Write a Literary Commentary

A literary commentary is a type of literary analysis that is specific to the International Baccalaureate (IB) English A1 subject. Knowing how to effectively write a literary commentary can help you be successful in your IB English course. Additionally, many of the elements of writing a literary commentary may be useful for other formal assessments that have essay components.

Steps

Literary Commentary Help

Doc:Literary Commentary Plan,Literary Commentary Paragraph

Analyzing the Text

1. Read the passage you are given. Read it once through to get a gist of the “big picture” of the passage. Think about the overall message and identify characters or objects that seem important. Determine what kind of work the passage is (prose, poetry, a specific kind of poem, nonfiction, fiction, etc).You may want to jot down your initial reactions to certain parts of the text so you can refer to them later when you are writing.
2. Reread the passage, looking for specifics. When you have finished reading the passage once, go back and read it again, only this time underlining key words and phrases and jotting notes to yourself in the margins. You may also want to make visual representations, such as arrows to indicate connections. You should read the passage at least twice, but if time allows, you may want to read it three or four times to be sure you have picked up on all of the detail.
3. Analyze the key areas that you will write about. Think about the important elements of the passage that you will want to highlight and explicate while you are writing. You need to identify and be prepared to include both “big picture” and close reading details in your commentary.
   • Examples below will be taken from Seamus Heaney's poem, "Blackberry-Picking."
4. Identify the text’s major elements. Major elements of the passage include the “big picture” details about context, plot, setting, and characters. Some elements to include are:
   • Theme/Topic/Subject - What is the point of the text? There may be many themes, but try to find one or two key ones to discuss. It may help to consider information that you have such as the writer's name or the date it was written.
     • The big-picture subject of the poem "Blackberry-Picking" is about two people picking a large quantity of blackberries.
   • Audience/Purpose - Determine the aims and purpose of the writer. Is the text persuasive, informative, descriptive? Address subtext and any irony or satire present.
     • The dedication of "Blackberry-Picking" to Philip Hobsbaum indicates that he, along with the general public for whom Heaney publishes, may be the audience of the poem.
     • One example of the purpose of the poem may be, "Heaney wishes to reflect on the innocence of youth while lamenting the inevitable passing of time."
   • Voice - Who is speaking? Address whether the text is in the 1st or 3rd person. If the former, is it the voice of the author or of someone else? To whom is the text addressed? You should also use this time to address the setting and how it affects both the voice and the overall meaning of the passage.
     • "Blackberry-Picking" is written in the first person and is often plural, as there appear to be two "characters" in the poem. The speaker seems to be an older gentleman reflecting on his blackberry-picking days of youth.
5. Analyze the formal elements of the passage. Examining the form of the passage tells not what the author is saying (ie: the content), but how she says it. Form can include the following:
   • Form/Structure - Determine the form (fiction/nonfiction, essay, journal, travel writing, etc) and structure of this passage. Is the passage a circular or retrospective narrative? Look for obvious ways to divide the passage into sections (physical or otherwise). Determine how the chosen structure and form affect the meaning or message of the text.
     • "Blackberry-Picking" is an open form poem made of two irregular stanzas. You might say that this connects to the freedom of the boys' erratic motion as they run around picking blackberries.
   • Diction - Talk about the lexical field. Make observations as to the kind of words used by the writer—is there a theme (happiness, worry, etc) that reoccurs in the word choice. You should also discuss words that seem out of place—what sort of effect do they have on the reader/audience? Does this help contribute to the theme of the piece?
     • "Blackberry Picking" is rich with diction for analysis. Some of the most striking words include "Summer's blood," "lust for / Picking," "plate of eyes," "hands were peppered," and "rat-grey fungus glutting on our cache."
   • Rhyme/Rhythm/Sound Effects - Talk about the rhyming scheme (if there is one). What effect does it have on the overall theme? Explain the rhythm of the piece (while it's a given to look for this in poetry, don't forget to look for it in prose too). Does it change? Also look for things like alliteration. Be careful in this section, though—if the rhyme/rhythm/sound effects don't seem to have any effect at all, it's better not to mention them.
     • "Blackberry-Picking" has no regular rhyme scheme, but there are several end and internal rhymes, such as “sun/one” and “clot/knot.”
6. Look at other details of the text. Now that you have established generally what is being said in the passage and the bigger ideas of how it is being said through form, it is time to look more closely at some of the details of the work. You close reading may include commentary on the following:
   • Tone/Atmosphere - Discuss the tone of the piece. Is there a strong mood or feeling present throughout the piece? Talk about how the writer created this effect (think about word choice, cadence, syntax). Readdress the setting and its effect on the tone and mood.
     • The tone of “Blackberry-Picking” changes from the carefree roaming of youth to a more serious tone as the repercussions of the boys’ actions leads to unwanted consequences.
   • Sensory Details - Talk about how the senses are used to present a more vivid scene to the reader. Remember to always link your observations of these to the overall importance of the text.
     • “Blackberry-Picking” includes many sensory details, such as “the flesh was sweet / Like thickened wine” and “Our hands were peppered / With thorn pricks.”
   • Imagery - This is one of the most important sensory details. Are there any visual images presented by the text? Use this time to talk about metaphors and similes (both isolated examples and overall in the text).
     • “Blackberry-Picking” includes imagery such as “we found a fur, /A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache” and “summer's blood was in it / Leaving stains upon the tongue”

Preparing to Write

1. Plan your commentary. List the key points that you need to cover. Arrange them in a logical order so that your commentary does not sound jumpy. Find quotations from the text for each point you make. Be sure to address the major points of analysis (listed above in Part 1).
   • Your plan may be a list or outline that addresses what you would like to cover: a commentary about "Blackberry-Picking" may read, "Introduction, plot, speaker's character, form and meter of the poem, literary devices, rhythm and word choice/rhyme, effect on the reader, conclusion.
2. Establish your argument. Every essay should be controlled by an argument, usually in the form of a thesis statement. You should always have a “reason” for writing your essay (aside from the fact that it’s required).
   • Your thesis for "Blackberry-Picking" may be something like, "Heaney uses the premise of blackberry picking as a metaphor for the inevitable passing of time and loss of youthful innocence."
3. Extend the ideas beyond the text. While analyzing the text itself is important, it is also good to extend your thinking beyond the given passage to the larger text it was taken from or even to the larger context of the author’s life or historical situation.
   • In the example of "Blackberry-Picking," the thesis above ( that Heaney uses the premise of blackberry picking as a metaphor for the inevitable passing of time and loss of youthful innocence) extends the content of the poem from just blackberry picking to a larger life lesson.
4. Differentiate between the speaker/narrator and the author. As you are thinking about your analysis, be sure that you draw a distinction between what the speaker (in poetry) or narrator (in prose) is doing and what the author is doing.
   • In "Blackberry-Picking," Heaney creates an effect by using sensory imagery such as "summer's blood" and "rat-grey fungus." The author makes choices about the inclusion or exclusion of specific elements into the work.
   • In "Blackberry-Picking," the speaker describes picking blackberries in his youth. (You cannot assume that the speaker is the author; it may be a persona that the author has created).

Writing the Commentary

1. Write an effective introduction. A good introduction captures your audience’s attention, introduces relevant information about the text such as the author and title (punctuate the title correctly), and presents the argument you are making with your analysis—in other words, why you are writing.
2. Write your commentary. Now that you have a clear idea of what you want to say and you have introduced the topic, write the body of your commentary. Some things to keep in mind:
   • Do not write in first or second person. The only exception to this is the conclusion—the first person may be used here to further enforce a point made earlier).
   • Stay away from using abbreviations—did not and cannot are much better than using didn't and can't. Similarly, avoid saying things like "ex: and etc." Always write out "for example" or other variations.
   • Write in the literary present tense. Literature should always be referred to in the present. When analyzing a poem, you should say “the speaker indicates” instead of “the speaker indicated.”
   • If you use clauses at the beginning of sentences, keep them short.
3. Avoid excessive summary and paraphrase. Your writing should be analyzing or making an argument about the text; not providing a summary of the passage. You can avoid summary by having a laser-focus on several small parts of the passage or by presenting examples in a logical order that is not chronological (that is, that is in an order other than the order in which they occur in the text).
4. Incorporate quotations from the passage. You should provide direct evidence from the passage you’re given in your essay. Be sure that you only short quotations (one sentence or less) and anchor them within your own sentence. Quotations should be separated with your own words and analysis between them. The quote should be indicated by quotation marks.
   • For example: The speaker of "Blackberry-Picking laments, "I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair / That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot."
   • Use a slash / to indicate a break in a line of poetry.
   • Try using the “PIE” method: make a Point, Illustrate it (with a quotation), and Explain (why the quote illustrates your point effectively).
     • For example, Heaney makes several references to color in the poem "Blackberry-Picking," saying "a glossy purple clot / Among others, red, green, hard as a knot." This use of color creates concrete details that the reader can visualize.
5. Write a conclusion. This should clearly and concisely sum up the information presented in the commentary an interesting way without introducing any new ideas. It is okay to add a personal connection to the conclusion.

Tips

• When writing about prose, remember the following:
  • Focus on the writer's style. Discuss the effect of the combination of literary devices they use, not just the effect of each individual device.
• When writing about poetry, remember the following:
  • When discussing voice, talk about "the speaker" or "persona." Avoid using the word narrator to describe who is speaking in the poem.
  • Remember that poems are usually meant for an audience, not a reader

Warnings

• Never plagiarize the work of others.

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