Summarize the following:
If you are reading a piece of literature with the purpose of critiquing it internally rather than for an essay, you should begin with understanding the cultural milieu of the piece. Knowing the social context of a written work boosts your understanding of the vocabulary, setting, and character motivations, all of which are critical for forming an accurate critique. Bring a highlighter or pen with you to your reading sessions, and mark words you don’t understand. Looking them up in a dictionary as you read will increase your understanding of the text, just as knowing the cultural milieu in which the text was written does. Once you begin reading, consider the significance of the title. Ask yourself why the author chose this title. Is it a simple title, merely relating the main setting or object, such as the title of the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”? If so, why would the author understate the work so much? Questioning the title helps in determining the main theme and contributes to a more accurate critique. Thinking about the title will help you determine the main theme of the work. Determining the main theme provides a trunk from which the branches of the rest of your examination of the text will spring. You will look at the elements of literature of this text, and knowing what theme they should be pointing to helps you to critique how well the author accomplishes this. Examine the elements of the piece of literature you’re reading by exploring how each element is presented in the text. Identify examples of each element and determine how each relates to the main theme. You may want to write down where these connections take place in order to organize your thoughts.  Setting—description of the surroundings. Plot—events of the text. Characters—the motivations and depth of each character, such as how much they change or don’t change as a result of the events. Characters can be people, objects, even ideas (especially in poetry). Conflict—the opposition that the main character encounters and its climax and resolution. Themes—what the narrator observes about human nature. Point of view—the way that a character thinks, whether it is curious, condescending, etc. Can also be the perspective the text is told, whether in first person, third person, etc. Tone—the way the text feels, whether sad, happy, angry, apathetic, etc. Symbols—objects, people, or places that repeat consistently throughout the story and seem to represent another abstract idea. Once you have analyzed the different elements of the text, you may form an interpretation based on your analyses. This interpretation could be that the author could have done a better job, that the author is profound, that some elements of the text connect to modern society in an interesting way, etc.  You may want to write down your interpretation of the work at this point, as it is an excellent springboard into a thesis statement, if you end up needing to write a paper about this text. You can review outside sources such as peer reviewed articles and books to verify that your interpretation is accurate or needs work.

Summary:
Look up the author and cultural context. Highlight and look up words and passages you don’t understand. Investigate the meaning of the title. Decide on the central theme. Examine components of the work. Form an interpretation of the work.