2.2.4 What? So What? Now What?

When starting to do analysis of any text, it is always helpful to have a specific process to follow. A solid analysis process will ensure you are getting all the information necessary to understand the theme of the text you are viewing. For most of the texts in the course, you will be using a process of analysis that is a step-by-step chart, meant to help you deduce and arrive at the theme of the text you focus on.


Read through all the tabs below to gain an understanding of how the "What? So What? Now What?" analysis chart works so that you can use it for your assignments in the course that require you to seek and discover the theme of texts you read or view.

Use information in the following chart to help you analyze a text for possible themes.



What?

  • details
  • events
  • effects
  • ideas
 Consider the text:


  • What details and ideas are significant in this text?
  • What ideas do you get from key elements of this text?
  • What effects specific to this text support ideas?
  • What is the text creator's message about humanity?

  •  You can apply this to a section or to the entire text.
So What?

  • personal connection
  • another perspective
Explore relevance of the text to you:

  • How do you relate personally to ideas in this text, or how has this text affected you?
  • What memories or experiences did this text prompt?
  • What connection did you make with experiences of people you know?
  • What connection did you make with other texts?

You can apply this to a section or to the entire text.
Now what?

  • social connection
  • universal effect
 Explore relevance of the text to society or to the world:

  • How are the author's ideas relevant in the world today?
  • How are these ideas unfolding in the world around us?
  • Where are these ideas occurring? When? Why?

  • Are the issues important to all people?
  • If so, in what way are they important?
  • Who may be affected by these issues?

Applying "What? So What? Now What?" to a Visual

The "What? So What? Now What?" guide is a three-part strategy to lead you to theme. It can be applied to any visual "situation" or text (short stories, poetry, essays, etc.).

  1. What?


    What is it that you see? Make observations about the ideas and composition of the image:

  • View the entire picture carefully.
  • Make a note or draw arrows next to significant details you observe. These details may lead you to an idea or two in the visual.
  • Ideas about a similar topic may lead to one main idea, or theme, in the image. Determine whether the visual elements support that idea. If so, that likely is the photographer's message.
  • At the end of this stage, you should be able to identify important details in the visual, formulate an idea from those details of what the image is about, determine whether visual elements support that main idea, and formulate a statement of theme.


©Christopher Hill/NationalGeographic Creative

The first step in identifying theme in an image may be as simple as noticing an object, or expressing a thought or question about what you see? The process is similar to applying close reading strategies. Here is a suggestion of how to begin this process to see meaning in an image.


©Christopher Hill/National Geographic Creative

  1. So What?
Now that you have explored the details in the image and the ideas they may suggest (What?), the next step is to connect personally to that main idea.

  • How has this image affected you based on...
    • your memories or experiences triggered by the image?
    • experiences of people you know?
    • connections you made with other texts?
  • Making such connections enables you to consider various perspectives.

  1. Now What?
The last part of analyzing an image for theme involves determining if the text creator's ideas are relevant on a universal level.
  • How are the author's ideas relevant in the world today?
  • Are the issues important to all people?


View your virtual classmate Leanne's application of the What? So What? Now What? Chart to her exploration of the same visual text. Note the "messy" exploration work, similar to that in a close reading chart.