What do the events in the story help us determine?

What is plot?

Plot gives the readers CLUES to what?

What is the the underlying meaning

This is the moral of the point of the story

What is theme?

Name 5 common themes you can find in various movies and books

Believe in yourself, never give up
Have courage
Be strong in the face of adversity
The importance of family
Love is worth pursuing
Good v. Evil
Coming of Age
Innocence
Sacrifices bring reward
Accept differences
Help the community
Humans struggling against society
Humans struggling against themselves
Humans have similar needs across culture, race, gender, financial situation
Human spirituality

Authors use ________________ to figure out _________________.

Authors use PLOT to figure out THEME

Which is the dictionary definition of a word? It's literal meaning?

What is denotation?

What describes the feelings, emotions, ideas, thoughts and attitudes behind a word?

What is connotation?

Put these words and phrases in order of positive, neutral (denotation), and negative connotation.

Extravagance , Generosity, Giving Much

Generosity (+)

Giving Much(N)

Extravagance (-)

Put these words and phrases in order of positive, neutral (denotation), and negative connotation

Spy, Watch, Observe

Observe, Watch, Spy

When an author uses specific words on purpose (word choice) to evoke a certain emotion from the reader

What is diction?

Which example uses the denotative meaning of the word, which uses the connotative meaning?

Example 1: Brutus is a snake who betrayed Julius Caesar.

Example 2: Be careful hiking during the day; snakes may be out looking for water.

DENOTATION- EXAMPLE 2: 

Be careful hiking during the day; snakes may be out looking for water.

CONNOTATION-EXAMPLE 1:

 Brutus is a snake who betrayed Julius Caesar.

Which connotation is more negative?

I ate a __________ sandwich. 

A. Moist

B. Soggy

B. Soggy

True or False. Denotation is often the neutral meaning.  

True

List these in order of positive to negative connotations. Your #3 will be your neutral denotative meaning.

thin

bony

slim

emaciated

slender or lean

1. Slim

2. Slender or lean

3. Thin

4. Bony

5. Emaciated

Choose words to make the paragraph have a positive connotative tone:

Lloyd was a (struggling, challenging) student. He often (acted out, misbehaved)

when he did not understand the material that the teacher taught. Lloyd came

from a (dysfunctional, messed up) household. Often, he was too (embarrassed,

ashamed) to tell anyone what was going on. Though all anyone ever saw in Lloyd

was his (problems, issues), the teacher saw his (overactive, disruptive)

behavior as a gift. She (forced, encouraged) him to join the debate team so he

could put his (argumentative, rhetorical) skills to good use. 

Choose words to make the paragraph have a positive connotative tone:

Lloyd was a (struggling, challenging) student. He often (acted out, misbehaved) when he did not understand the material that the teacher taught. Lloyd came from a (dysfunctional, messed up) household. Often, he was too

(embarrassed, ashamed) to tell anyone what was going on. Though all anyone

ever saw in Lloyd was his (problems, issues), the teacher saw his (overactive,

disruptive) behavior as a gift. She (forced, encouraged) him to join the debate

team so he could put his (argumentative, rhetorical) skills to good use. 

To leave a place very quickly

What is skedaddle?

To speak or express your opinion about something in a way that shows that you think you are always right

What is pontificate (v)?

Ability to see and understand things clearly

What is discernment (noun)?

 Kept secret or done secretively, especially because it is not lawful

What is clandestine (adj.)?

Realizing the elevator was _________________________, they were forced to take the stairs instead.

What is defunct?

Which vocabulary word does this best represent?

What is iconoclast (noun)?

Which two vocabulary words does this represent?

What is benevolent and altruistic (adj.)?

Grant Grand was a superstar high school athlete from a small town where football was revered. The people of this town placed such a high value on victories that a top performer like Grant was given privileges and exceptions that all others were denied. Grant did not have to struggle his way through rigorous courses in high school. Instead he attended special study sessions with members of the athletic department where the participants studied little other than football. To the surprise of few, Grant was given a full ride to a reputable university based on his athletic prowess, but Grant was not prepared for this new experience. He expected the university to make numerous special exceptions for him as his high school had, and while he did receive quite a few of these exceptions, it was not enough to compensate for how woefully underprepared he was. Despite numerous good faith interventions by the university, Grant failed to get it together, lost his scholarship, and dropped out after his freshman year.

Which is the best theme?

A. It is good to have opportunities, even if they are short lived.

B. Being forced to work hard is better in the long run.

C. Grant wasted his opportunities and lost his chance. 

B. Being forced to work hard is better in the long run.

After setting his alarm clock for PM instead of AM, Eric woke up late for school. In his haste, he forgot to pack a lunch or bring lunch money. Eric did not mind much at the time and figured that he could just eat some of his friend's food. During lunchtime, Eric explained his situation to the people at his lunch table. His friends were sympathetic to his cause, but they only packed lunches for themselves, not Eric. Katie offered Eric a small bag of carrots. "Yuck! I hate carrots. Thanks anyway," Eric said as he declined Katie's offer. Chuck offered Eric his milk, to which Eric responded, "Is that skim milk? Ewww. I hate skim milk. Does anyone have any chocolate milk?" Some people at the table did have chocolate milk, but they did not want to give their milk to Eric. To break the silence, Ben offered Eric half of his egg salad sandwich, but Eric again refused quite rudely, "Egg salad is gross. Doesn't anyone have anything good for me?" But that was the last offer that Eric would receive that day.

Which is the best theme for this selection?

A. Beggars can't be choosers.

B. Eric was picky when his friends offered food

C. Always set your alarm clock correctly. 

A. Beggars can't be choosers.

This is a broad idea about human life and the human condition that is not said by the author. Reader must infer. 

What is theme?