Description

Description

Like paying attention, description is a subjective act. When you “describe the features of a text,” you are giving a name to what you see, defining each feature as a particular kind of thing. In doing so, it’s important to remember that you’re also saying what you think each of these features is not. Every act of description, in other words, is an act of selection, requiring you to make choices about the best way to characterize what you see. To understand how this process works, you need to consider the reasons behind the choices you make. What words do you use to describe different textual elements? Why choose these words and not others? What would be different if you were to choose different words to describe these things?