Use a standard spiral notebook and hand-write your answers. Legibility matters; please use ink.
Each analysis includes the title and author as well as a full response to each question outlined. Use complete sentences. Feel free to expound on an idea you find particularly compelling, as long as you can relate it to the work you are studying. Work on using these questions as a conversation with the book.
1. Identify, explain, and support the major themes (3 or more) with illustrating incidents.
2. Discuss major and minor characters; identify traits and incidents which illustrate their personalities (at least 5).
3. Discuss the significance and influence of the setting or fictional society.
4. Discuss the relation of the narrator to the subject and the author.
5. Define and explain the moral or ethical problems explored.
6. Select 5 quotations (with page numbers) which illustrate the effectiveness of the writer's craft. Identify each: mood/tone, imagery, symbolism, characterization, and whatever else seems appropriate.
7. Discuss the historical background or perspective.
8. Discuss the relevance of the work to the present time.
Remember the idea is that you will be able to use these notes as a reference to prepare for the test. Don't do it simply "for the grade." They need to matter to you in order to be valuable.
