1 CRITICAL READING & THINKINGWhere do I begin?
2 Critical Reading Critical reading goes beneath the surface of the work (written or visual) and seeks to understand the creator’s Intentions Strategies Worthiness
3 Steps: Title – subject, thesis, methodAuthor – education, background, training Genre – type of work provides insight into intentions, content, format, strategies Where Published – provides information about the intended audience, credibility When Published – currency of data
4 Ok, but how do I focus on my text?
5 Annotate While ReadingHighlight Underline Circle Write in the margins Make notes on a separate sheet of paper Remember, do not mark up a text or book that does not belong to you.
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7 I have marked up my text, now what do I do?Show that you comprehend the material. Summarize Take the essence of the author’s meaning without supporting evidence, data, statistics and put it in your own words. If the text is long, summarize every paragraph and then summarize the sentences into a complete summary
8 Example of a Summary In the essay “Facebook is Using You,” Lori Andrews, professor of law and director of IIT’s Institute for Science, Law, and Technology at Chicago-Kent, addresses the issue of the unregulated use of personal information by various companies and financial institutions. Personal information is collected and used to enable advertisers to customize advertisements to selected viewers. These pinpoint ads are more likely to result in people spending time or money on various products that they do not need. Potentially damaging and incorrect online information is also used (can be used) against viewers by financial institutions, potential employers, even the federal government. Andrews points out that, unlike Europe, America does not have laws that force data companies to reveal to individuals what data they have collected.
9 Critical Thinking The next step in discovering an author’s meaning and intention
10 Critical thinking is a process involving several interlocking stepsAnalysis – to divide something into its basic elements Look at the author’s main idea, how does (s)he support it, what writing strategies does the author use?
11 Inference – draw conclusions based on your information, your experienceSynthesis – reassemble the work using the original elements and your information and discoveries about the work Can use to compare works, respond or support you own ideas CORE OF ACADEMIC WRITING Evaluate – judge the quality, significance, determine whether or not the author proves his or her thesis
12 Ready for the next step? Analyze an Essay Meaning Writing StrategyThesis Purpose Writing Strategy Audience Method Evidence Structure Language Tone Word Choice Imagery
13 Thesis Thesis – main idea or central point of a text or work—defines the purpose for writing Thesis can be anywhere in the essay and either stated or implied Andrews, “Facebook is Using You” “Ads that pop up on your screen might seem useful, or at worst, a nuisance. But they are much more that that. The bits and bytes about your life can easily be used against you.”
14 Purpose What does the writer hope to achieve? What is Andrews purpose?Entertain Persuade Inform Motivate into action What is Andrews purpose?
15 Writing Strategy Have you ever wondered how an author provokes people into action, creates fear or laughter? To answer this question, we must look at the author’s writing strategy. Just how did they do that?
16 Audience Audience or who is the author addressing?If you can determine who the intended audience is, we can better analyze the decisions the author makes—such as tone Doctor speaks to peers one way, and to patients another
17 Method Crucial part of writer’s strategy—this is how (s)he develops ideas to achieve a particular purpose Comparison & Contrast Cause & Effect Argument & Persuasion Process Analysis Narrative Description Definition Classification Example
18 Evidence Shows how the author supports their claim Facts StatisticsReasons Expert Opinions Personal Experience Empirical Evidence
19 Structure How the author arranges items to grab or hold the audience’s interest or direct the reader to where the author wants to go Unity – everything relates to and supports the thesis Coherence – clear connection between the sentences, paragraphs, and flow of ideas Transitions act as a bridge connecting sentences and paragraphs therefore paragraph paragraph
20 I’ve got the meaning and the writing strategy, what’s left?
21 Language The author’s tone, voice, and word choice provides meaning, conveys the author’s attitudes, and provokes attitudes from the reader So this is not about English, Spanish, or German? No, this is about tone, word choice, and imagery.
22 Tone & Word Choice Tone, in writing, is equivalent to the spoken voiceThis is achieved through word choice and sentence structure Word Choice Denotation = literal meaning Connotation = implied meaning usually associated with emotions
23 Imagery Conveys concepts by using concrete and abstract words and phrases that appeals to the reader’s senses Concrete words are words that appeal to the five senses Abstract words convey ideas, qualities, conditions (love, peace, liberty, evil) usually by using figures of speech which can oftentimes capture a meaning better than literal words
24 Figures of Speech Simile – comparison using “like,” “as,” or “than”My love is like a red, red rose (Robert Burns) Metaphor – comparison between two unlike things His words were sharp as knives. Dead metaphor – originally a figure of speech that, through common usages, has become literal “the hands of a clock” Personification – giving human characteristics to non-human things My computer sat there blinking at me with disdain. Hyperbole – an overstatement or exaggeration He through the ball so fast it caught the catcher’s mitt on fire. Understatement – opposite of hyperbole “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto.” (Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz) Paradox – a contradiction or illogical statement I’ll never forget old what’s-his-name.