English Assignments

· Theme is always a complete sentence.

· Theme is an arguable claim made by a story.

· Theme is the point the story is trying to make.

· Theme connects fiction to our lived human experiences.

· Theme is a big idea, a universal statement, an argument or claim about one of life’s big ideas.

· Theme can never be one word: love, friendship, dogs, or tacos are big ideas, but they’re not claims.

· Theme can never be summary: what happens in the story reveals the meaning, but the theme is universal and can be applied to your life and mine.

· Theme is not an easy lesson: “listen to your parents,” or “be nice to people” are good ideas, but they aren’t complex enough to drive literature.

· Painful experiences can make a person stronger.

· The past will always impact the present and future.

· Some family bonds are not worth fighting for.

· Love requires sacrifice.

· Adulthood is a rewarding burden.

· Independence requires responsibility.

· Hope is powerful, but also dangerous.

· Why is more important than what. Identifying a symbol is only important if you also explain what it means and how it relates to the theme.

· Think about what the story seems to value and promote? What gets rewarded? What is learned?

· Explain and analyze how a theme is shown, what in the story reveals the theme or relates to it.