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OBJECTIVES:Practice close, active critical reading of a work of literary fictionPractice a range of diverse annotation tasks, guided by the handoutReflect on and evaluate the process of active, critical annotation in a thoughtfully composed, well-organized paragraph Apply MLA format standards where relevantINSTRUCTIONS:PART 1. ANNOTATION: Find a quiet, uninterrupted place to concentrate. Print, read and annotate the 1-page hard copy of the story, Girl, using the critical reading steps and strategies explained in the handout. You may find it easiest to print a hard copy of the handout, too.Use PEN only, not pencil.When your annotation is complete, scan it or take a careful, complete screen shot of it. Acceptable file formats in this case for uploading your annotation are .PDF, .JPEG, .JPG, .PNG. _girl___by_jamaica_kincaid.pdf how_to_annotate_a_literary_text.pdf mla_format_for_written_assignments_eng_2.pdf Unformatted Attachment Preview “Girl” was Jamaica Kincaid’s first piece of published fiction. It appeared in The New Yorker June 26, 1978 and later, in her collection, At the Bottom of the River (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000). It may have been inspired at least partly by memories of the author’s birthplace, the Caribbean island of Antigua. Girl By Jamaica Kincaid Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; dont walk barehead in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesnt have gum on it, because that way it wont hold up well after a wash; soak salt fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing benna1 in Sunday school?; always eat your food in such a way that it wont turn someone elses stomach; on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming; dont sing benna in Sunday school; you mustnt speak to wharf-rat boys, not even to give directions; don’t eat fruits on the street--flies will follow you; but I dont sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school; this is how to sew on a button; this is how to make a button-hole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming; this is how you iron your fathers khaki shirt so that it doesnt have a crease; this is how you iron your fathers khaki pants so that they dont have a crease; this is how you grow okra--far from the house, because okra tree harbors red ants; when you are growing dasheen,2 make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it; this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to someone you dont like too much; this is how you smile to someone you dont like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely; this is how you set a table for tea; this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for breakfast; this is how to behave in the presence of men who dont know you very well, and this way they wont recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming; be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit; dont squat down to play marbles; you are not a boy, you know; dont pick peoples flowers, you might catch something; dont throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all; this is how to make a bread pudding; this is how to make doukona3; this is how to make pepper pot4; this is how to make a good medicine for a cold; this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child; this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you dont like, and that way something bad wont fall on you; this is how to bully a man; this is how a man bullies you; this is how to love a man; and if this doesnt work there are other ways, and if they dont work dont feel too bad about giving up; this is how to spit up in the air if you feel like it, and this is how to move quick so that it doesnt fall on you; this is how to make ends meet; always squeeze bread to make sure its fresh; but what if the baker wont let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker wont let near the bread? 1 Calypso Music A kind of potato 3 A spicy pudding made from plantains 4 A kind of stew 2 Annotating a Literary Text This handout: o Introduces the annotation process and explains how it keeps the reader active and involved. o Offers step-by-step guidelines for annotating literary texts: I. Opening Strategies; II. Annotating the Body of the text; and III. Closing Strategies How many times have you opened a book, only to find yourself distracted, sleepy, or deep in thought about an unrelated topic? You may discover this is happening when you realize youve spent the last 30 minutes rereading the same paragraph five times, and yet you have no idea what it says. Your eyes are on the page. They are moving across it. But nothing sticks. Annotation works because it makes you an active reader who interacts with a text in specific ways, instead of a passive reader struggling to focus. Through the questions you ask yourself, and the strategies you employ, you end up interrogating and testing your understanding of what you are reading, thereby enhancing it. When you annotate, you remain alert, intellectually engaged, and even physically involved, via writing. To get started, all you need is a pen, a dictionary, and a decision about where you will place your notes: directly on the pages of a text (easiest), or separately, such as in an annotation notebook? If it’s on separate paper, create an organized journal or notebook for all your annotations. Create a headline for each; include the title of the text you’re writing about, relevant page numbers, the author, the assignment its for, or any other identifying information that will make it easy later to return to and review material. I. OPENING STRATEGIES A. EXAMINE THE TITLE 1. This could be the title of the short story, novel, chapter, poem, play, etc. Good titles offer some indication of a text’s subject and orientation, and are meant to intrigue and grab your attention. What questions does the title raise in your mind? Draw an arrow from the title to the margin and jot down your impressions, questions and general response. 2. When you are done reading, reconsider the title and your initial notes. You may discover that the initial questions you wrote down provide a good starting point for analyzing the text. Example: The story, Girl. What associations or questions does it generate? Is this universal or specific to one girl in particular? Is it focused on someone who never receives a name? Who sees her as a girl? What makes being a girl important in this story? Which stage of girlhood is at the center of the story? Infancy? Childhood? Adolescence? ANNOTATING A LITERARY TEXT | 2 B. EXAMINE & ANALYZE THE OPENING LINE Why? Fiction writers spend a tremendous amount of time crafting the openings to stories and novels. They are never random starting points, but deliberate and carefully worded doorways into a text. Frequently, the first line points to the reason for the story, particularly in short fiction. It hints at the problem, event, or conflict that sets the narrative in motion and gives it tension. The first sentence must accomplish several things at once: o Grab the readers attention o Establish the writer’s authority o Offer clues about the parameters of this fictional universe in which the story will unfold o Imply or declare hints about conflict, narration, point of view, tone, the treatment of time, and theme. It makes sense then, to stop at the opening line to closely examine it: 1. First, read it closely, then turn the book face down or turn away from the page and ask yourself: What is already known? What can you conclude just from this opening line? 2. Next, identify and examine as many of the following features as you can: o Narrator and point of view o Tone / mood o Information / facts - both stated and implied o Parameters of space and time – Examples below: § § § o Example: If it begins: This was long ago, before the first settler ever arrived on this shore, The reader can infer this story will be set far into the past, and that time and space will be treated expansively. Example: If it begins: Back in December, after Henry got a raise, he asked Jane to marry him, then this too, is a story that begins in the past, but it is a very recent past, and the reader might reasonably assume the time frame will be shorter. Example: If it begins, Im sitting in my usual booth, having my morning coffee, and he walks in like nothing happened... the reader notices that the story (so far) is being told in present tense, lending it a feeling of currency and immediacy, as if its unfolding now, or just moments ago, and is set in a relatively tight space. Plot / conflict – stated or implied § Example: Here is the opening sentence of the story, Two Kinds, by Any Tan: My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. What clues and implications are in this first sentence? Because the speaker makes the distinction, my mother believed, it implies the speaker does not. But the mother does, and the story begins there, signaling its importance, so somehow, this difference between them may be at the heart of the conflict. The line also suggests the mother may be an immigrant because of the implied comparison she makes -- between America, where such possibilities exist, and the unnamed place she left. This suggests more dimensions to the conflict: perhaps an internal one for the mother, between her belief and the reality she encounters that thwarts her expectations. Or between foreign-born mother and native-born child. ANNOTATING A LITERARY TEXT | 3 3. Jot down all of your observations, assumptions, questions and conclusions. If you draw a blank and need a warm-up, move over to a blank sheet of paper, set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes, and free write, using the opening line as your prompt. 4. When you are done reading the text, return to the opening sentence and reconsider it, now informed by the entire story. Review your annotation notes, too. You may find that the initial questions you wrote down provide a good starting point for analyzing the text. II. ANNOTATING THE BODY OF THE TEXT: WHAT TO DO Along with notations about the title and opening line (explained above), there are other aspects of a literary text to focus on. As you read, use a range of possible responses that will help you develop a useful, thorough annotation. Aim to do some mix of the following, in no particular order: A. DEFINE & CLARIFY: 1. As always, circle words you dont know or dont understand in the context of the story, look them up, define them in the margin, then draw an arrow from the circled word to the definition. 2. If there are phrases, expressions, allusions, or references you are not familiar with, and they are not explained in footnotes, look them up, define them in the margin, and draw an arrow from the phrase or reference to the definition. B. FOCUS: 1. Mark passages (by underlining, highlighting, circling, placing an asterisk or some other way) that seem significant to character development, plot, theme, or another aspect of the work, and write why they seem important in the margins C. SUMMARIZE: 1. Summarizing certain sections in the margins is helpful when you return to it later to locate a sequence of events, possibly while drafting an essay. 2. Sample summary comments: This is the extended confession scene that becomes the turning point, or, She finally breaks down and confronts what scares her, pp. 11-13. 3. For longer works, such as novels, you may want to write down 2- or 3-sentence summaries of each chapter. (Usually the first page of a chapter begins about a third to halfway down the page, leaving you with valuable margin space to do so.) D. REACT: 1. Another useful annotation response: Record your emotional reaction as a reader, i.e., document your experience of the story, novel or play as it happens. Later, when you reflect on the intent, form, and meaning of the text, or want to consider tone, mood, atmosphere, conflict, irony, setting, and so on, this record of what you noticed and what evoked your strongest responses is useful. 2. Sample comments: This is comic, Extreme tension, characters talking past each other, Now it turns dark, or The irony is sharp here, especially after their conversation on p. 34 ANNOTATING A LITERARY TEXT | 4 E. IDENTIFY & ANALYZE LITERARY ELEMENTS: Not everything on the list below always applies equally to every literary work, but repeat the process you first practiced with the opening line. Start off slowly. Focus on the ones that seem most important to the piece you are reading. Locate, identify and consider how literary elements (components of form) are used to create meaning. 1. Narration / POV (Point of View): Identify the narrative voice and point of view – who is telling the story and why? Does the point of view shift? How does this point of view affect the story? Consider the narrator’s tone or attitude. 2. Characters: Who is/are the main characters? Who are secondary characters and how are they significant? Does the main character undergo some sort of change, even if it’s an internal or subtle one? What traits describe this character and how are those traits key to the story and confict? 3. Plot / Conflict: What sets this story in motion? I.e., what is the reason for, or the catalyst for this story? What is the conflict? What does the main character want and what/who stands in the way? What is the source of tension? 4. Style / Language: What is distinctive about the language? The sentence style? Does the author use dialect or slang in ways that contributes to mood and meaning? Forms of repetition? What is noteworthy about the diction? What is the role of dialogue - how does it advance my understanding of the characters and conflict? 5. Setting: What is the setting? Does it shift? Consider all available information, such as time, (era, year, season, month, day, time of day); weather, physical details of exterior landscape and interior settings. How important is setting in this work? Does it exert pressure or create struggle for the main character and/or others? How? 6. Irony: To what extent does the work rely on irony (verbal, situational, dramatic)? How does that inform your understanding of the pieces tone and intention? (Analyze also, any comic elements, or satire, if applicable). 7. Symbols / Metaphors / Patterns: Are there objects, images, events or characters that seem to carry a symbolic or metaphorical weight? What do they signify? Are there patterns to identify and analyze? III. CLOSING STRATEGIES A. POSE BROAD CRITICAL QUESTIONS (& ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THEM) When you finish reading, ask yourself broad, critical questions. Write them down and underline them. These are the questions designed to help you evaluate the text and draw conclusions about theme, meaning, and authorial intention. Asking critical questions leads you to think more deeply about what you read. These questions should provoke thought; they are not questions about minor plot details or the kinds of questions meant to elicit simple “yes or no” responses. Examples of critical questions: ANNOTATING A LITERARY TEXT | 5 o What is this story attempting to talk about? o What does the author want me to understand/feel/know/think about as a result of reading this? o In one phrase or sentence, what is the primary theme that this work explores? Write your responses to your critical questions (use a separate sheet if you begin to run out of room in the margins of the text itself). B. CONSIDER MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES: Are there different vantage points, or lenses, through which to view and interpret this literary work? What, if anything, does this literary work say (or reveal, illuminate, demonstrate, reject, subvert, or portray) when it comes to matters such as class, psychological motivation, race, gender, history or culture? C. FINALLY: EVALUATE, CONSIDER CONNECTIONS, REFLECT: After completing an annotation, evaluate your overall response to the work. Sample questions to ask yourself: 1. Are there elements of the text that remain unclear, or difficult to understand and interpret? 2. In a few words, what is the prevailing emotion you associate with this novel or story? 3. Which aspect of what you read evoked the strongest response in you? Why? 4. In what ways (if any) does this literary work resonate with or echo your own life experience and understanding of the world? 5. In what ways (if any) does it connect to other things you have read? 6. Does this work illuminate anything for you? Is your understanding of something expanded or changed as a result of reading it? MLA Formatting for Written Assignments | English 2 MARGINS, LINE SPACING, FONTS AND OTHER FORMATTING GUIDELINES What does MLA mean? MLA stands for Modern Language Association, a professional/academic organization that supports scholarship related to language and literature. The MLA formatting style is a universally recognized system for organizing and documenting one’s writing and research. It is widely used in colleges, universities, and professional writing contexts all over the world. Achieving competence with MLA format is an exit requirement for English 1. Some MLA Format Basics: • MARGINS: MLA style requires you to have one-inch margins on every side of your paper. That means there is one inch of space between the text and the edge of the paper. Set one-inch margins as the default on your computer; most computers are set at 1.25 or 1.50 as the default. You can check your settings by going to Page Set Up (on your File menu), which will display margin settings. • SPACING: All papers must be double-spaced. To set spacing, go into your word program and click the Paragraph section of your Format menu. Double-space all elements in your work, including your first-page header, and the spaces between your title and first paragraph, and between paragraphs generally. • FONT: Use a standard readable, 12-point font that looks like a typeface you might find in a book. Do not use handwriting styles or other fanciful fonts. Some clear, easily readable fonts are Times, and Times New Roman, for example. Present your work seriously if you want to be taken seriously. The ink color is always black. • PARAGRAPHING: Begin each paragraph by indenting five spaces. Do not add extra space between paragraphs. • HEADERS: There is the first page heading and the remaining headers for page 2 onward. (More about headers on the following page). The first page of all written assignments should have an MLA-style heading in the upper left-hand corner that provides the following identifying information in this order: Your full name Instructor’s name ß These lines all must be double-spaced Course title and section number The date assignment is due So, a proper MLA heading on the first page would look something like this: Lisa Simpson ß Your name (student) Prof. Charles Burns ß Instructor English 2, Section 2399 ß Course title and section number October 21, 2024 ß Date assignment submitted/due MLA FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS |2 HOW TO FORMAT TITLES in your written work (research journals, research paper, other homework): • Titles, like your text, are in 12-point type. Do NOT use boldface, italics, underlining, quotation marks or other effects for your title. • Titles are written in title case, a punctuation style that differs from sentence case. In title case, the first word is always capitalized, and all other principal words are capitalized, too. Do not use capital letters for prepositions (at, by, of, etc.); articles (a, the, and an); or conjunctions (and, or, and but) unless they’re the first word of your title. Examples in title case: The Last of the Mohicans or How I Learned to Love Homework • If you include the title of some other work within your title, follow proper format -- i.e., italicize your reference to a longer work, such as a novel. Use quote marks for titles of shorter works, like a news article, or poem). • Placement: The title should be one double-space below the last line of your left-hand MLA ... Purchase answer to see full attachment