Assignment Paper

Close Reading: The purpose of this exercise is to practice how to focus on a passage and to perform an in-depth analysis. Often as readers we are tempted to make an interpretive leap and to skip this crucial step in analyzing literature. Step one of any close reading means engaging directly with the passage. Only after this step has been completed are we ready to make larger connections and jump to other passages in the novel.

Our paragraph’s motivating question: In what ways does Victor Frankenstein reveal his God complex?

The essay’s motivating question: To what extent does Victor’s relationship with his creation, the monster, represent a power dynamic of domination and subjugation? How does the novel challenge or undo this power dynamic?

My dreams were therefore undisturbed by reality; and I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life. But the latter obtained my most undivided attention: wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death! (22)

STEP 1: Look up any unfamiliar words or phrases. You may be tempted to guess based on the context, but you should also look them up to confirm whether or not your guess was correct.

the philosopher’s stone: “an imaginary substance that, in the past, people believed could change any metal into gold or silver, or could make people live forever” (Oxford Dictionary)

the elixir of life: “a magical potion that could cure illness or allow someone to live forever” (Oxford Reference)

STEP 2: Translate the quote (put it into your own words). Do not use any of the words in the passage here.

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STEP 3: Write at least 2 sentences that analyze the quote. Do not summarize. The translation should naturally set up the analytical point(s) that you want to make. Discuss the consequences in at least 1-2 sentences. This is where you dig deeper. Pick up on key words/terms in the passage and point out to the reader the significance here. (This is the place to engage explicitly with the text. What images or phrases stand out? What are the implications behind what Victor is saying in this passage?

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STEP 4: When drafting a paragraph, treat it like a microcosm of an essay. Write a “mini-thesis” that frames the paragraph; what is the main point? Remember, the trick with an effective thesis (of any kind) is to strike a balance between the general and the specific.

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STEP 5: The concluding part of a paragraph can gesture towards where you are going next. Unlike the traditional conclusion for an essay, at the end of the paragraph, try to anticipate the next major point (so that your next paragraph’s mini-thesis makes sense).

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