Close Reading Exercise #4--Puzzle-Go-Round

The following exercise should be done in small groups (7 small groups of 2-3 people).  Each group will begin with ONE of the following prompts, only knowing that the snippet of text in the prompt is part of a larger story.  All the snippets are from the same story.

After groups have completed the first prompt they've received, they should attempt to answer the question:  What is this story about?  (Two points about doing literary analysis can be made here:  #1 Jumping to conclusions when looking from part/detail to whole--connections must be made to see the whole picture; and #2 Refrain from assumptions.)

Group work then can continue with students trading the puzzle pieces they started with and working with the new snippets and questions.  Groups may do all 7 of the puzzle pieces or a sampling before presenting (one group per snippet) to the whole class.  Then students should read the story the snippets are from.

Early that day the weather turned and the snow was melting into dirty water.  Streaks of it ran down from the little shoulder-high window that faced the back yard.  Cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark.  But it was getting dark on the inside too.

Question:  What is the best possible, and I mean absolutely, positively, “best possible,” word to describe the mood in these sentences?  Justify your answer with a detailed analysis of the lines.

He was in the bedroom pushing clothes into a suitcase when she came to the door.

Question:  What do the details in this sentence suggest about the kind of relationship “he” and “she” have?  Justify your answer with a detailed analysis of the line.

She turned and tried to hold the baby over in a corner behind the stove.

Question (after a very close read of this sentence): What is/are the effect(s) of this sentence on the audience?  (Another way to think about this:  What reaction(s) should this line evoke from the audience?)  Justify your answer with a detailed analysis of the line.

The baby was red-faced and screaming.

In the scuffle they knocked down a flowerpot that hung behind the stove.

Question:  Consider the significance of “flowerpot” in these sentences.  The author could have used “skillet,” “pot holder,” “spatula,” “spice rack,” or something else in its place.  What associations do you have with “flowerpot”?  Given the details in these two sentences, why might “flowerpot” be the more significant choice?  Justify your answer.

The kitchen window gave no light.

Question:  This line could have been written a hundred different ways (e.g., “The kitchen window grew dark.”).  Discuss the significance of the choice “gave no light.”  You might want to consider associations you have with the word “light.”  Finally, what is the best possible word to describe the mood of this sentence?  Justify your answer. 

She would have it, this baby.

Question:  What do the details in this sentence suggest about the kind of relationship “she” has with “this baby”?  Justify your answer with a detailed analysis of the line.

In this manner, the issue was decided.

Question:  What is the tone of this sentence?  Justify your answer with a detailed analysis of the line.