English Assignment: Analysis of Critical Reading and Poem

This English assignment analyzes critical reading and a poem. The assignment begins by defining critical reading as an active and dynamic process involving interaction with the text, questioning assumptions, and formulating judgments. It then delves into how repetition of sounds creates tone and rhythm in a poem, making parts of the poem more memorable. The assignment includes a discussion of the poem's use of repetition to create a musical character and rhythmic structure. The assignment also includes a discussion of two songs that the student associates with people in their life, exploring the songs' meanings and significance.

Running head: English Assignment
English Assignment
Name of the University
Name of the student

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Table of Contents
J1................................................................................................................................................3
J2................................................................................................................................................3
DQ1:...........................................................................................................................................4
References:.................................................................................................................................5

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J1.
Reading critically: Reading critically means engaging deeply with a text and
formulating one’s own opinions regarding it. Reading and reading critically are two different
things entirely; while the former is just content with getting the gist of the writing but critical
reading is a much more active and dynamic process. There are many ways one can engage
with a text critically. Asking the questions such as the agenda of the writer i.e. for whom the
writer is writing and the purpose of the writing. Writing can be for many different purposes.
It can be to entertain people or to persuade the reader and many other purposes depending on
the writer’s agenda. Another important way to engage with a text critically is to identify if the
writing falls under any particular genre such academic, blog post and essays etc. and then
proceed to deal with the objectives of such genre writing. Each genre has a distinct
conventions, structures, and techniques. For example, academic essay is generally written in
three parts consisting of an introduction, a body and a conclusion. On the other hand essays
can be expository, descriptive, argumentative or narrative.
The voice a writer uses is another important aspect while critically assessing a text.
The voice of the writer gives away many important aspects of the text such as the formality
or distance of the writer. Different voices can move the reader in different ways. A piece of
writing can create empathy, a straightforward voice can persuade the reader about the
credibility of the writing etc…Writers may also try to influence readers strategically by
appealing to the logic or emotion of readers. Another tactic that writers use is to appeal to the
ethos of a people. Therefore while critically reading a text, the above points must be kept in
mind and we should ask what agenda of the writer is.
Lastly in case the writer expresses a controversial or problematic opinion it should not
be rejected hurriedly. Critical assessment requires us to carefully pick apart the reasoning put

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forward by the writer to place his point and also to locate it in it’s historical and cultural
context.
J2.
How does the poem use repetition of sounds to create tone and rhythm? Do these devices
make parts of the poem more memorable? Explain
The poem uses repetition of tone to get its message across. “This tone, tone, tone” or
phrases used one after another such as “then the octave, then the triad, then another note”
create a musical character to the poem when recited aloud. Even later this device is used
where the poet describes the burning of wood, “water hiss and wail” and “heats and escapes”
creates a rhythmic structure of the poem when spoken aloud.
Yes using repetition of sounds does make the poem more memorable as it has a structure that
is easy to remember and has a rhythm when spoken aloud.
DQ1:
The song that I most associate with my cousin is Heroes by David Bowie. The song
was used memorably in the film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a coming of age film
narrating the ups and downs of life of an introverted high school kid. We were at a similar
age and driving around the outskirts of our town we would play this song and imagine we
were in a movie too. We did not have a clear idea about the song except that the spirit of the
song captured the indomitability of youth. Later we would discover that the song and its
power were related to an historic event. It was written by David Bowie after being inspired
by two lovers embracing by the berlin wall. The song narrates the story of two lovers from
opposite sides of the wall caught in the turbulence of wartime. The wall ideologically and

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physically divided the two parts of Germany and the song would later serve as a catalyst
when the wall fell down.
Another song that I often associate with my uncle is “Danny Boy” by the Pogues.
This would be his favourite by the Irish punk band whose music captured the alienation of
being rootless in big metropolitan cities. The song was written by English song writer and set
to an old Irish melody. The song reflects leaving or parting for war or some uprising or
leaving as part of the Irish diaspora. The overall meaning of the song is said to by some
singers as love conquering death.

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References:
Attridge, D., 2014. The rhythms of English poetry. Routledge.
Buckley, D., 2012. Strange fascination: David Bowie: the definitive story. Random House.
Goatly, A., 2014. Critical reading and writing: An introductory coursebook. Routledge.
McCourt, M., 2014. Danny boy: the legend of the beloved Irish ballad. Running Press Adult.
Patching, W., Kameenui, E., Carnine, D., Gersten, R. and Colvin, G., 2015. Direct instruction
in critical reading skills. Reading Research Quarterly, pp.406-418.
Wallace, M. and Wray, A., 2016. Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. Sage.