Understanding Annie John
Style – Archetype
An archetype is an event or object that repeatedly surfaces in the literature of many different cultures.
One of the most common archetypes of any culture’s coming-of-age story is the fall from innocence.
Specifically, in many stories about growing up, the child learns new things about the world, which is
supposed to be a good thing, but these new experiences hurt the child emotionally or mentally by
forcing her to see the ugliness of life that they didn’t know before. Generally, the child starts off fervently
seeking this knowledge, which they believe will make him or her a grownup, but ends up with a
bittersweet experience – having truly gained the experience of an adult, but realizing too late what was
given up to pursue it.
Find five quotes that show Annie John learning something new that causes her to fall from innocence. On
the left, write the quote with the page number. On the right, explain how the knowledge hurts her
somehow.
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Now write a paragraph that compares Annie John’s fall from innocence to a
similar situation in some other story. 75 words minimum.
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Finally, write a one-sentence thesis statement that you could use to write a
literary analysis essay on this topic. Be sure to focus your thesis on the novel.
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Understanding Annie John
Theme – Colonization
Annie John takes place during the time when Antigua was colonized by Britain, which forced British
language and culture and ideals on Antiguans. The most obvious way this culture clash happened was in
the schools, where Antiguan children were made to learn and value British culture and history, but not
their own. Even as a young girl, Annie John resists this culture and tries to form her own West Indian
identity. Sometimes she is unaware that she is rejecting West Indian culture, and sometimes she is also
unaware that she is embracing it. Most often, there seems to be a subconscious pull towards West Indian
culture that balances out the effects of her indoctrination.
Find five quotes that show Annie John rejecting the British/European ideals in favor of her native
country’s culture. On the left, write the quote with the page number. On the right, explain how each passage
shows the effects of colonization.
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Now write an analytical paragraph explaining your thoughts on the end of
chapter five, in which Annie John, as resistant as she is, refuses to eat Antiguan
breadfruit in favor of European rice. If she hates British things and loves
Antiguan things, then why must she be tricked into eating breadfruit? 75 words
minimum.
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Finally, write a one-sentence thesis statement that you could use to write a
literary analysis essay on this topic. Be sure to focus your thesis on the novel.
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Understanding Annie John
Theme – Friendship
Annie John has many friends that mean different things to her as she grows up. Some of them are
playmates, some of them are rivals or competitors, and some are more nearly sisters to her. Over time,
Annie has to learn how friends behave with each other as she grows up and how these different types of
relationships must work. In addition, she has to learn what kind of girl she wants to be by imitating the
examples she sees in her friends. For example, her friendship with the Red Girl is very different from her
friendship with Gwen, and she learns different things from each.
Find five quotes that characterize Annie John’s friendships, at least two for the Red Girl and two for
Gwen. Write the quotes on the left with the page numbers. On the right, explain what she learns about
friendship in each passage.
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Now write an analytical paragraph that compares the two friendships. What
does she get out of each one? How do her friendships fit with the changing
relationship with her mother? 75 words minimum.
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Finally, write a one-sentence thesis statement that you could use to write a
literary analysis essay on this topic. Be sure to focus your thesis on the novel.
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Understanding Annie John
Theme – Mother/Daughter Relationship
The mother/daughter relationship is one of the most important themes in Annie John. Normally,
adolescents feel the need to differentiate themselves from their same-gender parent and assert their
independence and individuality, but lack the sense of self and the maturity to do so. Therefore, they
choose to express this separation through rebellion. Most teens outgrow this stage and learn to
reconcile with their same-gender parent in more mature and healthy ways as they reach the end of
adolescence. Annie John goes through these stages, but because the story is told from her point of view,
it is often hard to tell what is true about her mother and what is simply teenage emotional exaggeration.
Find five quotes that characterize Annie John’s relationship with her mother. List the quotes with the page
numbers on the right. On the left, explain how the passage depicts the mother/daughter relationship.
Quotes
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Now write an analytical paragraph that discusses which aspects of the
mother/daughter relationship in the novel are similar to all families, and which
are peculiar to Annie John’s relationship with her mother. 75 words minimum.
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Finally, write a one-sentence thesis statement that you could use to write a
literary analysis essay on this topic. Be sure to focus your thesis on the novel.
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