9/30/22

Hello class! How's it going? Do you have power? Is it still raining?

What you are reading here has been changed since the original publication last Friday because it is too late to sign the attendance document that I emailed. Therefore, if you did not sign Friday's attendance or turn in the assignment during school hours, but you want to be counted present, complete Friday's assignment, and email it to me. 1st and 2nd period had a different assignment than 4th period.

1st and 2nd:

  • Central Message or Theme = Topic + Author’s Opinion of Topic

  • It is not the subject of the work. It is a perception about human life.

  • Themes are rarely stated directly. They usually must be inferred.

  • The theme is revealed by the way characters change in a story, conflicts in the story, and

statements made by the narrator or characters.

  • Understanding themes involves understanding plot, characters, and setting.


  1. Create a plot summary. (This should only be a few sentences)

  2. What is the main conflict?

  3. What motivates the protagonist’s action in the story?

  4. Evaluate the protagonist’s personality.

  5. What is the setting of the story?

  6. What effect does the setting have on the characters? (This is a big one. You have to remember that this story was written just after WWII ended, and Germans were escaping prosecution in Europe and finding safety in Argentina.)

  7. Write down any sentences, description, or scenes that you enjoy.

  8. How does the protagonist change?

  9. How do characters around the protagonist change?

  10. What does the title have to do with the story?

  11. What is the Central Message of the story?

4th: Please answer the Comprehension Check questions 1-5 in complete sentences on page 43 and the Analyze the Text questions 1a and b, 2a and b, and 3 in complete sentences on page 44.