SIFT method
Literary Analysis
S
• Symbolism
• symbols used in literature are objects used to represent other
things or ideas
I
• Imagery
• Description that appeals to the 5 senses (sight, smell, sound, taste,
touch)
F
• Figurative Language
• Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboles…anything that is
not to be taken literally.
T
• Tone (diction, style, etc.)
• Theme (universal messages or understandings..like justice, love,
etc.)
S
• Symbolism
• symbols used in literature are objects used to represent other things or ideas
From:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2095782_understand-symbolism-literature.html
•Step1
•Grasp the meaning of "symbol." Just as the American bald eagle is often thought of as the symbol of the United States, symbols
used in literature are objects used to represent other things or ideas. For example, in Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," the "A"
that Hester Prynne was forced to wear represented not only that she was an adulteress, but also the first letter of the name of
her illegitimate child's father, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale.
•Step2
•Recognize the signs. There are several ways to recognize symbolism in literature. One is the frequency an object or character is
mentioned in a piece of literature--if it is mentioned often, it is probably important. Another way to find a symbol is to look at
how much detail is used in describing an object. These two methods give clues that the writer wants you to infer something
about a particular object.
•Step3
•Familiarize yourself with the author's work and style. A symbol in a piece of literature often represents an important issue of the
time in which the author lived, or has personal significance to the writer. Edgar Allan Poe, for example, is well-known for the
tragedy he suffered during his lifetime. His stories and poetry often included dark imagery and death which were undoubtedly
symbolic of the events in his life.
•Step4
•Trust your feelings. If an image or object described by the author makes you react in a certain way, you are probably on to
something, never discredit your own feelings just because you're a novice. It is very likely that the author planted the image in
the work in a particular way to alert the reader that a symbol is important.
•Step5
•Look to others. There's no shame in reading critical essays about a literary work to gain a better understanding of it, or in
discussing a piece of literature with a teacher or classmate. With experience, finding symbols will become easier, but when you
are first starting out, it never hurts to get ideas from others who have a better grasp of symbolism.
I
• Imagery
• Description that appeals to the 5 senses (sight, smell, sound, taste,
touch)
•To make an imaginary
world seem real, an author
often makes use of words
and phrases that appeal to
the senses. These words
and phrases, called images,
help a reader mentally
experience what the
characters in the literary
selection are actually
experiencing.
•A well-written description
should arouse a particular
response or emotion in the
reader's imagination.
Sight
Touch
Sound
Senses
Taste
Smell
F
• Figurative Language
• Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboles…anything that is
not to be taken literally.
•Metaphor: A metaphor speaks of something as though it were
something else. There are three kinds of metaphor:
•The descriptive metaphor speaks of something concrete by
referring to something else concrete. Take for example: "It was a
fine day. The trees swayed like dancers lost in reverie. As they
waltzed the afternoon away the breeze continued to wind its
mournful tune."
•( The abstract metaphor explains an abstract principle by
comparing it to something more concrete. For example: "My cup
runneth over." (The writer of this biblical Psalm speaks of the life
that submits to divinity in terms of a cup that is full and continues to
be filled.)
•The embedded metaphor uses a verb or a noun in a non-literal
fashion. For example: "The darkness threw itself upon the land with
a sigh of relief." (Obviously darkness cannot really throw itself upon
the land-- it only seems to do so. The metaphor "The darkness
threw itself upon the land" is embedded because it merely suggests
that the night is like a lover overwhelmed after a long absence or a
man exhausted after a hard day at work.)
F
• Figurative Language
• Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboles…anything that is
not to be taken literally.
•Simile:
•A simile is a particular kind of metaphor that speaks of something as
similar to something else. You can usually recognize similes by the
presence of the word "like" or "as." For example: Alice is a very beautiful
young woman: she is as pretty as a rose.
Simile
 a comparison made using “like,” “as,” etc.
 Busy as a bee
 Cold as a fish
 Delicate as a flower
 Fit as a fiddle
 Free as a bird
 Fresh as a daisy
 Good as gold
 Green as grass
 Red as a beet
 Leak like a sieve
 Sleep like a baby
 Silly as a goose
 Slow as molasses
 Light as a feather
F
• Figurative Language
• Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboles…anything that is
not to be taken literally.
•Hyperbole:
•A hyperbole is an exaggeration so great that no one could possible take
it literally. For example: "He made my skin crawl." (We don't expect that
the speaker in such a case be physically affected by her encounter with
another person: she simply doesn't like him and has expressed the extent
of her dislike by exaggerating).
F
• Figurative Language
• Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboles…anything that is
not to be taken literally.
•Understatement:
•An understatement seeks to express a thought or impression by
underemphasizing the extent to which a statement may be true.
Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole and is frequently
employed for its comedic value in articles, speeches, etc. when issues
of great importance are being discussed. For example: "Jen had
stolen his watch, put a dent in his car, and kept him from spending
time with his buddies. Needless to say, Jack had acquired a less than
favorable opinion of his ex-girlfriend."
F
• Figurative Language
• Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboles…anything that is
not to be taken literally.
•Personification:
•nonhuman acts/is talked about as if were person; or nonliving as living
SNOW
Snow speaks to the people its
falling above in the glooming
sunlight.
Its white sparkling voice
echoes
as it falls through
the air.
F
• Figurative Language
• Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboles…anything that is
not to be taken literally.
•Irony:
•Irony involves making a statement that
means the opposite of what it states literally.
Suppose you happen to be experiencing a
streak of bad luck: your house has been
robbed, your cat just died, your best friend is
mad at you, and this morning you backed
your car into a tree. You cry in exasperation:
"Well that's just great!" Clearly you don't
mean that you're happy about this sequence
of events: you have just made an ironic
statement. You may also encounter irony in
pieces of literature or anecdotes. One of the
most famous examples of literary irony is
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: it is ironic
that the lovers die as a result of the plan that
was meant to ensure their spending the rest
of their lives together.
T
• Tone (diction, style, etc.)
• Theme (universal messages or understandings..like justice, love,
etc.)
•What exactly is this elusive thing called theme?
•The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its
teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how
people behave.
•In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is
not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action,
and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out
the theme yourself.
•The writer's task is to communicate on a common ground with the
reader. Although the particulars of your experience may be different
from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the
story may be just the connection that both you and the writer are
seeking.
T
• Tone (diction, style, etc.)
• Theme (universal messages or understandings..like justice, love,
etc.)
•Has anyone ever said to you, "Don't use that tone of voice with me?"
Your tone can change the meaning of what you say. Tone can turn a
statement like, " You're a big help!" into a genuine compliment or a
cruel sarcastic remark.
•Tone is the attitude that an author takes toward the audience, the
subject, or the character. Tone is conveyed through the author's words
(diction) and details (imagery).
Now that you
know what
SIFT is..it’s
time to put
your training
to good use,
soldier!
Sir, yes sir!!
Operation SIFT
Ready for
deployment
Step 1
Symbol:
examine the
title and text
for
symbolism
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them
Step 2
Images:
identify
images and
sensory
details
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them
Step 3
Figures of
speech:
analyze
figurative
language and
other device
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them
Step 4
Tone
and Theme:
discuss how
all devices
reveal tone
and theme
Nature is used a
lot
Other things
seem to disrupt
nature
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
The theme might
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
be Man’s
And on a day we meet to walk the line
disruption of
natural
And set the wall between us once again.
boundaries..or
We keep the wall between us as we go.
just “boundaries”
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them
Step 5
Now set up
your paper
like this:
Intro (identify the tone or theme)
Explain how Symbolism is used to convey
the theme
Tip: Remember
those highlights
we made? Use
those as your
direct quotes to
support your
explanations.
Explain how Imagery is used to convey the
theme
Explain how Figurative Language is used to
convey the theme
Conclusion