Three Formats For Discussion: A Quick Reminder
For a quick reminder of the differences between a restatement, description, and
interpretation [
Three Ways to Read and Discuss Texts
], consider the following nursery rhyme .
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
and everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
A restatement [
Restatement: Reading What A Text Says
] talks about the topic of the original text, Mary and the
lamb.
Mary had a lamb that followed here everywhere.
A description [
Description: Describing What A Text Does
] talks about the story.
The nursery rhyme describes a pet that followed its mistress everywhere.
The interpretation [
Interpretation: Analyzing What a Text Means
] talks about meaning within the story, here the idea of
innocent devotion.
An image of innocent devotion is conveyed by the story of a lamb's devotion to
its mistress. The devotion is emphasized by repetition that emphasizes the
constancy of the lamb's actions ("everywhere"…"sure to
go.") The notion of innocence is conveyed by the image of a young lamb,
"white as snow." By making it seem that this is natural and good,
the nursery rhyme asserts innocent devotion as a positive relationship.
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