Analytical Reading

Tasks of the course of Analytical Reading. Development of reading skills from skimming, comprehension to elements of in-depth character, theme, style, point of view analysis. The texts are from classical and contemporary short stories to anecdotes.

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Язык английский
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Early the next evening, however, the couple marched to the front desk again and demanded seven cans of spray disinfectant. “We need a can for each night. We have to spray the phone, the TV, all the door handles, the toilet handle, the shower stall, the faucet, the sink, and any hotel staff entering our room. ”

Worried about what their demands might be in the following days, Theodore politely suggested that a hotel more suitable for them was just around the corner. He then called ahead to reserve a “very clean" room, and gave them free transportation in the hotel limousine.

“They seemed surprised that I suggested a different hotel, but they liked the idea that I didn't charge them for the second day, and they really liked the limousine service,” said Theodore.

Text 6. A Thoughtful Gift

Scan the story and say: Who is involved in the story? Why was the man embarrassed?

Catherine invited Nelson to dinner. Last semester she had been a student in Nelson's grammar class, but she had to drop it.

Nelson was getting to be an old man. He had been teaching various subjects for almost 40 years. He could have retired 10 years ago, but he loved teaching. He said his students gave him something to look forward to every day. He planned to teach until he dropped dead in the classroom.

Nelson needed to take a little gift to Catherine to show his gratitude for the invitation. He couldn't think of what would be appropriate. Opening his kitchen cabinet, he found the perfect gift - an unopened box of tea. In a kitchen drawer, he found some fresh-looking wrapping paper. He wrapped the box of tea up expertly. Feeling proud of himself, he drove over to Catherine's and rang the doorbell.

He presented his gift. Catherine made a funny face. She said she loved the wrapping paper. Then she unwrapped the tea and made another funny face. “Nelson, I gave this tea to you at the end of last semester, and I wrapped it in this paper! ”

Nelson gulped. His face turned red. He told himself he had to be more careful with gifts in the future. Stammering, he apologized to Catherine. She smiled and said, “It's okay. It's the thought that counts, yes? ”

Text 7. Theft Occurs Everywhere

Scan the story and say: What kinds of theft are mentioned in the text? Who are the most frequent victims of thieves?

An elderly woman told the police that, as she entered a restroom, she was jostled by a woman behind her. A few minutes later, as she was about to pay for a moustache remover at a nearby store, she discovered that her wallet was missing from her purse. Apparently the woman who had bumped into her had cleverly stolen her wallet. This type of theft is called pick-pocketing.

Perhaps an even more personal kind of theft is known as housebreaking, or burglary. After such an intrusion, the victims often report a feeling of violation. They seldom regain the comfort and security level they used to have in their home. They constantly feel like they are being watched; they feel that if they go out, the burglars will again come in. They feel uncomfortable when they are home, and they feel uncomfortable when they aren't home.

Burglars get lucky or make their own luck. Sometimes homeowners forget to lock all their windows or doors. Sometimes burglars will break a window, cut through a screen door, or force open a side door.

Thieves have no shame. They will steal from anyone that they think is vulnerable. Of course, that means the elderly are their frequent victims. Some thieves are very clever; some are very lucky. All of them make an honest person's life more difficult.

Imagine that: a world with no larceny, a world where you can park your bicycle unsecured on the sidewalk, or leave your purse unattended in your shopping cart. Is this only a dream? Some say that if you can dream about it, it can happen.

Text 8. The Street is Burning

Scan the story and say: What unusual incident happened in the street? What was the cause? How was the problem solved?

Alvin was walking down 6th Street on a hot sunny day when he saw smoke coming out of the street. He could smell the smoke, and it was getting thicker. It was coming out of a storm drain. Alvin used his cell phone to call the fire department.

“The storm drain is on fire! ” he said. The fire department asked for his whereabouts and he said he was near 6th and Main. They said they'd be right there to investigate the situation. Alvin didn't have to be anywhere, so he waited for the firemen to arrive. He was curious himself as to what could possibly be burning beneath the street. As far as he knew, there wasn't anything beneath the street except concrete. And everyone knows that concrete doesn't burn.

A fire truck arrived a few minutes later. “Are you the man who called? ” asked the driver. Alvin said yes. By now Alvin could hear crackling sounds, like wood burning. The firemen didn't seem to consider it an emergency.

“What do you think it could be? ” Alvin asked the driver.

“Oh, we know what it is. We have to take care of a problem like this every few months. It's the homeless people in their houses. ”

Homeless people have been living under the streets for years. Using their knowledge of the storm drain system, they set up their own “bunkers” beneath the streets. These living areas frequently contain tables, mattresses, chairs, and sofas. The residents often “borrow" electricity by connecting to a live wire above ground to power their own lamps and even TVs underground. Either this borrowed electricity or a discarded cigarette causes an occasional fire.

Alvin watched as a couple of firemen lifted a manhole cover and descended beneath the street with a fire hose. A few minutes later, the black smoke turned white. Shortly afterward, the firemen reappeared with a homeless person who seemed to have just been woken up.

Text 9. Time to Shop

Scan the story and say: What did the man buy? Was it a successful shopping on the whole?

It was time to go to the market. He had no bananas, no apples, and no milk. He got into his car and drove to the market. It was only five minutes away. The parking lot was almost empty. Good, he thought. He wouldn't have to stand in a long line.

He parked his car and walked over to the shopping cart area. He pulled out one of the carts and pushed it ahead of him into the store. Inside, he grabbed an alcohol wipe and wiped the handle of the cart. Then he grabbed another wipe and wiped his own hands. You can never be too careful, he thought.

He turned left and walked over to the produce section. Today was his lucky day. Apples were on sale, a dollar a pound. Usually they were two dollars a pound or more. He put 10 apples into a plastic bag and weighed the bag. It was three pounds. He walked over to the bananas. They were the regular price, 79 cents a pound. He bought three pounds of bananas.

When he saw the carrots, he remembered that he needed carrots, too. He put a two-pound bag of carrots into his cart. They were only $1.29. He walked to the dairy section and saw that a gallon of milk was $4. He put a gallon into his cart and walked back to the front of the store.

He paid for his food, got his receipt, and walked out to his car. He put the food into his trunk and drove home.

Text 10. Trees Are a Threat

Scan the story and say: Where did it take place? In what way did the trees threaten the people? How was the problem to be solved? Were the locals happy about this?

The mountain town of Canton is at an elevation of 6,000 feet. It is surrounded by thick underbrush and pine trees. Because of six years of drought, these plants are a major fire hazard. Thousands of trees and tons of underbrush are going to be removed over the next five years at a minimum cost of $3 million. The brush will be removed first, then the trees will be toppled and removed. A cleared nonflammable area will then safely surround the town of 4,000.

Residents look forward to the work, because it will help their town survive a future inferno. “But there are two problems," said one resident. “All the extra trucks are going to make traffic pretty bad. Once the area is cleared, we have to make sure dirt bikers don't try to make the cleared area their personal playground. ”

A recent fire burned 4,000 acres and destroyed 11 homes in nearby Hamilton. The fire was raging toward Canton, but a sudden rainstorm put it out. Residents know that they won't get lucky twice, so they are looking forward to this massive clearing operation.

Ninety percent of the cutting and clearing will be paid with federal funds. Unfortunately, if the trees are on private property, they must be paid for by the residents themselves. Prices can range as high as $1,000 to cut and remove one tree. Officials say that residents can apply for state and federal loans if necessary.

Appendix 1. Plan for text analysis

1. Title.

2. Basic facts about the author (if possible; preferably those that are essential or helpful for the interpretation of the text).

3. Genre of the text: FICTION: short story (humorous, psychological, philosophical, didactic, a problem story etc.; it may also be mixed), fable, parable, fairy-tale, prose poem, sketch etc. NON-FICTION: essay, newspaper article, scientific paper, informational story, memoires, diary, (auto) biography, an account of real events, advertisement etc This plan is primarily for analyzing fiction. Though sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction (e. g. in essays, biographies) .

4. Subject matter (topic).

5. Plot summary (sequence of events).

6.composition:

1) the beginning (exposition / introduction)

2) the middle (rising action, complication; crisis, climax, turning-point; falling action)

3) the end (dйnouement (outcome), solution, catastrophe, possibly an epilogue).

Composition may be analyzed in terms of conflict development (complication, crisis, confrontation etc.).

Not all texts necessarily have all structural elements. E. g., a story may have no obvious outcome. In this case it has an open structure.

7. Narrator (omniscient narrator, first-person narrator, a character with a set of personal traits who may or may not take part in the action).

8. Character portrayal (direct/indirect/mixed; static/dynamic; flat/round). Description of the characters (portrait, personal traits, development).

9. Central idea.

To support your inferences about the idea of the story you may analyze, apart from the composition and the characters, the title, the conflict, the atmosphere, motifs, general mood and tone (humorous, satiric, tragic, lyrical etc.), style (bookish, colloquial, terse, laconic, poetic etc.), figures of speech (epithet, metaphor, simile, pun, hyperbole, irony, repetitions etc.).

Appendix 2. Sample analysis: text structure

Before you read the text look through the plan for text analysis in Appendix 1.

A VERY DANGEROUS INVENTION

by Max Adeler

(1) A step-ladder is a thing most useful to people who are moving into a new house. The servants find it extremely convenient when they have to wash the windows, to remove the dust from the door and window-frames, and to perform many other household duties; but the master of the house will need it when he hangs his pictures, when he fixes the curtains and when he is asked by his wife to hang a shelf or two in the cellar.

(2) I would, however, warn my fellow countrymen against the thing which is offered to them under the name of Patent Combination Step-ladder. I bought one in the city just before we moved, because the shop assistant showed me how, by simple operation of a set of springs, the ladder could be changed into an ironing-table, and from that into a comfortable settee for the kitchen, and finally back into a step-ladder, if the owner wished. It seemed very tempting to buy three useful things for a single price. So I bought it, but I soon discovered that it was not so useful as I had expected it to be.

(3) On the day of its arrival, the servant used the ladder to remove the globes from the chandelier in the parlour, but while she was engaged in the work the springs unexpectedly began to move, and the machine was changed into an ironing-table, while the maid-servant was thrown down on the floor and lay there with a sprained ankle among the fragments of two globes broken into pieces.

(4) After this unfortunate accident we decided to use the apparatus only as an ironing-table. Probably the thing would have remained an ironing-table, if it had been suitable for this purpose. On the following Tuesday, however, while half a dozen shirts were lying upon it ready to be ironed, someone passed by and knocked against it accidentally. It gave two or three threatening jerks, tore two shirts into rags, hurled the iron out into the yard, and after a few convulsive movements of the spring quietly took the shape of a step-ladder.

(5) Then it became evident that it could be used with a greater safety as a settee, and it was placed in the kitchen in that shape. For a few days we heard no more of it. It gave much satisfaction. But one night when the servant had company the bench was, perhaps, overloaded, for it had another and most alarming paroxysm; there was a trembling of the legs, then a tremendous jump, and one of the visitors was hurled against the range, while the machine turned several somersaults and appeared once more in the shape of an ironing-table.

(6) It has now become so sensitive that it goes through the entire drill very quickly if anyone comes near it or coughs or sneezes close at hand. We keep it in the garret, and sometimes in the middle of the night a rat will run across the floor, or a current of air will pass through the room, and we can hear it dancing over the floor and taking the shape of a ladder, a bench and a table fifteen or twenty times in quick succession.

(7) We are willing to sell the machine for a very small sum. It might be a valuable addition to the collection of some good museum. I am sure it will be more useful as a curiosity than a thing for house-work.

ANALYSIS

1. The title is given (think how it is related to the subject and the idea of the story).

The title of the story is “A Very Dangerous Invention”.

2. Use books or Internet for reference to find out the basic facts about the author. Mind that it is preferable to mention the facts that are essential or in some way helpful for the interpretation of the text. These are primarily the country he/she lived and worked in, the time span of creative activity, the most famous works and their genre, target audience, the degree of popularity, the main reasons for becoming famous/classic.

It was written by (The author of the story is) Max Adeler.

Max Adeler is the pen name of the American writer Charles Heber Clark, who lived in the second half of the XIXth - the beginning of the XXth century. He is known mostly as the author of the collection of eccentric and humorous stories “Out of the Hurly Burly”. The text that is being analyzed is a part of this book.

3. “A Very Dangerous Invention" is a humorous short story. (It is fiction though the author might have used details from real life).

4. The subject of the story is the purchase of a combination step-ladder which could also be used as a settee and an ironing-table and which was supposed to be very useful.

5. To give plot summary it is essential to analyze the paragraphs.

Typically all good writing is carried out in coherent, clear-cut and at the same time logically connected paragraphs. A proper paragraph usually contains a main idea (a thesis) and a number of supporting details. For recounting the sequence of events it is necessary to define the main idea of each paragraph. In other words, to give a concise and logical plot summary you should understand what each paragraph boils down to.

To make the summary coherent use temporal or cause-effect linking words and phrases (e. g. after that, finally, as a result etc.). See Appendix 5 - Useful Vocabulary.

The sample text contains 7 paragraphs. Note how the following sentences correspondingly convey their main ideas and, accompanied by a few supporting details, make up a summary. Pay attention to the use of linking words and phrases.

(1) The story opens with the description of the functions which a step-ladder can have in a household.

(2) However, the narrator advises against buying one particular model, namely the one which combines three functions: a step-ladder, an ironing-table and a settee. The narrator himself bought such a step-ladder and soon discovered it was not as useful as the shop assistant had promised.

(3) In fact, the three-functional step-ladder proved dangerous. For example, the narrator's maid-servant fell down from it as the step-ladder unexpectedly turned into an ironing-table.

(4) Then the narrator decided to use the step-ladder only as an ironing-table, but someone accidentally knocked against it. As a result, the ironing-table turned into a step-ladder causing further damage. (5) Finally, the narrator tried using the step-ladder as a settee, but this attempt was not successful either.

(6) After that the step-ladder became so sensitive that it transformed even after slightest disturbances. Therefore, it was dangerous to keep it in the house.

(7) So, in the end, the narrator regretted his purchase and was thinking of a way to get rid of the step-ladder.

6.composition in a story shows the development of action. The action of a story is a sequence of events usually arranged so as to have three recognizable parts: the beginning (exposition where the setting is usually described), the middle (rising action with a series of turning-points and climax) and the end (outcome, or dйnouement).

In contrast to real life, action in fiction is usually ordered. It imitates in words a series of human activities with a power to affect the reader's opinions and emotions in a certain way. This is the basic principle of fiction which arouses the readers' interest: it makes them eager to learn what is going to happen and how the problems faced by the characters are going to be solved. Action produces tension, suspense or surprise.

The story is set in a typical house where a step-ladder is supposed to be a very useful item.

The action begins when the narrator buys a combination step-ladder which he expects to be of great use. The plot develops as the narrator tries using the step-ladder in all its functions one by one. Each time the step-ladder fails to fulfil its function, and, on the contrary, causes damage.

The story reaches its climax when the step-ladder becomes so sensitive that it proves dangerous to keep. Here the author obviously uses hyperbole [exaggerates things] to make his point clearer.

In the dйnouement the narrator makes up his mind to get rid of the step-ladder and to sell it to a museum as a curiosity.

7. The story is told by a first-person narrator because he relates what happened to himself. This underscores that the advice against buying the combination step-ladder given in the story is sincere and is based on personal experience.

8. In the story which is being analyzed there are no “proper" characters. However, in this case we can still distinguish the narrator as a character and the step-ladder, which is in the centre of the plot.

The servants may be considered as supporting characters.

For a more detailed description of human characters see Appendix 3.

The main “character” of the story is a three-functional step-ladder which is personified: it is “too sensitive" and behaves in an unpredictable way, it does not obey the will of its owner, causes damage in the household and seems to do so on purpose. It can be described as temperamental (it does not work properly). The author uses mixed method while describing the step-ladder. On the one hand, the narrator explicitly speaks of it as “not so useful”, “too sensitive" and as “a curiosity" (direct method). For the most part, however, the step-ladder “acts" for itself supporting the narrator's description (indirect method).

The other main character is the narrator himself. At the beginning of the story he considers himself practical but in fact he is a bit naпve as he believes everything the shop assistant tells him. The narrator is honest and self-critical as he recognizes his mistake. We can also note that he has a sense of humour as at the end, in spite of money loss and the damage, the narrator speaks of the step-ladder as a curiosity fit for museums. Hence, the narrator is a dynamic character as he becomes more experienced towards the end of the story.

There are several supporting characters. They are the narrator's servants. Their function is to illustrate the misfortunes caused by the step-ladder.

Mind that it is advisable to give reasoning based on details taken from the text while ascribing certain personal traits to the characters.

9. The central idea of the story is that customers should, perhaps, be more critical about new products, especially those which seem to economize their money by combining several functions. The three-functional step-ladder symbolizes all the products which are seemingly designed for the convenience of the customers but in fact prove useless and even harmful. This idea is conveyed in an amusing manner as the narrator tells what happened to himself with a sense of humour. The title of the story reflects its subject matter, foreshadows the development of action and hints at the central idea.

Appendix 3. Sample analysis: character portrayal

Apart from obvious basic facts (age, sex, nationality, occupation, social status etc.) and portrait (the description of appearance and clothes), a literary text gives information about the personal traits of the characters and their inner world. This information is essential for the understanding of the main idea of a story.

There are two main ways (methods) in which information about the characters' personal traits and inner world can be given in a text:

Direct portrayal (explicit representation). The narrator clearly states something about the character, describes him/her as a person.

E. g. Mr. X. was very greedy.

Madam N. was very kind and generous, but a bit light-minded.

Indirect portrayal (implicit or dramatic representation). The characters act and speak. The narrator does not state anything about them directly and it is up to the reader to make inferences about their personal traits.

E. g. Mr. X. refused to help his brother when the latter was in dire need. He said “It's none of my business. You should solve your problem yourself”.

The reader makes an inference that Mr. X was very greedy (cruel, unsympathetic etc.).

Mixed portrayal (both methods of portrayal are combined).

The two methods may even contradict each other so that the character is revealed in an unexpected way. This may be used for additional dramatic effect.

While making inferences about the characters' personal traits you may use the vocabulary in Appendix 5 for clues.

The characters may also be:

main or supporting (secondary, incidental)

static (not developing) or dynamic (developing)

flat (one-sided) or round (many-sided, complex)

CHARACTER ANALYSIS FOR Text 1 “The Luncheon”

NOTE. It is always advisable to support your inferences about the characters by reasoning based on details taken from the text. You may also use quotes. The analysis (as well as the summary) may be written either in the Past or in the Present tense. The use of tenses should be logical and consistent.

The main characters of the story are the narrator as a young man and a woman who was his guest at the luncheon.

Before the description of the luncheon the narrator gives the portrait of the woman. It is not very detailed, we learn only that she was older than him (about forty), not really attractive, but imposing. As to her manners, she is described as “talkative”. The main feature of her portrait, the one that caught the narrator's eye at once is that she seemed to have too many teeth, i. e. her teeth were the most prominent feature of her portrait. Here the narrator uses a hyperbole (“she gave me the impression of having more teeth, white and large and even, than were necessary for any practical purpose”). This feature foreshadows the further representation of this character.

Showing the woman's personal traits the narrator uses indirect method. During the luncheon the woman asked the narrator to order many dishes, choosing the most expensive ones. So she may be described as greedy and gluttonous. She did not understand or did not care that it was difficult for the young writer to pay for this. It was she who asked him to invite her to the first-rate French restaurant. Thus, she demonstrated selfishness and lack of understanding. In the course of the luncheon the woman repeatedly described her eating habits as very moderate (“I never eat more than one thing”) while she considered other people (including the narrator) to eat too much. This is a case of situational irony as the reader sees quite the contrary. This could be interpreted as hypocrisy, but in fact she was just devoid of self-criticism. She did not notice that her words were the contrary of what she was doing. This is proved by the fact that she evidently did not change her habits over the years and when the narrator saw her for the second time she weighed twenty-one stone (133 kilograms).

The woman was obviously shallow and probably stupid. She had a false idea of herself: she flattered herself that she understood literature and art. That is why she wanted to have luncheon with a young writer. However, during their meeting she didn't say a word about literature, though she was very talkative. She kept talking about food using the same arguments over and over again. She was self-centered and paid little attention to the writer. Her language was very poor and confined to the topic of food.

The woman can be briefly described as greedy, selfish, superficial and uncritical. Therefore, she is a flat character.

She is a static character as neither her habits nor manner of speaking seemed to have changed over the years (though, ironically, her appearance changed because of this).

The narrator as a young man was a writer at the beginning of his career, who earned very little. Describing himself he also uses indirect method. Agreeing to have luncheon at the most expensive restaurant with his reader he was a bit naпve and vain at the same time. He expected the woman to talk about his works and was flattered. He was polite and tactful as he tried not to let her know he was short of money and never hinted at her overeating. He was resourceful because when his means were coming to an end he quickly invented in his mind a way to solve the problem.


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