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how a writer’s style choices, such as figurative language, convey a work’s meaning.
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Once you begin to analyze literature closely, you will see how all of the parts of a piece
of literature work together, from large elements like characterization and setting to the
details revealed by individual word choices, sentence structure, and tone.
Let’s look closely at an excerpt from My Ántonia by Willa Cather, a novel about early
settlers in the American West, narrated by a young boy who moves from Virginia to
Nebraska to be brought up by his grandparents.
TRM Annotation Handout from My Ántonia
Analyzing Short Fiction
A student handout for annotating this text Willa Cather
can be found in the Teacher’s Resource
© Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.
Materials. I sat down in the middle of the garden, where crumbled it through my fingers. Queer little red
snakes could scarcely approach unseen, and bugs came out and moved in slow squadrons
leaned my back against a warm yellow pumpkin. around me. Their backs were polished vermilion,
There were some ground-cherry bushes growing with black spots. I kept as still as I could. Nothing
CLOSE READING
along the furrows, full of fruit. I turned back happened. I did not expect anything to happen.
This is a good place to use a Says-Does- the papery triangular sheaths that protected I was something that lay under the sun and felt
How activity. Ask students to fold a sheet the berries and ate a few. All about me giant it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be
of paper to form three columns: Column 1 grasshoppers, twice as big as any I had ever anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we
will contain every aspect of the natural seen, were doing acrobatic feats among the feel like that when we die and become a part of
world that the excerpt details. Column 2 dried vines. The gophers scurried up and down something entire, whether it is sun and air, or
is where students will write information the ploughed ground. There in the sheltered goodness and knowledge. At any rate, that is
about the narrator based on these details, draw-bottom the wind did not blow very hard, happiness; to be dissolved into something
and column 3 is where they will interpret but I could hear it singing its humming tune up complete and great. When it comes to one, it
and explain what the information in the on the level, and I could see the tall grasses wave. comes as naturally as sleep.
second column reveals about the narrator. The earth was warm under me, and warm as I 1918
Once students have completed the graphic
organizer, have them share their work with After even an initial reading of such a descriptive passage, you probably have a sense
a partner. Then, engage the class in a of how comfortable the narrator feels in this natural environment. But how does Cather
whole-group discussion of their findings.
convey that feeling? To answer that question, we need to get more specific about exactly
TRM Graphic Organizer what literary elements and techniques are at work. Understanding these concepts will
A graphic organizer for this activity can be give you things to be on the lookout for as you read closely, as well as the vocabulary
found in the Teacher’s Resource Materials. to help you describe what you see. Most important, these elements provide essential
evidence for close literary analysis and help you support your interpretation. It’s likely
you know some of these terms, but others may be new to you. Examples of all of these
concepts, and more, are available in the Glossary/Glosario at the back of this book
(p. 1340).

Diction
Authors choose their words carefully to convey precise meanings. We call these word
choices the author’s diction. A word can have more than one dictionary definition, or
denotation, so when you analyze diction, you must consider all of a word’s possible
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DIFFERENTIATION
Inquiry
In many pieces of literature and religions,
gardens are significant. In small groups, ask
students to share their knowledge from their
own readings or experiences or ask them
to research from a list that you provide. For
example, the list could include the Garden of
Hesperides, the Garden of Eden, the garden
in Alice in Wonderland, etc. Ask students to
share the physical details of the garden, the
significance of those details, and the impact
on individuals who convey the experience of
the specific garden.

26 chapter 1 / Analyzing Short Fiction

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