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Explication and Soapstone

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2K views4 pages

Explication and Soapstone

Uploaded by

api-263744910
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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COMPLETE EXPLICATION OF A TEXT

To explicate means to make plain or clear; explain; interpret. To explicate a text means
to conduct a close reading, or an analysis, of a text. It is necessary to examine all aspects of
the text in order to understand its meaning: speaker, occasion, audience, purpose,
structure/style, and tone.

Step #1: Read the Title of the Text


Examine the title. Does it give you any clues as to what the writing will be about? (Does it indicate
anything about the speaker? Consider the title in relation to the content.)

Step #2: Get an Overall First Impression


Read through the text once and think about the overall feeling, emotion or gut (visceral) response
that you are experiencing. Write down the overall tone of the text and, if possible, a brief summary
that states what you think the text is about.

Step #3: Examine the Structure


Be aware of units of meaning paragraph, stanza and/or line division, as well as complete sentences
and clauses. Do you see repetition? Is there any dialogue? Notice the punctuation. How do these
items contribute to the meaning?

Step #4: Examine the Words


Look up words you do not know and/or words that may have multiple meanings (possible symbolism).
Consider words that may possibly have any connotative meanings (connotation undertone/feeling,
association, implication). Examine the manipulation of words: imagery, language techniques/figurative
language (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and personification), oxymoron, allusion and repetition of
words, phrases, images, and ideas. How do these devices convey meaning?

Step #5: Translate the Text on a Literal Level (May be more applicable to poetry.)
What does the text seem to be about in a literal, or actual, level?

Step #6: Translate the Text on an Abstract/Symbolic Level (May be more applicable to poetry.)
First, read through the text again replacing your circled words with their actual and alternate
definitions. Ask yourself if the text seems to make more sense now, if there is any symbolism that
you may have missed before that is now apparent, and if there is any pattern in word usage. Now
look at how the overtones (implications/suggestions) of the words used affect the emotional level of
the text. This may reveal an abstract/symbolic understanding of the texts meaning.

Step #7: Apply the Authors Biography to the Texts Meaning (if applicable)
Although this step may not always suit the text, looking at the authors biography or the historical
context of the texts origin may add a deeper understanding as to what message the author is trying
to convey. Apply what you know about the authors background, beliefs, or life history and the date
that the text was written to see if there are any connections relating to its theme or topic.
Use this acronym: SOAPStone.
PEAKER The voice that tells the story. Whether this voice belongs to a fictional
character or to the writer him/herself, the attributes of the speaker influence the perceived
meaning of the piece.

CCASION The time and the place of the piece; the context that prompted the
writing. Writing does not occur in a vacuum. All writers are influenced by the larger occasion:
an environment of ideas, attitudes, and emotions that swirl around a broad issue. Then there is
the immediate occasion: an event or situation that catches the writer's attention and triggers a
response.

UDIENCE The group of readers to whom this piece is directed. Writers


must determine who the audience is that they intend to address. It may be one person or a
specific group. This choice of audience will affect how and why a particular text is written.

URPOSE The reason behind the text. Writers consider the purpose of the text in
order to develop the thesis or the argument and its logic. They ask themselves, "What do I want
my audience to think or do as a result of reading my text?" The term purpose is sometimes
interchangeable with theme.

TRUCTURE & STYLE How form and language are used to create
meaning. What is the structure of the text? How does the texts structure contribute to its
meaning? (Consider paragraphs/stanzas, white space, form vs. free form, rhyme scheme,
punctuation.) What rhetorical devices (figurative language, symbolism, etc.) are employed to
convey meaning?

TONE The expression of attitude. It is the writers (or narrators) implied attitude toward his/her
subject matter and/or audience (solemn, perturbed, satirical, humorous, mournful, sentimental, preachy,
provocative, informative, critical, etc.). Examine how this tone is created. (Consider diction, syntax, imagery,
etc.)
Name: ______________________________ Period: _____ Date: ___________________________

Text: _____________________________________ Genre: _______________ Author: _________________________

SOAPStone Analysis Chart


Speaker

Occasion

Audience

Purpose

Structure Structure

& Style
Structure: The
arrangement of and
relation between the
parts or elements of
something complex;
the way that the parts
of a work of literature
are organized:
Comparison/Contrast,
Cause and Effect, Style
Exemplification
(Examples), Process,
Description, and
Narrative

Style: Literary and


Rhetorical Devices the
writer utilizes to create
meaning: Anaphora,
Figurative Language,
Foreshadowing,
Juxtaposition,
Repetition, Allusion,
Alliteration, Parallel
Structure, Irony, etc.

Provide evidence.
Refer to your Glossary
of Literary and
Rhetorical Devices
packet.

Tone
VOCABULARY

ADDITIONAL NOTES

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