SIFTSEI
Method for analysis
The art of analysis is
literally the act of
separating a whole into
parts in order to
understand that whole.
SIFTSEI is a tool for analysis. It helps
us identify the major elements and
literary devices that the author uses
to convey their message.
S -Sense
Whats it about?
Paraphrasing the text.
Remember that the theme of a work of
literature is the comment that the
author makes about his or her subject,
a revelation generally about the title.
Theme is the insight we gain from
thinking about what we have read. To
determine the theme, first identify
and be able to thoroughly describe
the major elements of that work:
Plot
Characterisation
Point of view
Setting
Patterns, symbols and recurring images
I - Intention
Why was this work written? What is
the author trying to tell us? What is
the purpose of this work?
More importantly How do I know this?
What words tell me? How can I SHOW
you what the authors intention is?
F - Feeling
How does this work make you feel
about the content on a personal level?
What makes you feel this way?
How does the author manage to evoke
these emotions in the reader? What
devices does the author use?
T - Tone
What tone or voice has the author used to
convey his or her message?
Nostalgic Tone: reveals a kind of homesickness for the
past, a desire to return to the good old days.
Sentimental Tone: identifies that which is affectedly or
extravagantly emotional instead of rational. It may also
reveal romantic feelings.
Moralizing tone: attempts to explain or interpret good or
bad features of something. It is explicitly and clearly trying
to reform. There is no subtlety.
Cynical tone: reveals a sense of helplessness or
hopelessness toward life a feeling that nothing can be
changed, that evil will prevail, that man is basically selfish
and incapable of being reformed.
S Style and Symbols
What style does the author employ and
how does this affect the work as a whole?
Style in literature is the literary element
that describes the ways that the author
uses words the authors word choice,
sentence structure, figurative language and
sentence arrangement all work together to
establish mood, images and meaning in the
text. Style describes how the author
describes events, objects and ideas.
Symbols
What symbols or symbolic concepts are evident
in the work and how do they influence it?
A symbol is something that represents
something else, either by association or by
resemblance. It can be a material object or a
written sign used to represent something
invisible.
In writing symbolism is the use of a word, a
phrase or a description, which represents a
deeper meaning than the words themselves.
This kind of extension of meaning can transform
the written word into a very powerful instrument.
E - Emotions
What mood or emotions are evoked by
the authors use of language, imagery
and literary or poetic devices?
Look for alliteration, assonance, emotive
language, colloquial, slang, jargon,
neologism, clich, rhetorical questions
words used deliberately to create an
emotional response. Emotive language is
particularly common in poetry in which
language is at its most condensed and
evocative.
Imagery
How does the author use figurative
language to represent objects or
situations that appeals to our physical
senses.
Look for the use of simile, metaphor,
onomatopoeia and personification.
