Standard 3, Reading: Comprehension and Analysis of Literary Text
Students read and respond to grade-level-appropriate historically or culturally significant works of literature, such as the selections in the Indiana Reading List (www.doe.state.in.us/standards/readinglist.html) illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. At Grade 10, students read a wide variety of literature, such as classic and contemporary literature, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology, poetry, short stories, dramas, and other genres.
Structural Features of Literature
10.3.1
Analyze the purposes and the characteristics of different forms of dramatic literature (including comedy, tragedy, and dramatic monologue).
Example: Analyze the features of plays, such as I Never Sang for My Father by Robert Anderson or Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring or A Piano Lesson by August Wilson or The Buck Private by Luis Valdez.
10.3.2
Compare and contrast the presentation of a similar theme or topic across genres (different types of writing) to explain how each genre shapes the author’s presentation of the theme or topic.
Example: Compare three different reactions to Lincoln’s death: Walt Whitman’s poem “O Captain! My Captain!” Frederick Douglass’ eulogy, and the report of Lincoln’s death from The New York Times on April 12, 1865. Analyze the differences among the genres and how the form impacts the reader’s perception of the event.
Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text
10.3.3
Evaluate interactions between characters in a literary text and explain the way those interactions affect the plot.
Example: Compare the development of the characters as they are represented in Merlin: The Coming of Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, retold in a collection by David Day and The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck.
10.3.4
Analyze characters’ traits by what the characters say about themselves in narration, dialogue, and soliloquy (when they speak out loud to themselves).
Example: Read works, such as “I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” by Emily Dickinson or In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens by Alice Walker, and analyze the characters, citing specific examples from the text to develop this description.
10.3.5
Compare works that express a universal theme and provide evidence to support the views expressed in each work.
Example: Analyze and compare selections that deal with the theme of independence developed in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and The Childhood Story of Christy Brown (based on the film My Left Foot) by Christy Brown.
10.3.6
Evaluate an author’s development of time and sequence, including the use of complex literary devices, such as foreshadowing (providing clues to future events) or flashbacks (interrupting the sequence of events to include information about an event that happened in the past).
Example: Discuss how the games the boys play in school foreshadowed the coming of the war in A Separate Peace by John Knowles.
10.3.7
Evaluate the significance of various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory (the use of fictional figures and actions to express truths about human experiences), and symbolism (the use of a symbol to represent an idea or theme), and explain their appeal.
Example: Evaluate the imagery in poetry, such “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth and “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare.
10.3.8
Interpret and evaluate the impact of ambiguities, subtleties, contradictions, ironies, and inconsistencies in a text.
Example: Read selections from short stories by Franz Kafka and evaluate the manner in which ambiguity and allegory function.
10.3.9
Explain how voice and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text.
Example: Read Darkness at Noon by Harold Krents and discuss the impact of the narration as the story unfolds.
10.3.10
Identify and describe the function of dialogue, soliloquies, asides, character foils, and stage designs in dramatic literature.
· Dialogue: a conversation between two characters
· Soliloquies: long speeches in which characters, on stage alone, reveal inner thoughts aloud
· Asides: words spoken by characters directly to the audience
· Character foils: characters who are used as contrasts to another character
· Stage designs: directions and drawings for the setting of a play
Example: Evaluate the function of different dramatic devices in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.
10.3.13
Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of speaker (narrator) affect the mood, tone, and meaning of text.
Literary Criticism
10.3.11
Evaluate the aesthetic qualities of style, including the impact of diction and figurative language on tone, mood, and theme.
Example: Read Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton or The Perfect Storm by Sebastien Junger and evaluate the way the author’s style and descriptions help create a mood of tragedy and suspense.
10.3.12
Analyze the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical period.
Example: Read a book such as Hornblower During the Crisis by C. S. Forester and tell how the author uses the story to convey larger themes about a period of transition in British history.
