Literary Terms
An idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature.
What should you start a passage analysis with that establishes where in the text a passage takes place?
How has Ashima changed over the course of her time in America?
She has learned to drive, gotten a job, learned to live independently, and leaned into American customs and holidays.
What does R.A.C.E stand for?
Restate the question, answer the question, cite evidence, explain the evidence.
What resources do you have for passage analysis?
Notes, the exemplar passage analysis, the book, the excerpts.
What is a motif?
Because then you haven't explained the significance of the quote
How has Gogol's relationship to his culture changed since his father's death? How do we know?
He has leaned into it. He shaved his head, married a Bengali woman, and spends more time with his family
What perspective is NOT appropriate for a formal analysis
"I perspective" (first person.)
If you need to write "I know this because" to get started, what should you do afterwards?
Delete "I know this because" and just jump into the second half of the sentence.
What are the five elements of imagery?
What is textual evidence used for?
To provide specific evidence from the passage to support your claim.
Which of the following is not a MOTIF in The Namesake:
Trains, names, the color yellow
The color yellow
If you're feeling super totally completely stuck, what should you start with?
EVIDENCE. Find the quotes you want to use first and then work backwards as to how these quotes support a central claim.
How can you make sure your quotes are relevant?
They relate directly to your topic sentence which relates directly to your thesis.
The wedding dress that Moushumi keeps in her closet is a _____________ of how she is not yet over her first engagement.
symbol
What is the minimum number of quotes you can have per paragraph to support your thesis?
at LEAST one
List THREE themes we've discussed at nauseam in the Namesake
Struggles with identity, culture clashes and blending of two worlds, relationships and various ways of showing and celebrating love, acculturation and assimilation, balancing family obligations with the need for independence, guilt and shame over personal choices, traditions and rituals.
You will not receive full credit if you don't do what to the passage? (Hint, it doesn't have to do with writing any of your response.)
Annotating!!!
The following is a summary or analysis? Why?
The museum has twelve rooms and includes sculptures both big and small. Each sculpture represents a different time period from which the creator worked and details her artistic process. There are placards below every one with both time stamps and explanations.
Summary - there is no original insight or commentary. It's just an overview of the museum.
What is an epigraph?
The opening quote at the start of a novel that frames the book and hints at key themes or elements
What is the sentence called that directly responds to the prompt and serves as a framework for your analysis?
A Thesis
What is Pemberton Road and why does Gogol call it this? What is the significance of it?
It's his childhood home, it represents his family's hard work to achieve the suburban experience. While it's not HIS home anymore, it is the last place he saw his father and where he first met Moushumi. It has been a steady space of love and support for him, even though he doesn't live there anymore
What is the difference between a summary and an analysis? Be specific.
Summary is an overview of what happened. Analysis is an original commentary on WHY it happened and what the deeper meaning of events are. There should never be summary in a passage analysis unless it is used to provide context for the passage.
If you are writing about fiction, it should be in what tense? Why?
Present. Because it never really happened and therefore is always in the "fiction cloud"