work like you would the tone of someone s voice. Some3mes it s not what you say so much as how you say it in the wri[en word, however, we must determine tone based on the speakers tags and the choice of dic3on rather than the way the characters are literally speaking.
T tone An important thing to note about tone is that is can (and usually does) change over the course of a work. Therefore, while the overall tone of a piece may be one thing, there may also be several tone shijs that occur. Another important thing about tone is to make sure your assessment of it is as accurate as possible and this means using the right word(s). For example happy and ecsta3c are not the same thing. Click here to link to a pre[y good tone word list to help with this.
T theme A theme of a literary work is a statement, either expressed or implied, that the text appears to be making about its subject. This statement needs to be broad, complete in and of itself, and about what the work seems to be saying about humanity at large. Fear of change is NOT a theme. People tend to fear change because it s movement from the known to the unknown which can create an atmosphere of confusion and discomfort IS a theme.
T theme Here is a chart that may help you determine a theme for a literary work. PLOT SUMMARY SUBJECTS OR MOTIFS POSSIBLE THEME(S) Here, concisely, write up the general plot of the passage. You should write this in paragraph form for best effect. Here, make a bulleted list of the subjects or mo3fs you no3ce throughout the passage. Here is where you pull together the subjects with the general plot to create a complete sentence iden3fying what you believe the author is saying about humanity through the passage.
T theme PLOT SUMMARY SUBJECTS OR MOTIFS POSSIBLE THEME(S) In Janet Walking, Janet awakens and runs to greet her pet chicken only to discover a bee had stung and killed the chicken. The discovery desolates Janet to such a degree that her father cannot console her. *a child s first experience with death *loss of a pet *innocent to experience 1) Children eventually become aware of the inevitably of death and are transformed by the knowledge. 2) The inevitable knowledge of death leads to the loss of innocence and the gaining of experience. *Examples taken from The AP Ver<cal Teams Guide for English
AP Language / AP Literature On both the AP Language and AP Literature exams you will have a mul3ple choice sec3on. There will be roughly 5-7 passages to read. You will be given one hour to answer approximately 50-55 mul3ple choice ques3ons about those 5-7 passages. The AP Language exam will include various nonfic3on passages. The AP Literature exam will include some literary prose excerpts and some poems.
AP Literature ques3on stems The following are vague generaliza3ons of the types of ques3ons you will see: 1) inference/close reading 2) purpose/func3on 3) tone/amtude/mood 4) refers to 5) compare/contrast (including except ques3ons) 6) literary devices 7) rhetorical strategies 8) main idea/meaning in context, and dic3on/connota3on
AP Literature ques3on stems The next several slides will list explicitly the ques3on stems that have occurred on the AP Literature exam over the last 30+ years. (No, I did not compile this list I don t have that kind of free 3me ;)
AP Literature ques3on stems 1. What is the author's amtude toward the subject of the essay? 2. What is this passage about? 3. What does the phrase,, mean? 4. How would you characterize the style of the passage? 5. Which of the following best summarizes the main point in lines? 6. What is the main point in? (the passage, the second paragraph, etc.) 7. How would you restate the meaning of? 8. How would you define the phrase? 9. What is the speaker s purpose in? 10. What thought is reflected in the allusion?
AP Literature ques3on stems 11. What is the tone of the passage? 12. How would you define the word? 13. How would you describe the dic3on and style of the passage? 14. In lines, what is the speaker asser3ng? 15. Why is described as? 16. What is significant about the structure of sentence # in lines? 17. In sentences, what contrasts are developed or implied? 18. In lines, why does the author pair quota3ons? 19. In lines, what is the effect of pairing quota3ons? 20. What is the dominant technique used in lines?
AP Literature ques3on stems 21. In lines, what is the effect of using a metaphor? 22. In lines, juxtaposing and serves the purpose of. 23. What does the speaker accomplish in using? 24. By using the words, the speaker shows the belief that. 25. In lines, how is the speaker portrayed? 26. The shij in point of view from...has the effect of... 27. What is the theme of the (e.g., second paragraph, whole piece)? 28. In lines, the passage shijs from to. 29. Why does the author represent as in lines? 30. What is the purpose of the syntax in sentence?
AP Literature ques3on stems 31. What does symbolize in lines? 32. The speaker's amtude toward is best described as one of. 33. In, the author is asser3ng that. 34. The term conveys the speaker's belief that. 35. The speaker assumes that the audience's amtude toward will be one of. 36. In the (e.g., first, second, last) paragraph, the speaker seeks to interest us in the subjects of the discussion by stressing the. 37. It can be inferred by that. 38. The (e.g., first, second) sentence is unified by metaphorical references pertaining to. 39. The speaker's men3on of is appropriate to the development of the argument as an illustra3on of. 40. As the sentence in lines is constructed, is parallel to.
AP Literature ques3on stems 41. It can be inferred from the descrip3on of that the quali3es of are valued by the speaker. 42. According to the passage, is because. 43. In the context of the passage, is best interpreted as. 44. Sentence is best described as. 45. The antecedent for in line is. 46. What type of argument does the writer employ in lines? 47. Why does the speaker use the sequence of ideas in lines? 48. We can infer from that. 49. What pa[ern of exposi3on does the writer use in this passage? 50. What is the point of view in this passage/poem?
AP Literature ques3on stems 51. What is the purpose of the statement in lines? 52. What atmosphere or mood is established in lines? 53. The (e.g., first, fourth) sentence is coherent because of its use of. 54. What quali3es are present in the scene described in lines? 55. What words and details suggest a (adjec3ve) amtude on the part of the author? 56. In line, the use of instead of accomplishes. 57. In line, the author emphasizes because he/ she. 58. The use of suggests that. 59. What is the func3on of the (sentence, detail, clause, phrase, and so on) in lines? 60. The subject of the sentence in lines is.
AP Literature ques3on stems 61. What asser3ons does the author make in the passage, and what is his/her purpose in doing this? 62. By, the author most probably means. 63. What meanings are contained in the word in line? 64. What can we infer from the passage about? 65. The author apparently believes that. 66. In lines, the phrase is used to refer to. 67. The author believes that we should. 68. The (e.g., first, last, third) sentence of the passage is chiefly remarkable for its. 69. What does the author want to encourage in a person? 70. What is the func3on of in rela3on to?