It seems today that all teachers talk about is analyzing. Analyze this or that situation. Analyze a picture. Analyze this movie. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby's appearance and description in the story could deem him as having something to hide. Though many times out of English class, analyzing seems out of place. In some ways, analyzing in everyday lives removes a person's focus from key things. For example; if people are watching a movie and you decide to analyze a scene, you will most likely miss an important line that's either important to the movie- or just flat out funny. Google defines analyze as to discover or reveal (something) through detailed examination. That brings about an important question, is analysis dependent on opinions? If you’re attempting to analyze a situation that constantly changes, is it even possible to analyze? The first situation that comes to mind that flows with this idea is analyzing a person. People’s opinions are constantly changing. To analyze a person in a story is simple, they only have one personality in which the author portrays exactly how they want you to see the character. However, in everyday life you will not be able to fully understand what another person is feeling or thinking about. Its impossible to create one analysis of a person without having to constantly change it to match situations. If you had it would be considered stereotyping. Therefore, analyzing in literature is great and relevant, yet if you analyze a person- you just might end up “putting words in their mouth.”
Some analysis is expected though. While not everyone may have understood that Pecola was internalizing white society by drinking milk, everyone got that the white standards were not the hero of the story, despite it never being explicitly stated. While simple, it's still analysis, and deliberately done.
ReplyDeletePurpose is important.
Make sure you include a piece of textual evidence from the week.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point on the futility of attempting to analyze a person in real life when you can't know all the facts. I know I often think I know a person from one situation or part of life, but when I meet that same person in another situation, the person is totally different in what they say and do.
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