SOAPSTone SOAPStone is an acronym for a series of questions to ask yourself when reading a piece of text. It stands for Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, and Tone.
Who is the Speaker? Does the voice belong to a fictional character? Or does it belong to the authors themselves? Is there more than one speaker? What do you know about this person from historic references or from what you’ve previously read? How does this background information form his or her opinions? What can you tell or what do you know about the speaker that helps you understand the point of view expressed? The speaker and his or her characteristics play a defining part in the meaning of a work of literature.
What is the Occasion? What called the creator of the piece to put pen to paper? What is the time and place of the text? What caused this text to be written? Is there a later occasion that gives the piece different or larger meaning? Identify the context of the text. Most of the time, immediate occasions are designed to trigger a response from the audience.
Who is the Audience? The group of readers to whom this piece is directed. Can there be more than one? Who is the audience? Specifically, what group of readers is this piece directed towards? What would be the ideal audience for this piece of literature? Does the speaker specify an audience? What does the author assume about the intended audience? Understanding the audience of a literary work can often help decipher the meaning behind it.
What is the Purpose? For what reason did the author write this piece? What does the author want to accomplish when addressing the audience with his or her work? Ultimately, why was this piece written? What did the author want the audience to think or do as a result of reading this text? What is the message? How does the speaker convey this message? This is perhaps the most important letter in the acronym to consider when analyzing text. It can singlehandedly unlock the meaning of a work.
What is the Subject? What is the piece about specifically? How do you know? What was the intended task the author was trying to accomplish when writing his or her piece? What topic, content, and ideas are included in the text? How does the author present the subject? Does he introduce it immediately or do you, the reader, have to make an inference? Summarizing this in a few words or sentences can help build your comprehension of the text you are studying.
What is the Tone? What is his or her attitude towards the actions unfolding in their work? How is the tone conveyed in the author’s syntax (construction of sentences), diction (word choice), and imagery (similes, metaphors, other types of figurative language)? Is the author emotional? Objective? Angry? How would you read the passage aloud if you were the author? What details “tell” the author’s feelings about the topic? What words, phrases, imagery, examples, etc. reveal the tone? The author’s tone says a lot about his or her work, and why he or she may have written it in the first place.