Recommended Steps in Text Analysis

RECOMMENDED STEPS IN TEXT ANALYSIS

Introduction: briefly define the text type (the functional style and the
genre), the topic, the problems raised, the cultural and historical background of
the author and his text.
Useful tips: The first step includes defining the type of the text you are analysing.

·                 Does the text represent fiction /Belles Lettres Style or non-fiction?

·                 Is it a whole text or an extract?

If it is fiction what genre does the text represent? It should be noted that
many texts have features of more than one genre (social, psychological, biographical, autobiographical, humorous, satirical, historical, detective, love, science fiction, fantasy, fairy tale, parable, allegory etc.). Such texts can be classified as the texts of a complex or mixed nature.
The next step would be defining the topic, the subject and the problems.

·                 What is the text about?

·                 What is the focus of the author’s attention?

·                 What aspects of the topic are touched upon in the text?

In the introduction it is also essential to consider the historical and cultural
backgrounds of both the author and his text. These would include some biographical facts about the writer, especially his ethical, aesthetical, political etc.
views, his belonging to a certain literary and cultural tradition as well as the
elements of the setting of the story, including the time and place of the action,
some cultural and historical realia present in the text.

Analysis of the text

The analysis of the text starts with presenting its summary.
Useful tips: Summarising the text must be done in accordance with certain
rules. First of all, you should select all important facts and events omitting
unnecessary details, then order them chronologically (or logically, depending on
the type and genre of the text) using appropriate connectors and linking expressions.
It should be remembered that no matter what register and style the original
text belongs to, the summary should be written in the neutral style. Wherever
possible, paraphrasing should be preferred to quoting.

Stylistic features of the text

The next part of the analysis deals with the stylistic features of the text. It focuses on the language register, or combination of different registers (formal, semi-formal, neutral, semi-informal, informal; high-flown, poetic, casual, colloquial etc.) employed by the author, on syntactic peculiarities of the text (types of sentences prevailing, rhetoric questions, elliptical or inverted phrases, parallel constructions), special choice of the vocabulary (terms, dialectisms, slang
etc.), stylistic tropes   and the general tone or atmosphere of the text (serious, light, elevated, solemn, ironical, humorous, gloomy and so forth). The thorough analysis of these features will enable you to define the author's position, his/her attitude towards the subject of the story and its problems, towards the characters and their actions, and finally to understand properly the author's message, the main idea of the story.  

DVGGU Hosts John M.Flynn, an ELO fellow (US Embassy,Moscow)

Dear students,

It's my pleasure to introduce to you John Michael Flynn, an English language fellow, who came to our Univesity for an academic year to teach and consult English language professionals on different methodology issues. He  represents the English Language Office of the US Embassy in Moscow that provides support to Russian English language teachers in organizing all kinds of conferences, seminars and other professional and cultural events.  John M. Flynn is also a writer and a poet. He writes as Basil Rosa. Below you will find his website address and other links that may help you learn more about him and his writing: His second short story collection, Dreaming Rodin, was published in November, 2013 by Publerati (www.publerati.com).
www.basilrosa.com

http://superstitionreview.asu.edu/issue13/nonfiction/johnmichaelflynn

 

Communications

Dear students,

Below  is the link to a presentation  on the differences in cultures which is essential in undestanding how to communicate better. Please  watch is and summarize the most important ideas.

 "http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/4373779" 

Story #4

I hope you enjoyed the story about poor but  very inventive Mr.Kolawole. Please find even more enjoyable things on the website: http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/
Choose one of the quotes you liked most and illustrate it with your examples. Send your written response to my e-mail address.

Story #3

Reading the story "O City of Broken Dreams" by John Cheever about an aspiring playwright who brings his family to New York  to pursue their dreams and what stood in their way you may need to know more about the peculiarities of the author's style. Below you will find some notes of a contemporary American literary critic on Cheever's style.

The Style of John Cheever
From the Cheever works that I have read, I have discovered a style that is independent from any other writer in American Literature. Cheever tells his stories through his unique and powerful narrative style with which he is most associated. His style leaves room for the reader to add his or her own input. Moods, intentions, messages and many other things are implicitly told, allowing the reader to interpret the book the way he or she would like to. In his tales of the American Suburb, Cheever is very insightful onlooker of American manners and social customs. He often begins his stories such as “Goodbye, My Brother and the “Housebreaker of Shady Hill” as a passive observer and as the story unfolds the narrator slowly becomes a commentator that interprets the thoughts and feelings of the characters. He established his style in The New Yorker, and is known by many as sophisticated, poised, removed, sarcastic, and amusing. Significance in American Literature When discussing the Significance of John Cheever in American Literature, it is impossible to pick just a few works that defined him as a writer. He was master of the American short story and a brilliant commentator on the American suburban culture. His keen observations of the world brought his readers into a world that was full of truths of everyday life, delving into many subjects that were not normally viewed from his non-judgmental perspective. He allowed his reader to view the world from a narrator’s eyes, bringing color and vibrancy to American culture. The settings of his stories came from his surroundings, as did the attitudes, opinions, and disposition of his characters. He was not falsifying American life; he was depicting it as he saw it unravel. He was rarely critical of his character’s, despite their sometimes radical actions, as in “Housebreaker of Shady Hill” and “The Death of Justina,” in which he merely is painting a picture of the character’s life and allowing the reader to make his or her own judgments about the situation. Cheever made it possible for the American short story to prosper. His love for life and writing made him the magnificent writer that he is known as today. Though his life, which was full of both self-inflicted and endured pain, he was able to live to see his work appreciated. Cheever was among the great writers that were able to depict America in all of its acute intricacies and mystifying beauties.

Story #2

Story #2  "The Enormous radio" by John Cheever

Below you will find the reactions of the students from different countries on the story "The Enormous radio". Read them and write your own response to what you have understood from the story.

Bakir:  I think that the text "the Enormous radio" can be compared with todays television, internet or any other digital stuff because the main theme of the text is based on a new technology's drawbacks.The family has been in trouble with the radio by its effects on Irene with her fears, deppression and so on. That is because of the new radio.
Also there can be seen voyeurism in the text in that she cannot control herself without listening to the radio and be aware of their neighbours. So, i want to empasize that there are a lot of similiraties between todays problems and the enormous radio. For example, the internet brings addiction to itself as we can also see the same situation in the text. Due to some uncontrolled usage of technology we may encounter with some tragical divorces,ruin of relationships with our neighbours and even ruin of family.
Besides, we are also able to peep some people's lifes by television as we mentioned in the class as "The reality tv", that comes with television and the same thing happened in the enormous radio.Lastly, it can be irrelevant, but there have been produced lots of series nowadays and they are also addictive for some part of the society.Thus, they can have huge harmful effects on the individuals,families,children and so on. So, as we can see in the text it can destroy people's lifes.In my opinion, contemporary issues about all these things are really more important than the time of the enormous radio or the time that there was just a radio.

Ahmed: In Enormous Radio John Cheever reveals the effect of a radio on individual behaviors of persons and relationship between people with a very different perspective. Actually, at the outset it seems to be like an average story about which we can not discuss very much. However, while I was reading the last part of the story, I realized that writer has a different approach to Irene. In the beginning of the story Irene seems to be like an ordinary wife and mother who has not an issue about life. Afterward, when the radio comes, her life begins to change. She becomes desperate because people's lives which she listens by the radio affects her too much. As a reader I think that the story is all about a radio and a woman till the speech of Jim at the end of the story and after that I start to think writer wants to emphasize that this radio reveals Irene's problems ,that she doesn't concern, by other people's problems. Somewhere inside of her there are some bad memories which are restrained but with the help of the radio she can act out her pains.

Denis: When I finish the story "the Enormous Radio" the first idea that came to my mind is if the radio or our curiosity is more enormous. Well I actually think it's our problem. We can't except media to make the right choice while you can not to. We have to confess, we really enjoy watching other people's lives. I'm not saying that we all adore "Big Brother", but in a point each one of us have an idea about private lives of the celebrities we love. As a consequence I keep telling myself to not to criticize "the media", before looking in to the mirror.

Derek:  I want to write about the effects of the enormous radio on Irene Wescott's character and how it changed her personality listening to other people's lives.

Irene Wescott seems to have a perfect life and the only difference she has from her neighbours is spending a lot of time listening to music on the radio with her husband.She is a pleasant woman.When their radio stops working Jim,her husband,buys her a new one and to her surprise she discovers that this new radio picks up noises from other apartments in her neighbourhood.First she is reasonable and wants the radio fixed.But as time goes by,she starts being addicted to other people's lives.She starts cutting her meetings with friends short to come home and listen to the radio.In a way I think she realizes this is wrong because she hides it from the maid but she is so intriuged that after a while she spends all her day listening to lives of others.While the problems of other people make her a melancholic unhappy person she can't stop herself from turning the radio on.The addictive side of her personality takes over and I think the climax of the story is when she want her husband to stop Mr. Osborn beating her wife. In a way she has lost the sense of privacy and because she's been listening to their fight all day she thinks she has the right to intrude their lives.She doesn't realise that it's no different than looking inside from people's windows as Jim tells her.She becomes so depressed in the end and gets in a big fight with Jim,in which she tells him to stop, ''They'll hear us!'' She has so lost the sense of privacy that she thinks what would happen if other people heard them fighting in their own home.She thinks this way because her opinion on other people changed when hearing their private lives. *Example from the text: . ''And some woman in this building is having and affair with the handyman- with that hideous handyman. It’s too disgusting. And Mrs. Melville has heart trouble, and Mr. Hendricks is going to lose his job in April and Mrs. Hendricks is horrid about the whole thing and that girl that plays the “Missouri Waltz” is a whore, a common whore, and the elevator man has tuberculosis and Mr. Osborn has been beating his wife.”
So she doesn't want somebody to say about her ''Irene had a big fight with her husband.''And she is too tired to fight with her husband because she's been listening to other people's quarrels all day.
In the end the radio gets fixed and she has to face her problems instead of getting involved with other people's problems and also she has to face the problems of the world. (the fire,railroad disaster etc.)

The main themes of this story are,in my opinion, addiction,curiosity of other people's lives and privacy.

Sami: The Radio is expected to bring happiness to Irene because she likes listening to the music, but instead, the radio back-fires and causes her to become a character who is obsessed with neighbor’s problems and paranoid due to the its capabilities causing others to over-listen to herself. So there is a transformation of Irene and the radio seems so ultimate to her that despite what she overhears from it causes the change, she doesn’t stop and eventually became sad. I think that what Irene does with the radio is an example of, as Berke Doganoglu stated, privacy violation (the very significant point is beginning of page 7) and also “voyeurism”. In addition, there is an obvious conflict between right and wrong. Explaining more, Irene wants to help others because of their variable problems (Mrs. Melville's heart troubles, Mr. Hendricks's losing jobs), but at the same time she breaks neighbors privacy. So there is a paradox here, because her action is wrong but the intention

Homereading classes (Gr.431-831)

Dear students,
this semester we  start  reading  short stories written by different  authors representing nearly all English-speaking countries. The main goal of our Literature studies classes is to learn to understand the plot, the characters and the imagery that the author uses in his work better.  Below you will find some material that will help you analyze the text.

HOW TO ANALYZE FICTION

 By analyzing a short story or novel, you gain a better understanding of the story. You also acquire a better appreciation of fiction and literature. And, you can learn how the writer used the elements of fiction and various literary techniques, such as simile, metaphor, and imagery to create a memorable story. Analyzing fiction will also help you learn how to write your own stories. Here is how to analyze a work of fiction:

Plot.  It refers to the main events that take place throughout the story.

What are the series of events in the story?

Does the writer use flashback? If so, how?

Does the writer use flashforward? If so, how?

How does the writer create suspense?

What types of conflict occur throughout the story?

What is the turning point of the story?

 Setting. It refers to the time, place, and social and historical context.

·           What is the setting in the story?

·           Does the setting function as an antagonist in the story? If so, how?

·           How does the setting contribute to the story?

·           How does the writer use setting to create a story that is believable?

·           How does the setting impact the protagonist in the story?

·           How does the setting impact the plot in the story?

·           What is the mood throughout the story? How does the setting impact the mood of the story

Characters. It refers to the protagonist, villain, and secondary characters in the story. The writer develop a character by what the character thinks, what the character does, what the character says, what the character looks like, and by what others say about the character. All stories include a protagonist. Many stories include an antagonist or villain. Many stories also include secondary or minor characters.

• What does the character say and do? What does their dialogue or behaviour tell you about their values, beliefs, interests, motives?
• What does the character look like? What does this suggest about the character?
• What conflicts does the character experience? How does the character deal with these conflicts?
• How does the character change as the story progresses?
• Who is the villain in the story? Why?
• Who is the protagonist in the story? Why?

 Theme. It refers to the main idea of the story. It is the truth the writer reveals. Often, the writer doesn’t explicitly reveal the theme. Some stories don’t have a theme.

What was the writer’s purpose in writing the story? What is the theme of the story? Is it implicit or explicit? Does the theme offer a new insight into the human condition or human experience? What message or lesson does the writer wish the reader to understand from the story?

 Point of View. It refers to the person who is telling the story. This is the narrator of the story. For instance, the story can be told from the first-person perspective, such as the protagonist or eye witness. Or, the story can be told from the third-person perspective, which means the narrator is not a character in the story. Remember that the author and narrator are not the same. The narrator is the person who is telling the story.

What point of view does the writer use? What does the narrator know about the characters in the story?

 How does the point of view impact the story?

Does the author use point of view to reveal or conceal?

How does the narrator impact the story? For instance, the first-person narrator only knows what he sees or hears. But  the third-person-omniscient narrator is all knowing.

Why did the author choose the particular point of view?

Imagery. It refers to the sensory images that the writer uses to develop the story. Sensory images are word pictures that appeal to one or more of the senses, such as sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing.

 What types of imagery does the writer use? How does it make the story believable?

Identify some passages where the writer uses imagery? What types of imagery does the writer use? Why does the writer use it?

How does the imagery affect the mood of the story?

  Symbolism. The author uses a symbol to mean something other than its literal meaning. For instance, an owl can represent wisdom.

·           What sorts of symbols are used by the writer?

·           Do any characters act as symbols? Why?

·           Do elements of the story’s setting appear symbolic? Why?

·           Is  one symbol used throughout the story? Or do the symbols change as the story progresses?

·            Style and Tone. Style refers to the writer’s choice of language and the sentence types and structures. The tone refers to writer’s attitude toward the subject and readers.

• What types of diction does the writer use? Slang? Formal? Profanity? How does it impact the story? How does it impact you as the reader?
• What types of sentences does the writer use? Fragments? Simple? Complex? Rhetorical?  How does it impact the story?
• What is the writer’s attitude toward the events in the story?
• What is the writer’s attitude toward the readers? Condescending?  Ironic? Comic?
• How does the tone of the story impact your reading? For instance, do you laugh?
•  Figurative Language. The writer uses language to mean something other than its literal meaning, in order to produce a special effect or new meaning. Popular types of figurative language are simile, metaphor, and personification. Does the writer use simile? Why is it used? Does the writer use metaphor? Why is it used? Does the writer use personification? Why is it used?

 

 

SAMPLE OF THE TEXT ANALYSIS

 

Story 1. The Cheat's Remorse  by  Morley Callaghan

Character 

- Phil
Phil is a major, dynamic, and round character, as well as the protagonist.
He wears a battered felt hat, along with an old belted coat and mussy shirt. He seems like a man who has gone down "the wrong path" in life and fallen in with the wrong crowd. In the end, his conscience breaks through, suggesting a gradual reformation.

- Young Lady
The young lady is a major, round character.
She wears a beige coat spotted with raindrops and snow. Her hair is untidy and in need of curling and under her eye is a somewhat noticeable bruise. Despite this, she is rather positive, though she seems annoyed when Phil tries to catch up with her outside "Stewart's".

- Rich Man
The rich man is a minor, flat, stock, static character.
A prosperous-looking, hairy, blue-jowled man with thick fingers and a roll of bills, he is seen as a stereotypical rich miser, looking down on those less fortunate than himself. He is quite drunk, yet he still tries to look dignified and "keep himself together".

Theme
When you cheat, what you gain can never outbalance what you lose, your conscience and integrity.

Mood
The mood of "The Cheat's Remorse" is quite cold and gloomy, being casual yet formal at the same time.

 Ending
The ending is an indefinite ending. Phil is left with a dollar in his hand and mixed thoughts as the young lady walks away.

Symbolism
The dollar bill represents Phil's guilt because after he won the money, he anticipated giving the money away. He wanted to make himself feel better by giving the bill back to the young lady.
Phil's nickel symbolizes Phil's personality because he is two-faced. He pretended that nothing was wrong with the coin during the coin toss, but he knew that he was cheating.

The story takes place in Stewart's restaurant during night time. The author uses a mysterious and inexplicable beginning as well as dark and gloomy weather to create a depressing atmosphere.

Irony - Situational - where the character does something the reader does not expect
In "The Cheat's Remorse", Phil cheats the young lady with his phoney coin. After he wins the dollar, he thought he would be happy; instead, he feels remorse and tries to return the dollar.

- Dramatic - when the reader knows something the character is not aware of, until later in the story.
An example of this is shown when the drunken rich man saw Phil and pretended to speak as if he wasn’t under influence, when the readers have been made well aware of his situation.

Tone
The author believes that cheating is a serious issue shown by the lack of comedy involved in this story. The author feels cheating is like karma, because something will always come back to haunt the cheater. In this story, Phil was haunted with a burden of guilt.

Allegory
The allegory of the story is that cheating may result in horrible consequences. The author wants reader that cheating results in the utmost regret. Cheating can also hurt other people emotionally.

Plot Line
- Introduction
Phil was eating at Stewart

Ў¦s, but he needed a dollar to pay for his laundry.

- Phil watched as a drunken man carelessly dropped a dollar bill.

- A young lady also noticed and wanted the bill, too.

- Phil and the young lady reached for the bill, but neither gave way to the other.

- Phil challenged the young lady to a coin toss to determine the owner of the bill.

- Climax
Phil tossed the coin and ended up winning the bill.

- The young lady left the restaurant in tears, while Phil was left feeling remorse.

- Phil chases after the young lady and wanted her to take the money after confessing that the coin had heads on both sides.

- Denouement
The young lady decided not to accept the bill, leaving Phil deep in guilt.

Conflict
- External Conflict (man vs. man)
There is external conflict between Phil and the young lady. Phil and the young lady were fighting for the dollar, which they both wanted. After PhilЎ¦s coin is tossed, the conflict between Phil and the young lady is resolved.

- Internal Conflcit (man vs. himself)
There is internal conflict between Phil and himself. After he cheated, Phil felt guilty and could not decide whether to keep or to give away the dollar bill, but the conflict is not resolved by the end of the story.

Point Of View
- Omniscient
The story is mostly told through PhilЎ¦s thoughts and emotions, but at one point in the story, the drunk manЎ¦s feelings and disgust towards PhilЎ¦s dreamy expression is revealed.

Presentation
- Direct
The author describes the drunk as a rich, but ignorant man by using words such as prosperous-looking, hairy, and blue-jowled.
Phil is described as an unfortunate man who is willing to cheat just to gain a dollar. The author describes Phil as a man with a battered felt hat, old belted coat, and mussy shirt.
On the other hand, the young lady is described with the qualities of perseverance and determination. In the story, the young lady is wearing a beige-coloured coat spotted with raindrops and snow. She has untidy fair hair that needed curling at the ends and a pale face with blue and unwavering eyes. She has good legs and stockings that ran halfway up the calf of her legs.

Suspense
Suspense occurs when Phil lurches at the bill at the same time as the young lady who swung out her foot. This is suspenseful because the reader wants to know who reaches and claims the bill.
Suspense also occurs as Phil tosses the coin to determine the winner. This is suspenseful because the reader wants to know the results of the toss.