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Date Posted: 08:01:00 04/16/07 Mon
Author: Arlete Silva da Costa
Subject: Re: Task One Group Four
In reply to: Guilherme Castro Jr 's message, "Re: Task One Group Four" on 07:35:13 04/11/07 Wed

>
> Date Posted: 17:55:59 04/15/07 Sun
Author: Arlete Silva da Costa (Peer editing Guilhermeīs text)
Subject: Peer editing Guilhermeīs text

Literature is one of the most important tools teachers can use to teach a language. It provides the student a strong ( Bw) contact with the culture and the way of thinking that exists around a language. In a literary work you have a moment of the language frozen, ready to be studied, analysed( Sp) and comprehended. At first sight( P) you cannot see all that on the paper; its not just to read, but to read in a proper way. So,( P) students must learn how to read. The role of the teacher is to teach students how to read it critically, for this is the way to use literature to teach a language. Teaching critical reading on literature in class increases students interest, improves their thinking and better their discussion and writing skills. In this essay, I will use( X) three critical approaches on reading literature to exemplify that( ??) ( V).
Once the major trend in literary studies, formalist criticism is still used nowadays, for it provides a very simple way of reading a text critically. It is simple because all you must know to read that text in this approach is inside the text. As we will see later on( Bw), some approaches are concerned with extrinsic elements of a text. Formalist criticism is concerned with the intrinsic elements of a text( Be). It is focused on the more formal elements on a literary work. Here, language, structure, tone are important aspects. This approach sees literature as pure art. It is a close reading, that calls the attentions strictly to the formal aspects of the language. This approach is more used to read poetry, because of the "brevity" that "allows for detailed analysis of nearly all its words and how they achieve their effects" (Meyer, Bedford Introduction to Literature, p. 2098). But it is also used to analyse(Sp) fiction and drama as well.
Another very useful approach to critical reading is the Biographical approach. Here you have extrinsic elements that makes difference on analysing the text. As the name shows us, the biographical approach uses the authorīs life facts to achieve a better understanding of the work. "Events in a work might follow actual events in a writerīs life just as characters might be based on people known by the author" (idem, p. 2097). It is the kind of information that broadens our understanding of a work. To use this tool one must be careful, for if it is not well used, it could complicate a reading. A student should use it parcimoniously( Sp). Yet, when the reader knows well either the work than the authorīs life, this is a good way of reading a text critically.
The last, but not least ( Bw) way of reading critically it will be exemplified here is: the psychological approach. Here, again, extrinsic elements, existing insiden but also beyond the text, enters the interpretation. Sigmund Freudīs ideas are important ones on this approach, since some of them are very acute interpretations of the way humans behave. In this kind of reading, psychological concepts are used to analyse( Sp) a text. It is an approach concerned with the idea of an unconscious state of mind -"those impulses, desires, and feelings that a person is unaware of but that influence emotions and behavior" (ibdem, p.2100). Here( Bw) you have concepts like "Oedipus Complex", "Electra Complex" and others, from Freudīs and others theories, contributing to the analysis (a term that fits well here!) of a liteary work.
These three approaches are only few of the various possibilities of critical reading approaches. These approaches contribute for a better understanding a student can achieve of a text and, consequently, a better understanding of the language. It catches the studentīs attention more strongly( Be), increasing the studentīs commitment and interest in the process of learning a language. For example, if a student is very attached to arts, using the formalist approach will certainly provoke a growing interest of him. The same way, if a student likes to know the biographies of famous persons, analyzing( Sp) their works concomitantly using their life facts will make the student more attemptive to the value of literature. And if Freud is some studentīs here, lets use it to teach him literature and language! And you have many other approaches: historical, canonical, marxist, cultural, gender, etc, a full range of useful tools to teach language through the critical reading of literature.( X)

Comments:

- About the title or top line?
- Introduction: what is your thesis statement? It is not identifiable .
- Developmental paragraphs: they must have one idea each. The second one has new ideas.
- Conclusion: The word “ approaches” appear in the topic sentence in your conclusion and is restated in all paragraph. It appears a lot of time.

Suggestions: omit the last sentence because it has new ideas and the conclusion should not bring up a new topic, besides the restatement should be brief; after all , you have already discussed them at length.
Take a look in the use of pronouns , in your text we find: I, you and we. Choose one of them.
Literature is one of the most important tools
>teachers can use to teach a language. It provides the
>student a strong contact with the culture and the way
>of thinking that exists around a language. In a
>literary work you have a moment of the language
>frozen, ready to be studied, analysed and
>comprehended. At first sight you cannot see all that
>on the paper; its not just to read, but to read in a
>proper way. So, students must learn how to read. The
>role of the teacher is to teach students how to read
>it critically, for this is the way to use literature
>to teach a language. Teaching critical reading on
>literature in class increases students interest,
>improves their thinking and better their discussion
>and writing skills. In this essay, I will use three
>critical approaches on reading literature to exemplify
>that.
> Once the major trend in literary studies,
>formalist criticism is still used nowadays, for it
>provides a very simple way of reading a text
>critically. It is simple because all you must know to
>read that text in this approach is inside the text. As
>we will see later on, some approaches are concerned
>with extrinsic elements of a text. Formalist criticism
>is concerned with the intrinsic elements of a text. It
>is focused on the more formal elements on a literary
>work. Here, language, structure, tone are important
>aspects. This approach sees literature as pure art. It
>is a close reading, that calls the attentions strictly
>to the formal aspects of the language. This approach
>is more used to read poetry, because of the "brevity"
>that "allows for detailed analysis of nearly all its
>words and how they achieve their effects" (Meyer,
>Bedford Introduction to Literature, p. 2098). But it
>is also used to analyse fiction and drama as well.
> Another very useful approach to critical
>reading is the Biographical approach. Here you have
>extrinsic elements that makes difference on analysing
>the text. As the name shows us, the biographical
>approach uses the authorīs life facts to achieve a
>better understanding of the work. "Events in a work
>might follow actual events in a writerīs life just as
>characters might be based on people known by the
>author" (idem, p. 2097). It is the kind of information
>that broadens our understanding of a work. To use this
>tool one must be careful, for if it is not well used,
>it could complicate a reading. A student should use it
>parcimoniously. Yet, when the reader knows well either
>the work than the authorīs life, this is a good way of
>reading a text critically.
> The last, but not least way of reading
>critically it will be exemplified here is: the
>psychological approach. Here, again, extrinsic
>elements, existing insiden but also beyond the text,
>enters the interpretation. Sigmund Freudīs ideas are
>important ones on this approach, since some of them
>are very acute interpretations of the way humans
>behave. In this kind of reading, psychological
>concepts are used to analyse a text. It is an approach
>concerned with the idea of an unconscious state of
>mind -"those impulses, desires, and feelings that a
>person is unaware of but that influence emotions and
>behavior" (ibdem, p.2100). Here you have concepts like
>"Oedipus Complex", "Electra Complex" and others, from
>Freudīs and others theories, contributing to the
>analysis (a term that fits well here!) of a liteary
>work.
> These three approaches are only few of the
>various possibilities of critical reading approaches.
>These approaches contribute for a better understanding
>a student can achieve of a text and, consequently, a
>better understanding of the language. It catches the
>studentīs attention more strongly, increasing the
>studentīs commitment and interest in the process of
>learning a language. For example, if a student is very
>attached to arts, using the formalist approach will
>certainly provoke a growing interest of him. The same
>way, if a student likes to know the biographies of
>famous persons, analysing their works concomitantly
>using their life facts will make the student more
>attemptive to the value of literature. And if Freud is
>some studentīs here, lets use it to teach him
>literature and language! And you have many other
>approaches: historical, canonical, marxist, cultural,
>gender, etc, a full range of useful tools to teach
>language through the critical reading of literature.
>
>Guilherme Castro Jr.
>
>Bibliography: The Bedford Introduction to Literature.
>Michal Meyer. Bedford/St. Martinīs 2002.

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