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English 9

Unit 3

Theme and Symbolism

6 topics · 24 practice questions · Free responseNot yet reviewed

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Notes

Theme

  • Topic is a word or phrase (loyalty); theme is a complete-sentence insight (Loyalty is tested most when it costs us something).
  • Themes are usually implied. Look at character change, how the conflict is resolved, the title and repeated details.
  • Theme statements avoid names and plot details so they apply to life in general.

Symbol, motif and allegory

  • A symbol stands for something beyond itself; context decides its meaning.
  • A motif is a repeated image or idea that develops a theme.
  • An allegory is a whole story whose characters and events stand for larger ideas.

Irony

  • Verbal: saying the opposite of what you mean. Situational: the opposite of what is expected happens. Dramatic: the audience knows more than a character.

Comparing texts

  • A universal theme appears across many texts and cultures. Compare how each text develops it.

Topics in this unit

Each topic has its own short notes and practice.

Practice

Which is a theme rather than a topic?
In a story, a boy carries his grandfather's compass whenever he must make a hard choice. The compass most likely symbolizes:
A lifeguard who has trained for years nearly drowns in a kiddie pool. This is:
Images of locked doors, fences and closed windows appear throughout a novel about a lonely girl. These form a:
A shy girl refuses to try out for the play, regrets it, and the next year auditions and wins a role. Which theme is best supported?
Which is the weakest theme statement?

Free response

Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.

Free-response question

Read the passage: "Every spring, Grandma planted tomatoes in the cracked lot behind our apartment. Neighbors laughed. 'Nothing grows in concrete,' they said. By August, vines climbed the fence, and the same neighbors lined up with bowls. The year Grandma passed away, I found her seed packet in a drawer. I knelt in the lot and started digging."

(a) State a theme of the passage in a complete sentence.

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Persistence and care can create life and hope in unlikely places, and the people we love pass on their strength to us.

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(b) Identify a symbol and explain what it represents.

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The seed packet symbolizes Grandma's legacy and hope continuing after her death. When the narrator plants the seeds, they carry on her determination.

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(c) Explain how irony appears in the passage and how it supports the theme.

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It is situational irony that the neighbors who mocked Grandma end up lining up for her tomatoes. The reversal supports the theme by showing her persistence proved the doubters wrong.

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Previous unitUnit 2: Characterization and Point of View