Close reading is an important skill for conducting literary analyses. Close reading includes
developing a deep understanding and begins as an interpretation of a literary passage based on
the elements of the passage. The second step to a close reading is relating that passage to the text
as a whole. The passage you choose should be about 10-15 sentences in length (20-30 lines in
verse). You might want to highlight passages that seem important to you as you read and choose
a passage from the highlighted passages. Please include the passages in full.
Your close reading of the passage should be approximately 800-1000 words (approximately 3-4
pages in MLA) in length. Please include a word count at the end of your close reading.
Some tips/steps for doing a close reading:
• Read the passage a few times, focusing on every detail. Determine what the general sense
of the passage is.
• Be sure that you understand every word in the passage—look them up in a dictionary if
you aren’t sure. How is a word being used?
• Examine the structure of the passage. How is it organized? How does it develop its themes
and concepts?
• What does the passage sound like? How does the punctuation function or affect the
meaning? Some devices to look for: alliteration, assonance, rhyme, consonance, euphony,
cacophony, onomatopoeia. In poetry, what is the meter? Any irregularities?
• What is the context of the passage? Does the context influence the meaning of the passage?
• How does the passage fit into the text as a whole?
• What is the speaker’s (as distinct from the narrator’s and author’s) voice and attitude
towards his subject? Audience? Who is the narrator? What does the passage say about the
speaker?
• What sort of imagery is invoked? How do the images relate to those in the rest of the text?
How do the images work in the particular passage and throughout the text? What happens
to the imagery over the course of the passage? Does the passage noticeably lack imagery?
If so, why?
• Are there any metaphors, similes, images, or symbols that are important in the entire text?
Are there any allusions?
Once you have examined the passage closely, you can start writing out a Close Reading:
• Be sure to construct an argument that ties the various aspects of your close reading
together. Determine how the passage illuminates the concerns, themes, and issues of the
entire text it is a part of. Ask yourself how the passage provides insight into the text (and
the context of the text). Try to determine how the passage provides us a key to
understanding the work as whole.
• Your thesis/argument need not include every observation you have made in your close
reading—some details may be omitted in the paper because they do not support or concern
the thesis being argued. Too much detail about unimportant features will draw attention
away from your thesis.
ENGLISH 4190: RESPONSES Berberyan
• The claims you make in your paper need not follow the order of the passage—rather
organize your essay in a way that best suits your argument.
• Avoid organizing your close reading in a mechanical way—do not write one paragraph on
diction, one on metaphor, one on imagery, etc. Be sure to incorporate these elements
together to yield a strong argument.
• As you put together a close reading, think about these questions (and try to answer them
with a paragraph for each):
- What is your main takeaway from the passage? OR What argument are you making about the passage?
- How can you prove your claims above? (provide examples from the passage supporting your claims)
- What conclusions do you want your readers to walk away with after reading your passage? How does the passage fit into the story as a whole and how does your
close reading help us understand the story better?
Sample Solution