American Literature
Please be prepared with your answers to these questions for our discussion on Fridays.
If you find it difficult to participate in our discussions; please have this document prepared with written comments for each of the 6 categories. And you can turn in the document for points.
SOAPSTone Analysis Form
Speaker
Who is the Speaker?
The voice that tells the story.
Fiction – the narrator, not the author, and any implied traits or characteristics that might influence the text.
Students should go beyond merely identifying the Speaker by name (occasionally, none will be given). They should be able to apply outside knowledge to Speaker, or infer traits from the text itself.
Occasion
What is the Occasion?
The time and the place of the piece; the context that encouraged the writing to happen.
Fiction – the primary, specific event being discussed (summary)
Students should contextualize historical events or the “environment of ideas” that led to a text being produced. Students should also be able to summarize the events in a few words or phrases.
Audience
Who is the Audience?
The group of readers/listeners to whom a piece is directed.
Fiction – the specific person, small group, or larger group a piece is aimed at
There may be multiple audiences, and the audience(s) may need to be discovered through student inference of the level of discourse in the text, the diction, the connotation of chosen words, and the traits of the Speaker.
Purpose
What is the Purpose?
The reason behind the text?
Fiction – the larger “point” being examined in the piece; the “theme” presented
Students should apply social, cultural, historical, etc. perspectives to a text to discover what the author/Speaker is attempting to reveal about those perspectives. They should be able to examine the logic of the argument and/or the themes and interpretations being presented.
Subject
What is the Subject?
The general topic, content, and ideas contained in the text.
Fiction – the larger context of the text (related to Occasion and Purpose)
Students should go beyond the immediate occasion to discover the larger context or issue that eventually led to the triggering Occasion. This should be stated in a few words or a phrase.
Tone
What is the Tone?
The attitude of the author/Speaker.
Fiction – same as above, though it might require a distinction between author and narrator
Students should analyze diction, syntax, connotation, and imagery to determine the attitude being presented.
Please be prepared with your answers to these questions for our discussion on Fridays.
If you find it difficult to participate in our discussions; please have this document prepared with written comments for each of the 6 categories. And you can turn in the document for points.
SOAPSTone Analysis Form
Speaker
Who is the Speaker?
The voice that tells the story.
Fiction – the narrator, not the author, and any implied traits or characteristics that might influence the text.
Students should go beyond merely identifying the Speaker by name (occasionally, none will be given). They should be able to apply outside knowledge to Speaker, or infer traits from the text itself.
Occasion
What is the Occasion?
The time and the place of the piece; the context that encouraged the writing to happen.
Fiction – the primary, specific event being discussed (summary)
Students should contextualize historical events or the “environment of ideas” that led to a text being produced. Students should also be able to summarize the events in a few words or phrases.
Audience
Who is the Audience?
The group of readers/listeners to whom a piece is directed.
Fiction – the specific person, small group, or larger group a piece is aimed at
There may be multiple audiences, and the audience(s) may need to be discovered through student inference of the level of discourse in the text, the diction, the connotation of chosen words, and the traits of the Speaker.
Purpose
What is the Purpose?
The reason behind the text?
Fiction – the larger “point” being examined in the piece; the “theme” presented
Students should apply social, cultural, historical, etc. perspectives to a text to discover what the author/Speaker is attempting to reveal about those perspectives. They should be able to examine the logic of the argument and/or the themes and interpretations being presented.
Subject
What is the Subject?
The general topic, content, and ideas contained in the text.
Fiction – the larger context of the text (related to Occasion and Purpose)
Students should go beyond the immediate occasion to discover the larger context or issue that eventually led to the triggering Occasion. This should be stated in a few words or a phrase.
Tone
What is the Tone?
The attitude of the author/Speaker.
Fiction – same as above, though it might require a distinction between author and narrator
Students should analyze diction, syntax, connotation, and imagery to determine the attitude being presented.