Response to Literature

By Anonymous (not verified), 12 March, 2026

Using Evidence from Sources

Using Evidence from Sources

Whenever you use ideas from a source, you need to name the source and the author. Usually, you put the ideas in your own words (paraphrase them).

Glenda of the Giraffe People

By Leslie Fields

Glenda liked to hang around. Literally. Every recess, she hung from the monkey bars until the line of kids barked her down. Then she would hang from the side braces of the swings. At home, she . . .

In the story “Glenda of the Giraffe People,” Leslie Fields (Title and Author) shows a student who hangs from monkey bars and trees to stretch. . . . (Paraphrase)

If you use the writer’s exact words, put the words in quotation marks. If the quotation is followed by a comma or period, put it inside the end quotation mark.

In the story “Glenda of the Giraffe People,” Leslie Fields (Title and Author) shows a student who “likes to hang around. Literally.” (Quotation) Glenda wants . . .

Paraphrase and quote.

Paraphrase and quote the selection. Credit the title and author.

By Anonymous (not verified), 12 March, 2026

Analyzing the Meaning of Poetry

Analyzing the Meaning of Poetry

Poetry uses different techniques to create different meanings. When you read a poem, watch for these kinds of techniques.

Connotation is the feeling that words create.

Grandma wore denim; mother wore silk.

(Denim has the connotation of being inexpensive, durable, and practical; silk has the connotation of being expensive, delicate, and dressy.)

Denotation refers to the literal meaning of words.

Grandma wore denim; mother wore silk.

(Denim is a cotton fabric; silk is a fabric made from the cocoons of silkworms.)

Imagery refers to what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.

In the trees, green leaves murmur.

In the grass dance sunlight stars.

(Imagery includes trees, green, murmur, grass, dance, sunlight stars.)

Metaphor is saying that one thing is another thing, without using like or as.

The speech was a lighthouse beacon,

Guiding me to shore.

(The speech is a beacon.)

Personification is giving human qualities to nonhuman things.

I wrestled the math problem all afternoon.

It pinned me to the mat.

(The math problem acts like a wrestler.)

Simile is comparing two things using like or as.

My dog is like Saturday,

Brimming with adventure and excitement.

(The dog is compared to Saturday, using like.)

Symbol is using one thing to stand for another.

She kept her heart in a safe

Where no one could ever break it.

(Her heart is a symbol of her inner self and her relationships.)
By Anonymous (not verified), 12 March, 2026

Analyzing the Sound of Poetry

Analyzing the Sound of Poetry

As you know, a poem is not the same as a short story or a novel. One big difference is that poetry plays with the sounds of words. Different techniques create different sounds. When you read a poem, listen for these kinds of sounds.

Alliteration is using the same beginning consonant sound.

The burrow delves down dark and deep

Where slinking creatures go to sleep.

Assonance is repeating vowel sounds within words.

In a yellow casserole

A green bean makes a scene.

Onomatopoeia occurs when a word sounds like what it describes.

The ladle dripped atop my roll

And splashed the soup inside my bowl.

Repetition is using a word or phrase again to draw attention to it or to create rhythm.

The white dove in the white snow

Waits for the white-out winds to go.

Rhyme refers to repeating the end sounds of words, often at the end of lines.

If you would show some gratitude

Instead of so much attitude,

You wouldn’t hear a platitude

About your lack of manners, dude.

Rhythm refers to creating a pattern of stressed and unstressed sounds in a line of poetry.

If you would show some gratitude

Instead of so much attitude,

You wouldn’t hear a platitude

About your lack of manners, dude.

Closely read a poem.

Read the following wintry poem, focusing on the sounds it creates.

By Anonymous (not verified), 12 March, 2026

Analyzing Theme

Analyzing Theme

The theme of a story is a lesson it teaches about life. The theme usually will not be stated outright. You have to infer it from the characters’ actions and words. Ask yourself questions like these.

  • What does the main character learn?

    Glenda learns that she should focus on what she can control (how high she climbs) rather than what she can’t (how tall she is).

  • How does the main character change?

    Glenda stops being a hanger and becomes a climber. She accepts her height and focuses on things she can do instead.

  • How are you changed by reading this story?

    I realize I should accept things I can’t change about myself and focus on what I can do.

  • What is the writer trying to say about life? (theme)

    Don’t focus on what you are given, but on what you do with it.

Read for theme.

Read the following story, watching for theme.

By Anonymous (not verified), 12 March, 2026

Analyzing Plot

Analyzing Plot

The plot of a story takes a standard shape. The beginning (exposition) introduces character, setting, and conflict. The middle (rising action) raises the level of conflict to a high point (climax). The ending tells what happens afterward (falling action and resolution).

Plot Diagram
By Anonymous (not verified), 12 March, 2026

Analyzing Conflict

Analyzing Conflict

Once you know what a character wants, you can think about the obstacles in the way—what the person has to overcome. Obstacles create conflict. You’ll find six basic types of conflict:

  1. Person versus self means the character is his or her own worst enemy or is struggling to make up his or her mind.
  2. Person versus person pits the character against another character.
  3. Person versus society brings the character into conflict with what other people want or think is okay.
  4. Person versus nature has the person fight weather, animals, wilderness, natural disaster, or forces like aging or gravity.
  5. Person versus supernatural sets the character against fate or magic.
  6. Person versus machine pits the character against computers or technology.
By Anonymous (not verified), 12 March, 2026

Analyzing Characters

Analyzing Characters

Stories focus on people, animals, or humanlike objects called characters. You can analyze a character by describing the person physically and mentally.

  • Name

    Coup, the most sensible car at the dealership

  • Physical description (gender, age, appearance, health, strength, speed)

    He is a new car, “blue, midsized, economical, with a ten-year warranty;” he’s not the fastest, the largest, or the most stylish.

  • Mental description (intelligence, personality, confidence, attitude)

    He is practical and shy. He knows the kind of owner he wants but rarely sees one. He’s picky. He also seems discouraged and closed off.

  • Motivation (what the character wants)

    Coup wants to find a practical owner. He wants to be driven away from the dealership, but he seems afraid to let people try him out.

Read for character.

Pay close attention to the main character and what she wants.

By Anonymous (not verified), 12 March, 2026

Closely Reading Stories

Closely Reading Stories

To closely read stories, you should read once to get an overall sense of what is happening. Then return to read a second time and focus on character, setting, conflict, and theme.

Read a short story.

Pay close attention to the main character and what he wants.

Response to Literature