Guide for reading and annotating IB texts

Reading and annotating essential texts by yourself is one of the most important aspects of your IB English course. Due to the intense nature of the IB, there is not
enough time to go through each text page by page with your teacher; instead, lesson time should be spent “deep diving” into key micro-aspects of the text. As a
result, it is essential that you read, process and annotate key texts before you start studying them in class.

In order to complete this process, we have put together a handy guide to help you focus your annotations around key authorial choices - this will help you to
approach both Paper 2 and the Independent Oral in a much more effective and efficient way.

The most important aspect you should be considering with all of your annotations for the authorial choices is “What is the intended emotional or intellectual
impact upon the reader?”

Authorial Choice What can I pick out? How might a reader react? Example

Themes Themes are the ”big ideas” of the text that the
author wants the reader to consider.
Authors will usually introduce these themes at
the beginning of the text.
They will use all of their authorial choices to
explore these themes throughout the text.
They will ultimately resolve the text in a way
that positions the reader towards a certain belief
regarding the key themes - the author’s overall
intent.
Readers will respond to thematic elements
by first reacting to how the themes are
presented.
Over the course of the text, readers will be
shown different sides to these big ideas by
noticing patterns within the different
authorial choices. They will also notice how
the different themes intertwine over the
course of the text. This will create different
emotional or intellectual effects.
Finally, the readers will be left with a final
thought or feeling as to how the themes
have been resolved.
In “The Catcher in the Rye,” Salinger explores key themes of
alienation, adulthood, and mental health.
Salinger explores each theme by repeatedly making authorial
choices regarding symbols, setting, characterisation, structure
and perspective. (See below.)
By the end of the novel Salinger resolves the key themes
through a final sequence where the main character comes to a
realisation about his own alienation, his adulthood and his
mental health.
The effect on the reader is that they are forced to confront their
own alienation, their perspective on adulthood as well as their
own mental health. Ultimately this comforts the reader as they
realise that they are not alone in feeling this way about their
lives.

Key symbols / Authors will often use key symbols or
metaphors metaphors that directly relate to key themes or
ideas within the text.
Usually these metaphors are introduced early in
the text and then are returned to throughout the
narrative in order to illustrate different ideas.
Readers will respond to key symbols and
metaphors by recognising them as part of a
pattern of imagery used to illustrate the
authors ideas.
Depending on the symbols or metaphors
used in the text, the reader will react
intellectually or emotionally. This will help
the author achieve their purpose.
In “The Catcher in the Rye,” Salinger repeatedly explores the
theme of alienation through the repeated symbol of Holden
“disappearing”.
Holden begins to feel like he is “disappearing” at the start of
the novel and by the end of the narrative he begs for someone
to not “let me disappear!” This reflects how Holden believes
that he is so alienated from society and his family that he is
almost ceasing to exist.
 Setting Authors will often use setting as a means to
communicate their ideas to the reader.
Pathetic fallacy and the foreshadowing of future
events are common techniques used by
authors.
Settings can also function on a symbolic level
as they can be associated with key themes.
Characterisation As characters are one of the main ways of
communicating themes, authors will often use
characterisation to help shape the reader’s
emotional and intellectual responses.
Characterisation is either:
● Direct (when the narrator or another
character tells us about a character
in question)
● Indirect (where the reader has to
look for clues about a character’s
traits or motivations.)
Authors may also depend upon (or subvvert)
traditional character types in order to
manipulate the reader’s reaction.
Structure / Form Authors will often use traditional structures and
forms to present their ideas to the reader.
Authors can also subvert traditional structures
and forms depending on what their intent is.
Perspective Authors will use different perspectives to
position the reader in order to achieve their
purposes. The main aspects of perspective are:
● 1st person - the reader experiences
the narrative from the character’s
persepctive
● 2nd person - the narrator talks
directly to the reader
● 3rd person - the reader observes the
characters from a distance
In addition, the author will use perspective to
focus on different aspects of the narrative in
order to guide the reader, perhaps by zooming
in to small details, or by shifting perspective of
focus to create effects.
Authors will use pathetic fallacy to create
emotional responses within the reader,
usually in anticipation of an upcoming
event.
Similarly, foreshadowing creates intellectual
and emotional anticipation in the reader,
helping the author to better focus the
reader on their chosen themes.
An essential part of reading relies on the
reader’s reaction towards the characters
within texts. At a basic level, readers will
decide whether they like characters or not
and therefore will align with, or against,
characters and their views.
At more sophisticated levels, authors will
attempt to manipulate readers’ emotional
and intellectual reactions by adopting, or
subverting, established conventions of
character.
Traditional structures and forms enable the
reader to better understand the author’s
ideas as they are already familiar with the
patterns of communication.
By subverting traditional forms and
structures, authors can surprise and
challenge readers’ expectations.
Depending on the use of perspective,
readers will have emotional or intellectual
responses to what the author has created.
In “The Catcher in the Rye,” Salinger frequently refers to the
“frozen” pond where the ducks live. The “frozen” pond is
symbolic of Holden’s mental health - he is metaphorically
“frozen” or trapped in his depression.
At the end of the novel the “frozen” pond is beginning to thaw,
just as Holden himself is beginning to open up to his sister.
The reader links the description of the setting to the events of
the novel and finds a pattern emerging.
In “The Catcher in the Rye,” Salinger uses Holden’s
descriptions of people to characterise them. For example,
Holden describes Stradlater as a “bastard” as well as implying
he is used to sexually assaulting girls in his car. This forces the
reader to dislike Stradlater intensely and, in turn, aligns us
more closely with Holden and his views.
In “The Catcher in the Rye,” Salinger surprises the reader by
subverting the traditional conventions of a novel. Rather than
beginning with an exposition that sets the context of the
narrative, Holden says he will not have that “David Copperfield
kind of crap” and instead begins his narrative as a teenager.
This surprises the reader and forces them to search for clues
to Holden’s past within the rest of the novel.
In “The Catcher in the Rye,” Salinger surprises the reader by
having Holden talk directly to them in 2nd person: “If you really
want to hear about it.” This perspective has the effect of
turning Holden into an unreliable narrator as he tells us he is
“the most terrific liar.” In addition, it forces the reader to
consider their role within the narrative as it makes them
wonder if they are either an inmate to the psychiatric hospital,
or a psychologist there.