Hiroshima Project

Hiroshima Project

This activity will help you to understand and provide written and oral commentary on how the author uses diction and style to convey meaning. You will be engaging in a “close” reading of Hersey’s text for the purpose of literary analysis.

THE CARDS:
Read through the entire assignment so that you understand each part of the assignment before you begin.

1. Complete cards as you read. Do NOT wait until you finish the book. Since the assignment requires a close reading of the text, the information you must collect cannot be found in movies, plot summaries, or Spark-notes. USE OF THESE AIDS IS NOT ALLOWED.
2. You will need about 20 4x6 note cards, lined on one side. You may use colored or spiral-bound cards to suit your individual study style.
3. DO NOT COMPLETE THE CARDS IN ORDER. Card #1, for example, will probably not be the first card you complete. Since the symbol you choose must be important to the overall work, this card will probably be one of the last cards you complete. You may find a striking image in the first paragraph of the book and complete card #5 first.
4. You may write on the backs (unlined side) of cards.
5. Write the “category” in big, bold letters on the first line of every card. Write your initials in the upper right corner of each card. Write the number of the card in the upper left corner of each card.
6. CITE PAGE NUMBERS FOR ITEMS ON EACH CARD, except “Symbol” (#2) “Theme” (#13), “Personal Response” (#19)
7. Cards must cover the entire span of the book you choose to read.
8. The required information on cards should be easy to find and understand, but the cards are tools, so they will not be perfectly neat “final drafts.” Use lists and bullets for information unless the instructions tell you to use complete sentences.

Prepare your cards as follows:
Card #1: BIBLIOGRAPHIC ENTRY. On the lined side, write a bibliographic entry for the work. Use Modern Language Association (MLA) style. (Websites abound with MLA style instructions, examples, and even MLA entry “generators.”)

Card #2: VISUAL SYMBOL. Find a visual symbol important to the work. Explain the symbol and tell why you think the author chose to use that symbol and it’s significance to the overall work. Write in complete sentences.

Cards #3 and #4 (2 cards): SETTING. Identify at least 10 phrases or descriptions that identify the setting of the novel. They may describe time, place, region, or atmosphere. Use bulleted phrases.

Cards #5, #6, and #7 (3 cards): STRIKING IMAGES, IDEAS, EVENTS, OBJECTS, PHRASES, WORDS. From the work, choose five items that seem significant or striking – for example, an image, an event, an idea, an object or thing, a phrase, a word. For each, state the context of the item (what it refers to) and why you think it is significant. Use complete sentences.

Cards #8: Figures of Speech. Find an example of a figure of speech in the book (metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, irony, hyperbole, symbol, allusion) (a) Record the example, (b) identify the technique, (c)explain its meaning in context of the book.


Card #9: RECURRING MOTIFS/ARCHETYPES. Identify at least one recurring motif (Think about color, objects, events, things, animals). Cite at least 3 occurrences (don’t forget to cite page numbers). Briefly state the context of the occurrence (what is it about, what’s happening with it). Then, write a sentence or two stating how the use of the motif is connected to meaning.

Card #10: RHETORICAL RESPONSE. Identify one of the following appeals in the text; provide specific evidence:
· ethos—appeals to the audience’s sense of ethics/character
· pathos—appeals to the feelings and emotions of the audience to change their attitudes)
· logos—appeals to the audience’s reason.

Card #11: STRUCTURE. Explain how the work is put together (the architecture of the work) and what effect this structure has on the work as a whole.

Card #12: THEME. State what you consider to be the meaning of the work as a whole. Explain your observation with details from the novel. Use separate cards for different meanings. Write in complete sentences.

Cards#13, #14, #15, #16, and #17 (5 cards): KEY PASSAGES. Choose one of the characters in the novel that you find intriguing or interesting and find five key textual references (phrase, sentence, paragraph, excerpt) significant to character development. Copy the passage correctly (quotation marks, cite page number) and explain what the passage reveals about the character (appearance, beliefs, thoughts and feelings, attitudes, changes, etc.). Write in complete sentences. Make sure to represent the beginning, middle, and end of the book Note how Hersey described the character in the beginning, middle, and end of the text.

Card #18: PERSONAL RESPONSE. Write about your impression of the book, after you have completed the reading and the other note cards. Consider your emotional reaction, positive and negative factors, connections to your own interests and experiences. DO NOT SIMPLY GIVE A THUMBS-UP, THUMBS-DOWN RECOMMENDATION! Write in complete sentences. Avoid phrases such as, “It was good” OR “I liked it!’