RESPONSE to LITERATURE Analyzing a Theme TAKE NOTES

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RESPONSE to LITERATUREAnalyzing a ThemeTAKE
NOTES
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To analyze means to break down a topic into
smaller parts and determine how the parts relate
to one another.
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Sportswriters are often asked to analyze sporting
events.
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For example, a baseball writer may break down a
particular game according to three main parts
fielding, pitching, and hitting and then
determine how each part contributed to a teams
overall performances.
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ObjectiveAnalyze the theme or main point of a
short story.
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You will base your essay on a close examination
of two key elements the plot (key events) and
characterization (the thoughts and actions of the
main character).
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Writing GuidelinesSubject A short
storyForm EssayPurpose To analyze a
theme Audience Classmates
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Writing Warm-Up Finding Themes
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In literature, the theme is usually a lesson
learned or a statement about life.
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Sometimes the theme is openly stated in the story
but more often it is not.
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In some long pieces of literature, there may be
more than one significant theme.
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One way to think about literary themes is to
consider lessons that are often learned from
experience.
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For example, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout
Finch learns not to prejudge people.
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Study the following cluster of life lessons. Some
of these lessons are familiar proverbs.
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Writing an Analysis Paragraph
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You can analyze the theme of a short story in one
paragraph.
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In the topic sentence, name the title, author,
and theme of the story.
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In the body sentences, focus on the actions of
the main characters.
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In the closing sentence, explain how these
actions reveal the theme.
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SAMPLE PARAGRAPH ANALYSIS
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Gift Giving
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The theme of The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
is love means making sacrifices. The main
characters actions and decisions support this
theme. A husband and wife named Jim and Della
want to give each
The topic sentence introduces the author, the
story, and the theme.
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other a special holiday gift, even though they
are poor. Della wants to give Jim a gold chain
for his gold watch, and Jim wants to give Della a
set of expensive combs for her beautiful, long
hair. Jim and Della both sacri-
The sentences in the body focus on the main
characters actions.
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fice something they treasure. Dellas prized
possession is her hair, but she has it cut and
sells it to a wig maker so she can afford to buy
a gold chain for Jims watch. Jims prized
possession is his gold
The sentences in the body focus on the main
characters actions.
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watch, but he sells it to buy Della special combs
for her hair. When they open their gifts, each of
them realizes the sacrifice that the other has
made. In the end, their best gift is knowing that
they love each other
The closing sentence analyzes the theme.
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so much that they would sacrifice their prized
possessions for one another.
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Understanding Your Goal
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Your goal is to write an essay that analyzes a
short story in order to reveal its main theme.
The following chart lists the key traits of such
an essay.
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TRAITS OF A RESPONSE TO LITERATURE
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ideas

• Write a thesis statement that explains your
  interpretation of theme of the story. Then select
  specific details to support the statement.

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organization

• Write clear beginning, middle, and ending
  paragraphs. Use transitions to effectively
  connect sentences and paragraphs.

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voice

• Sound interested in, and knowledgeable about, the
  story you are analyzing.

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Word choice

• Quote words and phrases from the story that
  support the theme. Use literary terms that reveal
  your understanding of the story.

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Sentence fluency

• Write sentences that read well and flow smoothly.

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conventions

• Correct all punctuation, capitalization,
  spelling, and grammar errors.

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6 ideas The ideas show a complete understanding of the reading. 5 The essay has a clear focus statement and necessary supporting details.
Organization All the parts work together to create an insightful essay.
Voice The voice expresses interest and complete understanding. It engages the reader.
Word Choice The word choice reflects careful thinking about the reading.
Sentence Fluency The sentences in the essay make the ideas really stand out.
Conventions Grammar and punctuation are correct, and the copy is free of all errors.
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PREWRITING
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1. Select an interesting story, one that you have
recently read and enjoyed.
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2. Identify a main theme in the story.
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3. Looking at the beginning, middle, and ending
of the story, find the key plot events and the
characters actions that reveal the main theme.
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4. Write a clear thesis statement about the theme.
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5. Decide how to organize the information in your
middle paragraphs.
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6. Write a topic sentence for each middle
paragraph.
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Prewriting Find topic ideas.A graphic organizer
like the following ideas chart can help you think
of possible stories to write about. This chart
lists favorite stories, a statement about the
basic plot in each story, and a comment about the
main character.
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IDEAS CHART
STORY AND AUTHOR WHAT THE STORY IS ABOUT WHAT THE MAIN CHARACTER IS LIKE
The Birds by Daphne du Maurier Swarms of birds attack a family living on the coast of England. Nat is a brave father who tries to protect his family.
Helen on Eighty-sixth Street by Wendi Kaufman A girl tries to understand why her dad went away. Vita is very smart.
Thank You, Mam by Langston Hughes A teenage boy tries to rob an old lady, and she drags him home with her. Roger is a tough hid who is not so tough when he gets caught.
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IDEAS CHART
STORY AND AUTHOR WHAT THE STORY IS ABOUT WHAT THE MAIN CHARACTER IS LIKE



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Consider possible topics.Make an ideas chart.
List short stories that you have read and liked.
For each title, write one sentence that tells
what the story is about and one sentence that
tells about the main character.
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Choose a topic.It will be easier to write your
essay if you choose a story that you know and
enjoy. Be sure that you have a clear
understanding of the storys plot and the actions
of the main character. In your analysis, you will
be expected to trace the development of the theme
through the main characters thoughts, feelings,
and actions.
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SHORT STORIES

• The Man to Send Rain Clouds 48
• The Devil and Tom Walker 349
• Gary Keillor 424
• The Masque of the Red Death 454
• The Fall of the House of Usher 473
• Dr Heideggers Experiment 500
• A Rose for Emily 516
• The Life You Save May Be Your Own 528
• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge 580
• A Mystery of Heroism 593
• The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
  679
• A Wagner Matinee 688
• The Yellow Wallpaper 765
• The Story of an Hour 783

• Seventeen Syllables 788
• I Stand Here Ironing 806
• Winter Dreams 840
• America and I 863
• In the American Society 877
• The End of Something 1018
• The Jilting of Granny Weatherall 1035
• The Man Who Was Almost a Man 1045
• Armistice 1076
• Ambush 1105
• The Writer in the Family 1157
• Teenage Wasteland 1168
• Separating 1180
• Hostage 1200

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Choose your topic.Review the stories in your
chart. Put an asterisk () next to the title you
choose. Then write a few sentences that explain
the reason for your choice. (Perhaps you identify
with the main character, enjoy the authors
writing style, or so on.)
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Find a theme.
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Sometimes a theme is clearly stated, but often it
is found deep within a story. The following are
three ways to uncover a theme.
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Look for clues in the title.Irraweka,
Mischief-Maker
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Look for the authors statements about life.The
very best thing in all this world that can befall
a man is to be born luck.
2
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Identify a life lesson that the main character
learns.In the short story To Build a Fire, the
main character learns that he must accept his
unfortunate fate.
3
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Find a theme. Answer the following questions to
find the theme of your story.
Try it.
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1. Does the title say anything about the main
   character? If so, what?
2. Does the title say anything about a life lesson?
   If so, what?
3. Does the author make any statements about life?
   List them.
4. How does the main character change in the story?
5. What does the main character learn?

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Finish this sentence. After answering the Try
it! questions, complete the following sentence
to identify a main theme in your story.A main
theme in my story is _________________.
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Focus on the traits. Ideas.Authors sometimes use
figure of speech to convey ideas to the reader.
Figures of speech include idioms, similes,
metaphors, the oxymoron, and hyperbole. Look for
these as you analyze your short story. They often
hold clues to theme and character development.
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• Idiom a phrase or an expression that means
  something different from what the words actually
  say.
• That answer was really out in left field. (This
  means the answer was not even close to being
  correct.)
• Next year youll sing a different tune. (This
  means youll think differently.)

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• Simile A figure of speech that compares two
  things using like or as.
• Metaphor A figure of speech that compares two
  things without using the words like or as.
• The sheep were dense, dancing clouds scuttling
  across the road.
• Oxymoron Connecting two words with opposite
  meaning. small fortune, cruel kindness, original
  copy.

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• Hyperbole Exaggeration used to emphasize a
  point.
• The music was loud enough to make your ears bleed.