Preparing a Close Reading for the IOC

1. Summarize content of the passage (1-2 sentences)

What does it say?

Stick primarily with what's inarguable (don't use that word in IOC please!) but notice what is arguable because you may wish to analyze those aspects later.

2. Summarize context of the passage (1-2 sentences)

What comes immediately before/after? What comes generally before/after? Where in the plot arc (character arc, etc.) does this occur?

What is the role of this passage in the work as a whole?

(2.5 At this point, take a quick estimate—gut check--of the significance of this passage. How does it relate to your interpretation of the work as a whole? This will help you decide which features are most relevant and deserving of your analytic attention.)

3. Analysis 1X (big picture or "coarse filter") (1-2 sentences)

Describe basic form/s of the passage (how is the material presented?)

Dialogue

Narration (can include description, action, summary, reported action, reported or paraphrased dialogue, reported thoughts,narrator's commentary on events/characters etc.)

Less frequent forms: internal monologue, direct address to reader, etc.

Identify basic content of the passage (what do we make of it?)

Character, Setting, Plot, Theme

Put form and content together.

4. Analysis 10X: Close reading (stylistic features or "fine filter") (the spoken equivalent of several paragraphs)

This is where you develop the "body" of your commentary.

Focus on what is most SIGNIFICANT in the words and the meaning of this passage.

SPECIFICALLY which words contribute to the effect/meaning?

Notice the fine points, subtleties, nuances of these authorial choices.

What LITERARY FEATURES and other patterns are present in these words/phrases/sentences?

HOW does this particular presentation of elements contribute to the meaning you derive from the passage?

HOW does the meaning/effect of each feature, segment, passage connect to the meaning/effect of the work as a whole?

5. Interpretation

Establish logical and detailed connections between WHAT the text says, HOW it says it, and the MEANING you make of it.

6. Claim/Thesis

Construct an arguable claim about the role of this passage and its presentation in the book as a whole.

Formula (advanced candidates will be able to make this sound non-formulaic, and stellar candidates may be so passionately engaged in the text as to not need a formula at all):

FEATURES 10X + FEATURES 1X + RELEVANT STORY + RESPONSE/INTERP

Put form, content and meaning together: "This heavily punctuated dialogue accelerates the plot conflict by cementing Gatsby's refusal to abandon of his dream of Daisy, thereby reinforcing the reader's attraction to Gatsby as a romantic—albeit impractical—hero."

7. Organize your commentary

Your goal is to LOGICALLY persuade the audience of the MEANING you have discovered in the passage/work, and to convince the audience that that meaning (or effect on personal response) is generated by the FEATURES and TEXT you have identified.

Introduction	Content Context Claim/Thesis (incl. 1X analysis)
Body: Detailed study of SPECIFIC text and literary features, showing their effect on response/interp.	Subclaim + feature/s + evidence + discussion + interpretation (see analytic paragraph structure) REPEAT for each subclaim. Try for the spoken equivalent of at least THREE body paragraphs. You may organize your paragraphs by a) feature type, b) effects on meaning, c) significance (most/least important), or other strategies. It is possible, but NOT recommended (except perhaps as a last resort) to organize by going through the passage with a "line by line" discussion.
Conclusion	Review most persuasive points. Elaborate on meaning/significance of features in the passage, and meaning/significance of the passage in the work, and extend outward from the work to the meaning/significance in life (beyond the book).

You will not have enough time, in the formal IOC, to completely write out your speech before presenting. Don't waste your time trying to do this! Focus instead on outlining the logic and precision of your argument, and speak from an outline/notes and colormarked text

When you speak, put your heart and not just your head into it. The most effective commentaries convey a deeply held personal response arising from an intimate relationship with the text.