HOW TO SUMMARISE A TEXT IN ENGLISH… The smart way…

WHERE TO START?? Don’t waste your time on aspects of the text that are not relevant to the “topic” or module you’re doing You should look for evidence from each of your texts which fit with the ideas and focus of your “topic” or module. Your summary / research / analysis of a text is as simple as 1, 2, 3!  1 = locate  2 = select  3 = organise

FOR EXAMPLE – IMAGINE THAT YOUR TOPIC IN ENGLISH IS CALLED “PERCEPTIONS OF POWER AND AUTHORITY” You will “study” (not just read) the set-text to find all the different ways that “POWER AND AUTHORITY” is shown in:  THE CHARACTERS – who is powerful? Who is powerless?  THE EVENTS – which show power over powerlessness?  THE SETTING – how does the setting(s) cause the powerful groups to stay powerful? Does the setting keep group powerless?  THE OPINIONS OF THE COMPOSER - about those in power and those who are powerless?  THE RESPONSES FROM THE RESPONDER – how do you (and others) in different times and places feel about the perceptions of “power and authority” shown in the set text? *Perception = insight – view – opinion – attitude – awareness

LOCATE 1.Get some post-it notes 2.Copy each of the main ideas about your topic onto separate post-it notes The characters – who is powerful? Who is powerless? The events – which show power over powerlessness? The setting – how does the setting(s) cause the powerful groups to stay powerful? Does the setting keep group powerless? The opinions of the composer - about those in power and those who are powerless? The responses from the responder – how do you (and others) in different times and places feel about the perceptions of “power and authority” shown in the set text?

1.As you study / explore your text… locate the best-matched quotation (in your text) to fit your different post-its 2.“post” each post-it note on the evidence you have located – in the text itself. LOCATE Your English novels, poetry, non- fiction and even your visual texts should be filled with post it notes!

SELECT How are the character’s perceptions about Power and Authority shown? Pg ____ “………………………………… ………………………………… ………” How is society’s perception of power manipulated by the composer How do language features show people in power? Pg # __

The following pages have some examples (from the English Syllabus) which could be written as headings (statements) for each of your post-it notes. There are many more headings (statements) that you could use– depending on the focus of your task / topic / module. SELECT

The SELECT step is the tricky bit! You have to decide which are the best “headings” you need on your post-its You choose your “post-it” headings – depending on your assessment task question. Don’t over-do the headings – too many headings will mean too many chances to miss the whole point of your assessment task Just stick to the ideas that you need – the right “headings” will match the ideas in your assessment task – and you will succeed! SELECT

You will look for… Personal context – identity / being / individuality / appearance / hobbies Cultural context – customs / leisure activities / work ethic Historical context – time and place / political era / war:peace / pre:post colonial Social context – rich : poor / educated : uneducated / social status / manners / language style / leisure activities / appearance HOW ARE DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS ABOUT POWER AND AUTHORITY SHOWN IN THE TEXT?

You will look for close and/or distant relationships among: People Places Groups Communities The larger world HOW DOES YOUR TEXT SHOW ATTITUDES ABOUT POWER AND AUTHORITY GROWING FROM DIFFERENT GROUPS IN SOCIETY:

DOES YOUR TEXT EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF THOSE IN POWER AND AUTHORITY IMPROVING A COMMUNITY OR GROUP? DOES IT SHOW THE IDEA THAT THOSE IN POWER BREAK-DOWN A COMMUNITY OR GROUP?

DOES YOUR TEXT EXPLORE THE OPPORTUNITY OF AN INDIVIDUAL TO CHALLENGE (AND OPPOSE) THE POWERFUL COMMUNITY OR GROUP?

DO DIFFERENT NARRATIVE VOICES (CHARACTERS) REVEAL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ABOUT POWER AND AUTHORITY IN DIFFERENT PLACES OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.

DOES YOUR TEXT REPRESENT: AN INDIVIDUAL’S CHOICE NOT TO BE IN A POSITION OF POWER OR AUTHORITY? BARRIERS WHICH PREVENT AN INDIVIDUAL’S CHOICE TO BE IN A POSITION OF POWER OR AUTHORITY?

HOW DOES YOUR TEXT SHOW THAT VIEWS OF POWER AND AUTHORITY CAN BE CREATED THROUGH A VARIETY OF:  LANGUAGE MODES – written /spoken/visual  FORMS – free-verse / autobiographical / fiction  FEATURES – metaphors / imagery / etc…  STRUCTURES – verse / prose /

THE RESPONDER EXPERIENCES AND UNDERSTANDS THE IDEAS ABOUT POWER AND AUTHORITY BY: relating to the text being separated from the text understanding the world that the text represents having no understanding of the world that the text represents

RESPONSES TO YOUR TEXT ARE PREJUDICED (biased) BY THE WAYS DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS ABOUT POWER AND AUTHORITY ARE: given a voice, or absent from the text

EXAMPLE – Wild Cat Falling* By Mudrooroo HOW DOES Wild Cat Falling* SHOW ATTITUDES ABOUT POWER AND AUTHORITY IN DIFFERENT GROUPS IN SOCIETY: “… pay good cash to see the glorious fakery of blown up life from the United States of Utopia…” (Wild Cat Falling, Mudrooroo) Hyperbole / Sarcasm / Imagery / personal context Mocks the stereotype that in the USA – everything is bigger and better! The persona’s cynical attitude positions the audience to challenge (oppose) the powerful influence of US culture in Australia Mudrooroo uses hyperbole, sarcasm and imagery in “…pay good cash to see the glorious fakery of blown up life from the United States of Utopia…” to show the persona’s cynical attitude towards the powerful influence of the US culture in contemporary Australia.

EXAMPLE – Wild Cat Falling* By Mudrooroo HOW DOES Wild Cat Falling* SHOW ATTITUDES ABOUT POWER AND AUTHORITY IN DIFFERENT GROUPS IN SOCIETY: “… pay good cash to see the glorious fakery of blown up life from the United States of Utopia…” (Wild Cat Falling, Mudrooroo) Hyperbole / Sarcasm / Imagery / personal context Mocks the stereotype that in the USA – everything is bigger and better! The persona’s cynical attitude positions the audience to challenge (oppose) the powerful influence of US culture in Australia Mudrooroo uses hyperbole, sarcasm and imagery in “…pay good cash to see the glorious fakery of blown up life from the United States of Utopia…” to show the persona’s cynical attitude towards the powerful influence of the US culture in contemporary Australia. 1 23