Come si fa la PARAFRASI

Summary

This video explains the concept of paraphrasing, particularly in relation to poetry. Paraphrasing involves rewriting a poem in simpler, more understandable prose without altering its meaning. It differs from a commentary, as it avoids personal interpretation or explanation. The process includes simplifying complex or outdated terms, maintaining the original meaning, and restructuring sentences for clarity. The video also covers common challenges in paraphrasing, such as dealing with rhetorical devices, complex structures, and poetic language, providing practical tips for creating a clear and accurate version of the original text.

Takeaways

• 😀 Paraphrasing is the process of rewriting a poetic text in simpler, prose form while preserving the original meaning.
• 😀 The goal of paraphrasing is not to translate the poem but to make it more understandable without changing its essence.
• 😀 Paraphrasing involves replacing complex, outdated, or overly poetic terms with simpler and more common language.
• 😀 It is important to maintain the original meaning of the text when paraphrasing; the goal is clarity, not to alter the poem.
• 😀 Paraphrasing is different from providing commentary, as it does not include personal opinions, explanations, or interpretations.
• 😀 The paraphrase should follow the same structure as the original, especially maintaining the same perspective (e.g., first person).
• 😀 Key elements of paraphrasing include simplifying vocabulary, reordering sentences for better clarity, and explaining metaphors.
• 😀 When paraphrasing, one may need to adjust sentence structure, making it more straightforward by following a subject-verb-complement format.
• 😀 Figures of speech in poetry should be 'unpacked' or clarified, such as turning metaphors into more literal expressions (e.g., 'golden hair' becomes 'hair shining like gold').
• 😀 The paraphrased version should preserve all elements of the original text, without omitting or adding content that wasn't part of the original poem.

Q & A

What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is the act of rewriting a text, particularly a poetic text, in simpler prose while maintaining the original meaning. The goal is to make the text more understandable without altering its essence.

How is paraphrasing different from translating a poem?

Paraphrasing is not a translation of a poem. While translation involves converting the text from one language to another, paraphrasing involves rewriting the same text in simpler language while preserving its meaning.

Why is it important to distinguish between paraphrasing and commenting on a text?

Paraphrasing should not include personal opinions, interpretations, or explanations. The task is to rewrite the original text in a simpler form, whereas a comment might involve subjective insights or analyses.

What role does paraphrasing play in understanding complex texts?

Paraphrasing helps readers comprehend difficult texts, such as epic poems or complex poetry, by breaking down complicated language and making the ideas more accessible.

What is the basic process for paraphrasing a poetic text?

The first step is to fully understand the original text. Next, identify complex, archaic, or overly poetic words and replace them with simpler, more common synonyms. The structure of the sentence may also need to be adjusted for clarity.

What should be avoided in a paraphrase?

In a paraphrase, you should avoid adding new ideas, interpretations, or changing the meaning of the text. The goal is to maintain the original message while simplifying the language.

What should be done if the original text uses figures of speech or rhetorical devices?

Figures of speech like metaphors or rhetorical devices should be explained or 'unpacked' in the paraphrase. For example, metaphors should be rephrased into clear, literal language.

How should metaphors or figurative language be treated in a paraphrase?

Metaphors and figurative language should be 'unpacked' or explained in simpler terms. For example, a metaphor like 'golden hair' should be changed to 'shining hair' to clarify its meaning.

What are some common challenges in paraphrasing poetic texts?

Common challenges include maintaining the original meaning while simplifying the language, handling complex or archaic words, and reordering sentences to make the text more readable without altering the original intent.

How do you handle complex sentence structures in paraphrasing?

When paraphrasing complex sentences, it’s important to break them down into simpler parts, often by reordering the sentence structure to follow a straightforward subject-predicate-object format for clarity.