The Best Insights Come From Digging Beneath The Surface
- This three-part formula is a simple framework that works every time:
- Claim: What you observe. ("The author employs…").
- Technique: The precise device (diction, alliteration, imperative).
- Purpose: The impact on meaning or reader (creates urgency, suggests isolation).
1. Claim (what we see)
- Start by making a claim about what the writer is doing.
- Think of this as your anchor.
- It should clearly state what’s happening in the quote or what the character/voice/scene reveals.
Example
- This is the visible tip of the iceberg, what the reader first notices.
- “The speaker presents war as a brutal and senseless experience.”
2. Technique (how it’s done)
- Now go deeper.
- What technique is being used to achieve that effect? Name it and be specific.
- Language: irony, metaphor, imperative, euphemism
- Structure: juxtaposition, fragmentation, pacing
- Visuals: contrast, composition, lighting
Example
- You're now beneath the surface, showing how the writer constructed that claim.
- “This is achieved through the use of jarring imagery as ‘blood slicked the sand’ and fragmented syntax through the 'Shots. Screams. Then silence’.”
3. Purpose (why it matters)
- This is the deepest layer: why did the writer do this?
- What’s the bigger message, emotion, or idea they want to leave us with?
Example
“The purpose is to reveal how war doesn’t just cause physical destruction. It corrodes identity, leaving soldiers alienated even from their own memories and sense of self.”
Tying It Together
- Essentially, What’s happening → How it’s done → Why it matters
- But let's see this in full:
"He used to whistle on the walk home. Now, he flinches at the sound of his own footsteps. The street hasn’t changed, but he has. Every window feels like it’s watching. Every silence is too loud."
Example
- Claim
- The narrator no longer experiences his environment as familiar or safe, revealing a deep internal transformation following trauma.
- Technique
- This shift is conveyed through juxtaposition as he “used to whistle” and “flinches," which externalize his inner paranoia.
- Purpose
- The writer uses this to illustrate how trauma warps perception. He turns everyday settings into sites of tension, highlighting that for some, the aftermath of violence is not a return to normalcy, but a permanent state of emotional hypervigilance.
