Response to Literature Analyzing describing summarizing the writing

Response to Literature Analyzing, describing, summarizing the writing of others

What is Response to Literature? • RTL is an essay where you demonstrate your understanding of a story, the lesson or theme of the story as learned by the character(s), and how it connects to your own life.

What is RTL, continued. • In a Response to Literature, you refer to specific events and examples from the story to support your ideas and statements.

1: Introduction • State the title, author and genre (TAG) of the story: • Example: In the fictional short story, “The Monkeys Paw”, by W. W. Jacobs… • Inform the reader of the main event (Plot summary): • …the author tells of a family that suffers from attempting to interfere with fate by wishing on a cursed monkey’s paw.

Introduction, continued: Thesis Statement • State theme of the story, poem or book • Example: The theme of the “Monkey’s Paw” is that one should not tempt fate, and is always forced to face the consequences of one’s actions.

2: Provide background of the main character(s) and a plot summary Plot summary: ONLY THE MOST GENERAL DETAILS ARE INCLUDED. In Three or Four Sentences, list the characters, what happens to them, and the lesson they learn. • “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs is about a poor family named The Whites. Mr. White, Mrs. White, and their son Herbert acquire a magical monkey’s paw said to be able to grant three wishes. Despite being warned of the consequences of making wishes, the Whites go ahead and do so. In return, they are faced with death and sorrow.

3: Analyze theme • Find a quotes from the story to explain theme. Then, express your opinion of what you think that quote means. • “Morris said the things happened so naturally, ” said his father, ”that you might if you so wished attribute it to coincidence” (pg 270). I think that this means sometimes people want to believe that frightening things can not be true. So we just say it was a random event, rather than admit personal responsibility.

4: Develop your response to the mood, characters, and/or plot. • Use examples from the story to show the Plot and your response to the story. • The mood of the story was spooky from the beginning. The interest in the story was built through the author’s use of suspense. I felt a sense of anticipation as the White’s made the second and third wishes on the paw. • In terms of the characters, Mr. and Mrs. White both change dramatically through the story. I thought it was interesting how Mr. White began with positive feelings about the paw, and Mrs. White didn’t. But, because of the events of the story, they each change to the opposite perspective.

5: Relate • Discuss how the story made you think, feel, and react. Use details from the text. • Relate to your own knowledge and experience. • It was as if I was in the room when, “her husband was groping wildly on the floor for the paw…” I was gripped with emotion because I wasn’t quite sure what would happen. Would the wish bring Herbert back to them as they remembered, or would he show up a horrible rotted-out zombie? This reminds me of horror movies where something is lurking behind a dark corner waiting to surprise a victim.

6: Conclude and Summarize • Explain the lesson (theme) • Tell what you took from the story. • Include a relevant quote from the text. • The Monkey’s Paw teaches us an important lesson about accepting the consequences of our actions. After reading The Monkey’s Paw, I now understand what my parent’s always told me, “Be careful what you wish for. ” You can’t always be certain what you will get!

Practice: Rainbow Fish • We will read the story “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister. • As you listen to the story, write down ideas about the character’s personality (fishonality) from beginning to end, theme (lesson), events that occur and your reaction or connection to the story.

Paragraph 1: Explain the Title, Author, Genre (TAG) and plot summary • In the story, “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister, Rainbow Fish learns the secret to happiness. Through the experience Rainbow Fish has, we learn that possessions alone can not make one happy, but sharing and friendship with others is a more valuable thing to posess.

Paragraph 2: Summarize • The story “Rainbow Fish” is about a beautiful little fish who is proud of his shiny scales. Over time, his pride and arrogance make him lose his friends, and he has to learn that sharing his possessions is more important than keeping them and being alone.

Paragraph 3: Analyze • When a little fish asks Rainbow Fish for one of his shiny scales, Rainbow Fish refuses asking, “Who do you think you are? ”. This shows how selfish Rainbow Fish was, and how little he considered the feelings of others. Over time he found himself alone wondering, “Why doesn’t anyone like me? ” It is only then that Rainbow Fish realized he had to make a change in his behavior. I think that people are similar when we get focused on our personal appearance and think that we are better or worse than others just because of what things we have.

Paragraph 4: Respond • In the beginning, Rainbow Fish was selfish and mean. The suspense grew in the story as Rainbow Fish asked other fish for advice, and no one could help him. I felt sad for Rainbow Fish because he didn’t understand why no one liked him anymore, but I also felt he deserved to be ignored by others because he was being rude.

Paragraph 5: Relate • The story progressed to the lesson that Rainbow Fish learns when he visited an octopus in a dark cave. “Give a glittering scale to each of the other fish, ” it tells him. “You will discover how to be happy. ” I think this means that we have to share with others in order to gain true friendship and joy. Material things can’t replace friendship.

Conclusion • Ultimately, Rainbow Fish accepted the Octopus’s advice and shares his scales with the other little fish. His act of selflessness was a good example to us, because it showed that sharing is caring and friendship is more important that material things.

Assignment: RTL • Write a Six Paragraph Response to Literature about “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe. • The universal theme of the story is that all actions have consequences. • Be sure to use examples from the story to support your answer!