Limon Capaceta Adolfo Javier

Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa

Academic English II
2 June 2017

Main ideas

Every text can be interpreted.

 Every idea, theme and concept is open for interpretation.

o Everything can be interpreted

o It may have a meaning for me.

 Do not assume common knowledge; even facts need to be proven.

Critical analysis of texts.

 Text can be analysed independently.

o You can analyse the text according to your perspective; in your own voice.

 No consensus, except if you are able to justify the how and why.

 Breaking down a text and its key sections.

o Note taking

Construction of story

 How a story is constructed.

 It influenced the meaning of the text

o i.e. flashback, changes order, goes forward to backwards

 Style: text communication

 Look for:
 o Medium: film (images), poem (abstract terms), what kind of text?

o Genre: Sci-Fi? Effect on meaning

o Style of prose/poetry

o Plot devices

o Formatting/editing

o Meaning

o Representation

Language

 Visual and written language -> simplest method.

 How and why are the used?

 Challenge the use of such techniques.

 Look for:

o Imagery, emotional and sensory language

o Metaphor

o Visual layout

o Camera and film techniques

o Dialogue

o Contrast, paradox and juxtaposition

Characterisation

 How the character shapes the story.

 Character portrayed -> motives and purpose.

 NOT describing
 o i.e. evil? How do they betray?

 Indicated though description-dialog, ‘voice’ of the narrator.

 Indicated through:

o Use of dialogue: how he or she talks?

o Description:

o Character’s roll (antagonist)

o Relationship

o Change in narration

o Language techniques

Theme

 Theme is purely interpretive

 It can be justified and argued

 Key idea or effect of a text

 The predominant idea

 Relating to

o Philosophy/psychology

o Feelings

o Persona issues

o Political

o Social

o Cultural

o Religious/spiritual

o Life and its stages

 Rhetorical features of critical thinking

Every text can be interpreted

“Los niños habían de recordar por el resto de su vida la augusta solemnidad con que su padre

se sentó en la cabecera de la mesa, temblando de fiebre, devastado por la prolongada vigilia y el

encono de su imaginación, y les reveló su descubrimiento:

—La tierra es redonda como una naranja.” (García Márquez, 2007)”

“The children should remember for the rest of their lives the august solemnity in which their

father sat down on the chair header, shaking because of the fever, devastated because of the

prolonged wakefulness and the bitterness of his imagination, and revealed his discovery:

—The earth is round as an orange.” (García Márquez, 2007)

In my view, this is a clear analogy of Pythagoras. It also reflected how bitter is the reality.

There is a common fact: “—The earth is round as an orange.” (García Márquez, 2007)”, it

seems quite obvious, but it is only an analogy because the earth is not completely round; thus,

the earth is not a perfect sphere as many people assume.

Critical analysis of texts

“The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation were the power of having rather too much her own

way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages which

threatened alloy to her many enjoyments. The danger, however, was at present so unperceived,

that they did not by any means rank as misfortunes with her.” (Austen, 1966)
In my perspective, Mrs Jane Austen tried to explain how having too many things can be counter-

productive.

Construction of story

“Te pones la camisa, pasas un papel sobre las puntas de tus zapatos negros y escuchas, esta vez,

el aviso de la campana que parece recorrer los pasillos de la casa y acercarse a tu puerta. Te

asomas al corredor; Aura camina con esa campana en la mano, inclina la cabeza al verte, te dice

que el desayuno está listo. Tratas de detenerla; Aura ya descenderá por la escalera de caracol,

tocando la campana pintada de negro, como si se tratara de levantar a todo un hospicio, a todo un

internado.” (Fuentes, 2001 )

“You put your shirt, you pass a tissue over the tip of you black shoes y listen, in this time, the

warning of the bell which seems to travel over the corridors of the house and getting close to

your door. You peep at the corridor; Aura walks with that bell in this hand, bow his head when

she sees you, and tell you that the breakfast is ready. You try to stop her; Aura walks down over

the spiral staircase, ringing the bell painted black, as he tried to wake up to a whole hospice, a

whole internship.” (Fuentes, 2001 )

Carlos Fuentes prose is full of metaphor. He is very descriptive with the scene. The whole story,

place you as the protagonist. He intended the readers to feel the whole experience of the story by

taking the role of the protagonist.

He uses metaphor such as “, ringing the bell painted black, as he tried to wake up to a whole

hospice, a whole internship.”, which suggests that Aura was ringing the bell loudly.
The story is one the best narrative stories that you can find in Fuentes’ writings.

Characterisation

“Aureliano no abandono en mucho tiempo el cuarto de Melquíades. Se aprendió de memoria las

leyendas fantásticas del libro desencuadernado, la síntesis de los estudios de Hermann, el tullido;

los apuntes sobre ciencia demonológica, las claves de la piedra filosofal…” (García Márquez,

2007)

The character is not described physically nor mentally, but with this paragraph, we can infer that

he is an intelligent and determined man, he is looking for something, and his motivation is so big

that he prefer to be in isolation.

Theme

Aura by Carlos Fuentes is one of my favourites novels. I read it when I was 15 years old. At first,

I loved the dark narrative that Fuentes uses to describe the scenes. But then, I noticed that this

story is a reference of how older people wish to go back to their youth period. Aura is about of

an old widow woman who is obsessed with this died husband and she hire the protagonist for

editing a diary. The protagonist fell in love of her niece Aura, a beautiful and wisdom woman.

The protagonist notices that Aura is basically enslaved by his aunt but she refused to leave the

place.

In my view, the story is like an analogy of people who live in the past and refuse to start new

things because they feel secure being in the darkness and do not see anything (the house where
they live is poorly illuminated). Thus, this story can be described as philosophical or

psychological.