2. Let’s Set up the Cornell Notes: Here we go: Here we go

3. 1. Close reading requires you to read a text MORE THAN ONCE 2. When possible, write directly on the text. (if it’s not possible, have a notebook handy or some of those nifty Avery tabs– you’ve got to jot down page numbers and key things) 3. Develop your own annotating system so you don’t get bogged down while doing your first read Definition: to comment upon in critical or explanatory notes Purpose: to analyze the writer’s techniques and to explore the deeper meanings of a text

4. Kinda fun: part of it is recording your reaction to a text. The other part is marking important things during the first read that will help you analyze later. As you read a text for the first time, look for: Vivid images: language that appeals strongly to the five senses Striking comparisons: figurative language (metaphors, similes, allusions, personification, etc) Striking diction: words that stand out because they sound harsh or strange or beautiful (something makes these words memorable) 1. The Literal Level (Reading On the Lines)

5. Now let’s try developing our own system: Note: Highlighting is not always helpful, unless you do it right My system: * = striking diction: I want to come back to this word; I probably also write down what struck me about it (incomplete sentences) / = vivid description For figurative language: abbrev. for the type (m for metaphor, si for simile, p for personification, etc.)

6. Level 2: Between the Lines This is the first level of interpretation/inference. This happens on the second reading pass. With this reading, you take what you noticed on the first read and began to take note of: Repetition: repeated words, phrases, images Contrasts: sharp changes (like in diction, mood, the way sentences are put together)

7. Level 3: Beyond the Lines The deepest level of meaning. By this read, you are not just asking what? – you are asking so what? Who cares about that symbol? So what the number 7 keeps appearing? Time to make connections, evaluate the message, and even examine your own life as it relates to the text. So you’re looking for: Patterns: i.e. repetition of a sequence, or series of contrasts Tone: the effect of literary devices like imagery, figurative language, diction, syntax (these are deliberate tools of the author) Theme: patterns of meaning that reveal the larger message of the work

8. Quick Figurative Language Review Simile: compares 2 unlike things using “like” or “as” Metaphor: compares 2 unlike things w/o using “like” or “as” Allusion: refers to a person/place/event from history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science, another work of literature Personification: giving human characteristics to nonhuman things Onomatopoeia: a word that means what it sounds like Hyperbole: extreme exaggeration Idiom: an expression that doesn’t mean what it says Alliteration: repetition of the same consonant sound in words that are close together Symbol: a noun that is used to represent something else