Responding to Literature Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays
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SUB GOttingen 7 215 924 142 2003 A 11481 Responding to Literature Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays FOURTH EDITION Judith A. Stanford Rivier College Me Grauu Hill Boston Burr Fridge, IL bubuque, IA. Madison, Wr'New York., , San Francisco St. Louis Bangkok Bogota Caracas Kuaja Lumpur, Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan Montreal New Delhi Santiago Seoul Singapore Sydney Taipei Toronto , Contents Preface vii Alternate Contents by Genre xxxi Alternate Contents by Additional Themes xxxix 1 Why Read Literature? l . Exercise 1 Why Do You Read Literature? 1 Why Do We Read Literature? 2 Bridging the Gap 3 Responding to What You Read 4 Exercise 4 • .. • , ' ROBERT FROST, "The Road Not Taken" (Poem) 5 Sample Student Response to "The Road Not Taken", Commentary 6 • . Exercise 1 • • Considering Evidence to Support Your Response 8 Close Active Reading 8 Sample Oral Response to "The Road Not Taken" 9 Commentary 10 Exercise 11 Keeping a Reading Journal 11 Guidelines: Keeping a Reading Journal (Box) 11 2 Joining the Conversation: Ways of Talking about Literature 13 XVI CONTENTS PATRICIA GRACE, "Butterflies" (Short Story) 14 Responding to "Butterflies" 14 LANGSTON HUGHES, "Theme for English B" (Poem) 15 Responding to "Theme for English B" 16 WENDY WASSERSTEIN, The Man in a Case (Play) 17 Responding to The Man in a Case 22 E.B. WHITE, "Education" (Essay) 23 Responding to "Education" 25 The Vocabulary of Literature 25 ,, Actions and Events 25 Plot 27 Structure 27 Conflict 28 Irony of Situation 29 Terms Related to Actions and Events (Box) 30 Exercises: Actions and Events 30 People 31 Characters: Listening and Observing 33 Listening 33 Observing 34 •. • • . • Characters: Growing and Changing 35 Characters: Point of View 36""• '••''• "! : Author and Speaker 36 Narrator 37 •• •• People in Nonfiction 38 ;••.:' :. • . Terms Related to People (Box) 38 Exercises: People 39 ••. • < L -,:••• .-,'••, Places and Times 40 > . • ,; Time and Place: The Cultures of the Work, the Writer, and the Reader 41 Place 42 •• • • • . •.-. v . - y-'- .-• Sl. •.• •• •• ./. Time 43 ••• ; •. ••..'. Terms Related-to Places andTimes(Box) 44-v • !. ••• ; .. - . Exercises: Places and Times 44 ••,;...• Words and Images, Sounds and Patterns 45 Style 46 '•.,....• Tone 47 ••.:•...•. ,-... >'..•..'• ', • Diction 47 ' Syntax 47 •, , Rhythm and Rhyme 48 • ,,;:,. Figurative Language 48 Contents xvii Verbal Irony 49 . , ... Allusions 50 Terms Related to Words and Images, Sounds and Patterns (Box) 50 Exercises: Words and Images, Sounds and Patterns 51'. Ideas 51 ... ••<• Exercises: Ideas 54 •••-.• Continuing the Conversation: Considering Genre and Listening to Other Voices 55 Expectations: Short Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction 55 Distinctions: Short Fiction and Drama : 56 . •; Distinctions: Poetry 57 i, • • '- • _ • • • - • • • -. - -.. MARGARET ATWOOD, "you fit into me" (Poem) -57 TL . Distinctions: Nonfiction 58 . ." . An Introduction to Short Fiction 58 '••••: . Early Forms of Fiction 58 " . Allegory 58 '" '••'••,••. Myth 58 • . - • ,,-..•• . ,, Legend 59 •.:•; . •• . •; '.>• •• • .•••.•< • •. ' Fairy Tale 59 Parable 59 • - / . Modern Short Fiction 59 • •••> The Realistic Short Story >60 . • • : .•' The Nonrealistic Short Story 60 , A Word about Fiction and Truth 61 Guidelines: Short Fiction (Box) 61 An Introduction to Poetry 63 Suggestions for Reading Poetry 63 " ". '• Enjambment 63 ' ; 1 ' Syntax ' 64 • • • • ' Structure 64 ' Types of Poetry 65 • Narrative Poetry 65 : ' • ""; Lyric Poetry 65 . ; • Guidelines: Poetry (Box) 66 - .-•••• An Introduction to Drama 67 - • Suggestions for Reading Drama' 68 ' Dialogue 68 .. • . Stage Directions 68 •.• ' . List of Characters 69 XViii CONTENTS Traditional Forms of Drama 69 Greek Drama 69 ! Elizabethan Drama 70 Modern Forms of Drama 70 Realistic Drama 70 Theater of the Absurd 71 Types of Drama 71 Tragedy 72 Comedy 72 ' Tragicomedy 73 Guidelines:Drama (Box) 73 • .-•:->• An Introduction to Nonfiction1 75 Suggestions for Reading Speeches 76 Suggestions for Reading Letters 76 Suggestions for Reading Documents 76 Suggestions for Reading Journals and Diaries 77 Suggestions for Reading Essays 77 . • Guidelines: Nonfiction (Box) 77 Considering Other Voices 79 Authors' Commentaries and Interviews 80 Reviews 80 Scholarly Criticism 80 Formalist Criticism 81 Reader-Response Criticism 81 Sociological Criticism 81 Psychoanalytic Criticism 82 New Historicism 82 Writing about Literature 83 Writing and Critical Thinking 83 DYLAN THOMAS, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" (Poem) 84 Responding to "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" 85 JOAN ALESHIRE, "Slipping" (Poem) 85 Responding to "Slipping" 86 Preparing to Write about Literature 86 Understanding the Assignment 86 Thinking about the Assignment 86 Assignment Topics 87 Writing to Respond 88 Topic 1 88 . • . Contents xix Discovering Ideas: Journal Entries (Box) 88- •• :. ':', • -;.> .ConsideringAudience,. 89 •'••.• , Narrowing the Topic 90 •'..,• Devising <a Preliminary Thesis Statement 90 , ,. ' Planning and Organizing 91 • , Drafting 91 . ••,-.. • "Changes," KAREN ANGSTROM (Draft Student Paper) 92 Revising Focus:Titles, Openings, Conclusions"; 93 < • >.. • Editing Focus: "To Be," Expletives, Passive Voice 93 Proofreading Focus: Fragments and Comma Splices • 94 - Exercise i 94 •.•'•.' . ,..•,-•,, Final Copy: Writing to Respond 95 : "Changes: For Better or Worse?" KAREN ANGSTROM (Student Paper) 95 -••••;': '•. • ' Exercise 96 , • • , Guidelines: Writing a Response (Box) 96, ;: Writing to.Compare • 97. • :; Topic 2 97 . Discovering Ideas: Discussion, and Collaboration (Box), 97 Guidelines: Strategies for Collaborative Work (Box) 99 . Considering Audience, Narrowing the Topic, and Devising' a Preliminary Thesis 100 • '••r:> Planning and Organizing .101 -.. • , • Drafting 102 • • . • ; , "Responses:1 Raging, versus Slipping," WALTER JOHNSON (Draft Student Paper) 102 . , • ,, Revising: Focus: Transitions, Development of Ideas 104 Editing Focus: Nominalizations, Parallel Structure 104 Proofreading Focus: Subject-Verb Agreement, ..,• Tense Agreement 105 •Exercise 106 / • ,, - •,.'••. Final Copy:Writing to Compare 106 . "Responses: Raging versus Slipping," WALTER JOHNSON . (Student Paper) 106 •-."•.-.., ., Exercise' 108. ; .•.';.•..••••.; Guidelines: Writing a Comparison (Box) , 108 •" ; Writing to Analyze 109 : Topic 3 110 ' Discovering Ideas: Listing and Grouping (Box) 110 • Considering Audience, Narrowing the Topic, and Devising a Preliminary Thesis 111 ....-..•• ., .' . , . ,, XX CONTENTS Planning, Organizing, arid Drafting 111 . "Love and Loss in'Slippin'" CATHERINE HUPEL (Draft Student Paper) 111 .. Revising Focus: Using and Explaining Examples 112 Exercise 113 • • Editing Focus: Word Choice 113 Exercise 114 Proofreading Focus;. Misplaced Modifiers 114 Exercise 114 FinalCopy: Writing to Analyze 114 "Love and Loss in 'Slipping,'" CATHERINE HUPEL (Student Paper) 114 Guidelines: Writing an Analysis (Box) 116 Writing to Explicate 116 Topic A 117 Discovering Ideas: Paraphrasing (Box) 117 • ' ' "Paraphrase of'Do Not Go Gentle' (by Dylan Thomas) "MATTHEW CEJAK (Draft Student Paper) 117 Considering Audience, Narrowing' the Topic, and Devising a Preliminary Thesis 118 Planning and Organizing 119 .. • . , Drafting 119 - . ' "Explication:'Do Not Go Gentle,'"MATTHEW CEJAR'(Draft Student Paper) 119 Revising Focus: Summarizing versus Analyzing 119 Guidelines: Preparing for a Writing Conference (Box) " 120 "Explication:'Do Not Go Gentle,'" MATTHEW CEJAK (Draft Student Paper) 121 • Editing Focus: Conciseness 123 Exercise 124 • ;' Proofreading Focus: Apostrophes, Quotation Marks to Indicate Words Used in a Special Way 125 . • ' • Exercises 126 ' • • • : ' . • Final Copy:Writing to Explicate 126 ' ' "The Power of Sound and Sight in 'Do Not Go Gentle,'" MATTHEW CEJAK (Student Paper) 126' , . .• Exercise 128 • , ' .•.'••" Guidelines: Writing an Explication (Box) 129 • ' .. Writing to Evalute 129 Topic 5 130 " • • .• Discovering Ideas: Interviewing (Box) 130 • ! Contents xxi Considering Audience, Narrowing the Topic, and Devising. a Preliminary Thesis 132 . Planning and.Organizing. .132 •. • .: Drafting 133 . ,. • . >,•.,.. Revising'Focus: Logic 133 , ... Editing Focus: Integrating and Punctuating Quotations 134 Proofreading Focus: Pronoun Reference, Pronoun Agreement, Treatment of Titles 136 , , ,. • .;>., . Final Copy: Writing to Evaluate 137 • "Love and Strength,"JOANN.EPSTEIN (Student Paper) 137 Exercise 139 . ., ....-.,, Guidelines: Writing an Evaluation,of Beliefs-and Values (Box) 139 Writing a Research Paper: Making, a Literary Argument .139 Topic 6 140 ' Discovering Ideas:Researching (Box) .440 ' .•• • . • Guidelines: Evaluating Internet Resources (Box) 142 . - . "Thomas's 'Do Not Go Gende into That Good Night,'" MICHAEL W. MURPHY 144 . , •. Considering Audience, Narrowing the Topic, and Devising a Preliminary Thesis 146 ..,,., Planning and Organizing 147.; , , Drafting 148 .•; Revising Focus: Using Quotations Effectively 148 . - "We Are All Poets," TONI JACKMON (Draft Student Paper) 148 Editing Focus: Combining Sentences;. 151 •. • Exercise 152 . • Proofreading Focus: Spelling 152 Exercise 152 . _ ., Final Copy: Research Paper 153 "We Are All Poets," TONI JACKMON (Student Paper) 153 Guidelines: Writing a Research Paper (Box) 155 Summary 155 Strategies for Discovering and Exploring Ideas 155 Strategies for Evaluating Your Audience 156 Strategies for Revising 156 .. Strategies for Editing 156 Strategies for Proofreading 157, , , 5 Innocence and Experience 159 ! On Reading Literature Thematically: Critical