Making Connections – Writing About Literature

Historical Analysis – Making Connections

Making connections between the text and your historical research
Once you’ve closely read your text several times, taken notes, made annotations, researched the time period, answered any questions you may have had, and become more familiar with the culture and lifestyle of the times, you should reach a much higher understanding of the text in general. For the inventing step, you’re going to put what you’ve learned through research to work and create an interpretation of and explore the theme, or central meaning, of the text.

An abbreviated example of the process so far…
Let’s say, for example, the text you plan to analyze is “We are Seven” by William Wordsworth. Upon first reading the text, you’re likely to come away with a general impression, such as…

Reading
A man is arguing with an eight year old child over how many siblings she has. The young girl insists that she has six siblings. However, she explains that two of the children are buried in the churchyard. The man can’t seem to wrap his mind around this idea, and he goes back and forth with her, insisting that there must only be five children if two of them are dead and buried.

Asking Questions
In order to better understand the context of the poem, you began to ask yourself questions like…

What is the significance of the argument?
Why would the man be so adamant about the siblings of a young girl he doesn’t know?
Why would Wordsworth find this important enough to write about?
Is this symbolic?
If so, what was going on during 1798, when it was written, that might help me understand?

Researching
Then you do your research, and you find out that, during this time period…
(You should have much more research information than this. This is only for example’s sake.)

“We are Seven” was written during the Enlightenment period. The French Revolution, specifically, played a role in a lot of literature from this time. The French were unhappy with their ancient rulers whose rule had been passed down through bloodlines for centuries. These rulers believed in a system which kept the laws, belief systems, and traditions of long-dead rulers intact. The French argued that the rulers should be chosen by qualifications and ability, rather than blood, and that it was time to change some of the old traditions because the laws should change with the times.

Make connections to the text
Now it’s time to put that knowledge to use. You’re going to take the historical information and the text and consider it for a bit. Think about what it could mean. A few ways to tease out some ideas are:

Ask yourself more questions.
Put the historical information into your own words and simpler terms.
Choose a specific aspect of the history and try to fit it into the text.
Ask yourself what impact living in that time period would have on you or others?
What would the two sides feel?
Could any of this be symbolically related to your text?

If you’ve done your research correctly and you spend enough time making connections and tying things together, you might come up with an idea like…

In creating characters who are arguing over whether or not the girl’s dead siblings still counted as siblings, Wordsworth symbolically created a political statement within “We are Seven.” The man represents the French who wished to overthrow the ancient regime because he believes that the dead are no longer relevant, while the girl represented the old rulers, tradition, and faith because she still holds on to the deceased siblings and the past.

Make a statement about what the author is saying based on the connections you’ve made
It certainly seems to fit, and it makes sense. So, try to take that idea and run with it. If that’s what Wordsworth was alluding to, ask yourself what else you can draw from the text. Does Wordsworth take any specific stance on the subject? Or is he simply making an observation? You might even say…

Reading the poem in context turns a seemingly silly argument into a complex political statement. The poem ends with the little girl getting the last word, thus giving her the upper-hand. It’s also worth mentioning that Wordsworth chose a symbol of innocence to portray tradition and the old rule, while he used a mean man who argues with children to represent the age of reason, change, and the revolution. Therefore, it seems that in “We are Seven,” Wordsworth is arguing for the traditional French rulers and against the French and the possibility of revolution.

We Are Seven

William Wordsworth, 1770 – 1850

—A simple child,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?

I met a little cottage girl:
She was eight years old, she said;
Her hair was thick with many a curl
That clustered round her head.

She had a rustic, woodland air,
And she was wildly clad:
Her eyes were fair, and very fair;
—Her beauty made me glad.

“Sisters and brothers, little maid,
How many may you be?”
“How many? Seven in all,” she said,
And wondering looked at me.

“And where are they? I pray you tell.”
She answered, “Seven are we;
And two of us at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea.

“Two of us in the churchyard lie,
My sister and my brother;
And, in the churchyard cottage, I
Dwell near them with my mother.”

“You say that two at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea,
Yet ye are seven! I pray you tell,
Sweet maid, how this may be.”

Then did the little maid reply,
“Seven boys and girls are we;
Two of us in the churchyard lie,
Beneath the churchyard tree.”

“You run about, my little maid,
Your limbs they are alive;
If two are in the churchyard laid,
Then ye are only five.”

“Their graves are green, they may be seen,”
The little maid replied,
“Twelve steps or more from my mother’s door,
And they are side by side.

“My stockings there I often knit,
My kerchief there I hem;
And there upon the ground I sit,
And sing a song to them.

“And often after sunset, sir,
When it is light and fair,
I take my little porringer,
And eat my supper there.

“The first that died was sister Jane;
In bed she moaning lay,
Till God released her of her pain;
And then she went away.

“So in the churchyard she was laid;
And, when the grass was dry,
Together round her grave we played,
My brother John and I.

“And when the ground was white with snow
And I could run and slide,
My brother John was forced to go,
And he lies by her side.”

“How many are you, then,” said I,
“If they two are in heaven?”
Quick was the little maid’s reply,
“O master! we are seven.”

“But they are dead; those two are dead!
Their spirits are in heaven!”
‘Twas throwing words away; for still
The little maid would have her will,
And said, “Nay, we are seven!”

Needless to say, deciphering your own text won’t be as simple as that, and this is hardly an in-depth analysis of “We are Seven,” but you can see how each step leads you closer to forming a possible thesis statement. The thing to remember is that asking questions is an important part of each step in the process.

More examples
“The Cry of the Children” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1843)

What was going on in 1843?
Why would these children be crying?
Why are the children dying?
Who is EBB talking to?
Who is responsible for situations these children are in?
What does EBB want to happen?

“The Mask of Anarchy” by Percy Shelley (1832)

What was going on in 1843?
What could he have heard of from overseas while in Italy?
Who could he be referring to as Fraud, Hypocrisy, Murder, and Anarchy?
Is that a four horsemen reference?
Who is God, king, and law? Who has been at war for religious purposes?
What is the importance of freedom during this time? Who is fighting for it?
Who lost their country?
Who is he rallying to stand and fight?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

What is the significance of the black man being accused of rape by a white woman?
What was the racial situation during this time?
Why would Atticus say that just accusing Tom Robinson of rape was signing his death warrant?
Why was everyone always saying something about Scout wearing pants?

You can see an example of the Reading and Asking Questions steps for my historical analysis on “The Cry of the Children” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning here.

Next Step: Planning a Thesis Statement