How to Make Assertions in Literature
The authors not only intend to tell a story in their work, but they often try to give a lesson which is not explicitly explained in the text. Literary assertions are the implied meanings which are assessed by thorough reading of the literature. It includes in-depth study of the work and connecting the different events which have been discussed by the author.
It is not compulsory that everyone will agree with your assertion as all the people don’t have same perception towards the things. Therefore, you should not try to find out your own assertion logically rather than extracting a common meaning from the literature.
Instructions
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You have to critically read the literature first. Keep some blank papers and a pen with you while reading in order to take notes of the particular incidents which have been discussed by the author. In addition, you should underline the words, sentences, metaphors and paragraphs which you think are important in the text. While reading, keep asking questions to your own self about the things which are happening as there is always some kind of a connection in the events which have been discussed in the literature.
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After reading the literature carefully and noting down the important points, certain questions will arise in your mind. Start finding answers to those questions in a logical way. It will be very important for you to understand the characters which have been discussed in the literature. Moreover, there will be a difference between the acts and perceptions of the characters, try to find out that difference so as to make good judgement about their expressions and to draw conclusion from it.
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You have to create good understanding about the social setting which has been created by the author in his work. Social setting is the overall environment which can be economical, political, religious or any other. If you manage to understand the implications of the social setting, you can assess the basis of perceptions and expressions of the characters.
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Then, you have to connect the moral lessons of the story to the nearest truths or assumptions which you find in your surroundings to come at a particular assertion. For instance, the possible assertion which can be drawn from ‘Les Miserables’ by Victor Hugo is that one can redeem himself from any crime by his good deeds.
