A close reading aims to uncover details that aren't explicitly stated through inductive inference.
Learn the skill of close reading if you have to complete an assignment on a particular paper or a section of some text. Close reading refers to the process of looking over a piece of text and drawing conclusions about it based on the specific information, themes, imagery and wording it uses. Many different aspects of the writing can help with your close reading, such as the structure of the work, the sound and rhythm of the writing, the connotations of words used and any rhetorical devices it employs.
Instructions
1. Read the passage through once. If you are constructing an essay based on an entire paper, read the entire paper and make notes on the page next to any important or surprising content. Think about the specific content of your essay or the question you are trying to answer as you do this, and note down anything that may be relevant to this end. Look over the specific section of the text if one is indicated in your question. Ensure that you can paraphrase the entire paper to make sure you understand the overall content.
2. Look up any words you don't know the meaning of. You must understand all of the terminology used in the paper you are reading. Make special note of any interesting connotations of words used in the paper. For example, a character "yanking" open a door has different connotations to one simply "opening" a door.
3. Find patterns or semantic fields within the text that may lead you to the overall theme. A semantic field is a collection of words that have similar connotations or are usually used when referring to a specific field. For example, a paper about industry may refer to workers as "cogs" in the overall "machine" of the organization, using words related to mechanical devices or technology. The use of this in such a piece of writing may indicate that the writer sees the industry as run by machines, not people. Look for similar patterns in metaphors or descriptions used by the writer.
4. Determine the attitude of the author or narrator. The narrator of a story or the author of a paper will often give subtle clues to his opinions within the text. Look over your annotations for aspects which show the author or narrator's opinion on the topic under discussion or the event being related. Search for rhetorical devices such as similes, metaphors and symbols which indicate the author's opinion.
5. Form your observations into an overall thesis based on the text. For example, you may have noticed that the paper uses language with negative connotations when referring to the treatment of employees by their workplace, and the narrator may have indicated discomfort about the situation. Referring to workers as "cogs" or other metaphorical allusions may lead you to the overall conclusion that the paper argues that workers are not treated with respect and are expected to function like machines.
Tags: entire paper, author narrator, close reading, connotations words, connotations words used