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Write a summary
Write your reaction to the section
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What you liked/didn’t like
Something that stood out to you
Something that confused you
A connection – to yourself, to something else
you’ve read, to something in the world
 The
central message or idea
in a work of literature.
 Theme
is NOT the plot or main
idea of a story – it is a statement
about life that can be derived
based on the plot.
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Plot is what happens – theme is what the
events in the plot mean
 Must
be a statement, NOT a
subject *Not “love” but a message about
love
 Must
be universal
 Must
be timeless
 Must
be ageless
*This means it
can apply to more than just the story at hand
*This means not
restricted to a certain time period
*This means
relevant to any age group and never grow old
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The Protagonist is the main character in the
story. The Protagonist is not always a good
guy.
The Antagonist opposes the main character
or the main character’s ultimate goal
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Round – type of character that is multidimensional and has many aspects and
traits to his/her personality; a round
character is like a REAL person
Flat – type of character who is onedimensional and may have one or two
personality traits; can be summed up in a
single phrase
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Static – Round character who does not change
much throughout the course of a story
Dynamic – Round character who does change
in some way as a result of the story’s action
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Time and place of a story, play, or narrative
poem- THINK ON A BROADER LEVEL (sociopolitical climate, season, weather, etc.)
Often closely linked to the mood
May also reveal characters by showing
whether a character is in harmony with a
particular place or in conflict with it
May suggest a story’s theme
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Make a list of all major and minor characters in
Alexie’s “Superman and Me”.
Determine whether all of the characters are
round, flat, static, and/or dynamic and provide
an explanation for your choices.
Create a theme statement for “Superman and
Me”. In other words, analyze the essay and
determine Alexie’s message to his readers.
Identify the motivating factors for the major
characters.
Identify all aspects of the setting.
Find textual evidence to support all of the
previous literary examples.