Paraphrase vs. Close Reading

Most of the class wrote paraphrases on Wed. A paraphrase simply restates what the text literally says. No intelligent reader could disagree with a paraphrase. A lot of paraphrases had no quotes. In your formal essays, the very best paraphrase would earn no better than a D.

Close reading requires you to look at specific words/phrases to see what value judgments they lead readers to; thoughtful readers might disagree about this.  The value judgment is the reader's, not the character's, although the two might coincide. 

In your formal essays, even the most chaotic attempt at close reading, even something barely coherent, will earn a higher grade than the most accurate paraphrase.