Individual Oral Commentary

What a commentary is:

A close examination of a poem or passage in which the student makes salient
comments on the craftsmanship of the writer. This craftsmanship is demonstrated in
the work that the student examines.
A discussion of literary effects achieved in the passage and how they are achieved. (In
other words, use the passage to prove that the author used specific techniques to
create an artistic effect).
A culminating activity reflecting a student's understanding of the authors purpose in
a given work.
15 minutes (

What a commentary IS NOT:

NOT an unveiling of "what the author really means."
NOT a paraphrase or a summary of the work (although a summary might be included in
your commentary).
NOT an introduction to the work.
How
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To Prepare Literary Commentary

Relax.
Read the poem or passage slowly and carefully.
Read it again and jot down your first, gut-level response to the text. Don't analyze
it or question it; just get it down.
Read it again and underline any words or phrases that strike you for any reason.
Maybe they seem important, create an image, indicate symbols, or foreshadow
events.
Read it again and look for patterns, repetitions, or connections among the things
you underlined. Make notes that indicate what you see.
Write down (on scrap paper) what the passage evokes in you. Include examples.
Use this to determine a possible theme of the text.
Write down (on scrap paper) how the text or parts of the text develop the theme,
or how they advance the theme. DO NOT GIVE A PLOT SUMMARY.
Write down (on scrap paper) how the author's style or technique advances the
theme.
Review all your notes, underlined words, and writings; and organize the
information. Discard what you don't need or can't use. Get the raw information into
an organized form.
If the commentary is written, go ahead and start writing. If it is oral, make a brief
outline of what you will say. Remember, do not read your oral commentary straight
from your notes!
Arrange your commentary in a way that feels natural to you and makes sense.
Use specific quotes from the passage where you can.
In orals, speak calmly--don't rush. Don't try to sound sophisticated; just be yourself.
Don't worry about the tape recorder--it's there to evaluate the teacher, not you.

Things That Should Go In Your Commentary

Make sure you do as much of the following as you can in your commentary:
i. Briefly summarize the passage as a whole (Do NOT paraphrase the entire poem
line-by-line);
ii.
If it's a passage from Shakespeare, set it in the context of the rest of the play;

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Identify and discuss key words, lines, images, symbols, motifs, word choice,
repetitions, sounds, and structure;
Talk or write about characters, theme, events, narrative voice, tone, the author's
style, use of time, atmosphere, irony, humor, contrasts, etc.;
Explain what poetic devices are used (if any);
Answer the guiding questions.

Ten Key Tips

i. Focus. Don't begin a commentary without having a clear idea where you are going
and what you are going to say. "Begin with the End in mind." It is critical that you
learn to zero in on one or two critical focal points. Determine which are the key
ideas and build your commentary around them. If you repeat some of the themes
or main ideas throughout your commentary, it will be more coherently.
ii.
Organize. In order to sound coherent, you have to sound organized. In order to
sound organized, there must be a loose hierarchy or order of ideas in your
commentary. Your focal points and key words will help you sound prepared and
organized, rather than careless and haphazard.
iii.
Engage. Come to grips with the passage. To do this, you must do several careful
readings of the passage--preferably with colored pens or pencils. In other words,
engage the material in a serious, thoughtful manner. To do this, you must engage
the material on both intellectual and emotional levels. Engage means to give
yourself over to, to involve yourself, to enter into conflict, to take part, to be active,
to entangle, to be voluntarily committed and personally involved.
iv.
Emote. Inject some emotion, opinion, something of yourself and your beliefs into
your commentary. In other words, don't be boring.
v. Assert. Be mildly aggressive and assertive. This is your chance to show off what
you know. Don't be cocky and arrogant, be DO be confident, energetic, and stylish.
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Communicate. Use an appropriate register. Don't use too many colloquialisms,
slang expressions, etc. On the other hand, don't use a 25-cent word when a 10cent word will do. You may be using that big, impressive-sounding word incorrectly,
or you may be sounding like a pompous ass.
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Cohere. Comment on literary devices and techniques, but not at the expense of
meaning and coherence.
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Build. Build outward from the passage in concentric circles. One thing IB
examiners want to know is how you make meaning out of the text. But do this only
at the end after you've dealt with the passage in a thorough manner--relating the
importance of the passage to the work as a whole.
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Think. Discuss the passage in a manner that makes you come off as thoughtful
and intelligent. But don't be afraid to be original, independent, and creative.
Parting Shots
i. "The student must discuss how the author creates the effect."
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"An effective commentary will probably discuss the artist/author's strengths and
weaknesses."
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"The student should be able to discuss not only what a character does, but also
how the author elicits our response." The ability to do this is what separates the
puppies from the kitties.
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"The student must be able to discuss the underlying or universal values."
v. "The student must personalize their response to the passage. They have to
respond to it and enter into it in an engaged manner."

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"We do not want set patterns or prepared responses. We want a fresh, lively, clear,
involved, sprightly, engaged response. We are looking for 'signs of life.'"
"The student must talk about not only 'what' is said, but 'how' it is said."
"The student must be precise in his or her use of language and must be able to
make careful distinctions."