Chapter III · The Making: Close reading — Some praise tea that is glossy, black, and even —…
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The passage
“Some praise tea that is glossy, black, and even — that is the lowest judgment. Some praise what is wrinkled, yellow, and uneven — that is a middling judgment. But to call everything good or everything bad is the highest judgment.”
Close reading
In Chapter III · The Making, this passage works as a definition rather than a decoration. It sets the terms that the rest of the chapter will use.
The key phrase is “Some praise tea that is glossy, black, and even —…”. Read it slowly: what is being described, what is being judged, and what is being left out?
A close reading asks not only what the sentence says, but what it assumes about tea, tools, and the person drinking it.
Reading note
Read the passage once for the image, once for the judgment, and once for the practice it implies.
Practice
- Name one thing the passage asks you to notice.
- Compare it with a tea you know.
- Keep the question open.