How to Analyze Literature using the Literary Features (Criteria C)

1. How to Analyze Literature using the Literary Features (Criteria C)

2. Let’s use an analogy – analyzing art

3. What could we say about artistic CHOICES made by this painter?

4. Level 1: You don’t mention any details from the painting: “This painting shows a girl sitting on a log with a butterfly net.”

5. Level 2: some mention of the painting features (but no effects): “There are mainly blue and green colors used, and the face is sideways.”

6. Level 3: general appreciation of the effects of the features, supported by some examples: “The eye-catching use of flat perspectice gives the face a odd 3-d effect, allowing her to look out at the viewer and the butterfly at the same time.”

7. Level 4: Good appreciation of the effects of the features, illustrated by relevant examples: “Picasso lends the child a sense of solid health using wide arms and body. Her size dwarfs her net and the butterfly. The cubist style is at once both distinctive and universal – showing human features in child-like playful form.”

8. Level 5: Excellent appreciation of the effects of the features, illustrated by detailed & well-chosen examples: “Picasso, inventor and master of the cubist style, shows in this painting that depth, energy and humor can be created by using cubist elements. The face is turned sideways, but the eyes, mouth and ears share the flat plane. This creates a sense of fullness to the individual – a complete human face. Note that her green-eyed gaze contrasts the red mouth, suggesting a hint of feminine allure in an oddly squat body that is much less feminine. This suggest a child maturing into an adult woman. Yet the child is clearly dominant, as the net symbolizes youthful play, and the sailor suit is in a traditional childish palette of blue, white and yellow.

9. Let’s practice this analogy – using a text example

10. Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless. --Village by the Sea, Anita Desai Level 1: You don’t mention any literary features: “In this text a man doesn’t like drunk people. He calls them “hopeless” and “useless”.

11. Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless. --Village by the Sea, Anita Desai Level 2: some mention of the literary features (but no effects): “This text includes metaphor and repetition to show that the man doesn’t like the villagers.”

12. Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless. --Village by the Sea, Anita Desai Level 3: general appreciation of the effects of the features, supported by some examples: “The text uses repetition such as “drunken, dead drunk” to show that the man has no sympathy for the villagers. The man “turned towards” the villagers but soon “turned his head away” from the “mumbled answers” and the “mumbles”. The man is impatient.”

13. Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless. --Village by the Sea, Anita Desai Level 4: Good appreciation of the effects of the features, illustrated by relevant examples: “Metaphor – “hot toddy breath” is used to show the negative feelings the rich man has for the poor. He generalizes, calls them “useless drunken villagers” and “dead drunk”. This repetition also includes alliteration –”dead drunk”, the hard sounds emphasizing his disgust.

14. Mr. De Silva stood waiting by the car. His expression changed when he turned towards Hari and his father. He asked a few short questions but frowned at the long, mumbled answers and turned his head away from the hot toddy breath that accompanied the mumbles. Finally he shook his head and went up the steps to the veranda to say to his wife, “Useless, drunken villagers – dead drunk in the morning. What can you do for them? They’re hopeless. --Village by the Sea, Anita Desai Level 5: Excellent appreciation of the effects of the features, illustrated by detailed & well-chosen examples: “Desai has captured the snobbery and disdain in the rich Mr. De Silva using well-chosen literary features such as metaphor, repetition and onomatopoeia. De Silva “turned toward” the villagers, but in his perspective, they “mumbled”. He thus “turned his head away” from their bad breath and “mumbles”. The repetition of “turned” and “mumbled” shows the gulf in status between the rich man and the poor villagers. He is the active one, choosing to briefly face them yet quickly turning away. His view of their shy, uneducated speech as “mumbles” is repeated to emphasize his impatience and disdain. The word “mumble” is an onomatopoeia, its whispered sound reinforcing the shyness of the poor near this rich man.”

15. You try! Let’s move through the levels:

16. I must down to the sea again, To the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by; And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song, And the white sail shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, And a grey dawn breaking; I must down to the seas again, To the vagrant, gypsy’s life, To the gulls way and the whales way, Where the wind’s like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn From a laughing fellow-rover, And quiet sleep and sweet dream When the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield Level 1: You don’t mention anyliterary features:

17. I must down to the sea again, To the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by; And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song, And the white sail shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, And a grey dawn breaking; I must down to the seas again, To the vagrant, gypsy’s life, To the gulls way and the whales way, Where the wind’s like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn From a laughing fellow-rover, And quiet sleep and sweet dream When the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield Level 2: some mention of the literary features (but no effects):

18. I must down to the sea again, To the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by; And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song, And the white sail shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, And a grey dawn breaking; I must down to the seas again, To the vagrant, gypsy’s life, To the gulls way and the whales way, Where the wind’s like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn From a laughing fellow-rover, And quiet sleep and sweet dream When the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield Level 3: general appreciation of the effects of the features, supported by some examples:

19. I must down to the sea again, To the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by; And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song, And the white sail shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, And a grey dawn breaking; I must down to the seas again, To the vagrant, gypsy’s life, To the gulls way and the whales way, Where the wind’s like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn From a laughing fellow-rover, And quiet sleep and sweet dream When the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield Level 4: Good appreciation of the effects of the features, illustrated by relevant examples:

20. I must down to the sea again, To the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer her by; And the wheel’s kick And the wind’s song, And the white sail shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, And a grey dawn breaking; I must down to the seas again, To the vagrant, gypsy’s life, To the gulls way and the whales way, Where the wind’s like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn From a laughing fellow-rover, And quiet sleep and sweet dream When the long trick is over. -- “Sea Fever”, John Mansfield Level 5: Excellent appreciation of the effects of the features, illustrated by detailed & well-chosen examples:

21. Well done! Now let’s see those literary terms and their effects in your commentaries & essays!