Anal yzing Nonf ict ion

non·fic·tion

?nän?fikSH(?)n/

noun: non-f ict ion; noun: nonf ict ion

 Minds On
Compare and cont rast f ict ion and nonf ict ion t ext s

READING COMPREHENSION
http:/ / pub.lucidpress.com/ 7ee712ba-3c2f-4917-98f9-dc0525035a09/
When you read nonfiction, you're reading about something that
really happened ? it's not a story somebody made up.

Prose is divided into the two big categories of fiction and nonfiction,
and nonfiction includes all kinds of things ? biographies,
histories, memoirs, how-to books, self-help, books on business,
even books on writing. N arrative nonfiction relates stories that
really happened but in a way that draws you in just like fiction
does; it tells a true story, but with lots of drama and all the
interesting quirks of the characters.
 Nar r at ive Nonf ict ion
You stick to the truth--t he st oryt el l ing is f act -based--but you adapt
some of the features of fiction:
- creating a narrative persona,
- setting scenes,
- presenting interesting characters,
- creating the look and feel of a setting,
- telling a story

Narrative nonfiction goes under many names, including creative

nonfiction, literary journalism, and fact-based storytelling.
The Rest of the Story was a Monday-through-Friday radio program originally hosted by Paul Harvey. Beginning as a part of his
newscasts during the Second World War and then premiering as its own series on the ABC Radio Networks on May 10, 1976,
The Rest of the Story consisted of stories presented as little-known or forgotten facts on a variety of subjects with some key
element of the story (usually the name of some well-known person) held back until the end. The broadcasts always concluded
with a variation on the tag line "And now you know the rest of the story."
 "D.B. Cooper "
by Max Haines (page 120)

In the true crime story "D.B. Cooper", by Max Haines,

it appears the hijacker may have succeeded in
getting away with the crime.

The story of D.B. Cooper is one that still intrigues

people the world over. Did he get away? Was he
killed in the escape? Nobody really knows for sure.

How is this story a narrat ive nonf ict ion?

La n g ua g e o f t h e D is c ip l in e

nonfiction
author / creator images
text / genre exaggeration
formal credentials
informal summarize
audience clarify
purpose visualize
perspective connect
bias infer
tone question
content predict
credible synthesize
accurate
reliable ACRONYMS
valid TTAPPS: text, tone, audience, purpose,
emotive perspective, style
balance AIR: annotated independent reading
persuasion
FALS: first and last sentence
logos
ethos GIST: Generating Interactions between
pathos Schemata and Text
 Analyzing Nonf ict ion
T.T.A.P.P.S
TEXT: Type of writing - genre
TONE: Author's attitude towards the subject
AUDIENCE: Who the author is writing for
PURPOSE: Why has the text been written?
PERSPECTIVE: Author's viewpoint or opinion
STYLE: How the writer writes
Text Depend ent Anal ys is : No nf ic t io n
 TEXT
1: a kind of l it erary or art ist ic work
2: a st yl e of expressing yoursel f in writ ing [syn: writ ing st yl e, l it erary genre]
3: a cl ass of art ist ic endeavor having a charact erist ic f orm or t echnique

The Import ance of Genre

Readers and writers engage in different processes to different degrees when reading different kinds of text.
The same student can be much better at comprehending or composing one type of text than another.
Different genres have different features. Some effective approaches to reading and writing are tailored to
specific genres.
 TONE
The ATTITUDE of the author.
The spoken word can convey the speaker?s attitude, and, thus,
help to impart meaning, through tone of voice. With the written
work, it is tone that extends meaning beyond the literal. How
would you read the passage aloud if you were the author? What
tone would you take?
 Audience Prof il ing
Who t hey are = demographics Age
(age, sex, education, economic Gender
status, political/ social/ religious Geographical area
beliefs); Rel igion
What l evel of inf ormat ion t hey Race - Et hnicit y
have about t he subject (novice, Marit al st at us
general reader, specialist or Sexual it y
expert); Educat ion l evel
The cont ext in which t hey wil l Occupat ion
be reading a piece of writ ing (in
Income - wage l evel
a newspaper, textbook, popular
magazine, specialized journal, Current and desired l if est yl e
on the Internet, and so forth). Hobbies
- To advocate (promote or
support)
- To report on an event
- To arouse emotions and
sympathies
- To raise questions
- To appeal to fantasy and
imagination
- To criticize the actions of
others
- To inform of issues
- To state one's beliefs
- To encourage and support
- To propose a solution
- To seek common ground
- To instigate thought and
action
- To satisfy curiosity
- To present new ideas
- To instruct, teach, or educate
- To express or reflect on life
and experiences
- To explore a question
- To present information
- To analyze and interpret
- To call for action
 PERSPECTIVE
All texts carry perspectives and biases, but the creators of those texts do not
always make those perspectives and biases explicit and not all perspectives are
bias. Uncovering perspectives and the biases they contain requires a bit of
detective work. This is somet imes ref erred t o as t he "subt ext ."
It requires looking at clues, that is, using inf erence, a key comprehension skill,
to find implicit information in order to understand the values, assumptions,
possible motives and underlying messages that texts may be presenting,
suggesting or imposing on the reader.
In some cases, the authors (or creators or directors) of a text may be intending
to influence or even manipulate the reader or viewer of the text.
 STYLE
t he way a wr it er wr it es
- Level of formality - formal versus informal
- Use of figurative language - simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole
- Techniques - AFOREST, Rhetorical Triangle
- Diction or word choice - denotative, connotative
- Sentence patterns - simple, compound, complex, compound-complex
- Methods of organization - patterns and layout
 Get t ing t he G.I.S.T.
Gener at ing Int er act ions bet ween Schemat a and Tex t

The word "gist" is defined as "the main or essential part of a matter," according to
Webster's Dictionary.
It forces you to squeeze meaning into a tight, precise summary
The goal of G.I.S.T. is to convey the "gist" of what you have read by summarizing the text
in 20 words.

Answer t he 5 Ws and H
1. Who?
2. What ?
3. Where?
4. When?
5. Why?
6. How?

For a l ong t ext , writ e a G.I.S.T. st at ement f or each sect ion. You can t hen revise
st at ement s f or a gist f or t he ent ire chapt er.
How can you change someone's mind? (hint :
f act s aren't al ways enough) - Hugo Mercier

Let?s Begin?
Why do arguments change people?s minds in some
cases and backfire in others? Hugo Mercier explains
how arguments are more convincing when they rest
on a good knowledge of the audience, taking into
account what the audience believes, who they trust,
and what they value.
 ETHOS = HAND
(Greek f or character ? credibil it y argument )
Speakers appeal to ethos to demonstrate that they are
credible and trustworthy people who should be listened to
when they discuss a given topic. It relies on authority and
reputation.
 LOGOS = HEAD
(Greek f or word - l ogical argument )
Speakers appeal to logos, or reason, by offering clear,
rational ideas. Appealing to logos means thinking logically
- having a clear main idea and using specific details,
examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to support
it.
 PATHOS
PATHOS = HEART
(Greek f or suffering or experience? emot ional argument )
Speakers appeal to emotions, values, desires, and hopes,
on one hand, or fears and prejudices, on the other.
Although an argument that appeals exclusively to the
emotions is by definition weak - using pathos generally
involves propaganda.
 ANALYZING NONFICTION
STEP ONE: SKIM, SCAN, PREVIEW
- Highlight the title
- Make a prediction about the content
- Highlight the type of text (genre)
- Circle the author's name - Do you recognize it?
- Circle the date (if provided)
- Read the text for basic comprehension
- GIST: Write a 1 - 2 sentence summary in your own
words (WHAT does the text say?)
 STEP TWO: THE C.R.A.A.P. TEST
- Currency
- Relevance
- Authority
- Accuracy
- Purpose

Scor e ou t of 50

NOTE: If you r sou r ce does n ot pass t h e C.R.A.A.P. Test

m ove on t o t h e n ext sou r ce.
 STEP THREE: COMPLETE A.I.R
(Annot at ed Independent Reading)

Annot at ing a Text : Things t o Look For

- "quotations"
- typography (italics, bol d, underline, type size, type design)
- single-sentence paragraphs
- AFOREST techniques: alliteration, facts, opinion, repetition / rhetorical
questions, emotive language / emotional words, statistics, triples
(Three, rule of)
- figurative language: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole
- diction (any words require defining?)
- imagery
- important details
- statistics
- sub-headings
- graphics, illustrations, photographs (captions)
Highl ight and l abel ONE exampl e of each t he f ol l owing f rom
t he art icl e "Hand Me That Wrench: Farmers and Appl e Fight
Over t he Tool box"
1. Quotation
2. Example
3. Statistics (persuasion using logos)
4. Threes (Rule of )
5. Alliteration
6. Personification
7. Visual imagery
8. Emotive language (persuasion using pathos)
9. Diction: Define any unfamiliar words
10. Argument to support Right to Repair
11. Argument to oppose Right to Repair
 STEP FOUR: COMPLETE TTAP
a. TEXT: State the genre. In 2 -3 sentences, describe the characteristics
commonly associated with this type of text:
size, appearance, design, layout, readability, style, structure
b. TONE: In 3 - 5 sentences, describe the tone of the text. Begin with
positive, negative, or neutral. Be sure to include the author's perspective -
from impartial to biased.
c. AUDIENCE: Create an audience profile and explain your thinking (min. 4
descriptors).
d. PURPOSE: Paragraph Answer
Topic Sent ence: State the author's purpose (Why the author wrote the text).
Body: Prove the author's purpose with specific examples from the text
(How the purpose is achieved).
Concl uding Sent ence: Your overall impression of the article (What was your
reaction to the text?).
?Fake news? is a term that has come to mean different
things to different people.
At its core, we are def ining ?f ake news? as t hose news
st ories t hat are f al se: t he st ory it sel f is f abricat ed, wit h no
verif iabl e f act s, sources or quot es.
Sometimes these stories may be propaganda that is
intentionally designed to mislead the reader, or may be
designed as ?clickbait? written for economic incentives
(the writer profits on the number of people who click on
the story). In recent years, fake news stories have
proliferated via social media, in part because they are so
easily and quickly shared online.
 Th e Deepf ake
AI-manipulated video has become so sophisticated
that words can literally be put into people's mouths,
making it a weapon.
The War over Truth - It's the NY Times versus Donald
Trump over the truth, with both believing the future of
democracy is at stake.
The Lie Detectors - An investigation into those who are
fighting fake news...and the consequences they face.
45:09

h t t ps:/ / w w w.cbc.ca/ n ew s/ f if t h / t h e-deepf ak e-t h e-w ar -over -t r u t h -t h e-lie-det ect or s-1.4910865

Is sat ire st il l possibl e in an era of
f ake news?
 Vices an d Follies
Vice (n ): any kind of anti-social behavior from moral depravity
and corruption (ex. prostitution) to a habitual and trivial defect
or shortcoming (ex. nose-picking). Because it covers everything
from outright wickedness to petty foibles, almost all humans
suffer from some kind of vice; thus, the satirist is never at a loss
for material.
Folly (n ): a lack of common sense, prudence, and foresight. (ex.
The folly of man is that he doesn?t understand that history
repeats). ?Folly? and ?fool? come from the same French medieval
root, fol. The good satirist knows that everyone, even the satirist
himself, in time will do something really stupid.
 Th e Seven Deadly Sin s
1. Pride/arrogance/hubris
2. Avarice (greed)
3. Wrath (anger, violence, sullenness/sulking)
4. Sloth (laziness, indolence, slovenliness,
sloppiness)
5. Lust
6. Envy
7. Gluttony (excessive love of material comforts,
food, drink, etc.)
 Ot her Vices and Fol l ies
Stupidity Apathy Crime
Gullibility Callousness Boorishness
Poor decision making Selfishness Rudeness
Short-sightedness Corruption Gross conduct
Narrow mindedness Wastefulness Silliness
Intolerance/ prejudice Hypocrisy Immaturity
Pettiness Careless spending Stubbornness
Careless use of Dishonesty
language Irresponsibility
Lack of self control Excess of any kind
Indecisiveness Willful ignorance
Shallow flirtatiousness Timidity
Vanity/ conceit/ egoism Prudery
Self-centeredness
 Sat ir e alw ays h as a t ar get
Of t en Used Devices: diction, hyperbole, capitalization,
alliteration, repetition, verbal irony, diction, incongruent
details, understatement, malapropism, oxymoron, irony
An alyzin g Sat ir e:
Tar get : ie. government
Devices: ie. parody, repetition
Type (t on e): Horatian or Juvenalian
Placem en t : on the continuum
Ar t icu lat ion: give your rational ? explain your placement