S.T.A.A.RS.
S Subject (one word – literal subject)
T Thematic Statement (what the writer says about the subject up to this point – one complete sentence)
A Attitude (tone; what the writer feels about the subject – 3 tone words)
A Audience (To whom is the passage addressed?)
RS Rhetorical Strategies (Choose one and cite it from the text)
Key elements to consider:
Diction – the specific words the writer uses and their connotations
Imagery – the way the writer uses the sense to create specific experiences (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile)
Language – formal or informal? The specific type of language style the writer selects (scientific, jargon, colloquial, slang, professional)
Irony – a use of language which involves an incongruity between what one would expect and what actually occurs
Metaphor – when an author makes a comparison between two unlike situations
Organization – the way the writer sets up his piece (a letter, a speech, enumeration of salient points)
Syntax – the sentence structure the writer chooses (includes punctuation, use of italics, spacing, complex and/or compound sentences, sentence length)
Allusion – when a writer refers to another situation (historical, mythical, biblical)
Symbol – when a word means more than what it is
Figurative Language – a way of saying one thing, yet meaning another. Several important ones are listed above. Others include personification, alliteration, simile, paradox, metonymy, hyperbole, understatement
Point of View – the perspective from which the story is told; first or third (limited, objective, omniscient)
Tone (attitude) – the way the author feels about the subject
Logos, pathos, and ethos – rhetorical strategies of logic, emotion, or ethics
Detail – the facts or examples a writer uses to prove his/her point
Satire – exaggeration of a situation to ridicule human folly
Remember – you can note the type of strategy a writer employs; however, unless you explain how that “tool” contributes to the meaning of the passage or novel, you might as well be naming parts of a horse. Don’t just name – EXPLAIN!
Write a paragraph explaining how the rhetorical strategy you chose contributes to the meaning of the passage following the format below.
T Thematic Statement -- including a TAG (title, author, genre)
E Evidence -- incorporate quotations from the text in a sentence which restates what you will explain; do not quote an entire sentences from the text; find the integral part of the sentence – the example of the literary element
A Analysis – explain how this strategy contributes to meaning of the overall passage
R Response – Your response (without using first person) to the passage
Example of a STAARS form from the essay “The Death of the Moth”
STAARS – “The Death of the Moth”
S -- the death of a moth
T -- the author’s observation of a moth fighting to stay alive and its final death
A -- pensive, compassionate, solemn
A -- educated people
RS -- diction “pity” “helplessness” “animation” “extraordinary”
Virginia Woolf’s philosophical essay “The Death of the Moth” pensively and compassionately describes the insignificant life of a moth and its struggle to beat a solemn death. In the essay, the author watches the “animation” of a moth and feels “pity” for its “helplessness” and its “extraordinary” struggle against death. The author’s word choice of “animation” creates a feeling of life and energy. It implies the moth living life to its fullest capacity within the boundaries that it has. The author feels “pity” for this moth, explain her benevolence and elevating the moth above humanity. She respects the moth’s hard struggle to stay alive which is something that most people are unaware of and find insignificant. The “extraordinary” struggle describes the remarkable and amazing fight the moth gives at the end, as death gets closer. This fills the author with compassion and respect. The essay describes the wonder of life and the unexpected events that change it and influence our views and emotions in our own lives.
*Ideas and handout from Diana Bjornson
Diction – the specific words the writer uses and their connotations
Imagery – the way the writer uses the sense to create specific experiences (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile)
Language – formal or informal? The specific type of language style the writer selects (scientific, jargon, colloquial, slang, professional)
Irony – a use of language which involves an incongruity between what one would expect and what actually occurs
Metaphor – when an author makes a comparison between two unlike situations
Organization – the way the writer sets up his piece (a letter, a speech, enumeration of salient points)
Syntax – the sentence structure the writer chooses (includes punctuation, use of italics, spacing, complex and/or compound sentences, sentence length)
Allusion – when a writer refers to another situation (historical, mythical, biblical)
Symbol – when a word means more than what it is
Figurative Language – a way of saying one thing, yet meaning another. Several important ones are listed above. Others include personification, alliteration, simile, paradox, metonymy, hyperbole, understatement
Point of View – the perspective from which the story is told; first or third (limited, objective, omniscient)
Tone (attitude) – the way the author feels about the subject
Logos, pathos, and ethos – rhetorical strategies of logic, emotion, or ethics
Detail – the facts or examples a writer uses to prove his/her point
Satire – exaggeration of a situation to ridicule human folly
Remember – you can note the type of strategy a writer employs; however, unless you explain how that “tool” contributes to the meaning of the passage or novel, you might as well be naming parts of a horse. Don’t just name – EXPLAIN!
Write a paragraph explaining how the rhetorical strategy you chose contributes to the meaning of the passage following the format below.
T Thematic Statement -- including a TAG (title, author, genre)
E Evidence -- incorporate quotations from the text in a sentence which restates what you will explain; do not quote an entire sentences from the text; find the integral part of the sentence – the example of the literary element
A Analysis – explain how this strategy contributes to meaning of the overall passage
R Response – Your response (without using first person) to the passage
Example of a STAARS form from the essay “The Death of the Moth”
STAARS – “The Death of the Moth”
S -- the death of a moth
T -- the author’s observation of a moth fighting to stay alive and its final death
A -- pensive, compassionate, solemn
A -- educated people
RS -- diction “pity” “helplessness” “animation” “extraordinary”
Virginia Woolf’s philosophical essay “The Death of the Moth” pensively and compassionately describes the insignificant life of a moth and its struggle to beat a solemn death. In the essay, the author watches the “animation” of a moth and feels “pity” for its “helplessness” and its “extraordinary” struggle against death. The author’s word choice of “animation” creates a feeling of life and energy. It implies the moth living life to its fullest capacity within the boundaries that it has. The author feels “pity” for this moth, explain her benevolence and elevating the moth above humanity. She respects the moth’s hard struggle to stay alive which is something that most people are unaware of and find insignificant. The “extraordinary” struggle describes the remarkable and amazing fight the moth gives at the end, as death gets closer. This fills the author with compassion and respect. The essay describes the wonder of life and the unexpected events that change it and influence our views and emotions in our own lives.
*Ideas and handout from Diana Bjornson
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