Name: _______________________________________________ Reading: _______ English: _______
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
Literary Analysis Unit
Thesis Claim: The way
Percy changes in the book
is emphasized by theme
and figurative language.
1
T
H
E
M
E
What is significant of the title?
itle
How does the main character change? How is the change brought about?
ow
What emotions did you feel at the end?
motions
What was the mood of the story?
ood
What message from the story applies to life?
nduring
God/Goddess
1 Zeus
Sphere of Control
Animal/Symbol
Your Class Partner
2Hera
3 Poseidon
4 Demeter
5 Hephaestus
6 Athena
7 Aphrodite
8 Ares
9 Apollo
10 Artemis
11 Hermes
12 Dionysus
13 Hestia
14 Hades
2
Plan a road trip from New York City to Los Angeles. Use a map of the highways used and at least five
cities you would stop in. Write a narrative giving driving instructions. Calculate how long it would take
them to reach their destination driving 60 miles an hour for eight hours a day.
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Symbol
Symbolism, Imagery, and Allegory in Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief
Quote from the Novel
Page
In my own words this means…
#
Names
Games
Symbols of
Power
Western
Civilization
Dreams
The
Senses
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5
The Hero’s Journey
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD. The hero, uneasy,
uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced
sympathetically so the audience can identify with
the situation or dilemma. The hero is shown
against a background of environment, heredity,
and personal history. Some kind of polarity in the
hero’s life is pulling in different directions and
causing stress.
2. INITIATION. The hero crosses some kind of
a threshold and steps into a new world where
he/she must learn many new things. Often
during the initiation the hero will meet his/her
sage teacher and his/her special weapon will be
revealed, if not to the character then to the
reader. The weapon can be an object or an
ability – The hero is not yet very good at using it.
Usually during the initiation the hero is also
introduced to or learns about the villain. The
villain can be a person (human or otherwise), an
illness, or some kind of inner struggle (I know
I’m different but I don’t want to tell anyone
else about it.).
3. ROAD OF TRIALS. The Road of Trials takes up
the majority of the book. On this road the hero
faces many obstacles and has to overcome each
one. As he/she overcomes an obstacle, he/she
learns something new and moves closer to
coming into his/her full hero’s power. Often the
hero is accompanied on his/her road of trials by
his/her companion/sidekicks.
4. INNERMOST CAVE. This is the hero’s lowest
point – although the cave represents the hero’s
darkened mood, an author will put the character
in an actual dark place like a basement or a
forest. Inside the Innermost Cave, the hero
must struggle with his greatest fear or weakness
and overcome it. When the hero has overcome
his/her greatest struggle, he/she is ready to
emerge from the Innermost Cave. At this point,
he/she is in his/her full hero’s power and is
capable of wielding the special weapon with
mastery. He/she will quickly move to the climax
of the story where he/she will face the villain.
5. RETURN and REINTEGRATION - The hero has
overcome the final obstacle during the climax
and the final confrontation with the villain. He
now returns to his life, sometimes the old life,
sometimes a new one, but is living it as a changed
person and in his full hero’s power.
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How has Percy Changed throughout the story? Use SPECFIC text examples WITH page numbers
Before
After
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
6.
6.
7.
7.
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Theme
Common Themes in Literature: Community/Isolation, Power over Others/Power over Self,
Curiosity/Denial, Inner Truth, Coming of Age, Power of Love
Choose TWO of these themes and discuss how they apply to The Lightning Thief.
Chosen Theme 1
Example 1 with Page #
Example 2 with Page #
How does your
example show
how Percy has
changed
throughout the
novel?
8
Chosen Theme 2
Example 1 with Page #
Example 2 with Page #
How does your
example show
how Percy has
changed
throughout the
novel?
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Figurative Language/ Literary Devices
Example Figurative Language: Hyperbole
On page 118 – “My shield was the size of an NBA backboard with a big caduceus in the middle. It
weighed about a million pounds. I could have snowboarded on it fine, but I hoped nobody seriously
expected me to run fast.” This shows that Percy is still on the brink of change, but not there yet.
The emotion that is conveyed is one of feeling overwhelmed and anxious. He feels so small and
unprepared for battle, even though it’s just a game. We can see that even though he sounds
sarcastic, underneath he’s scared about fitting in, and still has no confidence in himself or his
abilities.
Foreshadowing
Before Change Example 1
Page #
Emotion?
After Change Example 2
Page #
Emotion?
Discuss how Foreshadowing shows Percy’s change:
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Hyperbole
Before Change Example 1
Page #
Emotion?
After Change Example 2
Page #
Emotion?
Discuss how Hyperbole shows Percy’s change:
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Metaphor/Simile
Before Change Example 1
Page #
Emotion?
After Change Example 2
Page #
Emotion?
Discuss how Metaphor/Simile shows Percy’s change:
12
Personification
Before Change Example 1
Page #
Emotion?
After Change Example 2
Page #
Emotion?
Discuss how Personification shows Percy’s change:
13
Imagery
Before Change Example 1
Page #
Emotion?
After Change Example 2
Page #
Emotion?
Discuss how Imagery shows Percy’s change:
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Writing Your Literary Analysis Essay
Analysis Thesis Claim: The way Percy changes in the book is emphasized by
theme and figurative language.
The Introduction
The introduction to your literary analysis essay should try to capture your reader’s interest. To bring
immediate focus to your subject, you may want to use a quotation, a provocative question, a brief
anecdote, a startling statement, or a combination of these. You may also want to include background
information relevant to your thesis and necessary for the reader to understand the position you are
taking. In addition, you need to include the title of the work of literature and name of the author.
Essay Hook and Leader: Relates to the topic, but often more indirectly, in a literary essay the lead
can give the reader an overview of the story, should not be too short that it feels abrupt, should not
be too long that it seems to take forever to get to the point. A good lead in a literary essay should:
 Give the name and author of the book
 Give the basics of the story- setting, etc.
 Broadly outline the main conflict of the story
 Mention the main character and possibly one or two others
 Give the reader enough information to understand the analysis that will follow (without having
read the book) but don’t give too much away (no spoilers)
Thesis Statement: In The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson, the protagonist
transforms from a troubled kid into a confident hero and this change can be seen in the
book’s theme and figurative language.
Introduction Checklist
Hook
Author
Title
Main Characters
A Short Summary
Thesis Statement
Body Paragraphs
The Sandwich Strategy: This will be used in your body paragraphs. You introduce the example, give
the example, and explain the example.
For Example: Before: The theme of Coming of Age shows how Percy changes. One example of this
is when Percy fights Aunty Em. This shows that Percy hasn’t changed yet. After: The theme of
Coming of Age shows how Percy changes. At the beginning of the book, Percy is less mature and is
not in his full hero’s power. An example of this is when Percy fights Aunty Em. 1This scene shows
that Percy hasn’t changed yet because he fails to see her trap and then needs the help of Annabeth
and Grover to get out of it. 2Percy’s immaturity causes him to ignore the red flags and Grover’s
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worry and to concentrate only on the food. He is not yet wise enough to see the obvious danger he
is in, and he is therefore too slow to react.
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A Good Analysis
The analysis piece in an essay is the most important part because it ties your examples to the thesis.
This part of the essay is the “bottom bread” of the sandwich – the part where you explain your
example. A good analysis has these qualities:
• Ties the example to the thesis by explaining why
• Is specific rather than general
• Shows insight
Examples:
Not So Good: One example is when Percy fights Crusty. This scene shows that he has changed.
Better: One example is when Percy fights Crusty. This scene shows that he has changed because
he has become a better and more confident fighter.
Even Better: We can see how far Percy has come on his journey as a hero when he fights Crusty.
He handles this monster with confidence, using a combination of fighting skills and cleverness to
stay in control at all times. When compared to the fight with Aunty Em, in which he was confused and
inept, the reader can see how much of a hero Percy has truly become. This battle is the outcome of
all the practice he has had fighting other monsters and it is clear that he has learned a great deal.
3 Point Analysis
This ties your example to your topic statement and to your thesis. In order to analyze your example
in depth you need to use at least 3 points of analysis.
Prompts to consider using in the analysis section:
1. When compared to
2. In contrast to
3. If ______________ then _____________
4. This is the outcome of _________________
5. Other possible outcomes of ___________ might have been ______________
6. ____________ occurred because _______________
7. An explanation of ___________ is ______________
8. The way in which ___________ occurs or is accomplished is _____________
9. __________ is like ___________ because
We can see how far Percy has come on his journey as a hero when he fights Crusty. . 8He handles
Crusty with confidence, using a combination of fighting skills and cleverness to stay in control at all
times. 1When compared to the fight with Aunty Em, in which he was confused and inept, the reader
can see how much of a hero Percy has truly become. 4This battle is the outcome of all the practice
he has had fighting other monsters and it is clear that he has learned a great deal.
Body Paragraph 1 Checklist
Transition
Topic Sentence
Context for the quote- Which character said it?
Context for the quote- What’s happening in the text when they say it?
Quote from the text- cited appropriately
Analysis of the Quote
Context for the quote- Which character said it?
Context for the quote- What’s happening in the text when they say it?
Quote from the text- cited appropriately
Analysis of the Quote
Closing Sentence- wrap up the paragraph effectively to transition to the next paragraph
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Body Paragraph 2 Checklist
Transition
Topic Sentence
Context for the quote- Which character said it?
Context for the quote- What’s happening in the text when they say it?
Quote from the text- cited appropriately
Analysis of the Quote
Context for the quote- Which character said it?
Context for the quote- What’s happening in the text when they say it?
Quote from the text- cited appropriately
Analysis of the Quote
Closing Sentence- wrap up the paragraph effectively to transition to the next paragraph
Body Paragraph 3 Checklist
Transition
Topic Sentence
Context for the quote- Which character said it?
Context for the quote- What’s happening in the text when they say it?
Quote from the text- cited appropriately
Analysis of the Quote
Context for the quote- Which character said it?
Context for the quote- What’s happening in the text when they say it?
Quote from the text- cited appropriately
Analysis of the Quote
Closing Sentence- wrap up the paragraph effectively to transition to the next paragraph
Conclusion Checklist
Transition
Restated Thesis Statement
Summarize your argument
Leave your reader with a thought
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