Chapter 3 Notes: Structure and Author's Choices

Sequence of Events

  • When reading texts, pay attention to the order of events.
  • The GED® test may include "drag and drop" questions about event sequencing.
  • Excerpt from White Fang by Jack London:
    • White Fang encounters Kiche, his mother, at a new teepee.
    • He vaguely remembers her, but she doesn't remember him.
    • Kiche snarls at White Fang, triggering his memories of cubhood.
    • White Fang approaches her joyfully, but she attacks him.
    • Kiche doesn't recognize White Fang because a wolf mother doesn't remember cubs from the previous year.
    • Her current litter of puppies makes her protective.
    • One of the puppies approaches White Fang, and Kiche attacks him again.
    • White Fang's memories fade, and Kiche becomes irrelevant to him.
    • He realizes they have no place for each other in their lives.

Order of Events Exercise

  • The correct order of events in the excerpt is:
    1. White Fang looks into a teepee.
    2. Kiche lifts her lip at White Fang in a snarl.
    3. White Fang backs away from Kiche.
    4. White Fang has no place for Kiche in his life.

Structural Relationships

  • Authors make deliberate choices about what information to include and where to place it.
  • Each part of a text builds on the preceding part.
  • The GED® test may ask about how sentences or paragraphs contribute to the overall point of the text or how the structure shapes meaning and emphasizes ideas.
  • Questions may also cover how paragraphs develop or refine concepts, distinguish between ideas, or support the author's purpose.
  • Message to the troops from General Dwight David Eisenhower before the D-Day invasion of Europe (1944):
    • Paragraph 1: Emphasizes the importance of the troops' mission and the world's support.
    • Paragraph 2: Acknowledges the difficulty of the task, as the enemy is well-trained and battle-hardened.
    • Paragraph 3: Highlights the progress made since 1940-41, including defeats inflicted on the Germans, air superiority, and overwhelming resources.
    • Paragraph 4: Expresses confidence in the troops' courage and skill.
    • Paragraph 5: Offers good luck and seeks divine blessings.
  • The sentence "The tide has turned!" in paragraph 3 is meant to give the troops hope.

Author's Language

  • Word choice influences a text's meaning, clarifies relationships between ideas, provides context clues, suggests distinctions, and creates tone.

Transitional Words

  • Transitional words (e.g., however, nevertheless, consequently, otherwise) show relationships between ideas and clarify the author's intent.
  • Example: Loggerhead turtle laying eggs.
    • Paragraph 1: Describes the turtle laying eggs on the beach.
    • Paragraph 2: Explains the dangers faced by hatchlings, including predators and artificial lights.
    • The word "However" introduces the problem of bright artificial lights, emphasizing that they add to the natural obstacles faced by hatchlings.

Context Clues

  • Context clues are hints to the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases, found in the same or surrounding sentences.
  • Example 1:
    • The word "portentous" means threatening, based on context clues such as "something dramatic and unforgettable" and the possibility of a rebel attack.
  • Example 2:
    • The phrase “hewn through” means cut in two, based on context clues such as the tree being rotten, likely to blow down, and marked with an ax.

Connotation

  • Denotative meaning: The dictionary definition of a word.
  • Connotative meaning: The emotional associations and suggestions of a word, beyond its dictionary definition.
  • Example: "Clever" and "brilliant" both mean "smart" but have different connotations.
  • Connotative meanings are subjective and relate to the reader's emotional associations.
  • Example: The word "community" has a connotation of friendliness, shared interests, and cooperation.

Tone

  • Tone and mood are created by the author's language and word choice.
  • Tones can be mysterious, frightening, ironic, inspiring, or amusing.
  • Example: Excerpt from Herman Melville's Moby Dick.
    • The tone of the passage is ominous, foreshadowing the tragedy of the book.
  • Replacing the word "urge" with "beg" in a sentence changes the tone from neutral to desperate.

Figurative Language

  • Figurative language uses words in an unusual or striking way to enliven a passage.
  • Types of figurative language:
    • Alliteration: Repetition of the same sound (e.g., Peter Piper picked a peck).
    • Simile: Comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., The evening air swept over us like a fresh April shower).
    • Metaphor: Comparison without using "like" or "as" (e.g., He is a lion in battle).
    • Personification: Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things (e.g., The wind whispered secrets).
    • Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like what they signify (e.g., buzz, hiss).
    • Hyperbole: Exaggeration (e.g., I'm so hungry I could eat a horse).

Practice

  • Excerpt from a speech by U.S. Congresswoman Patsy Mink on making English the official language of the United States:
    1. Paragraph 2 stresses the punitive aspect of the bill.
    2. In paragraph 1, "degrades" means lowers.
    3. The last sentence makes the tone more insistent.
    4. In paragraph 3, "embrace" shows that the speaker wants to welcome people with limited English skills.
  • Excerpt from The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield:
    1. The mention of jail suggests that Jonathan feels stuck in his situation.
    2. The tone of the excerpt is theatrical.
    3. Order of Events:
      • Linda asks Jonathan if he goes back to work Monday.
      • Linda suggests that Jonathan will get used to his job.
      • Jonathan says he will never get used to his work.
      • Jonathan says he feels like an insect.
    4. The word "vaguely" suggests that Linda is not all that interested in Jonathan's problem.
  • Excerpt from "The Snow-Walkers" from In the Catskills by John Burroughs:
    1. The transition phrase "on the other hand" introduces a critical analysis.
    2. In paragraph 1, "essential" means basic.
    3. The author compares the return to winter to a return to water and bread.
    4. The author includes the sentence "The simplicity of winter has a deep moral" to show what can be learned from the season.