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Writing Prompt: Aesthetic Analysis Tutorial

Note: do not assume that by completing this tutorial you will have an "instant analysis." The prompt questions will only help you to brainstorm your topic, to get you thinking about it.

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Prompt #1: Why does this text interest / appeal to you?

Prompt #2: Write a sentence that tells me what you think the text is about. It should relate to the assumptions and strategies you've employed and the context you have developed in prompts 2-5.

Prompt #3: Rewrite that sentence in the form of a question that you could answer with evidence from the text.

Prompt #4: Write down 3 related assertions about the text that will help to answer that question .

Prompt #5: Write down three formal elements of the text that might contribute to supporting your assertion. (point of view, symbol, image, representative actions, dialogue, structural elements, tone, etc.)

Prompt #6: Isolate each formal element and explain exactly how it contributes to supporting your assertion.

Prompt #7: Write down 5 quotations from the text--at least one related to each formal element you have
mentioned that might support your assertion

Prompt #8: Explain why each of these quotations and elements supports an assertion or answers your thesis question

Prompt #9: Explain how your close reading answers your original question

Prompt #10: Explain why your study contributes to a better understanding of the piece.