Week 7 Analysis: Close Reading

Close Reading

Week 7

I wanted to focus my close reading on the bottom of pg. 98 the last paragraph of the section of text. This short paragraph grabbed my attention by how the words brought the act of reading to life with the language used. "And I had a great curiosity to talk to the book, as I though they did". Reading this made me wonder if this section the writers point of view is from one of a person first approaching learning how to read. The word curiosity shows how the experience with books was a new one and seeing "master" and "Dick" read it had our writer interested with the skill of reading. This section is profound in my opinion from the mystery it creates while reading, making readers puzzled on this odd ending of the chapter. Imagery helps this section stand out also causing slight glimpses into the reading forcing your mind to imagine just what the character was doing or how he did it. "And then put it to my ears to, when alone, in hopes it would answer me". After reading this made me wonder the movement the character in this scene and the faces he made waiting for the book to somehow speak to him. Allowing him to indulge in reading just like his "master" would do in his downtime. Or another way of thinking about this section is it could be used not literally and showing someone who can read but not as well as "master" and "Dick" in the story. This could be a short section of someone trying to understand a book but in being perplexed chose to listen to the book in hopes it would speak the words from the page "And I have been very much concerned when I found it remained silent". I interpreted this thinking it meant when the books made sense they would talk but the concern came about when they were silent or in other words hard to understand. Lastly I believe my first suggestion is more correct because of the newest of the language given in this section when it comes to reading books.