ANALYZE the evidence

Also known as Commentary (CMs), your analysis provides steps of logic to explain how your evidence supports your claim.

Analysis, or commentary (CM), is your interpretation of the details. In order to convince your reader that your interpretation is correct, you need to build steps of logic that walk through how you arrived at the meaning or significance of that detail.

In order to begin your analysis (CMs), refer back to your final draft (FD) notes. Often times, what you’ve written in your notes is actually part of your analysis.

DENOTATION

The dictionary definition of a single word or plain-English restatement of a quoted detail.

Notice how all of the words we have chosen to define are either directly from the quoted text, or close enough to it (”didn’t like” versus “disliked”) that we are still breaking down the meaning of the text itself - not how we have described the text.

By clarifying that “dislike” is usually directed toward something specific, I’ve created a foundation for my interpretation that he is treated “differently” from other students, which is clarified in the connotation.

CONNOTATION

The info you get from “reading between the lines” and whether this is good, bad, desirable, attainable, helpful, difficult, etc, and where you explain why.

IMPLICATION

Explains what this detail (CD) reveals about the character’s motivations, conflicts, or change. Try using “If… then” (or since/because) statements.

CONNECTION

Serves to connect the ideas of multiple, related chunks or to clarify how a detail supports your thematic argument as stated in your claim.

REASON

A list of single-word patterns that are directly related to your chunk.