AP: A Quick Close Reading Checklist:

 

1.Grammar: The relationships of the words in sentences

 

2. Vocabulary: The author’s choice of individual words

 

3. Figures of speech: The rhetorical devices used to give embellishment and imaginative expression to literature, such as simile or metaphor

 

 4. Literary devices: The devices commonly used in literature to give added depth to the work, such as imagery or symbolism

 

 5. Tone: The author’s attitude to the subject as revealed in the manner of the writing

 

6. Style: The author’s particular choice and combination of all these features of writing which creates a recognizable and distinctive manner of writing.

 

 7. Purpose: Evaluate the author’s purpose in the written piece.

 

8. Theme: Examine the themes within the text.

 

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   In most forms of literary response, you should:

 

-Use the active voice. (Steinbeck elucidates, NOT Steinbeck elucidated)

 

-Refer to “the narrator,” “the author,” “the character,” or “the speaker,” instead of using pronouns (e.g.,he,she, I).

 

-Identify the author by last name (e.g. Orwell) after first using his/her full name (e.g., George Orwell)

 

 -Avoid beginning sentences with “I think,” “I believe,” or “I feel.” Such verbs undermine the effect of your

  argument; after all, we know already this is what you think, how you feel—otherwise, you wouldn’t be writing it.

  

-Avoid speculation about scenarios or motivations; anchor your analysis in

 

  what the text says, what really happens, or what you know.

 

-Discuss literature using the present-tense verbs (e.g., “Cisneros uses Spanish words throughout her novel to add voice and style to her writing.”).

 

 -Focus on the text you are trying to understand and preparing to discuss; do not write about the author’s life unless asked to do so.

 

 

-Avoid praise and the other forms of compliment. Tell your reader what the text means and why certain details are important, not how great you think the author is. Consider the difference between these two brief examples:

 

 Ex.-Seamus Heaney is a wonderful author who uses language in so many great ways to describe his family.

 

Ex.-Heaney uses precise terms familiar to any farmer to describe his father’s expertise in the fields.

 

 -Use appropriate verbs when writing a critical analysis of an author or a work of literature. Examples of these terms include:

 

 Emphasizes Observes Develops

 

 Elucidates Identifies Provides

 

 Compares Organizes Connotes

  

Suggests Reinforces Focuses

 

 Creates Defines Balances

  

Illustrates Clarifies Relates

 

 Exemplifies Contrasts Expresses

 

 Parallels Argues Insinuates

 

 Juxtaposes Mirrors Demonstrates

  

Implies Shows Alludes to