Models for Writing Annotations (from “Two Views”)
1. Main Ideas (what is author’s purpose? How does paragraph support/build argument?)
*Paragraph One (first three sentences)
Purpose is to show how mastery/knowledge is valuable but costs something as well
*Paragraph One (the rest of it) and Paragraph Two (first sentence)
Purpose is to show the beauty of a world that is new/fresh eyes (bliss of ignorance)
2. Rhetorical Strategies (Focus on language and syntactical choices made by author. Give specific examples and explain
how/why choice is effective in creating tone/supporting argument)
*Paragraph One- “mastered the language of the river [like] the letters of the alphabet” compared to losing the “poetry”great metaphor for what learning can be like, like learning to write essays but losing the magic and mystery of poetry
*Paragraph One- “circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced”, “dead tree waved a single leafy bough”-river is
personified by verbs- it is a living thing! Not deadly, like later.
3. Defining Words (define, relate to self, discuss author’s use)
*Paragraph One-“every trifling feature”-trifling means small, like details. If I forget to underline the argument in my
response, I’ve only omitted a trifling detail. Twain uses it to show how he has learned every tiny detail about the river.
4. Connections to Other Parts of Text
*Paragraph 2- Details in this part are in exact same order as 1st paragraph; river is the SAME, but his view has changed.
5. Connections to Other Texts
*Description of river in 2nd paragraph like “Two Landscapes”- Brown sees only destruction while Momaday sees primal
beauty.
6. Connections to Life Experiences
*Sometimes when I’m reading for pleasure (Stephen King!), I start to analyze the writing- have to stop myself so I can
just enjoy what I’m reading.
7. Ask Questions about Text (not vocabulary or language choices)
*Paragraph One- “I had lost something which could never be restored to me while I lived.”
Is he really saying that this is a permanent loss? Is there no way to “restore” the beauty he saw?
8. Answer Questions if Answered Later in Text
*Paragraph 3- talks about doctor and asks, “Does he ever see her beauty at all?” Doesn’t come out and say no, but implies
that it won’t happen.
9. Make Comments in Response to Author’s Ideas (not rhetorical strategies)
I’m not sure I like his argument. What about artists? Their job is to CREATE beauty- how can they do that if learning
their craft destroys their ability to see it? Hmm…