TEAPCALIM - a method for textual analysis
The following acronym can help give you guidance as to what to look for in a text when asked to analyze. It does
not mean that you will end up discussing every single element of the acronym in your final writing but may help
point you in the right direction and make connections.
Text type - What text type is this?
- Commencement speech
Elements of the text type - How do we know it’s the text type identified?
- Humor (makes it less formal)
- Varied Structure Sentence
- Bond
- Personal Annecdotes – create sense of engagement and very speechy
- Attention Grabber – saying that he didn’t go to college
- Anaphora -
Audience - Who is this written for? Why is it written for them?
even deeper → How do we know it is written for them?
author tells = explicit
we find out = implicit (i.e. we can tell the audience is for children because of the use of
childish, simple words) → being able to identify an implicitly stated audience can help
you get more points
- General Audience: Stanford Graduates
- Stanford Uni graduates who are uncertain about their future.
Purpose - Why has the author written this? How do we know?
- The purpose of this speech is to let the students know that there will always be ups and
downs in your life and to find jobs that they truly love and have passion for
-
Context - Remember T-P-S → Time, Place, Situation
For even more points → In what ways are TPS important in helping audiences understand the
text/work?
- 2005 stanford graduation
Author - Who wrote this piece? Why is this important?
- Steve Jobs, to show credibility through the things he has accomplished. (Ethos)
Language - what of the following can you find?
- literary features
- rhetorical techniques
- persuasive techniques
o Methapor. (taste like medicine……)
o Logos
o Anaphora
- tone & mood
o Inspired, Optimistic
Once you identify some of the above, how can you relate these things to the purpose, context and
audience?
Image Analysis - Why is an image included? Why did the author choose this image? What is the focus of
the image? What mood is created? How would the audience react to the image?
Note: If your text includes an image, spend one of your paragraphs discussing the image.
Meaning - Why is the text important to the author? Why is this text important to society? Are there
allusions to other texts? What is the deeper significance of this text? Give your take of the deeper
significance of the piece of text.
Hint: Usually this “deeper meaning” will somehow relate to the guiding question.
After analyzing the text, see what ideas you can connect. Oftentimes, the elements of TEAPCALIM relate
to one another. For example:
- It says about his status in the school he’s speaking which gives him reassurance.
- Because it gives us a glimpse of the most successful man in the world
- It shows the struggles he went through, and it might give inspiration and motivation to the people
listening.
- To the listener: we are important that Steve Job came to speak to us.
● Text Type & Elements of text type usually relate
● Purpose and Meaning are usually connected to one another
● Language usually can reveal the audience of the text
● Image can relate to the context
When you make these connections, see how you can begin to formulate the structure of your essay, which
should be focused on the guiding question.
Planning your Paper 1 Guided textual analysis
Below is one method for structuring your Paper 1 Guided textual analysis.
- Broad overview of the text and its significance
- Identification of the text type and author
- Brief discussion of context
Introduction -Last sentence = thesis statement
(~100-200 words) (Through [topic of paragraph one], [topic of paragraph
two] and [topic of paragraph three], [author] is able to
[what is the author able to achieve in this text? This might be
linked to the guiding question].)
Point (topic sentence): What is the “big idea” about the
AUDIENCE, PURPOSE and CONTEXT of the text? What
Body Paragraph 1: Audience, connections can you make between these three things?
Purpose, Context
(~150-200 words) +
Textual Evidence to support your point
+
Explanation & Analysis - how the textual evidence supports the
point made at the beginning of the paragraph and how it is tied to
your thesis statement
Point (topic sentence): Make an argument/claim about a language
feature (symbols, organization/structure (syntax, title, progression
of ideas, text type, grammar), diction and tone, atmosphere,
imagery, figurative language (personification, simile, metaphors,
allusions, alliteration, assonance, irony, anaphora, antithesis, etc)
Body Paragraph 2-4
(~200 words/paragraph) +
Textual Evidence to support your point
+
Explanation & Analysis - how the textual evidence supports the
point made at the beginning of the paragraph and how it is tied to
your thesis statement
- Restate thesis in a different way
- Draw own conclusions on text (but don’t use 1st person). Questions
Conclusion to help you answer this:
(~100-200 words) Is the text relevant today?
Does the text achieve its purpose?
What is the deeper meaning of the text?
What is the significance of this text to the author? To
society?
