Example Quote Analysis

							                                 Sample Quote Analysis

Quote                   Story Element                     Importance
“Cold drafts swirled    Mood, Simile,  The story begins on a dark, cold night. This is
under the door. It      Foreshadowing, important because it immediately lets the reader
was only four           Suspense       know that this will be a bleak and sinister story.
o‟clock but, already                   It shows the reader that the night possesses a
outside the                            powerful, dark quality as it forces its way into
windows, it was as                     the room, and into the characters‟ lives. This is
black as if the sky                    important because it engages the reader‟s
had been drenched                      curiosity and therefore makes them want to read
in tar. The darkness                   the story. This is also important because it
had forced its way                     foreshadows an ominous threat. In this case, it
into the corners of                    will involve the brutality of the people that have
the room and under                     the „darkness‟ within them. By using the simile
the furniture. Here,                   that compares the darkness to an animal that is
it lay like a silent                   ready to pounce, it gives the darkness a vicious
animal, ready to                       quality. This is important because it gives the
pounce at the first                    reader the impression that at any moment the
opportunity.                           darkness could „pounce‟ on a character and take
Outside, a blizzard                    them over. This gives an element of suspense
tore at the frozen                     to the story because the reader is left to wait and
land” (Valgardson                      see who will fall prey to the darkness. This
299).                                  could also result in a character using the
                                       darkness within themselves for their own
                                       malicious purposes.




Note: You could also discuss pathetic fallacy, or relate the darkness to the effects of
alcohol/characters who are drinking, etc.
LEVEL R:
This quote creates a dark mood at the start of the story.

LEVEL 1:

This creates a sinister mood, right from the start of the story, by describing the weather
conditions as being cold and dark.

LEVEL 2:

This creates a sinister mood by describing the weather conditions as being cold and dark
The stark conditions create a sense of foreboding in the reader. The setting engages the
reader in the story by making them wonder what will happen to the characters who are
living in this place where darkness has “forced its way into the corners of the room”
(299).

LEVEL 3:

This creates a sinister mood by describing the weather conditions as being cold and dark
The stark conditions create a sense of foreboding in the reader. The setting engages the
reader in the story by making them wonder what will happen to the characters who are
living in this place where darkness has “forced its way into the corners of the room”
(299). This is also important because it foreshadows an ominous threat. In this case, it
will involve the brutality of the people that have the „darkness‟ within them. By using
the simile that compares the darkness to an animal that is ready to pounce, it gives the
darkness a vicious quality.

LEVEL 4:
This creates a sinister mood by describing the weather conditions as being cold and dark
The stark conditions create a sense of foreboding in the reader. The setting engages the
reader in the story by making them wonder what will happen to the characters who are
living in this place where darkness has “forced its way into the corners of the room”
(299). This is also important because it foreshadows an ominous threat. In this case, it
will involve the brutality of the people that have the „darkness‟ within them. By using
the simile that compares the darkness to an animal that is ready to pounce, it gives the
darkness a vicious quality. This is important because it gives the reader the impression
that at any moment the darkness could „pounce‟ on a character and take them over. This
gives an element of suspense to the story because the reader is left to wait and see who
will fall prey to the darkness. This could also result in a character using the darkness
within themselves for their own malicious purposes.