Tuesday, September 8, 2009

According to Griffith, and in your own opinion, how can we write about literature?

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50 comments:

  1. StudentSeptember 8, 2009 at 5:14 PM

    Griffith stated that we interpert literature by understanding the information or facts and trying to relate it to our own lives, other novels we have read or anything that matters to us. Griffith also said to ask questions as you read a work, this will force you to read more carefully to answer the questions that you had. You also must be a critical reader and analyze literature so you fully understand it. Once you interpert a work, you can write about it. We can write about literature by stating our opinion about an issue that was raised in the book, or by giving our perspective of a certain event. When we write about literature we can critique the authors writing style or even compare the book to other works. I think overall when we write about literature we are stating our own personal opinions and analyzing the work.
    -Bethany Puniello

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  2. StudentSeptember 9, 2009 at 12:15 PM

    Griffith believes that, to write about literature, the writer must first consider many things. Before beginning, the writer should ask and consider any questions he or she has on the issue or topic they will proceed to write about. This helps the reader better understand the subject, so their work will be more organized and controlled. Also, the writer must consider how the literature will be written. For example, deciding the setting and analyzing the characters before starting will help the work develop, and become more detailed. I agree with Griffith's methods and believe that thinking before you write will not only prepare you, but will also strengthen the piece you write.
    -Megan Stavens

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  3. StudentSeptember 9, 2009 at 5:03 PM

    Griffith said that to write well you must analyze the work you are reading, writing down questions, hypotheses, and answers as you make your way through the novel. Griffith also suggested reading other people's interpretations about the novel and basing your interpretations off theirs. Obviously, if you critically think about a novel and write all of your thoughts down as you read it, writing an essay about it will come easily and it will be better than an essay spontaneously done. However, I also believe that sometimes someone should just read a work like they were reading it for pleasure, not really thinking about it too hard as they went along, and then just try to write an essay on it. This will sharpen their skills as a writer and if they do this enough, they may eventually make connections and analyze the literature without thinking about it, it will just become natural.
    -Ryan Sullivan

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  4. StudentSeptember 9, 2009 at 9:41 PM

    According to Griffith, we can write about literature by first, ensuring that the facts in the work are clearly recognized. Developing hypothesis is a method which helps us to understand the facts and also assists in grasping certain details. While reading, it may also be helpful to insert questions, summaries, and definitions into the margin in order to simplify the reviewing. It is most important to analyze the piece of literature you are writing about. Analysis is necessary in understanding how each component contributes to the work as a whole. Once these steps have been taken in interpreting the piece, the writing process can begin. We can write about literature by taking the significant topics and details from the work and combining those with ideas of our own. Including our opinions and perspectives is the main purpose of writing the piece.
    -Michelle Comella

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  5. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 3:45 PM

    As Griffith said in his work, "The first, most fundamental step in interpreting anything is to see clearly what is in the work, it's 'facts'". For example, you need to get the facts straight. You want to make sure that whatever it is you're writing about, it's presented in a appropriate manner and organized in a way so people will understand where you're going and are able to follow. Griffith also said it's good to connect the work with yourself, so in that case, it's definitely something to consider if you give examples to what you've just said in order for people to understand it more. It's always good to analyze the work in order for you to be able to sort out what is in the piece of work that's important to talk about.

    -Nick Merisotis

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  6. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 4:32 PM

    Griffith states several ways to help you write about literature. First is to understand the details or facts of literary works. For example, looking up words you don't understand. Another step is to connect the work with yourself. By connecting it to yourself you can better realize what the work is talking about. Develping a hypothesis is great to get you thinking and help details be recognized more. Talking with others about literature helps us develope what we believe about it too. By agreeing, sharing, disagreeing, and listeing we imagine what others are feeling about it and think from their new perspective. Lastly, it's great to analyze your work and see how each part contributes to the whole piece. With all of this put together we can now add our own ideas to this and begin your own works.
    -Emma Polinski

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  7. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 4:38 PM

    Griffith believes that to write about literature, the writer must think about many things. Before starting, the writer should ask and ponder any questions he or she has on the topic they will be writing about. This helps the reader better understand the object of the piece, so their work will be more organized . I agree with Griffith's methods and believe that thinking before you write will not only help you start a piece, but also help you gain control on how to write a good piece of literatue.
    -Caryn Badstuebner

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  8. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 5:12 PM

    Griffith says to analyze and think about the work. In my opinion, this strategy works very well to be able to explain the piece of literature. Questioning and using one's thoughts help them to understand the work, also assisting when the reader writes about the piece. Questioning and analyzing the writing is how to successfully write about literature.

    -Ryan Sander

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  9. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 6:47 PM

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  10. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 6:48 PM

    According to Griffith, writing about literature can take many forms. From little notes to your self to massive studies about interpretive problems. Griffith recommends you use the essay format that she includes in that chapter. I personally agree with Griffith that writing about literature can mean many things. If you are writing for an audience you have to know your audience and write accordingly.
    This is really not an easy question to answer seeing that depends what literature your writing about, why your writing about it, and who your writing it for.
    -Kodi Doane

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  11. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 6:55 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  12. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 6:57 PM

    Griffith stresses analyzation in reading. In order to write about literature and speak intelligently, you must first know the literature well. Griffin suggests writting down questions, notes and predictions. These things will help one to grasp the material and make educated incites as to the characters, plot or information. Through this method, writing becomes more authentic, and shows more meaning.

    -Charles Morgan

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  13. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 7:05 PM

    According to Griffith, there are many ways as to how you can write literature. First you should get the correct facts. You can also write down questions that you need to find answers to as well. You should make connections as you write as well. You should also analyze the facts. When you do this you can start to form your literature. In my opinion if you write down notes when reading it can help when it comes time to write something, so you can go back and find out exactly what to say.

    -Stephanie Bohr-

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  14. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 7:27 PM

    Griffith says that there are six steps to interperating literature, the first is to get the facts straight, the second is to connect the work with yourself, the third is to develop a hypothesis as you read, the fourth write as you read, the fifth learn from the interpritation, the sixth is analyze the work if literature. In my opinion you would have to just understand the book and basically get the facts straight.
    - Anthony Francini

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  15. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 7:31 PM

    I believe the methods Griffith explains are the best way to understand and write about literature. In order to write about literature you need to fully understand the work you are going to be writing about. While you are reading the book you need to ask yourself questions, make a hypothesis, make connections, and fully understand the book. Before writing about a piece of literature you need to fully know and understand ALL the information in the book.

    -Kelly Myers

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  16. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 7:38 PM

    Griffith states that to write about literature, you must first analyze the work, and ask questions so you understand what you are going to write about fully. We tend to write about literature by connecting it back to our own experiences or we talk about a certain event or topic in a book or novel. In my opinion it always helps when you can relate a part in the book to real life or make connections. It also helps to ask question as you read a piece so that you know to go back and try and answer them as best as possible so that when you write about the literature you understand what you have read.
    -Aleesha Quintana

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  17. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 7:43 PM

    Griffith says that the steps to interperating literature is to first get the facts straight, connent the work with yourself like the character and places, developa hypotheses as you read, write as you read, learn from the interpretations of others, and last but not least analyze works of literature. After throwing all of that up, my own way to write about literature is to understand the main idea or theme of the work. After you have an understanding the next thing to do would be to see how different things in the literature relate to one another and how they help to develop the plot.
    -Shane Wilson

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  18. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 7:44 PM

    Griffith stated multiple ways to write about literature which vary from writing down questions, connections, and summaries as you read to criticizing or analyzing the story in an essay. This helps the reader to form a better understanding which is necessary in order to write a full analysis or answer to a prompt.
    I believe that how a person writes about literature is based on different points of view depending on how reader interprets the story. Therefore, another way to write about literature is to state an opinion, or to support an unbiased thesis.

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  19. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 7:45 PM

    -Jaime Trudel (sorryy!)

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  20. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 8:03 PM

    Griffith's perspective on how we should interpret literature by trying to relate what we are writing to real life experiences or anything else we remember. He also stated that you should ask questions while you are writing. I agree with Griffith because relating it back to your own life will make the meaning of the story you are trying to get though very clear to the reader, and have the story make more sense. Another reason is because when you ask questions you get a full understanding of how to write by getting answers. I think all together Griffith just wanted writers to see and be able to write more then what’s only on the page.

    -Jenna Audibert

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  21. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 8:24 PM

    Writing about literature by interpreting and analyzing is all determined by the writer. Readers have different point of views and thoughts on the overall meaning of a piece of literature. Of course the facts never change, but different people can read the same piece of work and interpret it in different ways. Writing about literature gives us a fuller and more in depth understanding of the author's intention of the work.
    -Shannon King

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  22. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 8:31 PM

    Griffith believed that people read for purely pleasure or to gain knowledge about someone/something. Griffith's perspective on how literature should be written is that that whenever you read, you are the critic. You might not nessacarily criticize every detail of the literature, yet you will most likley judge the overall peice. Also, to fully comprehend the work you must fully analyze the work, ask questions, look up vocabulary you don't understand and make connections to the work. I believe that Griffth's perspective is the most logical because I agree with everything he stated, especially that making connections and asking questions helps. By making connections, you put yourself into the situation, making you grasp the position of the characters and the point of that situation being in the literature, and the work as a whole sticks out more.

    -Kara McDonagh

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  23. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 8:37 PM

    According to Griffith, one of the first things that you should do is make sure that you understand and know all the "facts". This in my opinion, is a vital part of writing a piece of literature. To understand things like the time period, physical setting, important events going on around that time period, etc. are important. Even for poems (if you are ever to find yourself writing about a poem) knowing when it was written may help you infer better as to how the poet was inspired, or what the poet was inspired by. Another thing that Griffith proposed that stuck in my head was the insight that we as the author should try and relate what they are writing about to real life experiences. It will help you as a writer to better connect to not only your work, but the piece itself.
    -Kaela Shaw

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  24. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 9:05 PM

    According to Griffith we must interpret a work of literature to be able to notice how all of the details are connected and what these details show and mean.
    In my opinion writing literature is much like reading literature, in the sense that there are two ways to write literature. Many people write papers for purpose, like a research paper or a paper defending an argument. While others just write for plesure and relaxation, like writing in a journal or story telling. These ways of wirting are very different, but both require skill, organization, and a certain process of thinking.
    Griffith also advises that we interpert literature by comprehending the information and try to correlate it to our own lives, other works that we have read or anything that has ever made a significant impact on us. This will make the work easier to write about, and more meaningful to both the reader and the writer.
    Another stratigy that Griffith construes is that in order to compose an exceptional piece of literature you must develop a hypotheses as you read, and write down any thoughts or questions that you have while you are reading. Writing is an art, you can add your own style, interpretations, and opinions while evaluating and analyzing the literature.

    -Brittany Strycharz

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  25. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 9:08 PM

    Griffith says one can write about literature through his or her own personal experiences or ispirations. Analyzing while reading is important too. Questioning oneself when writing is a useful method also, because it helps to fill in missing pieces and add more detail, and also correct any mistaken information. I support Griffith's methods.
    - Meaghan Bradley

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  26. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 9:11 PM

    According to Griffith, in order to write about literature it is important to understand what you have read. You can accomplish this by interpreting the piece of literature. You then must relate this interpretation to things that are familiar to you. I also believe that you must completely understand the literature before it is possible to write about it. If there are parts you are unsure of, you should reread and try to figure it out before you being to writing about it.
    -Becky Santos

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  27. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 9:13 PM

    Often when an author is writing a short fiction piece or story, the storyline infact has a lot to do with the author's actual life experiences. This relates to the way Griffith suggests that one of the first things you need to know before understanding a written piece is knowing its facts. Facts about the author and the time period in which the work was created. I also agree when he says that the reader is the critic, wether he chooses to be or not. Once someone has read a work of literature it is immediately them who choses for themselves what they think of the piece. They alone can decide if they understand its diction or the purpose of the piece. And if it is confusing and the vocabulary is out of place, clearly the piece needs to be revised a few more times.

    - Judy Keylani

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  28. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 9:28 PM

    Griffith stated that in order to write about literature you must first be able to accurately analyze what you are reading. This can be achieved through comprehension of the overall work and then relating the work to our own lives and experiences. He also stated that the reader should frequently be asking themselves questions about the setting, the diction, and the overall themes of the story to be answered later in order to ensure full comprehension of the work.

    - Matt Marchand

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  29. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 10:15 PM

    According to Griffith, we must be able to interpret literature before being able to write. Interpreting requires the reader to be active rather than passive, which makes them a better writer. The most important step to interpreting is to get the facts. In some writing, it is easy to do this because the facts are accessible and understandable. However, in other works it takes a deeper understanding of the text. In order to interpret more difficult texts, readers may have to use glosses (definitions), look up unfamiliar words, track down allusions, and read writings more than once.
    Another important aspect is the readers ability to connect the literature to his/herself. As Griffith says, unless one can relate the text to his/her experiences and interests, it will not live for them. In order for the reader to connect to the text, they may ask questions, such as how the work challenges their beliefs, how the work gives them pleasure, or what is upsetting or unpleasant about the text.
    As the reader reads the text, they may write down ideas. Griffith points out that by putting concepts into their own words, readers make the ideas their own and embed them into his/her memories. Some ways to do this are by underlining passages, circling words, or drawing arrows.
    I agree with Griffith's take on writing literature because I use many of these tools to connect to the work. I beleive that it is extremely important to relate the story to yourself, or otherwise you will not be able to enjoy the book and take messages from the literature. Also, writing notes in the margins or circling passages helps if you need to go back to the text to write a reflection.
    -Lynda Chamberlain

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  30. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 11:10 PM

    Griffith wrote that literature must be understood before being written about. In order for a complete understanding one must interpret, analyze and connect to the piece of literature. Interpretation of works of literature is the process of thinking about their details in order to see how the details interconnect and what ideas they convey.

    I agree that interpreting literature gives a complete understanding. Once you have gotten the facts straight, it becomes easier to make connections to the work. In addition an understanding of the meaning of a piece of literature will allow for an essay to be easily written.

    By analyzing the literature and asking questions about the characters and plot will also allow for a good understanding of the text. Analyzing the characters will allow for clear personal connection. As well as analyzing the characters and plot, Griffith believes we should question ourselves about the theme, setting, point of view, symbolism, and tone.

    In following this I agree writing about literature will become easier and more meaningful.


    Amber Pelletier

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  31. StudentSeptember 10, 2009 at 11:30 PM

    Griffith said that you have to get your facts straight before you can come to any conclusion. You must interpret, connect and analyze a piece of literature. I agree with this in that you have to understand the piece of literature before you can make a connection to it. By understanding the literature and the plot you will also have a better understanding of the text in general. You will be able to analyze the characters that contribute to the plot, themes of the literature, the setting, and the characters point of view. By following Griffiths rules the literature will become more meaningful.

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  32. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 8:18 AM

    To write about literature, I believe that one must ask several questions. You should ask questions about the works theme, setting, plot, characters, and other literary conventions portrayed. One must interpret the work on his/her's own terms to demonstrate his/her's understanding.
    Griffith believes that to write about literature one should write and generate ideas by highlighting passages, write questions, summarize, define, and create interpretations. Griffith also states that one should compare and analyze sections to discover relationships among them. Upon further examination of the parts of a work, one can learn how they work, what they do, and thus, how they contribute to the overall meaning of the work.

    -Sam Burke

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  33. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 8:32 AM

    The first step in writing about literature according to Griffith is to obtain a full understanding work so that you are able to analyze and easily connect concepts from the work. You need to interperit the literature and be able to connect it to ideas from your own experiences. This will help you achieve a full understanding of the work and be able to write about it. You must also constantly ask questions both when you are reading, and also when writing. Analyzing the writing and asking in depth questions is how to successfully write about literature.

    -Garrett Mills

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  34. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 8:47 AM

    Griffith says that you have to make sure you completely understand the text before you begin to write. Also, the more that you can personally connect to the text, the better. Another thing Griffith says is to make sure that you don't use any words that you are not sure of. If need be, use a dictionary to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. The reader should ask themselves questions and make sure they understand what they are reading and obtaining information throughout the novel they are reading to avoid confusion.

    -Britney Curtis

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  35. ScottSeptember 11, 2009 at 8:50 AM

    According to Griffith, writing about literatue includes analizing, and criticing a work of writing. A writer must also be fully aware of the subject in order to sucessfully write about the piece.

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  36. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 9:43 AM

    Griffith states that you must truly understand the literature to write about it. I agree with this opinion. In my point of view the reader must fully understand the book, from the story line and the symbolism and themes of the story. Without having your own thoughts on the story and thinking of what the true messages are you can't write that well because you are missing out on the main job of the reader. You have to take something out of the book and interpret it to make in meaningful. Once we have an opinion and support from understanding the story you can write about literature.

    Ray Cohen

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  37. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 9:44 AM

    In order to write effectively about a piece of literature, the reader must first read for meaning. When reading for meaning, the reader must rigorously pay attention to literary elements like character development, symbolism, and themes. The reader must also ensure that he or she looks up any words that are unfamiliar (unless the meaning can be derived out of context). Another helpful idea for exceptional literary reflections is text-to-self connections.
    I agree with Griffith’s ideas about writing about literature. Careful reading and outstanding writing are definitely connected. Such reading contributes to our analysis and interpretation of literary pieces.

    -Valerie Stickles

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  38. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 9:51 AM

    Griffith argues that to write about literature, a reader must first fully understand the text which he/she wants to write about.
    Additionally, the reader must connect the literature to his/her personal life. This helps the reader feel more connected to the literature and understand the meaning behind the text.
    Lastly, while reading the text and before writing about it, the reader must develop a hypothesis. He/She must question what the details and generate ideas about the text.
    -Hannah Kyer

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  39. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 10:29 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  40. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 10:30 AM

    Generally when people write about literature, they have read a book and tried to piece together the true meaning. The reader pays close attention to the pice they are reading and takes notes, writes down any questions they might have. Personally connecting the story with life experiences will give you a better handle on the piece.Pay close attention to the text and use supporting details in your writing.
    Allison Masse

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  41. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 11:32 AM

    Griffith stated that if you want to write about a peice of literature, one must analyze the text, and ask questions so that when your reading you can find the answers to your questions. He also states that when writing about a book, we can state our opinion about the issue or certain topic in the book, and even compare the work to things in our personal lives.
    -Devon Doran

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  42. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 1:48 PM

    In writing about literature, Griffith states that one needs to first analyze the piece. You need to think about what you have read and connect the facts to real life and other texts. It is important to identify the piece with yourself or other known facts for a higher level of understanding.
    -Jessica McDonald

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  43. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 1:50 PM

    When Jaime said “I believe that how a person writes about literature is based on different points of view depending on how reader interprets the story." I completely agreed with her. Many stories have a lot of symbolic things in them, making them have many different meanings. Teachers can interpret something in a story completely different form a student which is why there is sometimes a big miscommunication between them. Students might think that the author meant something about the character being hungry for food. However, teachers can see it as the character was hungry to learn more about a subject. With these two different things, no one is going to think the same way about one piece of literature

    *Nicole Bernier*

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  44. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 1:57 PM

    Griffith said that in order to write about literature you must be able to interpret, connect and analyze the work. Interpretation is the process of thinking about the details in order to see how they interconnect. Analyzing is examining the parts of something and connecting is to actively project ourselves into the literature. Also, the writer must develop a hypothesis.

    I agree with Griffith because in order to write about a piece of literature you need to be able to fully understand all the components to it. If you can connect what your writing about to something personal in your life, it will give your piece more meaning and a more intresting for your audience.
    -Abby McCarthy

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  45. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 2:01 PM

    According to Griffith when writing literature the first thing you should do is analyze the purpose and read for meaning. I agree with this because to be able to write a good piece of literature you need to know the meaning of what you are writing. It also makes it easier to write if you are able to relate what your writing to what intrests you. This makes it a lot easier to write because you can relate it back to you personally.

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  46. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 2:02 PM

    Steven Blanchard wrote the one above.

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  47. StudentSeptember 11, 2009 at 2:05 PM

    When I read this section in Griffith's book, I was unsure about my feelings on it. I personally believe that everyone's point of view is different and that's what I enjoy most about literature. It's the fact that you can't really be wrong in your interpretations "as long as you explain what you think and why you think what you think"- Mr. Herrington, people can't say that you are wrong.

    -Taryn.

    P.s- Sorry for the negative post.

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  48. StudentSeptember 15, 2009 at 10:46 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  49. StudentSeptember 15, 2009 at 10:50 PM

    According to Griffith, we need to connect literature to our lives, the world and other books. He says that we need to be able to understand what were reading and we have to be able to interpret so that we can plug it into our day to day lives. Griffith also says that ways to help us to better understand what were reading are to leave notes in the margins, or use sticky notes. Ways that I have learned to be useful in understanding what were reading (even if it may not be of particular interest) are standing up while reading or reading aloud. Making personal connections to help you understand what your reading also helps just as Griffith said. I think that writing about literature helps us to also understand what we are reading better because we are adding in our own thoughts and opinions. By taking a side on what we are reading and speaking our thoughts on the subject we are showing that we are able to understand what is being read.

    -Sarah Grupe

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  50. StudentSeptember 17, 2009 at 2:16 PM

    According to the works of Griffith, he states that we need to be able to understand, analyze and interpret the piece we're reading, to write about it. A person should also be able to connect a piece of literature to their own life and personal experiences to further understand a piece of literature. I believe that writing about the literature we are reading helps us further understand it and be able to relate to it, if a person doesn't understand what they're reading, most people will go through and read it multiple times, i agree but i also feel that if a person doesn't understand a piece of literature, if they write a response to it they'll elaborate on their feelings about the piece and further understand.
    -Becca Fritche

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