All the different short texts that we can analyse in this way

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All the different short texts that we can analyse
in this way

• Miss Brill
• Requiem in a townhouse
• Decent of the flugelhorn
• Mr Van Gogh
• Yellow Brick Rd
• Return to Oz
• The Dolls House
• Cowpats

• Pause
• Response
• Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening
• The road not taken
• No Ordinary sun
• The Old place
• The wall
• Mending wall
• Nothing gold can stay

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Metaphor questions

• What is a metaphor?
• Identify three metaphors from the text
• (For each metaphor answer the below questions)
• What is the subject of the metaphor?
• What is the subject being compared to?
• Why do you think the author thought this was a
  clever comparison?
• What image comes to mind when you read this
  metaphor?
• Is it a positive or negative image
• Why do you think the author chose to include this
  image within the story?
• How does the image add to the message?
• Home

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A metaphor is

• A comparison between two dissimilar things
  without using like or as. Abstract feelings can
  be one of the things, eg love is a rose, or you
  could use a two concrete objects, eg he is a
  monster.
• The subject is the thing being described.
• A positive metaphor is demonstrative of a
  positive attitude towards the subject from the
  author.
• Metaphor questions

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Events

• Throughout every text there are moments that
  stand out as they seem to highlight information
  about character and/or theme. Our job as
  critical analysists we have to figure out what
  the epiphany or lesson is.
• Remember that we have to ask why writers of short
  text have added certain lines, words and phrases.
• So

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Important moments questions

• Identify three important moments that you think
  provide information about the writers purpose
  and/or the stories characters.
• (For each moment answer the below
  questions)
• Identify who is involved in the event?
• What is the problem that the characters have to
  overcome?
• How do they over come the problem?
• What do we learn about the character from their
  reaction to the problem?
• Do you think that the right decision was made?
• How do you think the author feels about the
  choice?
• Do you believe that the problem faced by the
  character is reflective of society?
• What have we learnt about how society treats each
  other?
• What lesson can be derived from this event?
• Is there a pattern in relation to theme or is
  there more than one theme?

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Setting

• What are the different components of setting?
• Where did the story occur? Was there more than
  one setting?
• If there was more than one setting how did the
  two places differ in relation to the language
  used to refer to it?
• How did the place dictate the behaviour of the
  characters?
• What were the clues to which country the story
  was set in?
• What was the social and economic situation for
  the characters? How did this dictate the way they
  behaved and how they were treated?
• When did the story occur? Or when was it
  written?
• What do you know about this time period?
• How was this evident within the story?
• What differences could you identify between then
  and now?
• What issues were prevalent at the time?
• How does the story make a comment about the
  society?
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Characters (Fill in the table below)
Name Best quality (include proof) Motivation Problems Best quote (include why the quote is his/her best)




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More character work

• For each character complete these questions
• What do I think of myself?
• What do those I am with think of me?
• What are the three most important things that I
  choose to do? Are these good choices, and what
  do they tell the reader about me?
• What are the three most important things that I
  say?
• What does the reader think of me?
• How does the author manipulate the reader?
• What do I value? Are these good values?
• What are my strengths and my weaknesses?
• What is the most interesting thing about me?
• Write a paragraph about me that sums up why I am
  important in delivering the authors message.
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Minor Characters

• For three minor characters complete these
  questions
• What do I think of myself?
• What do those I am with think of me?
• What are the three most important things that I
  choose to do? Are these good choices, and what
  do they tell the reader about me?
• What are the three most important things that I
  say?
• What does the reader think of me?
• How does the author manipulate the reader?
• What do I value? Are these good values?
• What are my strengths and my weaknesses?
• What is the most interesting thing about me?
• Write a paragraph about me that sums up why I am
  important in delivering the authors message.

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A simile is

• A comparison between two dissimilar things using
  like or as. My love is like a Rose or He
  is as big as a giant.
• Like metaphor if the subject is compared to a
  negative object then the simile creates a
  negative tone.
• Simile questions
• Home

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Simile questions

• Identify three similes from the text.
• For each simile answer the below questions)
• What is the subject of the simile?
• What is the subject being compared to?
• Why do you think the author thought this was a
  clever comparison?
• What image comes to mind when you read this
  simile?
• Is it a positive or negative image
• Why do you think the author chose to include this
  image within the story?
• How does the image add to the message
• Home

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Tone

• Tone is the atmosphere or mood of the text. The
  tone generally reflects or creates a clue in
  regards to the authors attitude to the subject or
  characters in the text.
• When reading short text the best idea is to find
  the tone first.
• Next

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Tone work

• Each line of a poem, each paragraph of a story
• What is the subject
• Highlight the emotive words
• Identify the authors mood
• Identify any language feature that you have
  highlighted
• Identify any patterns
• Has the writer used a feature more than once
• Is there any change of mood
• Is there any reason why the mood changes
• What is the overall mood of the author
• Home

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Allusion is

• Referring to other figures or forms of literature
  within a piece of literature.
• (Very Post-Modern)
• It is done to hint at the idea that the writer is
  trying to impress upon the reader.
• Questions

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Allusion questions

• What or who is being alluded to within the text?
• What do you know about the subject being referred
  to?
• What was the subject known for?
• What did the subject stand for?
• How do you think the allusion raises the thematic
  concern of the piece of writing?
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Syntax

• This is the sentence construction. You need to
  understand that writing is a craft and that poets
  and short story writers use sentences to form the
  pace and tone of their writing. Syntax is just
  as important to the writer as semantics.
• Sentence types

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Semantics

• Think hip hop stars from New Zealand. The ill
  semantics. Or, in a colloquial manner, one Mr E
  is not too good with Sick words my homey
  brother.
• Semantics is the choice of word.
• See diction

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Diction

• This is the register of the language.
• High register language is very proper, very
  highly educated
• Low register language is very poorly or lowly
  educated
• When you write an essay or talk to any teacher it
  is expected that you use high register language
• Slang (swearing, street talk, sports field) and
  colloquial (conversational with a mate) is low
• Syntax

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Sentence types

• There are many different types of sentences
• Simple
• Complex
• Compound
• Compound complex
• Incomplete
• Balanced
• Periodic
• Minor
• Clauses are also important to understand
• You have been taught these over the last few
  years, please take the time to refresh your
  memory. Definitions available on the e-coll site

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Miss Brill
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Commonly used features of short text

• Personification
• Symbolism
• Repetition
• Enjambment
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Sibilance

• Heroic couplet
• End pause
• Meter or Rhythm
• Pun
• Oxymoron
• Onomatopoeia
• Rhyme
• Home

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Personification is

• A form of metaphor in which something non-human
  is associated with or given human
  characteristics, eg Slowly, silently now the
  moon/walks the night in her silver shawl.
• Here the object takes on a human characteristic
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Symbolism is

• When an object or image represents a central and
  universal idea.

• The Golden Arches no more just represent
  American fast food, now they represent the
  American capitalist regime built on the sins of
  gluttony and greed.
• Home
• Questions

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Repetition is Repetition is Repetition is

• When poets repeat a word or phrase or even an
  image to reinforce the central idea within a
  text.
• The effect of this is that it will stick in the
  mind of the reader or the listener and develop
  the tone.

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Enjambment is

• When a poet does not put any punctuation at the
  end of a line so that it runs into the next line
  usually with an inflective pause.
• It creates fluidity within the poem.
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Alliteration is

• The repetitive consonant sound at the beginning
  of a series of words.
• Christmas crackers crackled at the consumption of
  the crackling.
• Note that the consonant sound within the words is
  not underlined that is consonance
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Assonance is

• The repetition of the vowel sound within the
  word.
• The racoon was a hoon
• The silly loon attacked a broom
• Or
• Look who took the book
• The o in who does not fit the vowel sound
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Assonance creates Rhyme

• It is also good for long drawn out slow periods
  of speech, and can create flow in the text.
• This is unlike alliteration which is jumpier

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Sibilance is

• Consonance of s sounds, eg the grass rustled
  in the breeze
• The effect of this is either to soften the tone
  or to make it a harsh spitting sound

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Heroic couplet is

• A pair of rhymed lines, often used by Shakespeare
  and other poets at the end of a speech (and his
  sonnets), in order to convey something important.

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End pause is

• When the line of poetry ends some punctuation.
• This creates a natural pause which places
  emphasis on the following line as the reader is
  made to wait

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Meter or Rhythm

• The natural beat created by the words.
• The rhythmic pattern which emerges when the
  stressed and unstressed syllables fall into a
  more or less regular sequence is called meter.
• The basic unit of metre is a group of two or
  three syllables called a foot.

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Forms of Meter

• Iambic (unstressed - stressed)
• x / x / x / x /
  x /
• The curfew tolls the knell of parting day.
• Trochaic (stressed unstressed)
• / x / x / x
  / x
• Through the shadows and the sunshine
• Dactylic (stressed unstressed unstressed)
• / x x / x x / x x /
  x x
• Dactylic daintiness, lilting so prettily
• Anapestic (unstressed unstressed stressed)
• x x / x x / x
  x / x x /
• And the sheen of their spears was like stars on
  the sea

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Labels for the number of feet in a line

• monometer one foot
• dimeter two feet
• trimeter three feet
• tetrameter four feet
• pentameter five feet
• hexameter six feet
• This is one of the great mathematical theories
  that the Da Vinci code touched on.

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Pun is

• A play on words in a witty manner.
• Such as
• Electricity.
• A shocking way to go!

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Oxymoron is

• The juxtaposition of two antonyms to reinforce
  the second words meaning.
• Such as
• Pretty Ugly

Home
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Onomatopoeiaget it?
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Rhyme

• Now is the time
• for rhyme
• The rhyme scheme here is aa. A rhyme scheme maps
  out the rhyme within the poem and shows the
  pattern. A jumbled up rhyme scheme shows
  indecision, while a tight one will lead you to a
  point.
• If there is a change in rhyme scheme that is a
  pretty good hint that the main point is close by

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Symbolism questions

• When a writer focuses in on a seemingly
  insignificant object that item is usually a
  symbol.
• Which items or images does the writer focus in
  on?
• What are these items or images usually related
  to?
• Are the items glorified or denigrated?
• Are any of the items or images repeated?
• What is the idea of the text?
• How does incorporating this item or image help
  reinforce the main idea?
• Are there any characters from the text that might
  be especially connected with the image?
• How would it effect the story if the item or
  image was not incorporated?
• Symbolism def

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Complete this table for each term or feature of
short story
Statement Example Xplain Discuss
Technique Example Explain Discuss
Symbol
Simile
Rhyme
Metaphor
Repetition
Rhythm
Own choice
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