SOAPSTone
An introduction to Analyzing Writing
Mrs. Gonzalez
What is SOAPSTone?
• Speaker: The voice that tells the story
• Occasion: The time and the place of the piece;
the context that prompted the writing.
• Audience: The group of readers to whom this
piece is directed
• Purpose: The reason behind the text
• Subject: The topic of the piece of writing
• Tone: The attitude of the author
Speaker
• While reading the text, ask yourself this major question:
WHO IS SPEAKING?
• Don’t confuse the author with the speaker. They are two
different voices; sometimes two different personas. For
example, Jim is a reporter for the NY Times, but the
speaker is a man trying to influence readers to steer
clear of a new product.
• Ask yourself: What’s the point of a speaker? Why do we
care who is speaking? How does it influence the text?
How does it influence the reader?
• Who is speaking to the reader? Is it an economist? A
fashion guru? A teacher? A lawmaker?
Occasion
• While reading, it’s important to determine WHAT EVENT
INFLUENCED THE TEXT.
• Why do we write? Why does it matter? Do we just write
about anything and everything, or are we influenced to
write?
• Ask yourself: Why is this person writing this text now?
What major event or occurrence inspired this piece of
writing?
• Are they writing in response to a new law? An ongoing
war? A celebrity mishap? A major world crisis?
Audience
• While reading the text, it is important to determine WHO
THE AUDIENCE IS.
• Don’t think an article on the health risks of elementary
school cafeteria food is an article for just anyone. Who
could an article like that be targeting?
• Ask yourself: Who is the intended audience for this text?
Why write to this specific audience? Why cant a piece
of writing be meant for EVERYBODY?
• Is the audience the financial experts of the business
world? Stay-at-home mothers? College students?
Athletes?
Purpose
• While reading the text, it is necessary to understand
the PURPOSE OF THE TEXT.
• Ask yourself: What’s the purpose of the writing?
What is it intended to do? What is the speaker
hoping to achieve? Is there a goal?
• Are they trying to influence consumers to buy a
certain product? Vote for a specific politician?
Save their money by investing? Send their kids to
private school?
Subject
• While reading the text, determine the SUBJECT OF
THE TEXT.
• Ask yourself: What is this piece of writing about?
What topic(s) does it concern? Why does it matter?
• Are they writing about the war in Iraq? A new law
that just passed? A hot, new celebrity?
Tone
• While reading the text, one of the most important
questions is WHAT’S THE TONE OF THE TEXT?
• How is the author saying what he’s saying? What is
his attitude towards the subject? Towards the
audience?
• Is he angry? Biased? Persuasive? Neutral?
The Analysis Paragraph
• An analysis paragraph must prove something by
using the text as evidence.
• Follow the specific paragraph outline if you want to
write an outstanding paragraph.
DO’s and DON’TS:
DO state your point in the topic sentence
DON’T forget to provide the WHY and HOW SO?
DO cite your evidence
DON’T use a quote without explaining its
significance
• DO follow the paragraph outline
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An Outline of an Analysis
Paragraph
• Topic Sentence (TS): One sentence that states your
point; it states what you’re trying to prove.
• Concrete Detail (CD #1): Your first piece of evidence; a
quote from the source.
• Commentary (CM): Two to four sentences that explains
the significance of the quote. How does it help prove
your point?
• Concrete Detail (CD #2): Your second piece of
evidence; another quote from the source.
• Commentary (CM): Two to four sentences that explains
the significance of the quote. How does it help prove
your point?
• Conclusive Sentence (CS): One sentence that wraps up
your paragraph.
Sample Topic Sentence
• In "Why Reliance on Technology is a Bad Thing," John
Grohol’s purpose is to (inform/persuade/etc.)
(whom) about (what).
• Sample: In "Why Reliance on Technology is a Bad
Thing," John Grohol's purpose is to awaken
technology dependents about the risk of relying so
heavily on technology in order to function daily.
• Sample: “In Parenting Experts Weigh in on ‘Tiger
Mother,’” Eryn Brown, a writer for the Los Angeles
Times, writes to an audience of parents in order to
promote high expectations for children, but not by
damaging their well-being.
Model Paragraph
• TS: In “Why Reliance on Technology is a Bad Thing,”
John M. Grohol’s purpose is to inform technology
dependents that what they cant live without, will
one day replace them.
• CD #1: “We’re constantly seeking out short-term
gains and improvements without really taking into
consideration the whole picture for future
generations” (Grohol 1).
• CM: Self interest is getting in the way of personal
growth because machines are created so creators
can be lazy. But this laziness wille ventually lead to
the creators being replaced by a machine that will
get the job done.
Model Paragraph cont.
• CD #2: In addition, Grohol comments on people
looking for shortcuts as he states, “I suspect some
new architects would know how to design a 50story building on paper” (Grohol 2).
• CM: Dependency on technology equals weakness.
Fifty years ago, people were able to survive without
technology. Unfortunately, the 2011 generation is
useless without technology, which allows them to
be controlled and taken over by computers, etc.
• CS: In conclusion, some humans have become too
lazy to operate and have become addicted to
machines; the easy way out isn’t always the right
way.
Citing within your
Paragraph
• You must ALWAYS support your point with textual evidence
and give credit where credit is due=acknowledge the author.
• Introduce the material being cited with a acknowledgement
phrase that includes the author's name and title.
• Notice that the period follows the parenthetical citation.
When a quotation ends with a question mark or an
exclamation point, leave the end punctuation inside the
quotation mark and add a period after the parentheses: " . . .
!" (8).
• Example: James Smith, a writer for the Orange Country
Register, reports that shortly after California made it illegal to
use a handheld phone while driving, "accidents caused by
using the phones dropped by 75 percent" (A8). This proves
that outlawing cellphones while driving is reducing accidents
and ultimately saving lives. The law is an essential addition to
California’s legislation.
How to Answer Qs
• A strong answer must respond to all parts of the
question.
• A strong answer must use textual evidence as
support. Use proof! Insert a quote to support your
answer.
• A strong answer must answer the WHY and HOW
SO?
• Be thorough. Always re-read your answers before
submitting them for a grade.
• Always answer the question in complete sentences.
• Don’t start with “Yes, because…” or “No,
because…”
How to Answer Qs
• First, text-mark your reactions in the right margin.
• Next, write the main topic of each paragraph in the
left margin.
• Discuss the article: what’s the main point? Whose
voice is being heard? Who would need to know
this?
• Discuss the Q: what is this Q asking? How can I
answer this Q in complete sentences? How can I
support my answer?
• Discuss what quotes you can use that best support
your answer.
• Re-read your Q and answer aloud to make sure you
are answering the question properly.
Answering Questions
• 1. Do you find that the possibility of failing is a
motivator? How would you and your classmates
approach schoolwork differently if F’s were
changed to incompletes?
• How would you answer this question?
• Where would you start? How would you start?
• What quotes from the article can you use as
support?
• When can you insert your opinion?
Sample Answer
• The possibility of failing is a strong motivator to get kids to do
their schoolwork. If they know their grade will continue to drop
with every missing or incomplete assignment, then they will
complete their work the first time. In the article, “At West
Potomac High School, taking F Off the Grade Books,” Mary
Mathewson, an English teacher, states, “the possibility of failing
is a motivator, and now kids are under the impression they can
do it whenever they want to and it’s not that big of a deal” (St.
George 1). Taking the F off of the grade books sends the
message to kids that they can choose to not do their work
because they know an “Incomplete” means a second, a third,
and maybe a fourth chance. I definitely think that if Katella HS
adopted the “I” as a grade, our students would stop working
all together. Lazy students will get lazier, average students will
think failing is not a big deal, and the motivated students will
stop trying as hard. Failing is one motivation tactic that works
for students. I definitely don’t think replacing the “F” with an
“I” will increase motivation, it’s just an easy fix to a major
problem.