This paper will be an exercise in close reading. Close reading involves picking a short passage from a text and scrutinizing it carefully, revealing how the writer condenses profound ideas into just a small morsel of text. This is a skill that you can apply to any arena of your life: being able to scrutinize details can help you understand and approach all sorts of problemshttps://longreads.com/2015/02/14/the-house-made-of-sugar/^^^^^THIS is the story that is to be used as the resource. A part of this short read is what needs to be scrutinized for the essay. It does not matter to me which part. This also needs to be the only source seeing how the ideas are coming from this read.These are the tips of outlining the closed reading:1. Choose a short passage and identify key words and phrases2. Search for and describe patterns that you see among those words and phrases3. Formulate questions (especially “how/why” ones) based on the patterns you’ve described4. Return to the text to look for further evidence with which to answer the questions you’ve formed5. Outline your essay and begin writingMust include:Intro: Explain the context of the quote. This whole scene takes place really in the imagination of the narrator, who has only heard about it through gossip. The narrator emphasizes the grandness of the event, and the stature of all the people involved.Thesis (at end of intro): Here, Bardo Bazán uses images of wealth, proper behavior, and religious purity to set the scene for the dramatic climax of the story when the bride has an epiphany and rejects the groom, whom she believes to be violent.Evidence theme 1: Discuss what all the fancy dress means in context of the time period (this might require a little internet research).Evidence theme 2: Describe some of the decorum we see in the passage (you could relate this to other evidence in the story)Evidence theme 3: The presence of the Virgin, described as a protector is ambiguous symbol. While at first it seems to suggest religious aristocracy, it later seems to have the effect of protecting the bride from violence.Conclusion, seeing the bigger picture: The bride never related the story because she felt they would never understand the spontaneity and naturalness of her actions, given their tradition and obsessions with proper decorum. (You can discuss your “own opinions” here, but make sure to stay grounded in the story.TIPS FOR THE ESSAY FROM THE INSTRUCTOR:Have a brief intro and conclusion.Avoid plot summary.Anchor evidence paragraphs with quotes.Use topic sentences.Replace “I think…” with “The text shows…” (Opinion is fine, but it needs evidence.)Don’t forget the middle steps of close reading. (Don’t jump from specific words straight to conclusions. Instead, show your reasoning process.)
