E9 Study Guide
Literature Unit 4: Theme
Literary Terms
theme
conflict
generalization
universal theme
subject
“Liberty” (pp. 246-251)
BEFORE YOU READ: Consider the images and connotations connected with the word “liberty”.
Complete a concept map (like the example provide below) for the word “liberty” that includes ideas,
images, and feelings associated with the word..
Sample concept map
for the word “bed-sit” (which
is a one-room apartment
typically consisting of a
combined bedroom and sitting
room with cooking facilities.)
Concept Map for the word liberty:
Summary Frame
In the (story/poem/novel, ______________ by __________, the author
explores/examines/ illustrates/demonstrates/conveys _______________
_______________________________________________(theme statement about
subject) Initially, the main character_____________________ As the story
progresses, the main character learns/realizes that ________________________.
Ultimately,____________________________________________________
Example: In the poem, “Facing It,” by Yusef Komunyakaa, the author examines the
emotional effects of war. Throughout the poem, the main character stares at the
Vietnam War Memorial and observes the reflections of others around him. As the
poem progresses, the speaker realized that many people lost loved ones in the war.
Ultimately, images of the war cannot escape his mind and neither can his conflicting
emotions
Summary of the story “Liberty”:
ANSWER the following questions:
1.
What are the main conflicts that are
revealed at the opening of the story? (p.
246)
2.
What larger conflict is hinted at?
Theme and title: So far the story has been
about the dog, Liberty, but now Papi is speaking
seriously about the concept of liberty when he
says, “All liberty involves sacrifice (248)”

What is Papi sacrificing for liberty?

What theme does Papi’s statement
suggest?
3. Re-read the following passage from p. 248
of the text:
At the back of the property stood
Liberty’s pen – a chain-link fence
around a dirt square at the center of
which stood a doghouse. Papi had built
it when Liberty first came…It was
always a job to get Liberty into that
pen.”
What does this passage reveal about [the dog]
Liberty?
What theme about liberty might the author be
developing?
Based on the appearance and actions of the
men described in paragraphs 1-3 of page 249,
what can you infer about who these men are
and what they are doing?
(Last two paragraphs of p. 249) What is the
cause of the narrator’s “heyday of liberty”?
What are the effects of her liberty?
How do you think the narrator would define
liberty at this point in the story?
(Paragraphs 2-5 on left column of p. 250)
What is the major conflict in the story at this
point?
How do you think the conflict will be resolved?
Theme and title: Both meanings of the title
come together as Tia Mimi says, “You’re going
to find liberty when you get to the United
States.(251)
How does the narrator interpret her statement?
How does Tia Mimi’s statement contribute to
the story’s theme?
Remember that the way in which a main character
changes is a good indicator of a story’s theme.
In the final two paragraphs of page 251, what
does the narrator learn about life?
What truth, or theme, do you think the author
wants to reveal to the reader?
Essential Question: The author chooses to tell this story
from a child’s point of view. Why is the story more
effective from this point of view than that of the mother or
father?
Dialectical Journal: Cite and explain at least three examples of direct evidence from the story that
support the essential question.
Evidence
Quote or Paraphrase
Page
number
Elaboration/explanation of how this evidence supports ideas of argument
“Exile” (pp. 256-258)
Complete the word map below for the term EXILE before you read the poem.
Antonyms
Synonyms
Definition
(v) To force someone
to leave their native
land
Exile
Connotations
(emotional associations)
(n) banishment from
one’s hoemeland
Write a sentence about how it would feel to be exiled from a place or group that you love:
Find an image online or in a magazine/newspaper or
draw a picture that represents the term exile:
Summary Frame
In the (story/poem/novel, ______________ by __________, the author
explores/examines/ illustrates/demonstrates/conveys _______________
_______________________________________________(theme statement about
subject) Initially, the main character_____________________ As the story progresses,
the main character learns/realizes that ________________________.
Ultimately,____________________________________________________
Summary of “Exile”:
ANSWER the following questions:
“Exile” is a narrative poem. It uses many of the
same literary elements as fiction, including
setting, character, and plot.
By the end of the first stanza, what do you know
about the setting, the two main characters, and the
plot?
Figurative Language and Theme: In stanza 6,
the speaker uses two similes to describe herself.

Identify the two similes

Explain how these comparisons add to the
poem’s theme.
In Stanza 12 of the poem “Exile”, the setting
changes.

Where is the family now?

What are some of the new things they see?
Using a metaphor, the speaker compares the
beach scene displayed in the store window to
America (line 57). Why does the scene represent
American for her?
Once in the United States, the speaker refers to
herself and her father as “visitors to this country”
(line 64). What details in the poem help convey
the sense that they don’t fit in?
In the last four lines of the poem, the speakers
says that she and Papi are like “two
swimmers…/eager, afraid, not yet sure of the
outcome.” What is she really saying through the
use of this simile? What feelings is she
expressing?
How would you state the theme of this poem –
that is, what point is the speaker making about her
experience of immigrating to the United States?
Both “Liberty” and “Exile” were written by Julia Alvarez. Compare and contrast the poems. Consider:
 character feelings
 Theme
 Setting
 mood
“Liberty”
“Exile”
Essential Question:
Identify how the author creates the mood of the poem through
diction and imagery.
Dialectical Journal: Cite and explain at least three examples of direct evidence from the story that
support the essential question.
Evidence
Quote or Paraphrase
Page
number
Elaboration
explanation of how this evidence supports essential question
“An American Story”/ “Ex-Refugee…” (pp. 261-265)
Create a concept map for the word “American” BEFORE YOU READ:
American
ANSWER the following questions:
This reading selection begins as a typical news
report. Identify the ______of the selection.
 Who
 What
 When
 Where
 Why
 How
Cause and Effect:

Why did Viet Dinh write to Anthony
Lewis at the New York Times?

What effect did this letter have?
What is Lewis’s main idea as revealed in the
final paragraph of the selection (p. 264)
What example and facts does Lewis offer in his
final paragraph to support his opinions in the
preceding paragraphs?
How would you characterize the Dinh family?
Think in particular about Viet Dinh, Phong Dinh,
and Van Dinh. What qualities are revealed by
their actions and goals?
Lewis states that the history of the Dinh family is
“an American story.” What makes the story
typically American?
In your own words, state the theme, or main idea,
about immigrants that Lewis expresses in this
news feature.
Newspaper Article (265):
Senator Domenici uses the same words that Lewis
used in his article to describe the Dinh family’s
story. What do you think Senator Domenici meant
by an “American Story”?
Newspaper Article (265):
Identify at least 3 details in the news feature that
leave vivid impressions in the mind of the reader.
Newspaper Article (265):
In this article, Viet Dinh is presented as a role
model. Based on your reading of the article and
“An American story,”, what do you think makes
Viet Dinh a good example for other people?
Essential Question: All of the selections you read about in this unit
deal with the subject of immigration. Determine what Universal
Theme about immigration and freedom is revealed by all three
selections and provide a quote from each that supports this theme.
Universal Theme: ___________________________________________________
Evidence
Quote or Paraphrase
Title &
Page
number
Elaboration
explanation of how this evidence supports essential question