explication
write a short explication on a certain passage in the play. Your explication will be based on a section in the play of your choice. If you wish to focus on a short stanza, that is completely fine; however, make sure that you have content to create your analysis. Word limit: at least 200 words.
*Adapted from UCLA:
*WHAT IS AN EXPLICATION?
Your explication should do as many of the following as possible:
- Name the work and the author; identify the speaker and/or characters involved; briefly explain the context of the passage (where it occurs in the work, and any important incidents associated with it) and the cultural/social/political issue that you will examine.
- Assert an argument about how the passage illustrates the novel’s attitude toward or stance on a specific issue. Support this argument by pointing to literary characteristics (sentence structure, figurative language, imagery, tone, plot, word choice) that elucidate the meanings of the passage and/or the work as a whole. Be specific. Refer to (and quote) specific words and phrases.
- Support your argument by explaining how the passage is significant in relation to the whole work.
- Do NOT merely summarize or paraphrase the passage.
- Do NOT feel like you need to cover everything or list all that you’ve found—you will usually have to focus on a few significant details in order to write in paragraph form. Focus on the specifics that support your argument.
