Experience of Close Reading

When I was close reading the poem "Spring and Fall" I found it quite difficult. It was hard to tell what each line was trying to say and what it meant. I haven't really looked over poems much, so this task was challenging. When I came up with my own way of saying what I thought each line of the poem made I kept over thinking and wasn't actually sure if I was correct. I came up with multiple meanings and when comparing my answers to others it was very different. I realized there could be many different interpretations of this poem and that we wouldn't really know for sure what it meant without asking the author.

• 3 important things your learned (could be new or previously learned information).

1. I learned about Denotation vs. Connotation. When I heard these words before I thought denotation mean something positive and connotation meant something negative. I soon learned what I was actually thinking about were pros and cons. I learned that denotation is what something actually means and that a connotation was what something implies. When you think of a connotation you analyze and look more deeply into the matter, but with denotation you basically just look at the facts.
2. Structuralism means to look for a common structure within a reading. Being able to identify the structure and put them into categories. I learned that structure is important because it add to what the writer wants us to do when we read. For instance if the writer wants us to speed up our reading they might change the syntax of a story by making smaller sentences or vice versa. Usually a 5 part structure is used to make the plot easy to follow, but sometimes a write will change up the structure to make a certain point in their story. Sometimes even language is structured which makes the meaning of the text change. If the author wants to convey a different personality in a character they may make that character have a different structure for their language.
3. I learned a lot about figurative language since it is mostly used in poetry which I have not deeply studied. It is especially used in imaginary literature as well, but when I write something on the AP test it usually should not use figurative language. I learned that this type of language is usually used in works of literature, not responses. In order to increase the pleasure of a story figurative language is used and it is also used to make a point. Irony, personification, metaphors, etc are all used for this.

• 2 questions that you still have or skills you feel you still need to learn.

1. I feel like I still need to learn more about how to analyze syntax. I find that it is difficult for me to catch on to when an author is using syntax as a way to change the readers understanding.
2. Another thing I'm not quite sure about is how to analyze narrative fiction. I feel like I’m not good with diving deeply into that because of how enjoyment and analyzing works together.

• 1 skill that you feel you know so well you could teach others.
• 1.) One skill I feel I could teach others is about the setting. I have been studying setting and have learned about setting for many years and I feel like I catch on to it pretty well. The only thing  wouldn’t be too sure about in setting is the historical context behind it, like the era it takes place in for history.