Essay on Themes and Symbols Part II

This blog is for you to type your essay response to the Unit Test you took earlier this week. The essay should discuss one theme and one symbol from a piece of literature that we have read in class. The choices are as follows: An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge, A Doll's House or Shooting of an Elephant. Please make sure you are proofreading your work before you submit for grading. I will be taking off for incomplete sentences, unparallel sentence structure and misspelled words. Remember to read it outloud to yourself to make sure it makes sense! This essay serves as your 2nd part to the Unit Test.

Themes Essay

For your next blog assignment I want you to chose a theme from one of the following stories and write an essay with supporting details from the story. You can chose from one of the following: A Doll's House, An Occurence at Owl Creek Brigde or Shooting of an Elephant.

Themes and Symbols

Write me 2 paragraphs on either A Rose for Emily by William Faulker, A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen or The Shooting of an Elephant by George Orwell. In the first paragraph give me a theme that stood out for you and tell me why you feel it was a theme. Provide me with evidence from the story. In the second paragraph discuss at least one symbol and tell me why you believe it is a symbol and why you think the author chose it to be a representation. Remember a paragraph for me is at least 6 sentences for full credit. Remember also to check your spelling and punctuation. Proofread your work before publishing.

Collaboration

Please help one another do the blogs. You all must add one another so that you can comment on eachothers space. Choose 2 to 3 people to make comments on their childhood story "Themes" blog. Answer in complete sentences the following questions: 1. Do you agree with the theme your peer pulled out fromt the story? Why or why not. 2. What other themes do you get when you read or think about the story? 3. How did the author construct the theme? In other words how do you know it is a theme? Use samples from the story to prove your answer.

I Come From (Poem)

This is an exerpt of an example of the basic "I Come From" poem:

I come from Worthdale a middle class neighborhood of mostly whites til "we" all took over
I come from KP born and raised in Smithfield who walked 50 miles to school to and from in the snow
and Reverend, Doctor Patricia Williams whose mother Mattie was the first black to sit at the Woolworth's counter in the 60's.

I come from "Get up girl. We all going to church tonight"....on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
I come from "you boy crazy" to "you are going to do great things" and "you can be anything you want"
I come from huge family reunions and thespian camps to
having a baby at 18 and wondering how I became a statistic.

I come from "wanna fight, lets fight" to "I'm a lover not a fighter"
I come from Cindi Lauper's, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" to Princes' "Purple Rain and Marvin's "Sexual Healing" and Lionel Richie's "Dancing on the Ceiling".......

Now it is your turn to create your personalized poem.  Tell me where you come from. 

Have fun!

The Devil and Tom Walker Inferences

Read the following short story by Washington Irving.  You may listen to it only if you have earbuds of your own.  Afterwards you are to write a character analysis.  In other words, what can you infer about the characters after reading or listening to the story.  Tell me whether or not you are using direct or indirect characterizations. In your second paragraph I want you to provide me with as many themes as possible and give me explanations as to why you feel it is a theme. Once you have done this, go back and read a few of your peers responses and make comments on whether or not you agree or disagree and tell me why.  Use the text as proof for your inferences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbJrmi6CZlY

Happy Blogging!!

Ms. Ellison

Themes

Create a page discussing a theme from a favorite childhood story.  Tell me the name of the story, and what theme is trying to be relayed.  Afterwards tell me how you know this is a theme.  In other words, what did the author write that makes you feel he is trying to entice you into thinking of this "theme" as a moral?

Example:  The Three Little Pigs

One of the themes of this story is to always build your future on a firm foundation.  I feel the author was trying to tell readers to always be prepared. He demonstrates this point by showing the cause and effects of having a poor foundation.  He shows us that because the first 2 little pigs built their houses out of straw and wood they had a poor foundation and therefore when trouble came their way they could not withstand the wind.  Their foundations were blown away by the pressures of life. The 3rd little pig planned and created a secure and safe foundation out of brick.  When trouble (the wolf) came his way, his foundation stood fast.

Now it is your turn.  Remember in order to find the theme or moral of a story, you have to be able to look beyond the words and get the "big" picture. Ask yourself, what is the author trying to tell me.