After this you will never forget it

1.

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Your Last
Lesson
on Theme
After this you will never forget it.

2.

The Rules
I will show you a theme.
You will list as many books or movies you can think of that have that theme.
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You will have to defend your list, so be prepared to explain why that book or
movie fits the theme.

3.

Ready
?
What is a theme?
A main idea or an underlying
meaning of a literary work that may
be stated directly or indirectly.
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4.

It’s not a moral
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A moral says “this is how it should be”
A theme says “this is the way it is”

5.

6.

What is a theme?
You’re still not sure are you?
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Let’s try this anyway….

7.

Review the Rules
I will show you a theme.
You will have to defend your list, so be prepared to
explain why a title fits this theme.
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You will list as many books, movies, short stories, plays,
TV episodes etc. you can think of that have that theme.

8.

If you want something bad enough,
and work for it hard enough, you
can accomplish your dreams

9.

Even when faced
with tremendous evil,
people can still be
good.

10.

When you lose something,
go look for it.
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11.

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Death is an inevitable
part of life, but it can
teach us a lot.

12.

You may not know people
as well as you think you do.

13.

We all have to
grow up
sometime.

14.

Just because
your father goes
to the dark side,
doesn’t mean he
is all bad.

15.

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While ALL of
these themes
can apply to
many stories...
They can, also,
all be used for
one story:
STAR WARS

16.

What do these themes
have in common?

17.

Are any of them
just one word?

18.

They all say something
about life,
about being human,
about the world.
Not just about one story.

19.

I noticed something
else...

20.

You really need to know
what something says, to
know what it is saying.

21.

You have to understand
the story well to
suggest a theme.

22.

Let’s Practice...
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“Literary 3x3s”, and “Beautiful Questions and Answers”

23.

THEME of (Title of Your Story)
What are three possible themes for
your story? (Remember, a theme is more than 1
word)
What are two pieces of evidence
(quotes) from the text that support this
theme?
1)
a)
b)
2)
a)
b)
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3)
a)
b)

24.

Literary 3x3s
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Three, three-word sentences that go beyond plot
and speak to the heart of the text...

25.

Literary
3x3
Rules:
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● Three, three-word “sentences”
(usually from three places in the text)
● Strong words: consider connotation
vs. denotation
● Every word counts: avoid
prepositions, articles, or weak words
● You may not use: proper nouns,
repeated words, to be verbs, articles

26.

What Disney film does each
3x3 describe?
Example 1
Arrogance transforms
handsomeness
Mistake creates
captivity
Inner beauty conquers
Example 2
Curiosity seeks freedom
Silence creates confusion
Love breaks spells
Example 3
Innocence craves
recognition
Guilt prompts desertion
Duty calls home

27.

Beauty and the Beast
❖ Arrogance transforms
handsomeness
❖ Mistake creates captivity
❖ Inner beauty conquers
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28.

The Little Mermaid
★ Curiosity seeks freedom
★ Silence creates confusion
★ Love breaks spells
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29.

The Lion King
Innocence craves recognition
Guilt prompts desertion
Duty calls home
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30.

Title of Your Story
3x3s
Supporting Key Scenes
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You may make a copy of this slide, make your own, or do the work on a doc

31.

Beautiful Questions
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Examples

32.

“Always the beautiful answer who
asks a more beautiful question”
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-- e.e. Cummings

33.

If The Ones Who Walk Away
From Omelas is Ursula K. Lé
Guin’s answer, what was the
Beautiful Question?
Is the comfort of the many
worth the suffering of the few?
In The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
the author Ursula K. Le Guin shows us how
everything has a cost, and helps us realize
that the comfortable lives we live many not
be worth the suffering it causes in the lives
of others.

34.

If “Just Walk On By” is
Brent Staples answer,
what was the Beautiful
Question?
How do our societal
prejudices affect how we
see those around us?
In Just Walk on By, author Brent
Staples shows us that society
unthinkingly follows certain prejudices,
expecting those impacted to change, in
order to seem less threatening, rather
than insisting society confront and end
our unjustified prejudices.

35.

If 1984 is George
Orwell’s answer,
what was the
beautiful question?
What is the impact of yielding
our freedom and rights to a
select, powerful, few?
In 1984, George Orwell illustrates the
horror of a society where a select few
have almost infinite power over the
masses, resulting in control of
language, speech, press, marriage,
media, and almost every other freedom
that we take for granted today, eroding
the core of our humanity

36.

If By the Waters of Babylon was
Stephen Vincent Benét’s answer, what
was the beautiful question?
What becomes of
humanity if we don’t
remember our past?
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In the short story, By the Waters of
Babylon, Stephen Vincent Benét
explores both what is gained, and
what is lost, in our quest for
knowledge and power, and whether
some knowledge and traditions are
best left in the past and forgotten.

37.

If (TITLE) was
(AUTHOR’s) answer,
what was the
Beautiful Question?
Author + text = ?
Write the Question
Create Slide (like those above)
Write a THESIS that Answers the
Question

38.

How to Write a Thesis
In (Subject), (Author’s name) uses (lit. terms) to (assertion/purpose) which (thesis)”
(What) Subject +
In genre, title, author
In the short story, The
Box Man, by Barbara
Lazear Ascher,
(How) Assertion =
(Why) Theme
Uses lit. terms to
assertion /purpose (verb)
thesis (insight about the
MOWAW)
the protagonist reveals, through diction
and indirect characterization, that
a life of solitude need
not always be lonely.
You may omit this phrase and just address
the lit. elements in the body of your essay

39.

Title of Story, by Author’s Name
Beautiful Question
Beautiful Answer (thesis)

40.

Title of Story,
Beautiful Question:
by Author’s Name
Beautiful Answer (thesis):
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41.

Title of Story, by Author’s Name
Beautiful Question
Beautiful Answer (thesis)