SHORT STORY FOCUS GROUPS

Your task:Work collaboratively to examine a “classic” short story and demonstrate your understanding of literary elements and basic critical analysis concepts.

GOALS:

Work together to accomplish a task.

Examine the parts of a whole.

Demonstrate in-depth analysis and interpretation.

Build essential AP Lit skills.

Directions:

  1. Read and annotate your assigned story.
  2. Compare your annotations.
  3. Account for the following:

SSymbol: examine the title and text for symbolism

IImages: identify images and sensory details

FFigures of Speech: analyze figurative language and other devices

TTone and Theme: discuss how all devices reveal tone and theme

Symbol

Since the title of a work often contains symbols that hint at theme, reexamine the title. Identify and explain any symbols you find in the text. Explain how and why the author uses those symbols. Don’t forget that colors are also used in symbolism.

Imagery

Writers use language to create sensory impressions and to evoke specific responses to characters, objects, events, or situations in their works. The writer “shows” rather than “tells,” thus allowing the reader to participate in the experience more fully. Therefore, imagery helps to produce mood and tone. When reading a piece containing imagery, ask yourself these two questions:

* What do I see, hear, taste, smell, or feel?

* What effect is the author trying to convey with these images?

Figures of Speech

Writers form images by using figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification. Find examples in the work and discuss how these figures of speech help to convey effect and meaning.

Tone

A close examination of word choice, imagery, and detail reveals the narrator’s attitude or tone and contributes to the reader’s understanding. In a few words, explain the tone.

Theme

Finally, identify central themes. Remember: ask your self what subjects (thematic words) emerge from your reading -- injustice, social protest, corruption, tradition, individuality, etc.

Write a sentence about each subject listed based on insights gained from analyzing symbolism, imagery, figurative language, and other devices. Because all rhetorical and literary devices lead to tone and theme, this process will help you perceive what insights about lift the author is revealing about each subject and to refine the process of determining meaning in a text.

Group Presentation

TENTATIVELY scheduled for Tuesday, 9.23

Each group will give a ten-minute presentation on their assigned short story. This presentation must be given by all members of the group and include:

  1. Brief synopsis of the story
  2. Brief discussion symbols and how they reveal meaning in the story.
  3. Brief discussion imagery and howthe imageryreveals meaning in the story.
  4. Brief discussion ofsignificant figurative language, including recurring motifs, that contribute to the overall meaning of the story
  5. Discussion ofthe toneandone or two themes your group identified.
  6. Identification of aspects of the story that are ambiguous and allow for interpretation

and

  1. Answer this: What questions about life or human experience are raised by the story?
  2. And finally, identify one quote from the story thatbest captures the essence of the story.

A note on presentations…

Get creative. Group presentations can take (almost) any format, so long as you cover all of the required content.

I’d prefer you spread your wings and stay away from PowerPoint.

Some ideas:

  • Long rhyming narrative poem
  • Video
  • Sketch
  • News report
  • “Living” story (interpret how you like)