Make sure you have a hard copy of the passage so you can mark it up as you read it. Jot down any initial thoughts or questions you may have about the text as you read it several times.
You should also look for words that are repeated in the text, as this means they are likely important. Notice if the same word is used in a different context in the passage and highlight each mention of the word.
Introduction section: Identify the text Body section: Discuss the main features of the text Conclusion section: Summarize your thoughts on the text
For example, you may note, “Published in 1966, Seamus Heaney’s ‘Blackberry-Picking’ is a poem that appears in his poetry collection, Death of a Naturalist. ” If the text is from a larger work, do not write about the overall plot of the larger work. You should also not include details from the author’s biography or the historical period when the text was written, unless it feels relevant to the passage.
For example, in Seamus Heaney’s poem, “Blackberry-Picking,” the subject is two people picking a large quantity of blackberries. [2] X Research source The themes of the poem could be nature, hunger, and decay or rot. The poem begins with a dedication to “Philip Hobsbaum,” which means he could be the intended audience of the poem, the “you” addressed in the poem.
The genre and form of the text will also help you determine the structure of the text. For example, Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry-Picking” takes the form of a poem and fits in the genre of poetry. It uses a familiar poetic structure, such as short lines of text and is broken into two stanzas.
For example, in Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry-Picking,” the speaker uses the first person voice. The speaker then addresses a “you” in the text, indicating there are two characters in the poem.
For example, in Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry-Picking,” the tone in the first stanza is nostalgic and light. The tone then shifts in the second stanza to be more serious and dark.
For example, if you are discussing Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry-Picking,” you may look at a simile like “You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet/Like thickened wine: summer’s blood was in it. ” Or you may discuss imagery like “a rat-grey fungus” or “fruit fermented. ” You can find a complete list of literary devices in literature online. [5] X Research source
For example, if you are discussing themes of decay in Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry-Picking,” you may quote a line like “I always felt like crying. /It wasn’t fair/That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot. ”
For example, you may end your literary commentary on Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry-Picking” by noting how the poem fits into the poetry collection and reflects common themes in Heaney’s work.
You can also read the commentary aloud to someone else to get their feedback. Ask a peer, a friend, or a family member to listen to you read the commentary and then ask for their feedback.
You can go through the commentary and write down “introduction” or “discussion of text” next to the relevant paragraphs in the commentary. Doing this will ensure you cover all the necessary information in the commentary.
If you are using a computer to write the literary commentary, you can use the spellcheck option in the computer program. However, you should not rely on spellcheck only to go through your work. Make sure you also do a close review of the commentary for any errors before you hand it in.
