English geeks! Help!

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I have a problem with analyzing english literature. </p>

<p>I really enjoy science, math, and social studies a lot. Like I can analyze them and think about them pretty well and I enjoy learning them. My major ECs last year were social studies or sci/math related. I did the newspaper, but that's a totally different type of writing..more like facts/or doing opinion pieces. </p>

<p>Anyways, regarding english...</p>

<p>Last year (frosh year), I was decent at it-got good grades most of the time, and I really did enjoy doing Freud with LOF. All fine and good.</p>

<p>All of a sudden, I go back to school and we're rereading To Kill A Mockingbird (I read it last year for English), and the teacher is making us analyze random parts of the book, like finding "truisms about small towns" and things like that.</p>

<p>I don't know if it's just because I don't care for the book (I've read other stuff like Anna Karenina, TBK, reading Atlas Shrugged now and other books for fun) or I'm just a terrible thinker, but I can't seem to be able to analyze parts of the books and make connections about them.</p>

<p>I can do that fine for things like social studies, but I'm helpless with this analysis stuff..I just can't think!</p>

<p>Please, those of you who are amazing at English/the future authors/lit geniuses here on CC, can you please suggest some ways to better understand literature/tips or something like that?</p>

<p>I'm really scared about this because I'm definitely going to be a STEM major, but have poor grades in English really does not bode well for selective college admissions. Not to mention that it would be really nice to actually be able to do some of this stuff!</p>

<p>Any advice would be much much appreciated!!</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

2

<p>It’s kind of hard for me to explain, though bear with me. Try first looking at and understanding the larger picture of the story being told. Once you’re sure you have a strong grasp on the plot, try to break down the book into smaller fragments. Look at the smaller things in the book that you’d probably overlook in the bigger picture. Find the symbolism in these things, and then piece them back together to the bigger picture to make strong connections. Especially look for different types of appeals, rhetorical devices, and symbolism - these are some of the major ones that play part in analysis.</p>

3

<p>Teachers have a really bad habit of making students find metaphors, hidden symbols, etc. where there actually aren’t any to be found- authors in general don’t spend as much time thinking about what they can turn into a symbol as your teachers would have you believe.
That being said, if you play your cards right, you can turn almost anything into a symbol or metaphor or whatever you’re being asked to find. Remember, when you’re writing an analytical essay, you don’t necessarily have to believe what you’re writing is true- you just have to competently defend your position. First, make sure you have a really clear idea of the definition of the term you’re looking for in the text and can come up with some basic examples to define that term. Look for situations similar to your examples in the novel and elaborate them. Try interpreting certain events or objects differently than you did on first impression. Look for items or phrases that keep cropping up throughout the course of the plot and note how they seem to be significant.</p>