2. An Assessment with no Question?!
Sort of…
Your job is to frame your close reading, telling us what you are going
to be looking at closely.
It’s not as scary as it seems.
3. Framing your Close Reading
A lot of the work of framing occurs in your introduction.
It’s where you tell us what themes or literary devices you are going
to focus on in your close reading.
It’s also where you contextualise your excerpt.
So: framing and contextualising is the work of your first paragraph.
4. For Instance…
Why not start by telling us what the book as a whole is about?
Example: “Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s novel The Tribe is
about…”
And further: “The narrator in this novel is… who…. And through the
novel, he [the narrator] explores (the themes or whatever)…”
6. As you Narrow it Down…
…You refer to the excerpt.
Tell us what’s going on—briefly!
Tell us how the excerpt fits into the novel—chronologically?
Thematically? Whateverly.
7. Then…
What are some of the specific things going on in the excerpt?
Do they reflect a larger pattern in the novel?
Do they contribute to the purpose of the excerpt within the context
of the novel?
8. However,…
You can’t cover everything!
So you have to frame your response very carefully.
Don’t give me: “I will discuss various themes and devices in this
excerpt.”
BE SPECIFIC!
9. Start Broadly:
The novel is about…
The narrator is…
The novel explores themes like…
The novel employs literary devices like…
10. Narrow it Down:
The excerpt is about…
It explores the themes X through the actions/thoughts of the
characters/narrator…
It fits into the novel because…
11. Get Specific:
The excerpt explores the theme X in this way…
It uses the literary device Y in this way…
These mechanics help the excerpt to demonstrate Z about/within
the novel…
