CUR 140 : "Interpretation Module #3"
Selected Passages From 1 and 2 Samuel

 

There are three passages to choose from in this assignment. They are: 1 Sam 13:1-15, 2 Sam 7:1-17, and 2 Sam 11:27b - 12:14. Read all of them, and choose one to explore in detail.

For whichever passage you choose, begin by answering the following questions. All responses must be typed.

A. Pre-Text: do you know anything about the characters or events described in the story before you've begun looking at it closely? How might this pre-knowledge shape your expectations?


B. Text (note: each section should be fairly brief-- no more than 1 paragraph for each section)

  1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT: from Harris, class notes, or the HCSB, what was the situation when the text was written? What historical situation is it describing? How do these two historical situations differ, and how might the difference shape the text?
  2. LITERARY CONTEXT: what has happened in the chapters preceding this passage? What happens in the chapters following the passage? Given that context, would you describe the passage as part of the main narrative thread, or as an interruption of some sort? Why? More importantly, how does this passage function as a part of the larger context of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel.
  3. GET A SENSE OF WHO IS WHO: who are the characters in the text? Which ones would you describe as "major" characters ­ and why would you describe them this way? Which would are "minor" characters ­ and why do you think they are minor? Considering both what is stated within the text and what you can infer from the text, how are characters related to one another? Which characters have "good" relationships with each other, and which ones do not? On what basis do you come to these conclusions?
  4. GET A SENSE OF HOW THE TEXT MOVES: Outline the action or the plot in the passage. As you develop your outline as if there are there any repetitions or breaks (odd shifts in action, focus, etc.) in the text? Ask if the story have an "introduction", a "body," and a "conclusion"? Do you see significant or noticeable turning points in the action? You do not have to include the answers to these questions in your outline, but the answers should influence your outline.
  5. ASK QUESTIONS: What do you think is the main point of the text? How does this point fit into its literary context? Are there things that the text leave unexplained (are they left unexplained elsewhere in the books of Samuel)? Is there any other information that you as a reading feel that you still need? If so, can you find from the literary or historical context? If not, why do you think this is left out of the text. (note: this section can consist of short statements or "bullets."

C. Post-text: Based on the observations above, IF you were to write a short paper interpreting a well-defined issue in the passage, what would your thesis statement be? You thesis statement should be well-defined and yet allow you (again, IF you were to write a short paper) to address some of the major themes in the passage. After you write your thesis statement, list a few (up to 4 or 5) ideas or text-based points that you would use to support your thesis statement.