Text Clues

Texts will give you clues as to how they should be read and interpreted.

Here is a nice visual to help you decode some of those clues.

Outline Sample

OUTLINE GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

 

Background/Set up/”Hook”

 

Thesis sentence

J.K. Rowling uses the character of Mrs. Weasley as a symbol of mothers for all the children in the book. 

I.                   There are no other motherly figures (STATEMENT)

 

A.    Aunt Petunia is not maternal to anyone, and no one else has a mother (EVIDENCE)

B.     Hermione’s mother is never seen, Neville’s mother is in a nut house, Luna’s mother is dead(EVIDENCE)

C.     The other women are in no way maternal (EVIDENCE)

                                                      i.      Professor McGonagle

                                                    ii.      Bellatrix LeStrange

D.    This sets Mrs. Weasley apart as the only motherly woman in the whole series of books (ANALYSIS)

 

II.                Mrs. Weasley does motherly things (STATEMENT)

 

A.    She is a housewife, and has no job (EVIDENCE)

B.     She cooks and cleans (EVIDENCE)

C.     She knits sweaters (EVIDENCE)

D.    All these skills are ones that a perfect mother would have, and even though Mrs. Weasley is not perfect, the author gives her all these skills that an ideal mother would have and that makes her the symbol mother of them all (ANALYSIS)

 

III.             Ron, Hermione and Harry all live with her at some point (STATEMENT)

 

A.    Ron lives there and is her son; has brothers that all live there as well (EVIDENCE)

B.     Hermione seems to be there every summer (EVIDENCE)

C.     Harry always says he feels at home there, and wants to leave his actual home to go there (EVIDENCE

D.    By providing the home for all the children, Mrs. Weasley becomes the mother for them all (ANALYSIS)

 

 IV.      Conclusion

Re-State the evidence; re-word your thesis!

 

Reminders:

• Roman numerals must be arranged so that the periods align.
• Each letter in second-level division is capitalized and followed by a period.
• Arabic numbers in third-level divisions are followed by a period.
• The first word in headings and subheadings begin with uppercase letters and other words (except proper nouns) begin with lowercase letters.

Annotations (Poetry)

 

 

 

When annotating a poem (or any writing) record all your thoughts.  Here is an example of the poem "Digging" annotated.  Note that there is reference to tone, language, symbolism, and rhythm among other things. This will make writing an analysis a snap!