Reading Critically

This writer is writing this piece to inform-specifically, to inform about how to read critically. The article tells how one can take notes while reading something in order to absorb the material better, among other methods that help comprehension. The reading includes a piece by M. F. K. Fisher entitled "The Broken Chain" that the writer annotates a bit and uses to describe the critical reading process. This overall involves summarizing, analysis, inference, synthesis, and evaluation, among other steps. After reading this, it is easier to look for purpose, tone, etc. in a work of writing.

"Young Life"-Bo Bartlett

-Make three claims about this painting and provide facts to support them.
1. The family has shot the deer. Fact: The older male has a gun and the deer is slung over the truck.
2. The two older people have had the child together but are not married. Fact: They are acting as if they are very affectionate, but she isn't wearing a ring.
3. There used to be trees all over the area, but they were cut down. Fact: There are many tree stumps around.

Paragraph: The two older figures in Bo Bartlett's "Young Life" are not married, but they had the child together. This is indicated by the lack of a wedding band on the left hand of the young woman, which is placed on the man's stomach. Their relationship with the boy is distant, indicated by his placement in the picture, but he nonetheless came on the hunting trip with them. He is also mimicking his father, who is holding a gun, in holding his stick-he is imitating both his stance and his facial expression.

"Shame"-Avett Brothers

-ID subject and tone
-Choose three words that push the tone and explain how they do that.

The subject of this is the apology and regret of someone who wants to take back their actions. The tone is very remorseful and shameful-hence the name. These are demonstrated by the words "sink," "strutted," and "break," all of which show that the person felt the guilt pressing down on them like a weight.

"American Tongues"

-In your opinion, what is voice in literature?
-How does a person create his or her voice when writing? IS creating voice an intentional or unintentional act? Is it both? Explain.
-Many people in Eastern Kentucky talk around a subject. According to the speaker, why do they do this? What can we learn about a writer from they way she approaches/handles a subject?
-Whether it is fiction or nonfiction, why is voice important in writing?

In my opinion, voice in literature is the dialect or attitude of a speaker. For example, the book The Help has three narrators, all of whom have very distinct voices.
A person creates a voice in writing by using a dialect through phrases or spellings of words (ex: "I"-"Ah"). Creating a voice for a character is typically intentional, but if one is writing from one's own point of view, it can be unintentional as well. It depends overall on the situation.
They do this because they altogether enjoy the company of one another and want to talk to each other more than necessary. We can learn about a writer's style through their approach to a subject-typically the character will show some of their traits and overall personality through their approach to something.
Voice is important because it defines the tone of the piece-professional, informal, various characters, etc. It can give more reason and purpose to a piece so that people understand the point of a piece.

Eleanor Rigby vs. Eleanor Rigby

-Which of these do you like better? Why? Be specific.
-Which of these is more pleasing to listen to? Why? Be specific.

I like the original much better because its tone is much more fitting and not nearly as overwhelming. The cover was very loud and sounds like people shouting with little variation to the guitar and tune. I also grew up hearing the one by the Beatles, and I enjoyed the strings in the background.
I thought that the second one was more aesthetically pleasing because it was more soothing and used strings instead of electric guitar throughout the whole song. It was much more calming, and the Beatles were also the creators of the song, therefore more the "master of their craft."

Kandinsky Vs. Pollack

1. Which of these do you like better? Why? Be specific.
2. Which of these is more pleasing to look at? Why? Be specific.

I like the Kandinsky painting better because it seems to have more precision and reason. (To me, it looks like it could be an artistic representation of Kandinsky's mind at the time. Maybe he was feeling somewhat scatterbrained and the various objects represented the various events in his life. There are straight lines, paintbrushes, colors, and even a shape that resembles a solar eclipse.)
I think that the Kandinsky is also more pleasing to look at because of all the colors and variety.

"Sign Language"

1. What is the single effect you got from the short film?
2. Give three specific reasons why you were persuaded to that effect.
3. If you could change one aspect to that film, what would it be and how would it affect the film and your single effect?


The single effect that I got from this short film was an overall sense of companionship and community. I was persuaded this way because of the dedication that Ben's friends showed on his last day--giving him a proper send-off. Also, the music made London seem much more like a community and less of a bustling city; it gave it a much more homely feel. Finally, Ben even bluntly stated that London was really a big community. If I could change one aspect of this, I might try to see if it could be done without sound. It would show the signs from his friends in a new light-it would be stressed even more that they don't need to talk to tell him that they value his friendship.

"Shooting an Elephant" George Orwell

The subject of George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant is that a man avoids looking like a fool to the people who ridiculed him by shooting an elephant who may or may not have hurt them. This lust for at least a little respect was conveyed by the fact that the speaker did not wish to hurt the elephant, but did so because he felt the pressure. He specifically wrote, "It seemed to me that it would be murder to shoot him. I had never shot an elephant and never wanted to."


Shooting an Elephant was written several years after the shooting of the elephant (in the 1930's). The essay's time of creation is illustrated by the regret and remorse showed by the speaker. It is clear that the speaker has thought a lot about this incident and has wondered time and again whether it was the right thing to do. The probable place of the essay's creation is the writer's home-presumably in Britain as opposed to Burma.  The time and place of the essay's creation influence the essay by giving Orwell opportunities to consider his feelings for the incident. He wrote, "And afterwards I often wondered whether anyone understood that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool."

Orwell's specific audience for Shooting an Elephant was people who are prone to pressure, particularly by peers. This is communicated by showing that, because Orwell highly regarded his reputation, even if he was already "hated," he killed an elephant that might not have done so very much harm. In retrospect, he seems to feel that it was not worth it to take the life of the elephant, even if his reputation was as stake. It seems that he wants to convey to the audience that such a reputation is not worth what he went through.

Orwell's purpose in Shooting an Elephant is to show that one's reputation is often not worth drastic measures taken to protect it. This idea that being viewed and regarded highly is less important than, in this case, a life, is shown by Orwell displaying regret at his past actions and indecision at the time. He wrote, "it was a bit of fun to [the villagers]; besides they wanted the meat. It made me vaguely uneasy." He states quite clearly that the villagers wanted the elephant dead, while he did not; despite his values, he later killed the elephant.


George Orwell believes that he should not have been so influenced by the villagers and regrets his decision to kill the elephant, especially in a way so that it died slowly and painfully. This is illustrated by his regret and remorse later in life, and possibly soon after he killed the animal. He feels that he should not have let people for whom he cared very little influence this decision in his life.


Orwell exhibits a remorseful attitude about killing the elephant. This attitude is expressed through his flashback on the event; he states that he did it because he didn't want to look a fool, not because he cared particularly about the village or what the elephant did to it. He felt that he should have let the animal lived or at least killed it more humanely than he did; the thought that he had done this simply because the people pressured him into it was unbearable for him.

"Good Old Desk" Harry Nilsson

SOAPSTone the song. What is he talking about?

S-God
O-a time in which the speaker felt that he could rely on God
A-people who found comfort in more fancy things
P-to convey how important and comforting something simple but sturdy can be
S-someone who appreciates God
Tone-happy, carefree, grateful

Overall, the speaker is conveying that God is sturdy and simple and provides a net of sorts upon which he can fall. He doesn't think that material goods or fancy things can provide as much of a sense of comfort as his faith can.

1. "It's a pleasure to see it's waiting there for me to keep my hopes alive."
2. "My old desk never needs a rest."
3. "Such a comfort to know, it's dependable and slow, but it's always there."