Windmills & Giants

We worked through Michael Lewis's "Cross-Buying" in class today.  I hope you now have a better understanding of how to go about annotating a text.  If you are still unsure of where to begin, here's a quick set of guidelines:

1.   Make sure you have a working knowledge of the devices we have discussed in class so far.  These include:
Diction
Imagery
Detail
Audience
Speaker
Tone
Any other devices with which you are familiar
2.   Skim the piece once to get a general idea of the argument.  If you want to begin marking up your page at this point, go ahead, but the first pass should simply give you perspective on the work.
3.   Begin reading the work more closely, looking for words or phrases that stand out (because they are unusual, interesting, or unfamiliar), devices that you recognize, and any counter-arguments presented.  Each time you come across something worth marking, ask yourself "Why has the author included this?  What does it do for the work?  How does it help/hurt the argument?"
4.   Look for the thesis.  This is rarely at the end of the first paragraph in published works, and not always a single sentence.  The thesis should cover the scope of the argument.  For example, in "Cross-Buying," the author states that his "fondness for buying women's clothing is nothing more than a fondness for—and a curiosity about—women themselves."  It is important to understand what the author is arguing before you begin writing about the work.
5.   Finally, go over the work one more time, focusing on your annotations.  How do they fit with the thesis?  Does your interpretation of each support or contradict the author's thesis?  (If they contradict it, you may have misunderstood something.  Or the piece is poorly written/argued.  It's possible.)  Do you see any connections between the various devices?

That's it.  I like to use several colors to annotate a work (diff colors for vocab/interesting things, things I don't understand, questions I have, and reactions), but do whatever works for you.  The important thing is that your hands are busy.  It will take longer to read a work at first, but this will eventually become second nature to you.  Pretty soon you won't be able to read without a pen in your hand.  You'll be better for it, I promise.