Analyzing Nonfiction

Standards Write an essay analyzing how a writer of nonfiction uses literary elements to achieve specific rhetorical and aesthetic purposes. Analyze the ways in which irony, tone, mood, the author’s style, and the “sound” of language achieve specific rhetorical or aesthetic purposes or both. Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of discourse when completing expository writing assignments. Structure ideas in a sustained and sophisticated way and support them with precise and relevant examples.

Analyzing Nonfiction Nonfiction, when in the hands of skilled writers, has literary qualities as lively and compelling as those in fiction. By analyzing a work of literary nonfiction, you can learn how the writer uses language to convey significant ideas both effectively and artistically.

Choose a Nonfiction Work As a class we will examine Jonathan Edward’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

Consider Purpose, Audience, and Form Purpose: to explain how the nonfiction writer uses literary elements to achieve specific rhetorical and aesthetic goals. (ie. Ethos, pathos, logos, etc.) Audience: Teacher, classmates, Dr. Pringle Form: Written essay

Analysis Questions and Sample Answers Survey the Work Analysis Questions and Sample Answers What theme, or insight about human life, is revealed in the work? African American women have always found ways to sustain their creative spirits. What is the work’s tone---the writer’s attitude toward the subject and audience? The writer’s tone is respectful and determined. What emotional state, or mood, does the work evoke? The work evokes pride and respect for all African American women, especially for the writer’s mother. First reading of work identify writer’s purpose, develop general understanding of the work’s ideas. Second reading of work, use the questions from the chart to analyze which literary elements the writer uses and what effect they have on the work. (Sample answers are from Alice Walker’s essay “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens”)

Survey the Work Style, a writer’s distinct use of language, is another important literary element. Analyze the stylistic devices writers use by looking for the devices listed in the chart on the next slide. The determine what effect the device has on the work we have selected to analyze.

Stylistic Devices and Examples Irony---a contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality The writer’s mother; although “hindered and intruded upon” (1012), made art a daily part of her life. Diction---choice of words; can be neutral and objective, or emotionally charged. Strong verbs, such as “battled” and “labored” (1009), reflect the strength of the writer’s mother. Imagery---language that appeals to the senses; can evoke emotions. The vivid images of the Smithsonian quilt, the mother’s garden, and the determined woman described in the poem make the reader feel a sense of awe. Sound effects---such as the repetition of vowel or consonant sounds (assonance, alliteration), sound patterns (rhythm), or words and phrases Repeating “She” as the subject of four consecutive sentences strongly reinforces the mother’s endless tasks (1009). Highlighting her creative spirit are the phrases “so brilliant,” “so original,” and “so magnificent” (1011). Other stylistic devices include allusions, figurative language, parallelism, personification, and sentence structure. The writer’s mother is metaphorically described as “Creator.” Her garden is the universe she made.

State and Support Your Thesis Choose the literary elements that contribute most to making the work effective and appealing. Write a thesis statement that identifies the elements and expresses your main idea about them. (Example Thesis: In “Sinner’s in the Hands of an Angry God,” (102) Jonathan Edward’s uses the following literary devices: (choose four literary devices) , to convey his message through pathos and logos. Support your thesis with precise and relevant examples. (ie. Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries of the text to support the ideas in your analysis. Provide at least two examples for each element you select. Document your direct quotations with parenthetical citations.

Organize Your Essay Make sure your essay is organized clearly and logically by using the following two common organizational patterns for analyses. Traces the writer’s use of one literary element from its first appearance in the work until its last. Chronological Order Arranges discussion of more than one element from most important to least important, or vice versa. Order of Importance

Practice and Apply You must identify and analyze Edward’s purpose in the piece. Locate and identify words or phrases, figures of speech, instances of syntax, or other specific rhetorical devices that support this purpose and demonstrate your understanding of these specific elements in 500 word essay.

In “Sinner’s in the Hands of an Angry God,” (102) Jonathan Edwards asserts that for every action there is a reaction. He addresses his congregation as a strong father would address his children in guiding them away from behavior that may cause them to sin. Edwards uses the following literary devices: (choose four literary devices) to