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Honors English 9

December 4, 2019

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BELL WORK

Get out your notebook.

Make sure your apostrophe story is ready to be checked by Ms. Clemson.

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Learning Target

I can name and understand the characteristics of a strong theme.

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I will show this by taking notes and writing themes for OMM.

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Literary Argument Essay

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AP Lit Exam: Question #3

2019 HONORS ENGLISH 9 LITERARY ARGUMENT QUESTION

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In literature, as in life, a person’s outward behavior is often driven by beliefs they hold, either knowingly or unknowingly, deep within themselves. Select a character from a novel, play, or epic poem whose outer actions stem from an innermost truth that they may or may not have acknowledged. Write a well-developed essay analyzing how the character’s outward behavior is influenced by their innermost beliefs and how this relationship illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.

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You must write about Of Mice and Men. For timed literary argument essays, you will not be allowed to use your book. You are not expected to use specific quotes from the novel.

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AP Lit Exam Question #3

Scorer’s Advice:

  • DON’T JUST SUMMARIZE THE BOOK
    • Answer the prompt
  • Make sure you know the names of the characters and the major settings, events, literary devices, etc. of the book you choose
  • BE SPECIFIC
    • The more vague or general the essay is, the lower the score

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Writing Strong Themes

Foundational Notes

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Writing Strong Themes

  • What is theme?
    • A theme is a message or truth about life or society that the author is trying to convey through his/her writing
      • A theme will never mention the characters or specific events of the story
        • It is universal
    • AP refers to theme as “the meaning of the work as a whole”

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Writing Strong Themes

  • A strong theme should be the most important message the author is communicating
    • For example, “Small animals can die easily if not properly treated” is a true message, but is that really the most important idea that Steinbeck wanted you to get from the OMM?

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Writing Strong Themes

  • A strong theme should not be a cliche
    • Cliches are simplistic, overused phrases that, while they may be true or applicable to the book, do not show that you understood the specific message the author was trying to convey
      • Cliche Examples:
        • Don’t judge a book by its cover
        • Beggars can’t be choosers
        • Look before you leap
        • Actions speak louder than words

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Writing Strong Themes

  • A strong theme should be defensible
    • This means two things:
      • It is not just a statement of fact
        • For example, “The Great Depression was a difficult time for many Americans” is a true message, but it would make for a really boring essay because there is nothing you need to prove
      • It can be defended using evidence from the book
        • For example, “People with disabilities are unable to have friends” is not defensible because it is clearly untrue in the book

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Writing Strong Themes

  • A strong theme should be complex, having multiple layers or ideas
    • Not complex:
      • “Friendship is very important to people.”
      • “People need friends.”
    • More complex:
      • “Friendship is more important than success.”
      • “In difficult circumstances, friendship is the most important resource a person can have.”
      • “The benefits of friendship always outweigh the costs, even if the costs are high.”
  • Adding a comparison, more specifics, a twist, or an absolute (always/never) can give complexity

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Writing Strong Themes

  • The theme must NOT use the forbidden words:
    • You, your, things, I, me, my, etc.
  • The theme itself needs to be a full sentence
    • “In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck is showing how friendship looks.”
      • “How friendship looks” is not a full sentence
    • “In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses George’s abandonment of the dream to show that friends, not possessions, are the most valuable resources a person can have.”

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Practice

Writing Strong Themes

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Writing Strong THemes

  • With your poster partner, go look at all the other character analysis posters
  • Then, in your notebook, write 3 strong themes about 3 different characters (one theme for each)
  • You may want to use the following template to help you:
    • In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses __(character’s name and situation/behavior/ etc.)__ to show that __(full sentence, complex theme)_ .

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