Some Questions to Ask when Reading Literature
- What is the tone (attitude or emotional impression) of
the
work?
- What aspects of the work create this tone?
- What images, descriptions, or comparisons are involved?
- Is there an argument (thesis) in this work?
- How does the author create this argument?
- What examples does he or she bring in to support the
claims
presented?
- How, if at all, does historical setting influence the
impression
created
by the work?
- How does the use of figurative language (metaphor,
simile,
symbolism)
influence the impression created by the work?
Other Questions (More geared toward poetry):
- What was your response to the poem on first reading?
- Who is the speaker?
- Is the speaker addressing a particular person?
- Does the poem have a setting?
- Is the theme of the poem stated directly or indirectly?
- From what perspective (or point of view) is the speaker
describing specific
events?
- Does a close examination of the figurative language (see
Literary Terms
) of
the poem
reveal any patterns?
- What is the structure of the poem?What do sound and meter
(see
Literary Terms ) contribute
to the poem?
