how to analyze literature using the literary features (criteria c)
Post on 23-Feb-2016
58 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
How to Analyze Literature using
the Literary Features (Criteria
C)
Let’s use an analogy –
analyzing art
What could we
say about artistic
CHOICES made by
this painter?
Level 1: You don’t mention
any details from the painting:
“This painting shows a girl
sitting on a log with a butterfly
net.”
Level 2: some mention of the
painting features (but no
effects):
“There are mainly blue and
green colors used, and the
face is sideways.”
Level 3: general appreciation of the
effects of the features, supported by some
examples:
“The eye-catching use of flat
perspectice gives the face a odd 3-d effect, allowing her to look out at the viewer and the butterfly at the same time.”
Level 4: Good appreciation of the effects of the
features, illustrated by relevant examples:
“Picasso lends the child a sense of solid health using wide arms and body. Her size dwarfs her net and the butterfly. The cubist
style is at once both distinctive and universal – showing human features in child-like playful form.”
Level 5: Excellent appreciation of the effects of the features,
illustrated by detailed & well-chosen examples:
“Picasso, inventor and master of the cubist style, shows in this
painting that depth, energy and humor can be created by using
cubist elements. The face is turned sideways, but the eyes, mouth and
ears share the flat plane. This creates a sense of fullness to the
individual – a complete human face. Note that her green-eyed gaze
contrasts the red mouth, suggesting a hint of feminine allure in an oddly
squat body that is much less feminine. This suggest a child
maturing into an adult woman. Yet the child is clearly dominant, as the net symbolizes youthful play, and
the sailor suit is in a traditional childish palette of blue, white and
yellow.
Let’s practice this analogy – using a text
example
Level 1: You don’t mention
any literary features:
“In this text a man doesn’t like drunk people. He
calls them “hopeless” and
“useless”.
Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless.
--Village by the Sea, Anita Desai
Level 2: some mention of the
literary features (but no effects):
“This text includes
metaphor and repetition to
show that the man doesn’t like
the villagers.”
Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless.
--Village by the Sea, Anita Desai
Level 3: general appreciation of the
effects of the features, supported by some examples:
“The text uses repetition such as
“drunken, dead drunk” to show that the man has no sympathy for
the villagers. The man “turned towards” the
villagers but soon “turned his head away”
from the “mumbled answers” and the
“mumbles”. The man is impatient.”
Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless.
--Village by the Sea, Anita Desai
Level 4: Good appreciation of the
effects of the features, illustrated by relevant
examples:
“Metaphor – “hot toddy breath” is used to show
the negative feelings the rich man has for the
poor. He generalizes, calls them “useless
drunken villagers” and “dead drunk”. This
repetition also includes alliteration –”dead
drunk”, the hard sounds emphasizing his disgust.
Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless.
--Village by the Sea, Anita Desai
Level 5: Excellent appreciation of the effects of the features, illustrated by
detailed & well-chosen examples:
“Desai has captured the snobbery and disdain in the rich Mr. De Silva using well-chosen literary features such as metaphor, repetition and onomatopoeia. De Silva “turned toward” the villagers, but in his
perspective, they “mumbled”. He thus “turned his head away” from
their bad breath and “mumbles”. The repetition of “turned” and
“mumbled” shows the gulf in status between the rich man and the poor
villagers. He is the active one, choosing to briefly face them yet quickly turning away. His view of their shy, uneducated speech as
“mumbles” is repeated to emphasize his impatience and disdain. The word
“mumble” is an onomatopoeia, its whispered sound reinforcing the shyness of the poor near this rich
man.”
Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless.
--Village by the Sea, Anita Desai
You try! Let’s move
through the levels:
Level 1: You don’t
mention any literary
features:
I must down to the sea again,To the lonely sea and the sky,And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by;And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song,And the white sail shaking,And a grey mist on the sea’s face,And a grey dawn breaking;
I must down to the seas again,To the vagrant, gypsy’s life,To the gulls way and the whales way,Where the wind’s like a whetted knife;And all I ask is a merry yarnFrom a laughing fellow-rover,And quiet sleep and sweet dreamWhen the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield
Level 2: some
mention of the literary
features (but no effects):
I must down to the sea again,To the lonely sea and the sky,And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by;And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song,And the white sail shaking,And a grey mist on the sea’s face,And a grey dawn breaking;
I must down to the seas again,To the vagrant, gypsy’s life,To the gulls way and the whales way,Where the wind’s like a whetted knife;And all I ask is a merry yarnFrom a laughing fellow-rover,And quiet sleep and sweet dreamWhen the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield
Level 3: general
appreciation of the effects
of the features,
supported by some
examples:
I must down to the sea again,To the lonely sea and the sky,And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by;And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song,And the white sail shaking,And a grey mist on the sea’s face,And a grey dawn breaking;
I must down to the seas again,To the vagrant, gypsy’s life,To the gulls way and the whales way,Where the wind’s like a whetted knife;And all I ask is a merry yarnFrom a laughing fellow-rover,And quiet sleep and sweet dreamWhen the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield
Level 4: Good appreciation of the effects
of the features,
illustrated by relevant
examples:
I must down to the sea again,To the lonely sea and the sky,And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by;And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song,And the white sail shaking,And a grey mist on the sea’s face,And a grey dawn breaking;
I must down to the seas again,To the vagrant, gypsy’s life,To the gulls way and the whales way,Where the wind’s like a whetted knife;And all I ask is a merry yarnFrom a laughing fellow-rover,And quiet sleep and sweet dreamWhen the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield
Level 5: Excellent
appreciation of the effects
of the features,
illustrated by detailed &
well-chosen examples:
I must down to the sea again,To the lonely sea and the sky,And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by;And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song,And the white sail shaking,And a grey mist on the sea’s face,And a grey dawn breaking;
I must down to the seas again,To the vagrant, gypsy’s life,To the gulls way and the whales way,Where the wind’s like a whetted knife;And all I ask is a merry yarnFrom a laughing fellow-rover,And quiet sleep and sweet dreamWhen the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield
Well done! Now let’s see those
literary terms and their effects in
your commentaries &
essays!
top related