This is the last week that we will be discussing your first semester core literature choice. I will post your second semester choices in January. Reading the same book with your classmates gives you the opportunity to delve deeper into meaning and learn from each other. Make the most of this opportunity and be sure to check the board weekly.
Complete the following this week:
1) Read the "theme" lecture below.
2) Post 2 themes from your core literature selection.
3) Comment on another classmate's post. Do you agree or disagree with the themes posted? Why?
THEME
To understand the author’s meaning of his/her work (“theme”), start with the literal level. Think about the PLOT (events in the story). Next, move up a notch and determine the subject or TOPIC of the work. Finally, infer the author’s THEME. Remember, your theme must be presented in a complete sentence, not a fragment.
Some examples:
“Love” is a subject. “Love can be painful” is a theme.
“Poverty” is a subject. “Poverty can be overcome” is a theme.
“War” is a subject. “War reflects man’s inhumanity to man” is a theme.
Do not use the same theme as a classmate who has already posted.
4 comments:
Death is a new beginning.
Love sustains.
Two themes in Huckleberry Finn:
Loyalty to one’s friends is a good thing.
Those who are ignorant can be easily fooled.
I’m unsure what you mean by “love sustains.” If the claim is that love is all that is required to keep a person sustained, I should disagree. As poetic as that idea might sound, it is an utterly impractical and indefensible position. If the claim is that love is a thing which is always sustained, I would say that it is entirely possible to stop loving something or someone.
Huckleberry Finn: Two themes...
-Morals are harshly tested.
-The "right thing" is not always easy to see.
I agree with the theme "love sustains." Yes, it is possible to stop loving someone, but it is certainly not easy. Love is one of the most powerful and instinctual emotions we as humans are blessed with. In the most harsh situations found in classic novels, what pulls the protagonist through is not only a drive for their personal goal, but usually a passion and love for something or someone. His love for his land (The Good Earth). Her love for her child being taken away from her (A Midsummer Night's Dream). His love for his dead father (Hamlet). So many stories are fueled by love, and it certainly sustains characters and people through hardships.
Two themes in "The Great Gatsby" are:
The wasting away of the American dream
The differences between the soial classes
I agree that loyalty to one's friends is a good thing. Being able to trust and count on a friend is very important. If you are loyal and trust worthy people will want to be your friend. If you are not, then you will find yourself with no friends.Everyone wants people in their lives that they can count on!
Post a Comment