How to do a close reading
- 1. College Writing Close-reading & Saying something that Matters
- 2. How writers appeal to their audiences Pathos, Ethos and Logos Bringing certain assumptions to light Raising questions of fact Raise questions of opinion and how you can too!
- 3. Why do some articles catch your attention and others not? Perhaps some articles tug at your heart-strings and appeal to your sense of compassion. “Syrian conflict: Untold misery of child brides” BBC, August 20, 2014
- 4. Pathos Writers relying on pathos, when they use strong emotional appeals to convince their audiences.
- 5. Some articles/books make you stop to read them b/c they are written by important people, whose opinion you respect and value “The opaque incoherence of a church in crisis” The Irish Times, Saturday, October 13, 2012 by Mary McAleese (former President of Ireland, lawyer and expert on canon law, and a Catholic. We take her article seriously b/c she has credentials, integrity and is a respected leader.)
- 6. Ethos Writers using ethos attempt to convince their readers of their ethics or their trustworthiness and reliability on their respective subjects.
- 7. Other articles/books catch your attention b/c they appeal your sense of logic or common sense “The Most Sensible Tax of All” By Yoram Bauman and Shi-Ling Hsu, NY Times, July 4, 2012
- 8. Logos Logos is an appeal to logic. Writers using this present facts and research as the basis for their reliability. Putnam, Robert D. “‘Bowling Alone’: America’s Declining Social Capital.” Journal of Democracy 6:1 (1995): 65-78. - This was a study which published major conclusions about the decline in Americans’ levels of participation in clubs and associations; the study was based on ten years of sociological research.
- 9. Which would you take more seriously?
- 10. Some articles/books have several appeals simultaneously Putnam’s Bowling Alone attracts for its appeals to both logos & ethos. We read it b/c it’s a serious piece of research (logos) and we value it b/c Putnam knows what he’s talking about – he’s a Harvard Professor.
- 11. Bringing certain assumptions to light “Butter Is Back” By Mark Bittman, NYTimes, March 25, 2014 “Julia Child, goddess of fat, is beaming somewhere. Butter is back, and when you’re looking for a few chunks of pork for a stew, you can resume searching for the best pieces — the ones with the most fat. Eventually, your friends will stop glaring at you as if you’re trying to kill them.” Fat is no longer the bad guy; now sugar is!
- 13. Raising questions of opinion Some articles cast Snowden as a spy. Others claim he was a patriot.
- 14. Tasks: 1. Read the article and actively highlight key points and make notes in the margin. 2. Describe how the author introduces the article. How does he/she begin? 3. Identify the thesis statement. Copy and paste it. 4. How does the author “say something that matters”? Copy and paste instances of a. Ethos b. Logos c. Pathos d. Bring certain assumptions to light? e. Raise questions of fact? f. Raise questions of opinion? CLOSE-READING FORM – at the top of your moodle page
- 15. (cont’d) 5. Consider how the author makes his/her point. Copy and paste examples of instances where the writer DEVELOPS his/her point by a. Example b. Defining by Negation c. Comparison and Contrast d. Analysis e. Cause and Effect f. Marshalling Factual Evidence g. Marshalling Evidence from Authority 6. Write: Summarise the author’s conclusion. 7. Connections / Implications for the larger “self-society” debate: Write a few sentences outlining how this article helped you approach that debate. 8. Upload your note document to moodle. CLOSE-READING FORM – at the top of your moodle page
- 16. David Haybron’s article, “Happiness and Its Discontents,” NYT April 13, 2014. Response # 2: Upload your marked-up close-reading of Haybron’s article and make sure you summarise his definition of what constitutes happiness. Consider what his definition includes and what is leaves out. READ & DO
- 17. B R E A K
- 18. 1. Take detailed notes of the Deneen article, “Awakening from the American Dream: The End of Escape in American Cinema?” Perspectives on Political Science, April 2, 2010. 2. Think about your outline for Essay #1 Close- Reading: What makes “a wonderful life”? (750 words) H.W.
- 19. Do a close-reading of the Deneen article, “Awakening from the American Dream: The End of Escape in American Cinema?” What makes “a wonderful life”? What are the three lessons offered by Deneen’s examination of the movies discussed in the article? Put these three lessons together, and in your own words, try to summarise some truth about what makes a wonderful life. Whether you are or are not from the U.S., comment on the extent to which conflicts between individual freedom, personal choice, duty to family and community, and configurations in the built environment (where and how we live) are issues within the society you just left. How much of Deneen’s reading of the films’ critiques on American society would be relevant to your own experience in your home country? Finally, in your own conclusion, how can the cynicism at the end of Deneen’s article be balanced by the hope for more genuine fulfilment in the society of tomorrow? Describe your hopes for the relationship between individuals, society and the built environment. Because you have limited space (750 words), try to isolate this hope to one or two central values. The Task for Essay #1
- 20. We’re not asking you to simply re-hash the Deneen article. We’re not interested in reading papers that simply re-count what Deneen says about the three films. We ARE interested in reading what YOU think of Deneen’s analyses. Is it accurate? Did it make you think in terms about what makes ‘a wonderful’ life? If so, describe how life can be more wonderful. Always remember to answer the question, which in this instance is “What makes ‘a wonderful’ life? Remember!
- 21. Subject the Deneen article to the Close-Reading form. Think critically about not only what he says, but how he says it. Think about how the beginning sits rhetorically in relation to the body of the article. Is the beginning creative? How does Deneen ‘say something that matters’? Remember to use your new reading muscles!
- 22. As part of your introduction, will you start with anecdote or discussion of a quote? Make sure your thesis statement is clear. How will YOU ‘say something that matters’? How will YOU develop your points? Will your conclusion signal further implications? Or does it just re-state your thesis? Keep the tips in mind for yourself.