Follow these 6 simple steps to Language Analysis Success!

Many feel daunted by this task... and my traumatic incident with the chickens puts me in this category too... 
But Language Analysis is the area in which you can really have the confidence that you will succeed.

Step 1
Always start reading with a pen and highlighter in your hand and note paper by your side.

Step 2
Take a moment to look at the features. What catches your eye? What do the images say to you? Briefly read it through. Jot down your reactions as a reader.

Step 3
Read through a second time, highlighting techniques and making notes in the margin.
** Identify what the message is, how it is expressed, why it has been included.

Step 4
On your note paper identify TADS (title, author, date, source), the contention and intention of the author and the  3 WHO's (whose point of view is presented? who would share this view? who is the intended audience?)

Step 5
Describe the headlines, images, layout, and the evolution of the tone.
** The tone is not static; it will change throughout the piece. It may be useful to have a highlighter colour set aside exclusively for identifying the tone througout.

Step 6
Consider the effect of the piece on you as a reader, but also on the other potential audiences that may exist or be specifically targeted by the writer.
Your analysis of how the writer has positioned the target audience (be specific!) as well as other potential readers (be specific!) should be present throughout your piece.

Expository Writing Ideas

Write a biography of one the characters in A Streetcar Named Desire. For example, you could write one based on Stanley and talk of how his ambitions in the 'New America' were realised. Or you could write one based on Blanche outlining her apparent demise.

Write a feature article which explores the notion of how women depend on their looks more than men. You can use the example of Blanche as a classic character from literature and then include modern day examples and examine the pressure placed upon women to be attractive to men and society.

Write a feature article exploring the idea that women are lauded for being chaste but condemned for being sexually active out of wedlock. The classic character of Blanche can be used as an illustration of this and could then be compared to contemporary social mores.

What you should do:

1. Plan 2 of these writing tasks.
2. Write the commentary for 1 of them.

Don't forget to keep all your Context notes, drafts and completed pieces in your folder for future revision reference!

Imaginative Writing Ideas

• Write a monologue with Blanche expressing her feelings after Mitch ‘dumped’ her. The style should be stream of consciousness with Blanche sounding confused and desperate. The character chosen can be based on Blanche but mirrors her state of mind.
  
• Write a scene where there is a group of men playing cards and drinking. This is based on Stanley and his mates. They act in a chauvinistic manner and generally deride women. The inspiration for this talk is Stanley’s growing frustration with Blanche’s presence in the house. The language should be colloquial which would be characteristic of the sort of language they can use.
• Write an exchange between a psychiatrist and a nurse from a mental health facility. The nurse is reporting to the psychiatrist regarding the progress of a character based on Blanche. The psychiatrist also tells the nurse of some of his observations in respect of the file he has on this character.
• Write a personal piece from the perspective of Tennessee Williams, reflecting on his life and experiences as inspiration for A Streetcar Named Desire.

What you should do:

1. Plan your approach to 2 or 3 of these ideas.
2. Write the Statement of Intention/Written Commentary for 1 of  them.

Text Types for Context

Imaginative?
short stories, diary entries, personal letters, fables, interview transcripts, play scripts, monologues, obituaries, eulogies, prologues, epilogues, film scripts, memoirs, poems, multi-genre pieces, streams of consciousness....

Expository?
essays, news stories, research pieces, reports, biographies, autobiographies, personal letters, obituaries, articles, business reports, memoirs.....

Persuasive?
essays, letters to the editor, editorials, opinion pieces, speeches, parole hearing transcripts, court case transcripts....

These lists are not exhaustive and some text types may overlap the different forms.


What you should do:

• Find a style that suits you and your purpose.
• Collect samples of different styles of writing, even if it does not centre on the same text or theme that you are studying.
• Jot down ideas for pieces of writing