Making Analytical Statements It’s knowledge and a skill that you will need not only in English class but in LIFE.

Technique / Device Effect Author’s Purpose Commentary

Reminds me of this

Topic Sentence Technique / Device Effect Author’s Purpose Commentary

Technique / Device Every genre (prose, advertising, literary, cinematic, poetic [next week] or dramatic [next term]) has its own arsenal of techniques / devices These are samples from your own writing and readings from this class: Prose Advertising Literary Real Life

Effect The result or influence of using a specific technique / device

Author's Purpose The intended meaning / theme of the work.

Topic Sentence Commentary Announces the main points (the vertices of the triangle) Commentary Explains the importance or relevance of your example and the way your example supports your analysis

Prose Example In his essay on Brittany, Sterling Clay uses descriptive language and direct quotations to help the reader understand how uncomfortable the coming of age experience can be. For example, Clay wrote, “I looked at her for a [brief moment] then asked her what she would of done differently at that situation. She stopped for a moment stuttered and then said ‘ I suppose I could of stopped at first and then look at them and say it’s cool [don’t] worry about it.’ “ This language shows the regret that Brittany felt in the memory of her coming of age moment. This regret although uncomfortable is a necessary part of a coming of age moment. It is the discomfort that burns these experiences into our memory and these memories ultimately add up and make use come of age.

Advertising Example In the Martinez, Sullivan, and Willmot Advertising Campaign for the book Feed, the bandwagon technique because this technique works on the same basis as peer pressure which is a very strong influence on the main audience for this novel. Willmot wrote in the team reflective paper for the campaign the writer included “statements such as, ‘Everyone who knows what’s cool has the Feed’, appeals to a younger audience who’s looking for cool, hip new things.” Playing on the teen desire to fit in was an effective way to target them as a reading audience for this book.

Literary Example In “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier a motif is used so that the reader can appreciate how all encompassing and aggravating the experience of poverty can be. She refers to dust several times in the short story. When I think of the home town of my youth, all that I seem to remember is dust—the brown, crumbly dust of late summer—arid, sterile dust that gets into the eyes and makes them water”. . . Then later “Perhaps we waited for a miracle, amorphous in concept but necessary if one were to have the grit to rise before dawn each day and labor in the white man’s vineyard until after dark, or to wander about in the September dust offering some meager share of bread”. The reader is made to feel how vaguely irritating pervasive the state of poverty is. This dust or poverty is like sand when you go the beach, it gets into everything and is impossible for the character Elizabeth to escape it. Eventually that irritation with her family’s poverty grows into anger and Elizabeth lashes out at the only thing of beauty in her world, Miss Lottie’s marigolds.

Life Skill Example Acting out in class may make students look cool to their to their peers but it is a classic self-destructive behavior. For example, while he was taking his vocabulary test, Kyle texted to his friend, Richard. Richard thought it was funny. He admired Kyle’s courage. But Kyle in the distraction of his own making didn’t see the last 10 questions on the vocabulary test. The irony is that if he failed the class, he wouldn’t move on the next English class with Richard. Kyle would have to retake the class while all his friends moved on to the next level. Kyle would find himself not feeling too cool being one of the only 10th graders taking a 9th grade class.

Cinematic Example Click on the picture