Discourse Analysis assignment (08)

ENG3UI Power and the Art of Discourse Jan/Feb 2008

J. Rice Discourse Analysis Assignment

Antigone and Othello

In using a discourse analysis framework to analyse a text, we start with the same approach as we use for rhetorical analysis (i.e. identifying and considering appeals and techniques – see your handout for your rhetorical analysis assignment).

In addition, we ask ourselves the following questions that stem from the fact that discourse involves interaction between speakers:

Content:

• • Who speaks, how often, and for how long?

  • What kind of contribution does each speaker make? (questions, statements, type of information, etc.)

  • Who interrupts and gets interrupted?

  • Who influences the agenda and controls the topic?

Features of language:

• • How do the speakers address each other?

  • What distinguishes the vocabulary, phrase and sentence constructions of each speaker?

  • In the case of a literary discourse, what effect does connotative / figurative language and imagery have on the development of tone?

  • What added elements do non-verbal cues (such as stage directions) contribute to how lines are delivered and perceived?

Using these questions, we arrive at a conclusion about what is going on in the scene, the relationships between the characters, and their attitudes towards the situation they are in.

Assignment:

You will sign up for one of the scenes selected from either Antigone or Othello (no more than 3 people/class/scene). You must use the Fagles translation of Antigone for this assignment. If you do not have this translation, you may find photocopies of the scenes under Course Materials.

CHOICES to be made by February 6 / February 5

YOU MAY NOT CHOOSE A SCENE THAT CONTAINS A SPEECH YOU WROTE ABOUT FOR YOUR RHETORICAL ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT

Read your scene carefully, taking notes using the framework above. Then write an essay that explains the speakers’ purposes and the methods each uses to achieve those purposes.

The discourse may reveal a variety of aspects of the characters in the scene, including:

• • characterization and relationships between characters

  • nature / progression of conflict

  • characters’ attitudes towards / positions on the situation

Your introduction should include a thesis that makes a clear statement about how the scene overall can be understood in terms of one or more of these aspects.

Use specific examples from the text (with line references). DO NOT go outside the passage for examples – you may briefly mention story elements that provide context, but your analysis is of the lines themselves. Hand in a paper copy of your annotated scene with your assignment. Lack of rough work constitutes incomplete and therefore late work.

Length: approximately 1.5 - 2 pages (slightly longer than your rhetorical analysis – I expect more depth and detail at this stage)

Formatting: 1.5 spacing, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times font (no exceptions – please see the document on Blackboard under Course Information about expectations for formatting a submitted assignment. Improperly formatted work will be considered incomplete and thus late.)

Due: Thursday, February 14 / Friday, February 15, 2008

Instructions for submitting: submit a completed e-copy of the final essay to Assignments before the start of class on the due date for work to be considered on time. Hand in your annotated speech in hard copy on the same date. Late or incomplete work is registered against your work habits and earns a 2% deduction / school day.

Scene choices: Reminder – if you choose a scene from Antigone, you may NOT choose a scene that contains the speech you examined in your rhetorical analysis assignment.

This assignment addresses the following Ministry of Education expectations for ENG3U:

Reading and Literature Studies:

1.1.   read a variety of student- and teacher-selected texts from diverse cultures and historical periods, identifying specific purposes for reading

1.2.   select and use the most appropriate reading comprehension strategies to understand texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts

1.3.   identify the most important ideas and supporting details in texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts

1.4.   make and explain inferences of increasing subtlety about texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, supporting their explanations with well-chosen stated and implied ideas from the texts

1.6.   analyse texts in terms of the information, ideas, issues, or themes they explore, examining how various aspects of the texts contribute to the presentation or development of these elements

2.2.   identify a variety of text features and explain how they help communicate meaning

2.3.   identify a variety of elements of style in texts and explain how they help communicate meaning and enhance the effectiveness of the texts

Writing:

1.2. generate, expand, explore and focus ideas for potential writing tasks, using a variety of strategies

1.4. identify, sort, and order main ideas and supporting details for writing tasks, using a variety of strategies and selecting the organizational pattern best suited to the content and the purpose for writing

1.5. determine whether the ideas and information gathered are accurate and complete, interesting, and effectively meet the requirements of the writing task

2.4. write complete sentences that communicate their meaning clearly and effectively, skilfully varying sentence type, structure, and length to suit different purposes and making smooth and logical transitions between ideas

3. applying knowledge of conventions (spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, grammar) in drafts and revisions