Category: Critical Lens

Lens and Artifact (Primary Blog Entry ONLY)

1/8/2021

What is a Lens and Artifact Analysis?

Look closely at literature, and you may see a new world below the surface. In high school or college, a teacher may ask you to do this by writing a lens essay. A lens essay is a type of comparative paper that analyzes one text through the viewpoints expressed in another. Composing an effective one is difficult even for the most seasoned of writers. However, it is an incredible intellectual exercise through which you will not only improve your writing skills but your critical reading and thinking skills as well.

Here are a few questions to consider when analyzing the content of your focus text: How does the lens text serve to shed light on the second text? Does it criticize it or support it? What is a new or different perspective that you can grapple with by using this lens? Does this new perspective strengthen your own original understanding or does it challenge your ideas?

Your Blog Post Prompt:
First, you are NOT WRITING AN ESSAY! You are simply considering how a lens allows you to play with analysis. This is not intended to be a formal analysis, but merely intellectual exploration.

Your lens is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Now that you have read and analyzed this novel, consider the events on Wednesday, January 6th. How does your understanding of Frankenstein illuminate this historic event? How can you parse these events using Shelley's characters and themes?

Now, here comes the fun part!

All critical thinkers consider multiple facets of an issue. I am asking you to do the same. You may feel that you strongly align with one side of this situation. For this part of the exercise, you must use the same lens to illuminate the opposing viewpoint. What is their Creature? Who is their Victor Frankenstein? Can you make any parallels?

Additionally, you can take this a step further and consider abstract concepts: Capitalism, Fascism, Socialism, Nationalism, Patriotism, Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, your own ideas, YOU NAME IT. This exercise is a good exercise in understanding where people come from. You should practice it all the time.

This is an exercise in critical thinking only. There is no debate here, other than with yourself. This exercise is not intended to change minds, only to understand opposing viewpoints. Remember the key question here: WHY do people believe they things they do?

Good luck!!

Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59pm Sunday night 1-10-2020!

Today, I would like for you to read and respond to the article, "In the Minds of Others" by Keith Oatley. You should read and annotate the print article that I give you, but I will also include a link here. This article further develops the ideas from Independent Reading Blog #2 and will be of use later when we finish our Independent Reading Unit.

Your critical analysis of this article should:
-briefly summarize the main points of the article
-identify the author's argument
-evaluate the author's success by analyzing how the author uses:
1. textual evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims
2. reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence
3. stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed
-conclude with a strong comment upon the value of the author's topic/argument.

Requirements:
-typed, MLA style, 500-1,000 words (about 2 to 4 pages)
-posted here on the classroom blog
-AND to Turnitin by 11:59pm on Sunday night, 1/27/2019

Click on the image above to go to an electronic copy of "In the Minds of Others" by Keith Oatley.

"Literature’s Emotional Lessons:
Grappling with the way books make students feel—not just analytical skills—should be part of the high-school English curriculum." - Andrew Simmons

ERIC AUDRAS / PHOTOALTO / CORBIS

Now that you have experienced a significant chunk of your Independent Reading Book, please read this article (linked through the image on the left) and use it as a lens to say something about your chosen novel. This is the basis of a critical lens paper (where you use a nonfiction article to comment upon an artifact that you have read closely) and is a cornerstone of college-level analysis. We are just barely brushing upon this type of writing here, but you should consider this article carefully as you continue to expose yourself to good books.

Please note: I realize that you have just started reading your IR Books, but you can still apply the concepts from this article to your reading so far.

Requirements:
Plan and compose a short essay (250-300 words - 100 points) that addresses the points from the nonfiction article as it applies to the book you are reading. I understand that you have just begun your book, but you should still be able to touch upon some of the finer points of your reading in order for the nonfiction article to apply. To do this short essay well, you will need to be very clear about what the author's argument is in the nonfiction article. Focus on this task as you read Simmon's work and then apply his argument to your novel. How does your novel address his point/s?

Due Sunday night (1/20) by 11:59 pm!

AP Literature and Composition Blog

Lens and Artifact (Primary Blog Entry ONLY)

Independent Reading Blog #3

Independent Reading Blog #2

"Literature’s Emotional Lessons:
Grappling with the way books make students feel—not just analytical skills—should be part of the high-school English curriculum." - Andrew Simmons

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AP Literature and Composition Blog

Lens and Artifact (Primary Blog Entry ONLY)

Independent Reading Blog #3

Independent Reading Blog #2

"Literature’s Emotional Lessons:​Grappling with the way books make students feel—not just analytical skills—should be part of the high-school English curriculum." - Andrew Simmons

Blog Post Rubric

Archives

Categories

"Literature’s Emotional Lessons:
Grappling with the way books make students feel—not just analytical skills—should be part of the high-school English curriculum." - Andrew Simmons