This document provides an overview of how to analyze literary works through a five-step method. The method involves: (1) finding repeating words and details, (2) identifying repeating "idea families", (3) noting opposing words and ideas, (4) selecting the two most important repetitions/opposites, and (5) writing a paragraph analyzing the selected item and its significance. The document demonstrates this process by having the reader analyze the poem "Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath.

1. UNDERSTANDING
LITERARY WORKS
Most, but not all of the content in this
lecture is either derived from, or
How we can use analysis to really understand a piece and to form
inspired by, Writing Analytically by
Rossenwasser and Stephen interesting ideas about it.

2. First, some things to avoid
2
doing
Avoid
• jumping reflexively to
judgments
• spouting opinions rather than
sprouting ideas
• relying on generalizations and
clichés
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" details to follow
9/18/2012

3. Avoid the Judgment Reflex
3
The first thing to do is to
“Judgments
avoid the Judgment Reflex:
usually say more
the hasty inclination to share
about the person
your evaluative opinion
doing the
without taking time to really
judging than
look at a topic or idea. We
they do about
the subject”
are seeking to understand
(R&S p 43).
and to generate ideas, not
to offer our opinions.
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing
9/18/2012
Analytically"

4. Avoid Spouting Opinions
4
Opinion? Idea? What’s the difference?
• Opinions • Ideas
• Often categorize •Notice connections
• Are usually not
informative • Respond to
puzzlements
• Usually do not welcome
discussion • Explain anomalies
• Often involve the word
“should” and its kin • Invite discussion
• Revolve around our own
• Often start as
personal preferences questions
and inclinations
• Are usually judgments • Uncover layers of
significance and
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012
meaning

5. Opinion? Idea? examples
5
Did you see the movie, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe? As I exited the
theater, I overheard these remarks:
And I overheard these
remarks:
• They should do the other
movies soon before the kids
grow up. • Do Lucy and Susan at the Stone
• They didn’t develop the Table symbolize Mary and Martha
relationships deeply enough. at the grave?
• The animation wasn’t as • What is the significance of the
good as I expected. redeemed traitor’s sword being the
• It was a great movie. tool that broke the Witch’s wand, -
- and from there -- her power?
The first set are Opinions; they close down exploration
as they are a stopping place, not a starting place. The
second set are Ideas; they invite conversation,
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012
exploration, and discovery.

6. Avoid Generalizations & Clichés
6
“[. . . ] we respond to The interesting ideas in The Lion the Witch and the
our experience with a Wardrobe example all occurred because someone was
limited range of paying attention to details.
generalizations, and
more often than
Do Lucy and Susan at the Stone Table symbolize Mary
not, these are shared
generalizations – that and Martha at the grave?
This person noticed that it was two females attending the
is, cliches” (R&S
executed pivotal character and then recalled another narrative
5thed p 19).
with the same pattern: Mary and Martha at the tomb of Christ.
What is the significance of the redeemed traitor’s
Most of us are in the
habit of not-seeing. sword being the tool that broke the Witch’s wand – and
Unless we make an from there – her power?
This person was paying attention to who did what to whom.
effort, we tend to notice
The Witch wronged Edmund with deception and he was –
only a few broad details ultimately – her un-doing. I, on the other hand, merely
and overlook the small said, „Yippee the witch is dead‟, whilst this person looked at who
details that can make a killed her and what his previous connection with her had been.
big difference.
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012

7. 7 Coffee Break
It‟s a rather long lecture and the next part is
foundational to parts of our course. Go fill
your coffee cup, let the dog out, and come
back ready to focus on this.
9/18/2012

8. What then, shall we do?
8
Now that we know what not to do, I‟ll teach you
what to do. We‟ll analyze. What‟s that you
ask?
“To analyze something is to ask what that something
means. It asks how something does what it does or
why it is as it is. Analysis is a form of detective work
that begins not with the views you already have, but
with something you are seeking to understand”
(R&S p 41).
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012

9. And how then, shall we do it?
9
We‟ll take it step-by-step and we‟ll use The Method:
What is the Method, you ask?
The method is a five-step process that helps you to see what an
article or story is really about. This process helps you see patterns
or other interesting things in the text that you might not see just by
reading it. The method can help you write a good essay. The nice
thing about the method is that it is easy to do, and you can take it
with you to any of your college classes.
Step 1: Find words or details that repeat.
Step 2: Find “idea families” that repeat.
Step 3: Find words or ideas that are opposites.
Step 4: Find the two most important repetitions, idea
families, and opposites.
Step 5: Write a paragraph.
examples in next slides
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012

10. Step 1: Find words or details that
repeat.
10
Poems and Short Stories Essays and Novels and
and Short Plays Longer Plays
 Simply go through the piece  If you are reading something
and underline or circle words long like a novel, you don‟t have
that repeat and then count to go through and circle every
how many times you see word that repeats, but do keep
them. an eye out for repetitions.
st.
 Keep a list.
Got a copy of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men laying about? Grab it and read the first few sentences of
each chapter. Notice how each one starts with a ray of light and a few details about what the light is
shining upon. This simple description sets the tone for each chapter’s action. I would have never ever
noticed this had I not used The Method while my class was reading this book.
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012

11. Step 2: Find “idea families” that repeat.
11
 An idea family is a group of words or
similar words that are repeated in the
text. For
example, polite, courteous, and nice
all mean similar things, so these
would all be in the same idea family.
Similar details can also be idea
families.
Accuse, defense, justice, and witness
are all part of an idea family about
law.
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012

12. Step 3: Find words or ideas that are
opposites.
12
This step is a little more difficult. Some
opposites will be specific words in the text
(big/small, black/white), but some will not.
 For example, if the author describes rocks near a
flowing river this may be showing the idea of
permanence and impermanence.
 Keep a list.
FYI: In literary analysis, two words
or ideas that are opposite are called
binaries.
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012

13. Step 4: Find the two most important
repetitions, idea families, and opposites.
13
 Look at each list and the notes you have made
from steps 1-3.
 For each step choose the two that you think are
the most important and copy them into a new
list. You should have 6 items listed. Feel free to
jot down any reasons why you think these are
important, but don‟t get caught up in explaining
yourself. Just make a few brief notes.
 Now walk away and mull over these for awhile.
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012

14. Step 5: Write a paragraph.
14
 Now look at your list from step
4, choose one item, and write a You can start
sturdy paragraph (about a half with the
page) in which you why this is the words, “The
most important idea to the most important
understanding the
poem, essay, story or play. Tell detail for
what you think this says about the understanding
author and the story. xyz is
____________.
 This paragraph will become the ”
beginning of your essay!
Powerpoint derived from Rossenwasser and Stephen's excellent text, "Writing Analytically" 9/18/2012

15. Let‟s Practice: Analyzing “Metaphors”
15
Metaphors
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
– Sylvia Plath
The Collected Poems, 1959.
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16. Step 1 Practice: Analyzing “Metaphors”
16
Step 1: Find words or details that
Metaphors repeat.
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
Simply go through the piece and
An elephant, a ponderous house, underline or circle words that repeat
A melon strolling on two tendrils. and then count how many times you
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers! see them.
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
It‟s a short poem and I don‟t see
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
many exact repetitions.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples, The word “a” appears 7 times and
Boarded the train there's no getting off. “an” appears once.
– Sylvia Plath The word “I” and its kin, “I‟m” and
“I‟ve” show up 3 times.
The Collected Poems, 1959.
Well, that was painless. Not 9/18/2012
very
fruitful, but not that tough. Let‟s do

17. Step 2 Practice: Analyzing “Metaphors”
17
Step 2: Find “idea families” that repeat.
Metaphors An idea family is a group of words or similar words
I'm a riddle in nine syllables, that are repeated in the text. For
example, polite, courteous, and nice all mean similar
An elephant, a ponderous house, things, so these would all be in the same idea family.
A melon strolling on two tendrils. Similar details can also be idea families.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers! Accuse, defense, justice, and witness are all part of
an idea family about law.
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse. This will be a longer list
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.  Bigness:
I've eaten a bag of green apples, elephant, ponderous, melon, big, fat, cow-in-calf,
 Nines: „nine syllables‟, nine lines, nine syllables
Boarded the train there's no getting off. in each line
– Sylvia Plath  A container: house, purse,
The Collected Poems, 1959.  Discomfort: bag-of-green-apples, no-getting-off
 Potential: yeasty, new-minted money, cow-in-
calf, train
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 Food: melon, fruit, loaf, yeasty, apples
 Roundness: melon, loaf, fat purse, apples

18. Step 3 Practice: Analyzing “Metaphors”
18
Step 3: Find words or ideas that are
opposites.
Metaphors
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
Some opposites will be specific words
An elephant, a ponderous house,
in the text (big/small, black/white), but
A melon strolling on two tendrils. some will not.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
 house (sturdy)/ melon (fragile)
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
fruit (transitory)/timbers (lasting)
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.  ponderous/ tendrils
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.  things that are constructed or made
(house, timbers, money, purse, stage, trai
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
ns)/things that grow
Boarded the train there's no getting off. (elephant, melon, fruit, cow-in-
– Sylvia Plath calf, apples)
 things we have control over/ things we
The Collected Poems, 1959.
can‟t control (same items as above)
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19. Step 4 Practice: Analyzing “Metaphors”
19
Step 4: Find the two most important
repetitions, idea families, and opposites.
Metaphors
From list 1: (there were only two items on
I'm a riddle in nine syllables, the list, )
1. I/I‟m/I‟ve
An elephant, a ponderous house,
2. a/an
A melon strolling on two tendrils. So I guess we can conclude that this poem is one of
self-description. Hmm. That‟s not too helpful. (Or
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers! maybe it is . . . )
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising. From list 2:
Money's new-minted in this fat purse. 1. Nines: „nine syllables‟, nine lines, nine
syllables in each line
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
2. Potential: yeasty, new-minted
I've eaten a bag of green apples, money, cow-in-calf, train
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
– Sylvia Plath From list 3:
1. fruit (transitory)/timbers (lasting)
The Collected Poems, 1959. 2. things over which we have control/ things
we can‟t control (same items as above)
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20. Step 5 Practice: Analyzing “Metaphors”
20
Step 5: Write a paragraph.
Metaphors The most important detail for understanding Sylvia
Plath‟s poem, “Metaphors” is the pattern of nines.
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
She has declared herself to be “a riddle in nine
An elephant, a ponderous house, syllables” and provides details of the riddle nine
A melon strolling on two tendrils. lines of nine syllables each, suggesting pregnancy.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers! or
The most important detail for understanding Sylvia
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising. Plath‟s poem, “Metaphors” is the idea of potential.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse. Over and over again, we see images of future
goodness: yeasty bread dough which swells up
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf. and sustains life, new-minted money which
I've eaten a bag of green apples, provides that which we need, cow-in-calf which
delivers a brand new being, and finally a train from
Boarded the train there's no getting off. which she can not disembark. The train is carrying
– Sylvia Plath her to a new life, that of motherhood.
The Collected Poems, 1959. These paragraphs are very brief, as it is such a
short poem, and once the riddle is solved there is
not much left to say. But it did a nice job of providing
an example for our lesson. 9/18/2012

21. 21
21 That‟s all folks.
That‟s it for today. We‟ll do another example together
and then start using The Method in some
assignments. These assignments may be directly
linked to your next quiz or to an In-Class essay later
in the quarter. That‟s a freebie tip for those of you
who made it through the lecture.
9/18/2012

22. 22 Credits
As I mentioned in the first slide, most, but not all of the
content in this lecture is either derived from, or inspired
by, Writing Analytically by Rossenwasser and Stephen.
9/18/2012