Summery and Analysis

     Writing a summery is very different than writing an analysis. A summery simply condenses down a story in it's entirety. It takes the plot, characters, and events, and retells everything. For instance if I was to give you a summery about the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" then I would write something like this:

     there once was a girl named Red Riding Hood. One day her grandmother was sick so Red Riding Hoods mom sent her out into the forest to deliver a basket of goodies to her grandmother. On her way through the woods, Red met a wolf that asked her what she was doing. Red told him that she was going to grandma's house. Hearing this the wolf went up ahead to Granny's house and ate her. he then put on Granny's nightgown and cap and laid down in Granny's bed to wait for little Miss Red. When Red got there she did not notice right away that it was the wolf and not her dear Grandma in bed. When she did become suspicious she stated "Oh Grandma, what big teeth you have," the wolf took this opportunity to attack Red, but she ran away and found a huntsman and told him what happened. The huntsman grabbed his ax, and went to Granny's house to kill the wolf, which he did. He then cut opened the wolfs belly and out popped Granny, and they all lived happily ever after.

Now if I were to write an analysis of the same story it would go like this:

     The story of  Little Red Riding Hood seems to be a benign fairytale to prevent our children from talking to strangers. But it is my belief that this story is in fact not a story to teach children a lesson. I believe that this is indeed a story strictly meant for the eyes and ears of adults, and that it addresses a much more sinister topic. The topic of Little Red Riding Hood is a tale that tells us the dangers of being a prostitute.
     Red Riding hood in her tale is a prostitute (you can tell by red red cloak), and she was not going to visit her ailing grandmother. Her grandmother is a metaphor for the life that Red craves to have. Red wants to be free from the oppressiveness of prostitution, she wants to be loved, and wants to be able to live out her life to a ripe old age. If you look at the story the grandmother, although sick, is a loved person. Here granddaughter is bringing her goodies to make her feel better, something that a prostitute likely would never experience........

     As you can see with summery, it is simply retelling the story. Analysis on the other hand is far more complex. you have to pick apart the story and see what the details represent. You must also give examples to support your analysis (like her cloak was red which is the color of a prostitute). In an analysis you are making an argument that can right or wrong, the key is to be able to support your theory with clear facts from the story.

Image source: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/fairy-tales-and-fables/images/5123622/title/little-red-riding-hood-parody-wallpaper

Here is a link for more fairy tales to enjoy.



    


    

My intro video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJvyvNBMPaY

What Makes a Good Reader?

     According to Nabokov the elements that he finds that makes a good reader are, the reader has imagination. The reader should be able to see, hear, and experience the environment the author is portraying. The reader should also have a good memory to retain what has been read, and to have a dictionary nearby for clarification of any words that my be new to them. Finally Nabokov states that artistic ability is important. he also states that all good readers are in truth re-readers. I myself do agree with him in most part, but i would have to add on to his list to clearly define a good reader.
     I think one attribute all readers should have is patients. I find that all too often a reader focuses too much on what is said on the little inside flap synopsis of the book. allowing the few short paragraphs of a description determine whether or not they want to spend time trying a book, or if they do indeed try the book, they give up after only a few pages. I also think that (and this goes against Nabokov) that the ability to use life experiences to relate to a place or character of the book is a helpful tool. I find that when we can do this, not only is the story much more interesting to us, it is much easier to follow and understand as well. At least that's what i find in my personal experience, and I consider myself to be a very good reader.

Here is a link to read more about Vladimir Nabokov

Image Source: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3183.htm