OBSTACLES AND AIDS FOR READING CRITICALLY.
Obstacles will ensure you will always be disappointed in what you read; aids will ensure your
reading is rich and rewarding.
OBSTACLES
How to Hurt Yourself
Go to Spark Notes (or elsewhere) to get a clear
and simple summary (reductionist).
AIDS
How to Help Yourself
Create your own map of the plot and include
your own uncertainties and noted ambiguities
and confusions.
You'll have the illusion that you know what's
going on. In fact, you don't.
This can be challenging and a wee bit time
consuming. The uncertainties and ambiguities
will put you in stead for a more sophisticated
reading and that in turn, will improve your
chances for a better mark.
Try to "translate" the fancy words and phrases of Try to map the relationships between literal and
the author into "plain English." Reduce the
figurative meanings; focus on determining why
meaning only to what is said.
and how those associations contribute to a rich
variety of possible meanings.
Read silently in your head.
Read out loud, and follow along with a video or
audio resource.
Rely only on your text's glosses for what words
Go to the OED to generate a list of possible
mean.
meanings for any and all words you suspect of
complexity—not just for words you don't know
(although those are important too).
Assume there is only 1 interpretation.
Assume there are many possible interpretations,
some of which are more convincing than others.
Start your study of a text by seeing what others
Start your study of a text by struggling with it
have said.
yourself first, and only then comparing that to
what others think.
You will be so overwhelmed by others that you
will never formulate your own opinion and you'll
be setting yourself up for failure by giving
yourself the same message over and over again:
"I don’t understand this and I don't know what's
going on. I hate it all."
Go back to high school notes to assure yourself
you understand the text.
The pain is up front and you'll be uplifted and
elated when you allow yourself to discover
things on your own first. That will boost your
confidence for next time.
Learn to be comfortable looking for new
meanings and re-thinking (abandoning if
necessary) your earlier understandings of the
text.
Come to class without having completely read
the text.
This will make you passive and therefore
susceptible to any and all suggestions about
what the text might mean and you will never be
able to formulate your own opinion because
your understanding will have been irrevocably
compromised.
Come to class having read the whole text and
having formulated some opinion (even if it's
misguided) about the text.
This will make you active and able to formulate
arguments. It will also help you remember the
text's issues and will better prepare you for any
essays or exams.