English 10 - Quarter 3 - Lesson 8: The Blueprint of a Story: A Formalist Critique

English 10: Quarter 3

Lesson 8: The Blueprint of a Story

Lesson 8: The Blueprint of a Story: A Formalist Critique

I. Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Knowledge: Define formalist critique and identify key literary elements (structure, imagery, language, theme) that contribute to a text's artistic value.
• Skill: Analyze the formal elements of a short poem and compose a critique explaining how these elements work together.
• Affective: Appreciate a literary work as a "self-contained" piece of art, separate from its author or history.

II. Introduction

Good morning, class. In the past, we've talked about what a story means to us, or what the author intended. Today, we're going to do something different. We're going to become "text architects."

Imagine you're not looking at a story, but at the blueprint for a beautiful building. You wouldn't just say, "I feel good in this building." You'd point to how it's built: "Look at how the beams support the roof." We are going to learn to critique a text in the same way—by looking at its parts, its structure, and its craft. This is called a formalist critique.

III. Definition (Key Terms) - Part 1

Formalist (Structuralist) Critique: A type of critique that analyzes the form of a literary work. It treats the text as a complete, "self-contained" object.

• To Expand: It ignores the author's biography, history, and your personal feelings. Everything you need is inside the text.
• The Goal: To discover how all the elements work together to create a single, unified meaning or theme.

III. Definition (Key Terms) - Part 2

Literary Elements (The "Parts" of the Machine):

• Structure: How the text is built (line breaks, stanzas, plot structure).
• Language (Diction): Specific word choices (simple vs. complex).
• Imagery & Symbolism: Language appealing to senses or objects standing for ideas.
• Tension, Irony, & Paradox: The forces within the text (conflicts, contradictions).
• Theme: The underlying idea created by the unity of all other elements.

IV. Spring Board: "The Red Wheelbarrow"

Read this short poem by William Carlos Williams carefully. Pay attention to how it looks and sounds.

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

V. Essential Questions

Analyze the poem as a Formalist.

1. Analysis of Elements: What are the three specific images in this poem?

Answer: A red wheelbarrow, rain water (glazing the barrow), and white chickens.

2. Analysis of Structure: Why do you think the poet broke the lines like "wheel / barrow"?

Answer: It slows the reader down and forces us to see each part of the image as its own important thing. It mimics the act of noticing simple things.

3. Analysis of Language: What kind of language (diction) does the poet use?

Answer: The language is extremely simple, direct, and concrete. It uses everyday words.

4. Analysis of Theme: What is the one idea the poem makes about these objects? (Hint: First stanza)

Answer: It states "so much depends upon" them. The theme is the importance of simple, everyday objects.

5. Synthesis: How do structure and language support the theme?

Answer: The poem's form matches its content. It uses a simple structure and simple words to talk about simple objects, creating a unified whole.

VI. Exercise: Formalist Detectives

Text: "Fog" by Carl Sandburg

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Compose a short formalist critique paragraph answering: How do the elements of the poem work together to create a single, unified effect?

Guiding Questions to include in your paragraph:

• What is the central metaphor?
• How does the structure (short lines) reflect the subject?
• How does the language ("silent haunches") create mood?

Teacher's Model: "In 'Fog,' Carl Sandburg effectively critiques the nature of fog by unifying a central metaphor with a fitting structure. The poem's central metaphor of fog as a silent cat is supported by the language of 'little cat feet' and 'silent haunches,' which creates a quiet, mysterious mood. This structure—two short, unrhymed stanzas—mimics the cat's behavior: it appears, sits quietly, and 'moves on' quickly. The form of the poem perfectly embodies the subject."

VII. Generalization

Today, we learned to look at a text like a finely crafted watch. We ignore the watchmaker (the author) and the era it came from (history). Instead, we open it up to see how it works.

We see how the gears (language), springs (tension), and hands (plot) all work together in unity.

Value: A formalist critique values a text for its artistic craft. It allows us to appreciate how an author creates a feeling, not just what the feeling is.

VIII. Evaluation

English 10 - Short Quiz No. 8

Instructions: Choose the best answer for each question.

Full Name:

Result: English 10 - Short Quiz No. 8

Name:

Score:

Attempts:

IX. Additional Activity (Enrichment)

Assignment: Choose the lyrics of a song you know well.

Write one formalist critique paragraph (like we did for "Fog") that analyzes how the:

• Structure (verses, chorus, bridge)
• Language (word choice)
• Imagery

...work together to create the song's central theme. (Focus only on lyrics, not the music/video).

Congratulations! You have completed Lesson 8.