Three-Column Notes for Themes Discussion and Articultation

It can be difficult to identify, discuss, and write about thematic development in a piece of literature. 

• Themes deal with abstract, complex ideas. 
• Authors rarely provide direct commentary regarding these ideas, instead requiring the reader to discover, interpret, and draw conclusions about the text.
• Even when a reader has an interesting insight about the text, it can be extremely difficult to articulate this idea and clearly explain how it was reached.
• Because of the complexity of the ideas discussed and the inferences the reader has to make about implied meaning, conclusions about the meaning of the literature generally change as the reader progresses through the text and as they consider and discuss ideas with others

One useful approach to organizing thoughts, identifying evidence, and communicating conclusions can be the use of a three-column note format. 

• On the left, provide a passage from the text that you will focus on.
• In the middle, comment on the context and significance of the passage, focusing on the meaning of specific words or phrases
• On the right, comment on what this specific passage seems to be revealing about the issue at hand.