A close reading is evaluating ones expression through writing. It is taking that extra step of not just seeing and hearing, but processing and interpreting what the author is meaning. A close reading also entails taking context into consideration. The beauty of writing is the ability to have imagination and interpret things in different ways. To be able to have discussions about a piece and share different opinions about what the author is thinking and feeling. At the end of the day, the author came up with their writing for a reason. Whether that reason be social, cultural, personal, political, internal or external forces- they created their writing based off emotions, context, opinions. It is the job as a closer "reader" to break that down, move past the words, and truly understand the 360 degree view of the writing.
As I engage in close readings, I am definitely learning more about myself as a writer. To begin, I have learned how much you can discover by writing and simply getting all your thoughts out on paper. I did a close reading on my brothers poem, and feel that I understand his opinions and montions more than I would have just listening to the poem one time. I also wonder if he truly recognizes all that he is "saying" in this poem. Does he realize the iner-working and forces that drove him to create this piece? I think a lot of subconcious feelings can come out in writing, and may not be obvious. However a close reading allows you to, at the very least, begin to discover this. It also makes me want to do a close reading on any of my work before submitting it. Who knows what others will draw from my writing-perhaps things that I did not even know I felt/intended to expess.
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