S
Who is the
speaker?
● Who is the speaker?
● Identify the speaker’s age, gender, class,
and education.
● The voice tells the story. Whose voice is
being heard within the text?
● What can you tell or what do you know
about the speaker that helps you understand the point of view expressed?
O
What is the
occasion?
● What is the time and place of the piece? What is the current situation (that prompted the writing)?
● Is this a political event, a celebration, an observation, a critique, or ...?
● Identify the context of the text.
A
Who is the
audience?
● Who are the readers to whom this piece is directed? It may be one person or a specific group.
● Does the speaker specify an audience?
● What assumptions exist in the text about
the intended audience?
P
What is the
purpose?
● What is the purpose behind the text? Why did the author write it? What is his goal? (To find the purpose ask, “What did the author want his audience to think or do as a result of reading this text?”)
● What is the message?
● How does the speaker convey this
message?
S
What is the
subject?
● What topic, content, and ideas are included in the text?
● State the subject in a complete sentence.
● How does the author present the subject?
Does he introduce it immediately or is it inferred throughout the text?
TONE
What is the
tone?
● What is the attitude of the author toward the subject?
● Is the author emotional, objective, neutral, or biased about this topic?
● What types of details “tell” the author’s
feelings about the topic?
123
● What types of diction , syntax , or imagery
help reflect the tone?