Unpack/Annotate & STAMP
UNPACK & Annotate: Mark it up!!!
As you read a piece of literature, we suggest you follow the steps below.
Do EVERYTHING assigned…eventually, once you’ve mastered the art of “unpacking,” you won’t
have to follow these steps anymore—the sooner and more thoroughly you master the skill, the less timeconsuming the task will become.
What you do specifically will depend on if you have a handout (marking and commenting on the
page) or a school-owned text (using post-its/tabs and your own paper).
The following is one method of unpacking, feel free to tweak this to make it your own.
And, ALWAYS feel free to attach a separate sheet of paper with your commentary.
 Context/Background— BLACK PEN
Somewhere on the passage, clearly answer the following question: “What is happening at this point in the
text?” Make sure to include the 5 W’s (who, what, where, when why).
 CONFUSION/QUESTIONS—BLUE PEN
If anything trips you up, make sure you indicate your confusion and comment marginally on what you didn’t
understand and why. Ask questions. Also, underline words you don’t know.
 Commentary—PENCIL
Extend the information into real life by incorporating your own ideas—make connections to other texts
you’ve read, historical examples, and current events. Challenge items with which you disagree and identify
items with which you do agree—EXPLAIN your ideas briefly in the margin. After you finish reading the
piece, clearly answer the following: In terms of style, what stands out to you the most? Why?
 Meaningful Diction—PINK Highlighter
Highlight all of the meaningful diction you see in the text. For at least FIVE words you’ve highlighted,
comment marginally (be sure to consider ALL parts of speech). Consider these questions: From the diction,
what connotations do you see, what conflicts do you observe, what connections can you make, what
significance (to character, plot, theme, etc.) do you understand?
 Syntax/Punctuation—YELLOW Highlighter
Highlight the first four words of each sentence as well as meaningful punctuation you see throughout the text
(dashes, parentheses, ellipses, exclamations, question marks, colons, etc.). Comment marginally on one
aspect of the syntax that seems meaningful to you (repetition, structure, etc.).
 Methods—GREEN Highlighter
Highlight evidence of at least TWO PROMINENT methods (meaning those that appear frequently in the text
and have a clear influence on style and overall meaning). Label both methods marginally and briefly
comment on the effect of each on the text as a whole.
 Tone— BLUE Highlighter
Draw brackets around two 5-10-line blocks of text within the passage; for each, choose an appropriate and
precise tone word—be as specific as possible. Then, briefly justify these two tone words in the margin. Also,
make sure you note any SHIFTS in tone you find in the passage. After you finish reading the entire piece,
decide on a tone that would suit the text as a whole and then justify your selection.
What said, when unpacking and annotating is an ASSIGNMENT, I expect to see the text
torn apart by your notes, comments, and markings.
Eventually, this will all be second nature to you 
Once you are out on your own, DO NOT circle/underline/highlight EVERYTHING.
Look for the most significant or thought-provoking items. BE SELECTIVE!!!
STAMP
All authors put a stamp on what they write.
Situation to *WHAT prompted the author to write the piece? The situation is the CATALYST of
Subject: writing or the EXIGENCE—What is sticking in the writer’s craw?
Keep this in mind: Situation LEADS to Subject
*NOTE: Situation does NOT refer to what is going on in the piece itself or what the
piece is about; it deals more closely with what caused the author to write it or the time
period in which it was written. Background info is helpful; however, you can still infer
the situation based on the publication date, the themes, and the tone of the piece.
Consider the historical context and how it affected the AUTHOR and his/her writing.
Think about the CONTEXT of the piece and how that CONTEXT
led to the TOPIC of the piece
TONE:
*The author’s implied/embedded attitude toward his/her subject OR his/her audience as
revealed by the elements of the author’s style.
*Although style reveals tone, the author makes stylistic decisions BASED on
the tone or attitude he/she hopes to convey.
* Tone may be characterized as any attitude or feeling human beings experience;
like the tone of a speaker’s voice, the tone of a work of literature expresses the
writer’s feelings.
Deals with the attitude/feelings of the AUTHOR, not the reader.
Audience: *WHO was the piece written for? Who was the author trying to reach?
*Was the author aiming toward a group or toward an individual?
*To what type of person (gender, age, profession, education level, political affinity,
race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, etc.) was the author writing?
Just saying “the reader” or “whoever’s listening” is too surface
level- Dig in here!
Method:
*HOW does the author construct the piece to convey his/her purpose?
*What choices has he/she made? What rhetorical strategies and devices & literary
elements does the author use? And, more importantly, WHY does he/she use them?
Think about Structure/Organization, Diction, Syntax—
Simply put, THINK ABOUT STYLE!!!
Purpose:
*WHY has the author written the work?
*What does the author want his/her audience—the reader—to learn, understand,
remember, feel, or think as a result of the piece?
*What does the author want you—the reader—to get out of the work?
Think of infinitive verbs, like to entertain, to criticize, to enlighten, to comfort,
to encourage, to motivate, to intimidate, to inspire, to scare, to infuriate, to intrigue,
to accuse, to teach, to vilify, to exonerate, to chastise, to insult, to impress, etc.
It’s DEEPER than just “To show…”
Authorial PURPOSE is the FOUNDATION