The task of analyzing a poem can be daunting for many students because poetry, by its nature, is symbolic and subjective and we are trained in school to think concretely and objectively. But at some point in your academic life you will likely be asked to analyze a poem. If and when that day comes, don’t panic. Eduify is here to help.
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Unlike high school book reports, college papers require in-depth interpretation of readings at hand. The term close reading is one that doesn’t often come into play in a high school environment, though in college, close reading is the expected norm. Close reading is the careful reading of a text that considers everything from syntax to structure to, basically, everything about the language down to the minutiae of a single word. Not only are college students expected to do close readings of texts, but they are also expected to interpret the text — not just describe what happens. College papers are very much “show, don’t tell.” College writers don’t repeat synopses of chapters in their papers; they interpret the text and only write, in their papers, about ideas, not action.
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Name dropping works a lot better while writing a paper than while having a conversation in real life. An activity that makes you look foolish in real life can be highly effective while writing a paper. Why?
Looking at a topic through a theoretical or philosophical lense can add a deeper level of understanding. Theory and philosophy are in practice everywhere, from politics to psychology to art to literature. Literary theory is something that every English major in college is expected to understand. Not only does theory add more layers of understanding to any literary work, but it also helps readers analyze works in deeper and more meaningful ways.
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So you need to pull an all-nighter because you’ve played video games all week instead of writing your term paper, plus you have four tests tomorrow (none of which you’ve studied for), and it’s now 8PM and you’re in a daze, freaking out, and feeling like you’re going to have a heart attack because you have no idea how to tackle the intense studying and writing that await your attention the night ahead and you have no idea how to get out of it alive?
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Memory is a tricky instrument. Every day we forget more information than we store, and it seems life is a constant process of learning and then forgetting. Memory is a difficult tool to master well, because we’re not naturally programmed to remember everything we come across. While it can’t be developed or grown organically, the memory you do have can be improved by learning certain habits and tricks that can hone your existing memory into a sharper tool.
Easy memorization doesn’t come naturally to everyone, though some people are better are memorizing facts, figures, dates, names, and procedures than others. Students for whom memorization comes easier to have an advantage in schoolwork, since so much of test-taking is memory driven, around facts, or given in the form of essay tests for which students have to cull detailed information quickly. Luckily, even for those whose memory retrieval doesn’t arrive at the drop of a hat, there are certain tips and tricks you can use to access your memories faster and more easily.
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