Theme Development
What is a theme?
The moral, lesson, or message of the story.
What is a character?
Any person, animal, or figure represented in a story.
What is setting?
Where and when a story takes place.
In real life, perspective and point of view are interchangeable, but not on the FAST. What is perspective in ELA?
How the characters see or what they think about what is happening.
What does is mean when a story has an unreliable narrator?
The reader can't trust everything that the narrator is saying is true.
Give an example of a theme i.e. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Love conquers all, be kind to others, be careful what you wish for, etc.
Based on the setting, characters can be affected by social expectations. What does that mean?
It's how they are expected to act or behave.
What type of story would the author likely be writing if they set it on a dark and stormy night?
A scary/creepy story
What is the ELA definition of point of view?
The type of narrator in the story
What might make a narrator unreliable?
They're too young, they have mental health issues, they have character flaws, or they lie.
What should you pay attention to in a story to help you figure out its themes.
the conflict, how the conflict is resolved, how the characters change (or don't change) throughout the story
The social expectations of the setting could impact the characters __________ in the story, aka what they want to do.
It could create conflict.
If it's first person point of view, the reader will see these pronouns outside of quotes.
I, me, my, we, us
Which type of point of view can be the least reliable? Most reliable?
Least: first person
Most: third person omniscient
How did the author of Hearts and Hands (story on the train) use characters and plot to develop the theme "Don't judge people based on appearances."
He emphasized how handsome and happy the real criminal was and described the real "good" guy as grumpy and gruff looking.
How did the time period affect the characters in Hearts and Hands?
Miss Fairchild knew she was expected to become a wife and mother, which is why she seeks out Mr. Easton as a potential suitor.
How does the setting of the train affect the plot of Hearts and Hands (remember, there were no other empty seats).
It forced them to interact with each other, and led the glum-faced man to come up with the lie to cover for Mr. Easton.
Explain the difference between third person limited and third person omniscient.
Both are told by someone outside the story, but third person limited narrators only know one characters thoughts, while third person omniscient narrators know everyone's thoughts.
What made the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart unreliable?
He was insane/had an inflated ego.
1. What is a theme of Tell-Tale Heart?
2. How did the author develop the theme?
1. You can't escape a guilty conscience/your perception may be different from reality.
2. The narrator imagines he is hearing the heartbeat as he is driven mad by his guilt and confesses/The author shows a difference between how the narrator sees himself and how the reader (a sane person) thinks of what he did.
How did the setting of the 1920s affect Yetta's character in Uprising?
It motivated her to fight for women's, worker, and immigrant rights.
How does the setting of the school affect the climax of the story Charles (the story where the little boy made up another student to blame his bad behavior on)?
It separates Laurie's parents from him, so they don't realize he's the "bad" kid until it's revealed and his parent-teacher conference.
How could telling a story in first person POV affect the reader's understanding?
It limits our access to information, which could lead to surprises as the plot unfolds. It also could build empathy for the character who is telling us the story.
What hints did the author include to show the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart was unreliable?
He had the narrator exaggerate how smart he was and say he wasn't crazy while describing crazy behavior, like hearing things that weren't there.