Journal Problem: Notice and Focus
Step I: Find a passage about 10-12 sentences (if poetry, think more in terms of lines) long that you do not fully understand but also grabs your attention. Carefully read and reread this selection before getting started.
Step II: Ask yourself, "What do I notice?"
Write down a list of at least five specific words, phrases, or other textual details that you notice from the passage that seem interesting, surprising, or strange. By textual features, I mean just about anything you see--including grammar, punctuation, and more typical literary features like metaphor, symbol, character, setting, etc. Be specific as you note these.
You do not have to explain or fully understand these features. An easy way for you do this is to use "interesting," "revealing," or "surprising" as guides to your reaction. (I found this moment strange--it's easy to take a note with "Strange" in the margin)
Step III: Ask yourself, "What do I find strange or confusing?"
Write down a list of at least three moments from the passage that you notice. What makes each strange/confusing and why?
Step IV: Rank, in order, the features from steps 2 and 3 that from most interesting to least interesting.
Step V: Pick the top three items in your list for you to work on in your journal. As you start to write, ask yourself, "Why is this interesting?" and "So what?" as you write. Start with one and write as much as you can, then on another until you have 600 words. I want to see you think through the specific features you found above. You can make connections to other parts of the text you read, but really focus in on the details in this specific passage as you work.
The response should include a reference list. One-inch margins, Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space and APA style of writing and citations.