Review of themes – English 12
Short Stories:
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Miss Brill – symbols and themes
o The power of conventions
o Identity and gender
o The need for acceptance, fading beauty and purpose – Sylvia Plath’s Mirror
o Appearance vs. reality
o Social preconceptions
o Rejection and retreat into self
o Imagination – the play at the park, the music
o Self-deception
o Fox = Miss Brill
o Cupboard = shame and rejection
Identities – symbols and themes
o Personal/public Identity
o Conventions – to maintain or to rebel/resist against
o Class structure – manicured lawns vs. chain link fences
o Stereotyping – making assumptions
o Appearance vs. reality
o First impressions
o Car = status
o Wallet = identity
Horses of the Night – themes and symbols
o Hope is eternal – Emily Dickenson’s poem, Shawshank
o Hope is foolish and dangerous – Shawshank, On the floor at the school for the retarded
o The tangible (reason, logic, practical, reality, measurement, finite = Grandfather)
o The intangible (faith, hope, love, imagination, dreams, infinite, that which cannot be measured =
Chris)
o Allegorical elements
o War, poverty, depression era
o Canadian Identity – the land, hard work, the North, faith in God
o Mental illness
o Self-deception
o Horses = dreams
The Shawshank Redemption
o Hope is eternal – books, music, friends, loyalty, imagination, giving to others
o Companionship as salvation
o Hopelessness – the prison, the warden, the violence – lack of Hope (The Chimney Sweeper), On
the floor…..
o Redemption
o Fear of change = Red, Brooks
o Power hierarchies
o Justice – innocence and guilt
o The human spirit thriving in adverse conditions – Chimney Sweeper – the children’s faith for a
better life
o Library = Illumination, enlightenment – the mind can be free even when the body is not
connection: Libraries – The Cathedrals of Wisdom essay
o The powers that be (warden, guards) are uncivilized/ those in captivity have more humanity
o Taking advantage of opportunities for good, for evil
On the Rainy River – themes etc.
o Courage – how is it defined?
o Shame – what are its causes (non-conformity? not meeting expectations? Different values?)
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o Killing for war – unjust? Just?
o The individual vs. society
o Pig factory = war
o River = choice
o Pride
o Responsibility
Just Lather That’s All
o War
o Courage
o Expectations – to go against them or live up to them
o Honour – to maintain it according to one’s own principles or society’s expectations
o Nature of Good and evil – appearances vs. reality
Oryx and Crake - themes
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The individual (Jimmy, Crake)
o Identity – search for purpose and meaning
o Filling spiritual and emotional emptiness with the material and physical
o Parent/ child relationships
o Betrayal/guilt
o Loss of innocence (Jimmy from a child , to teen to man)
o Sensitivity vs. apathy
o Arrogance (self-aggrandizement - Crake) – perfectionist expectations; Crake as human metaphor
for scientific reductionism
o Disillusionment (Jimmy with parents, Crake, with women, with life choices)
o Humans all have the same basic need – love and dignity
Societal
o The tangible and the intangible (see above) excessive emphasis on the former
o lack of reflective thought
o pursuit of decadence, profit at all cost
o interconnectedness – economies, lifestyle choices, environment, poverty, 3rd world living
conditions
o ethical issues regarding medical, scientific, technological ‘progress’ – when is progress harmful?
o a diet of pure entertainment: creates a sense of individual and societal apathy and an
unacceptable tolerance towards violence; people need higher and higher levels of stimulation;
people become easily bored – shorter attention span
o excessive media consumption done in isolation
o mono-culture – no diversity in art, education, culture, agriculture etc.
Independent Novel Study
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addiction, friendship, death, war, racism, identity, the tensions between generational and
cultural clashes, relationships, faith, survival, the power of story-telling, freedom, the nature of
truth, coming of age story, loss of innocence, conformity versus free will, obligation to society,
what constitutes humanity? Poverty, drug abuse, trust and abuse of it, redemption etc.
Poetry
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themes
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aging (Mirror, As You Like It)
stages of life (Mirror, Richard Cory, First Day of School, As You Like it)
gender roles (Mirror, On the Floor…)
loss of innocence (First Day of School, The Chimney Sweeper, Mirror)
giving in to difficult circumstances – emotional, societal, (First Day of School, Richard Cory)
hope as a necessity (Hope is A Subtle Glutton, The Chimney Sweeper, Richard Cory, On the Floor)
conformity/non-conformity (To A Retarded Child, Ode on Solitude, On the Floor…)
fragile nature of life (Auto Wreck, Richard Cory, Out, Out-)
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Appearances vs Reality (Richard Cory)
Social Hierarchies (Richard Cory, The Chimney Sweeper)
Reverence for the intangibles (Sonnet 116, High Flight, On the Floor…..)
Forgiveness, revenge (The Merchant of Venice)
Essays read this semester – all have examples of rhetorical strategies, stylistic devices and relevant themes
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Jurassic Conservation
A Failed Experiment
Libraries – Cathedrals of Wisdom
An African Storm
Where the World Began
Geddes essay on Poetry
MAKE SURE YOU REVIEW THESE ESSAYS FOR STRATEGIES – BOTH TO USE IN YOUR OWN ESSAY AND TO
RECOGNIZE IN CASE OF POSSIBLE QUESTIONS IN THE MULTIPLE CHOICE SECTIONS
General Tips:
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Pay attention to titles of poems and the last lines – they often reveal the theme
Vocabulary Context clues – look at the root of the word and its part of speech (noun, verb, adverb etc.) to
help you to determine its meaning.
Be descriptive in your writing; write in the present tense and the active voice when possible
Check this game out for a quick vocab and grammar booster. Free Rice (vocab and grammar)
http://www.freerice.com/category
This exam tests your mental stamina, your critical thinking abilities, and your writing skills.
Get a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast.