CLOSE

ANALYSIS
CLOSE READING
 It is a method of literary analysis which focuses on the
specific details of a passage in order to discern deeper
meaning in it. It is paying attention to the four components of
literary texts – subject, form, word choice or diction, and
theme. Examining these components allows one to find in
small parts of the text clues to help you understand the
whole.
HOW TO BEGIN A CLOSE
READING
 Close reading should never be your first reading of a text.
Before focusing on the details of the passage, it is significant
to have an understanding of the passage as a whole.
READ THE TEXT!
 Make sure that you understand the plot of the passage, who
are the characters, etc. For difficult passage, one reading is
not enough. The better your overall understanding of the
passage, the easier it will be to focus on the details of the
passage.
WHEN YOU ARE READY TO BEGIN YOUR CLOSE
READING, TAKE YOUR TIME!

 Read the text actively.

 Take notes using separate sheets of paper or you can
directly write your notes in the book.
 Choose the method that works best for you.
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO PAUSE
TO THINK OVER WHAT YOU
READ AS YOU READ!
 Do not hesitate to read and re-read several times before
moving on. Take note not only of the details of the passage
but also of the impression which those details create in you
as a reader. The purpose of close reading is to squeeze the
details from your chosen text and use those details to
formulate an interpretation of a deeper meaning present in
the passage.
Design
By: Robert Frost, 1941. Library of Congress

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,

On a white heal-all, holding up a moth
Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth—
Assorted characters of death and blight
Mixed ready to begin with morning light,
Lie the ingredients of a witches’ broth
A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,
And dead wings carried lie a paper kite.
What had the flower to do with being white,
The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?
  This is referred to as what the
text is about. What is the most
important topic of the poem?
What is its plot? What image
does the poem describes? In
SUBJECT examining the subject of a
text, you want to develop
preliminary ideas about the
text and make sure to
understand its major concerns
before digging deeper
FORM
 This refers to how a text is put together, how the
author arranged his work. Is it written in the first
person? Examining the form of a text can help you
develop a starting set of questions in your reading,
which then may guide further questions stemming
from even closer attention to the specific words the
author chooses.
NOW, WE HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS WITH WHICH WE CAN START:

Why use an Italian sonnet?

Why use an unusual scheme in the sestet?
What problem/question and resolution does
Frost offer?
What is the volta in this poem? Or in other
words, what is the point?
WORD CHOICE OR DICTION
 Looking at the word choice of a text helps us “dig in” ever
more deeply. If you are reading something longer, are there
certain words which were repeatedly used? Are there words
that stood out? While going through the process, it is best for
you to assume that every word is important – again, you can
decide whether something is really important later.
THEME
 It is the major idea of a text. Base from the poem
given, the questions would revolve around disruption:
disruption of form, disruption of expectations in the
description of certain images (spider, flower). What is
notable about the form? How does it support what the
words say? Does the specific language of the poem
highlight or redirect certain ideas?
SOME DETAILS TO CONSIDER WHEN READING CLOSELY

 TITLES MATTER
Take a moment to consider the title of a literary text and its
relationship to the content. The author has chosen the title carefully to
represent the text as a whole. Often, titles may point to important
symbols or images which you might then focus closely in your reading
Example: The short story of Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Birthmark”.
The title refers to a prominent symbol in the text. Paying attention to
this symbol, how they are described and how are being treated in the
text would be a ground for close reading. Other titles may help the
reader to structure his/her understanding of the content of the text
AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE
Who is the intended audience of the text or the
passage? What is its purpose? Audience and
purpose help to contextualize the details of a
literary work.
NARRATIVE POINT OF VIEW
 The narrator is the voice through which the reader experiences
the passage. That means that all the information a reader
receives is colored by the narrator’s perspective. Dissecting this
perspective may help you to inform your understanding of how
the text relates its information and how that dynamic influences
or constructs meaning within the passage.
 Example: Jamaica Kincaid’s short story “Girl” is narrated in 2 nd
person. This means that the narrator seems to directly address
the reader in his or her stream of commands and instructions.
IMAGERY AND SYMBOLS
 Often, a work of literature will emphasize a particular image. Images
appeal to our senses, so a passage may include visual images,
auditory images, images which involve smell, images which involve
taste, and images which involve touch.
 Example: In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark,”
Georgina, the protagonist’s wife, has a birthmark on her face in the
shape of a small hand. Her husband sees this as an imperfection,
which he then seeks to correct by removing it. Georgina dies during
the process.
CHARACTERIZATION
 Who are the characters? Is there one protagonist (main
character) in the text? In there an antagonist (a character or
force which opposes the protagonist? If so, how does the
conflict influence the text? Which characters are focused on
and which characters are treated secondary? Does the
narrator tell us about them explicitly through description?
This is called direct description. Do we learn about the
characters through their actions and dialogue? This is called
indirect description.
READING APPROACH
PREVIEWING
This reading strategy helps prepare your mind for the barrage
of information that is to come when you do the actual reading.
In previewing a text, you skim it to get the big picture or an
overview of the entire text. Consider the following:
 -Who wrote the text? What are the author’s other works?

 -Where and when was the text published? What were the
major events around that time the text was written or
published?
 -What can you infer about the text based on the title?
ANNOTATING
. It involves highlighting or making notes of important ideas
in the text. This can be done by the following:
 -With a pencil or a pen in hand, underline important ideas
such as thesis, topic sentences, and key concepts.
Highlight also unfamiliar words.
 -Make notes such as questions and comments or
responses on the margins as you read.
CONTEXTUALIZING
When you contextualize, consider the historical, cultural, or
biographical context of the text. Identify the context in which
the text was written and determine how this context differs
from your own.
OUTLINING AND
SUMMARIZING
These two help you identify the main ideas in the text and
express them again in your own words. In outlining the text,
you identify the basic structure of the text, the main ideas and
the supporting ideas, and make connections between those
ideas.
 Summarizing the text allows you to present your
understanding of the text by reviewing and synthesizing
important ideas, and then restating them in your own words.
ANALYZING
It deals with examining the information presented to support
the author’s arguments by looking at the evidence, source,
and author’s biases.
REREADING
 It requires a repeated examination of the text to enable you
to improve your comprehension of the text and to identify
ideas that you may not have noticed in initial reading.
RESPONDING
 This means drawing meaning from what you have read and
presenting it in writing or talking about it to others. It is also
expressing your thoughts, feelings, and questions about the
text.