Reading Critically Summary

While reading, there are many steps you can take to understanding and comprehending the reading better and more in-depth. To begin, examine the title, as it will tell you what's inside and what to look forward to. Read about the author, for it can usually reveal something about the reading before you actually read it. You can learn about the author's opinion beforehand so you know what to expect. Learn about when and where the work was published to establish both credibility and more understanding. They set credentials and authenticity to the information you read. The next step is to actually begin reading the piece. However, write whilst reading as to annotate your thoughts or to bring you back to something later. Summarize the content to be sure that you understood it well. After completing the aforementioned steps, begin to think critically. It will push you forward to understanding the meaning. Analyze the writing to classify main ideas the author stated. Infer about the author's ideas and beliefs. Synthesize those ideas to bring everything together. Next, evaluate the work and your assumptions. This can help ensure that your assumptions are logical and relevant to the piece. Though these can be tedious steps, they help guide you to becoming a better and more critical reader. Follow them and you are on your way.

"You Were Right" - Built to Spill

1. The lyrics are talking about difficult times in someone's life; possibly a relationship that went wrong. Near the end of the song, a lyric is "This is the end"
2. The music is harsh yet calm and depressing but somehow upbeat. The guitar seems to go up at inappropriate times and go down at inappropriate times, as well as it getting louder than the words at times.
3. The song in my opinion is effective at proving its point. It clearly displays the author's hurt and pain that emerged from a possible heartbreak.

"Young Life" - Bo Bartlett

Claim 1: The man's gun is pointed outward to show authority and power.
Fact: His facial expression and stance.

Claim 2: The trees are cut to show how nature is easily broken.
Fact: The truck is a focal point, while the tree stumps are small and almost blend in.

Claim 3: The man and woman are not married.
Fact: The woman is not wearing a wedding ring.

In the painting entitled "Young Life" by Bo Bartlett, what you see is a couple and a child (presumably a family) possibly on a hunting trip. The man and woman are holding tightly to each other while the child is standing off to the side. The woman's grip on the man looks possessive while his grip on her is less forceful and more casual. He is carrying a rifle and is pointing it towards the sky. His stance is confident and powerful: his leg bent but still strong, his head stern and straightforward. The man could be inferred to be the source of power and stability in this group of people, coming from his stance, facial expression, and other physical characteristics.

"Shame" - The Avett Brothers

Subject - a mistake in a relationship; being sorry
Tone - apologetic, remorseful
3 Words that push this tone:

1. Need - he still needs her very much
2. Used - to express the nostalgia
3. Sink - if he had used "fall" it would not have given the same effect.