Before high school, if I was asked what it meant to analyze literature, I would simply say that it meant summarizing the plot of a story. Little did I find out, it was much more than that. During my freshman and sophomore year of highschool, I started learning more and more about analyzing literature. At first, it was really hard to understand because I was still used to doing it the easy way, which was plainly summarizing. But with a lot of practice and dedication to learning about literary analysis, I was able to learn a lot. Now, I see summarizing and analyzing as two completely different things. When summarizing, you’re basically rephrasing what happened in a piece of text and you can’t state your own opinion or make arguments. Literary analysis is the opposite of that. When analyzing literature, you’re able to work closely with a piece of text or picture to find evidence that proves the overall theme or message. One of the more interesting aspects of analyzing that has to be talked about first is poem analysis. I’ve never been a huge fan of poems because I’ve never really understood them at all. When I began learning about literary analysis, the first thing I thought about was to apply it to poems to help me create a better understanding. I must admit, poems are a little hard to analyze because everybody understands them in a different way. With the use of figurative languages as well, I had to pay close attention to any connections that author had made. One strategy that really helped me analyze poems better was looking at the title of the poem and the author. The title of the poem is important to me because whenever I don’t understand a poem, the title usually has the topic of the entire poem in it. When I’ve obtained both information, I would do some research on the author and learn a little bit about his background. Many authors would have a drive or motivation to start on a piece of writing and sometimes when you learn about their background, it is very easy for you to understand their poems. A good example would be a poem with the title The Butterfly by Pavel Friedman. At first, this poem was hard to understand because it just mainly spoke about what seems to be the life of a butterfly who
ANALYSIS: Move beyond plot and the obvious to reflect about deeper things that are suggested. As Foster discusses, analyze characters, setting, symbols, and patterns. Be concise, avoid summary, use active
Analyzing the text plays a part in integrating your ideas and own words with the text you are reading. When writing an analysis of text, it is requiring the writer interject his or her own opinion and interpretation of the text and meaning while incorporating the ideas of the author or others. When integrating your ideas with other ideas, you must cite the others’ works. To be an effective writer, you must acknowledge other people work. Creating a reference page is very important when writing so every work is credited.
I sit in this AP Language and Composition class trying to decipher the essence of the unending annotations and floods of random texts for the past quarter. Little did I know that I would be taking flight and soaring through the smallest details and threads of literary devices and techniques of analyzing language. Before this class, I looked at a book, aware that it was filled with potential symbolism and crucial themes that were definitely worth considering. Yet, I often paid far less attention to the way words are crafted in efforts to create a beautiful masterpiece. Who knew that the jargon used in Snow Falling on Cedars could significantly shape the overall tone of the book? From the years leading up to this class, the main goal I had
Power and control plays a big role in the lives many. When power is used as a form of control, it leads to depression and misery in the relationship. This is proven through the themes and symbolism used in the stories Lesson before Dying, The fun they had, The strangers that came to town, and Dolls house through the median of three major unsuccessful relationship: racial tension between the African Americans and the caucasians in the novel Lesson before Dying, Doll’s House demonstrates a controlling relationship can be detrimental for both individuals and The Stranger That Came To Town along with The Fun They Had show that when an individual is suppressed by majority they become despondent.
One of the most important moves academic writers can master is the art of analysis. This assignment will help you to develop the skills necessary to determine the meaning found within a text.
In past years, as well as, in the twenty-first century, African Americans are being oppressed and judged based on the color of their skin. In, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, this is the primary conflict that plagues Jefferson’s as well as Grant’s everyday life. By pleading guilty to a murder that he did not commit, Jefferson has to choose to die just as he is, a hog in the white’s eyes, or die a man. On the other hand, Grant, who is his teacher, is faced with being looked down upon by his community all because of his race and status. He is graced with the challenge of turning Jefferson into a man before his execution date. It is only a matter of time before they both realize that they cannot change the past and they have
Analyse how verbal and visual features of a text you have studied are used to give audiences a strong idea.
I have minimal experience with writing analyses; therefore, my essay contained summaries with only a few pieces of analysis. I feel that my essay was mainly composed of miniature summaries with a sentence or two analyzing a specific literary device used, diction, etc. As I continue to write rhetorical analyses, I strive to be more familiar with the analyzing process so that when I have to write an analysis for class or the AP exam, I will be sufficiently prepared. The structure of my analysis is not as mature as it should be in relation to the standards of an AP English class.
After taking honors English for the past three school years, I now want the challenge of taking a higher level course: AP literature and composition. At this point in my high-school career, I’ve been able to take three advanced classes, and I want this class on my belt as well.
Analysis is important because you want to make a connection with the author. Even if you can relate to the author's story
English is a hard language to learn, for there are numerous elements of effective usage and writing. Many people, including me, struggle in writing because of a lack of knowledge. Since middle school, English was not a strong suit of mine. I struggled with the simplest of tasks often taking a considerably longer time to complete a task than the other students. Unmotivated teachers and a lack of interest resulted in remedial writing skills. To put it simply, I had little confidence in my writing and I dreaded taking the class because of the writing involved. In spite of my fears, I took the course and I was able to perfect and challenge my mediocre writing skills.
Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor and critic. He is mainly known for his trilogy that investigates, using fiction, the history of Nigeria. The trilogy begins with Things Fall Apart, followed by No Longer at Ease and ended with Arrow of God. Furthermore, in this critically analytical essay, through a feminist perspective, a chapter of his second novel, No Longer at Ease, published in 1960, will be discussed. The setting of the novel is Lagos, Nigeria and Umuofia, Nigeria during the 1950s, before Nigeria attained independence from Great Britain. The novel, No Longer at Ease begins with Obi Okonkwo on trial, charged for accepting a bribe. However, using flashback, the author takes us back to the point before Obi’s departure
By writing a literary analysis it allows readers to criticize and survey an author’s work. It lets the readers truly be appreciative and to be able to comprehend what the writings meaning is. Analyzing the poems, short-stories, and anything else the author has written, may show the readers what factors helped shape how they wrote. It could also determine the themes given, how the character’s act amongst each other, and how certain scenes are presented. Overall, a literally analysis is written to let the readers really dig into the information given throughout the author’s work.
Throughout my two years during high school, I have learned a fairly good amount about analyzing literature. Although I am not fully confident about it, I do know the basics of analyzing literature and it is not just straightforward. Analyzing literature is not just about summarizing the text, it’s more than that. Out of the many ways of analyzing I learned to take each element of the story and looking at it “beneath the story.”
In the short story, “My Parents’ Bedroom,’ written by Uwem Akpan, the most defining role of literacy that sticks out is symbolism. The images that are engraved into readers brains are ones that have deeper meanings than what we initially see on the surface. The story is told through the eyes of a little girl named, Monique, who is only nine years old. It is told in first person point of view so that the reader feels as if he/she is actually experiencing the situations first hand. The symbolism in the story, “My Parents; Bedroom,” illustrates the day to day struggle of living in Africa during the genocide. Symbolism is