IRLS: INDEPENDENT READING LOGS

FORMAT QUOTESUMMARY/PARAPHRASEANALYSIS/YOUR THOUGHTS…

QUOTES How do I select a quote out of a passage? Consider what is significant in the passage- using the term “I love you” is not a significant literary impact. Who, What, When, Where, Why, How Usually more than one sentence! Read the following passage then discuss with a classmate what you noticed was significant.

The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. When I returned to the common the sun was setting. Scattered groups were hurrying from the direction of Woking, and one or two persons were returning. The crowd about the pit had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky—a couple of hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort of struggle appeared to be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed through my mind. As I drew nearer I heard Stent’s voice: “Keep back! Keep back!” A boy came running towards me. “It’s a-movin’,” he said to me as he passed; “a-screwin’ and a-screwin’ out. I don’t like it. I’m a-goin’ ‘ome, I am.” I went on to the crowd. There were really, I should think, two or three hundred people elbowing and jostling one another, the one or two ladies there being by no means the least active. “He’s fallen in the pit!” cried some one. “Keep back!” said several. The crowd swayed a little, and I elbowed my way through. Every one seemed greatly excited. I heard a peculiar humming sound from the pit. “I say!” said Ogilvy; “help keep these idiots back. We don’t know what’s in the confounded thing, you know!” I saw a young man, a shop assistant in Woking I believe he was, standing on the cylinder and trying to scramble out of the hole again. The crowd had pushed him in.

POTENTIAL QUOTE “ The crowd about the pit had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky—a couple of hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort of struggle appeared to be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed through my mind. As I drew nearer I heard Stent’s voice: “Keep back! Keep back!”” (Wells 10). This is a great quote! Let’s us this as our example! Place this on your paper in the “QUOTE” side.

EXAMPLE QUOTESUMMARY/PARAPHRASEANALYSIS/YOUR THOUGHTS… “ The crowd about the pit had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky—a couple of hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort of struggle appeared to be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed through my mind. As I drew nearer I heard Stent’s voice: “Keep back! Keep back!”” (Wells 10).

SUMMARY “ The crowd about the pit had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky—a couple of hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort of struggle appeared to be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed through my mind. As I drew nearer I heard Stent’s voice: “Keep back! Keep back!”” (Wells 10). What was happening here? Consider the scene as a whole and not just the quote itself. Ex. In the beginning of the novel, a small town out in the Midwest area. The narrator is trying to figure out what the commotion is that is happening in the center of town. Something strange has landed there and they are unsure if the thing is safe. Curious, the towns people look on in horror as the mysterious creature is not moving. The speaker is trying to figure out his own reaction to the entire scenario rather than the towns people. He is younger than the other characters that have currently been introduced. He is aware that his age is a challenge in understanding the situations he finds himself in. Many of the key characters are introduced in this scene. The speaker observes the others, trying to determine if he feels the same as the town. This scene starts the beginning of the war that will erupt through out the book.

EXAMPLE QUOTESUMMARY/PARAPHRASEANALYSIS/YOUR THOUGHTS… “ The crowd about the pit had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky—a couple of hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort of struggle appeared to be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed through my mind. As I drew nearer I heard Stent’s voice: “Keep back! Keep back!”” (Wells 10). In the beginning of the novel, a small town out in the Midwest area. The narrator is trying to figure out what the commotion is that is happening in the center of town. Something strange has landed there and they are unsure if the thing is safe. Curious, the towns people look on in horror as the mysterious creature is not moving. The speaker is trying to figure out his own reaction to the entire scenario rather than the towns people. He is younger than the other characters that have currently been introduced. He is aware that his age is a challenge in understanding the situations he finds himself in. Many of the key characters are introduced in this scene. The speaker observes the others, trying to determine if he feels the same as the town. This scene starts the beginning of the war that will erupt through out the book.

ANALYSIS/MY THOUGHTS… “ The crowd about the pit had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky—a couple of hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort of struggle appeared to be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed through my mind. As I drew nearer I heard Stent’s voice: “Keep back! Keep back!”” (Wells 10). Consider the implication of a “pit,” “raised voices,” and “strange imaginings.” And keep in mind the warning. Ex. Humans are naturally curious, and in this scene where the aliens have landed in the small town, that curiosity becomes obvious. The crowd is described to have “raised voices” which could indicate a disagreement of what the alien’s origins or even if the creature is an alien. Looking into the pit becomes symbolic of the pit of hell, created more by the stupidity and lack of understanding in humans. This small town may become the equivalent of ground zero for the war that is rumored to happen later in the book. When the narrator mentions the “strange imaginings,” it maybe a bit lame in the modern sense. The book was published at the height of the pulp culture horror, when creatures like “the blob” and “the birds” were considered to be even more frightening than the boogeyman or other childhood myths. Perhaps the speaker’s imaginings of what was in the pit isn’t hell, but something he deems equally worthy. Is there anything more scary than a foreign being that hasn’t been seen before? What if it is evil? How do you go about killing a creature when you know nothing about it? It could represent the unknown danger in not understanding something; racism based on a misunderstanding. The humans do not know the alien’s intention, which leads them to be extremely cautious in handling the creature.

EXAMPLE QUOTESUMMARY/PARAPHRASEANALYSIS/YOUR THOUGHTS… “ The crowd about the pit had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky—a couple of hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort of struggle appeared to be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed through my mind. As I drew nearer I heard Stent’s voice: “Keep back! Keep back!”” (Wells 10). Ex. In the beginning of the novel, a small town out in the Midwest area. The narrator is trying to figure out what the commotion is that is happening in the center of town. Something strange has landed there and they are unsure if the thing is safe. Curious, the towns people look on in horror as the mysterious creature is not moving. The speaker is trying to figure out his own reaction to the entire scenario rather than the towns people. He is younger than the other characters that have currently been introduced. He is aware that his age is a challenge in understanding the situations he finds himself in. Many of the key characters are introduced in this scene. The speaker observes the others, trying to determine if he feels the same as the town. This scene starts the beginning of the war that will erupt through out the book. Humans are naturally curious, and in this scene where the aliens have landed in the small town, that curiosity becomes obvious. The crowd is described to have “raised voices” which could indicate a disagreement of what the alien’s origins or even if the creature is an alien. Looking into the pit becomes symbolic of the pit of hell, created more by the stupidity and lack of understanding in humans. This small town may become the equivalent of ground zero for the war that is rumored to happen later in the book. When the narrator mentions the “strange imaginings,” it maybe a bit lame in the modern sense. The book was published at the height of the pulp culture horror, when creatures like “the blob” and “the birds” were considered to be even more frightening than the boogeyman or other childhood myths. Perhaps the speaker’s imaginings of what was in the pit isn’t hell, but something he deems equally worthy. Is there anything more scary than a foreign being that hasn’t been seen before? What if it is evil? How do you go about killing a creature when you know nothing about it? It could represent the unknown danger in not understanding something; racism based on a misunderstanding. The humans do not know the alien’s intention, which leads them to be extremely cautious in handling the creature.

ANOTHER QUOTE “There were really, I should think, two or three hundred people elbowing and jostling one another, the one or two ladies there being by no means the least active” (Wells 10). Try this one on your own, or one from a work we have read in class. If you bring me an additional quote and the example quote (a total of two) I will give you some bonus credit.

FORMAT QUOTESUMMARY/PARAPHRASEANALYSIS/YOUR THOUGHTS…