TEXTUAL ANALYSIS Planning to Analyze Fiction Textual Analysis

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS Planning to Analyze Fiction

Textual Analysis What does it mean to analyze a text? ■ Interpret a deeper meaning of a story, poem, T. V. show, or film ■ Avoid obvious, surface interpretations ■ Support interpretation with strong evidence from the work ■ Use solid reasoning to explain how the evidence supports your interpretation A textual analysis IS NOT a summary of the story.

Textual Analysis Summary VS Analysis The Walking Dead is a television show about the world ravaged by a zombie epidemic and the struggles experienced by the human survivors. The Walking Dead uses a zombie apocalypse to illustrate the redundancy of educated, white-collar workers during an economic collapse that would deem whitecollar skills obsolete. ■ A summary reports the literal story, or just what happened ■ An analysis reports how or why the author used specific literary techniques; it looks for the deeper meaning of the story Bosch, Torie. "Why the Zombie Apocalypse Is the Worst Nightmare of White-Collar America. " Slate Magazine. N. p. , 2011. Web. 07 Aug. 2016

Textual Analysis How to Begin Analyzing Text ■ Read your chosen story or poem, or watch your chosen T. V. show or film – – You must become VERY familiar with the work you’ve chosen You will have to read/view multiple times ■ Chose possible topics or a focus for your essay – – Look for patterns or problems Select a topic/focus/theme with plenty of evidence ■ Write a working thesis statement – Base it on evidence and what you might want to say ■ Make a list of evidence – – Review and record imagery, quotes, settings, symbols, etc. that apply to your ideas Just consider each aspect of fiction and include those that are most relevant

Textual Analysis How to Begin Analyzing Text ■ Select your evidence – Choose the strongest details that support your claim ■ Refine your thesis statement – Hone and finalize your strong, well-crafted, arguable thesis statement ■ Organize your evidence – – Group similar details together Ensure all your evidence relates to your thesis ■ Interpret your evidence – – Make sure you explain the relevance of each bit of evidence in your own words Interpret all quotations, imagery, etc. ■ Fill in your essay outline

Textual Analysis Elements of Fiction Your going to explore and explain the relevant elements of fiction within the text/show/film you choose to perform your analysis ■ Plot – Why does the action happen and how does it alter the characters and/or story? ■ Character – What makes this character tick? What motivates them and how do the characters interact with one another? ■ Setting – How does the setting affect the character’s situation, mood, actions? How does the setting illustrate the situation and affect the mood of the text? ■ Conflict – How do the conflicts and resolutions affect the character(s)?

Textual Analysis Elements of Fiction ■ Point of view – How does the point of view color the readers experience of the story? ■ Language – Why does the writer use the specific imagery, description, word choices in the text? ■ Tone – What does the tone say to the reader? What does the tone say about the narrator? ■ Structure – Does the format of the text affect the readers experience? How? Why does the writer utilize that specific structure?

Textual Analysis Example: Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers (1951) By Adrienne Rich Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green. They do not fear the men beneath the tree; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand. When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

Textual Analysis Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers (1951) Possible Topics: Women’s place in 1950 s society. The domineering power of patriarchal institutions. Expressing oppression through art. Working Thesis Statement: Adrienne Rich uses imagery to illustrate women’s subservience to men. By Adrienne Rich Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green. They do not fear the men beneath the tree; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand. When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

Textual Analysis Evidence: “Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool, Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. ” “The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band, Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand. ” “her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. ” The juxtaposition between the courageous lions and the description of Jennifer’s her fear and oppression The poem was written in 1951. Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers (1951) By Adrienne Rich Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green. They do not fear the men beneath the tree; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand. When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

Textual Analysis Select Your Evidence: “Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool, Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. ” “The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band, Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand. ” “her terrified hands will lie, Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. ” The juxtaposition between the courageous lions and the description of Jennifer. The poem was written in 1951. Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers (1951) By Adrienne Rich Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green. They do not fear the men beneath the tree; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand. When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

Textual Analysis Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers (1951) Refine Your Thesis Statement: The poem, Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers utilizes descriptive poetic structure and strong imagery to illustrate the struggle for gender equality via a vision of women’s subservience to men in 1950’s America. By Adrienne Rich Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green. They do not fear the men beneath the tree; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand. When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

Textual Analysis Tips for Writing Your Essay ■ Select source material and a topic/focus/theme that interests you ■ Use a research sorter to organize your research/analysis data (see handout) ■ Make your thesis relevant and interesting to your readers ■ Make your thesis specific ■ Make an outline before you write your essay (see handout) ■ Use your spell check ■ Don’t wait until the last minute to begin ■ Put your first draft aside for a day before rereading it – we become accustomed to our errors

Textual Analysis This overview of how to plan your textual analysis paper should get you on your way to a successful essay! Questions or Comments?