HEURISTIC FOR ANALYZING A TEXT

Your name:

salimata lala fall

Title of the text:

a girl like me

Genre:

multimedia

1.NOTICINGSWhat do you notice about the text?

2.ANALYSIS QUESTIONSList the elements that

3.CONTEXTUAL CONNECTIONS Who

Describe it in as much detail as possible; use objective,

nonjudgmental descriptors:

make up the work, and then raise questions about the choices
the artist / author/ creatormade while developing the text.

created the text? Did one person produce it? a team? an

organization or corporation? What medium is used to
communicate the texts message?

The people interviewed are african american

females
the children are very young
the dolls are similar except the color

What is the significance of the year the

documentary was made?

This is a short documentary, one person made it.

It also incorporates clippings of Davis ' polling the children

how does the different clips of children help

prove davis' thesis

Brainstorm a list of the texts connections to social, cultural,

and/or historical contexts.

Culture- how the african american community views

themselves and their culture

the hesitation in the children's face when

reacting
Why does davis interview african american females and not male

Social- how the african american community is

influenced by society and their values
Historical- how the doll test dates back to the 1960
and the test results is similar decades later

4.TOUCHSTONES Describe the texts audience, and

5.INQUIRY-GUIDEDWONDERINGS

6.POSSIBLE LINES OF INQUIRY Begin

then list the rhetorical devices (logical, emotional, and/ or ethical

appeals) the creator of the text employs to enhance the
plausibility of his/her message.

Review the notes in boxes one through four. Circle the ideas or
questionsthat you find especially compelling. Use this space to
generate more questions orto explore the thoughts in more detail.

drafting an inquiry question, a generative, open-ended question

that will guide the analysis. Usually, such questions begin with
how or what.

What is the significance of the childrens young

age

What does kiri davis' documentary and remake of

the doll test suggest about the self esteem issues in
the African Amerrican community?

The text appeals to ones emotions, no one wants to see

children especially uncomfortable in their skin

What is the importance of it being a documentary or film