Step one: Be selective with your quotes. Make sure they are relevant and have a lot of “juice.”

“Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw” (40).

“Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw” (40).

Contrasts setting

of wintersimile

unified

Juxtaposition

Jovial diction

Step two: Annotate by looking for key and meaningful literary devices and words/phrases.

 In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton writes vicariously through an unknown, third person narrator juxtaposing the thoughts of Ethan and Mattie as they walk home from the dance. Through the jovial diction of “wonder” and “laughter,” the positive connotations evoke an uplifting tone revealing the happiness the couple shares. By comparing the character’s emotions of “wonder” and “laughter” to “spring rills in a thaw,” Wharton illustrates the cohesive nature of the couple’s relationship. Also, by contrasting the season of “spring,” to the main setting of winter found in the novel, the author defines the relationship between Ethan and Mattie as both warm and affectionate (40). Thus, Wharton writes to close couples to emphasize the simplicity and pleasure in relationships.

“Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw” (40).

Step three: Using your annotations as a guide, write an analysis where every sentence has a literary point of value. Also, use your SOAPSTone components throughout the analysis (i.e. Speaker/Occasion: topic sentence; Audience/Purpose: concluding sentence).