Writing lab 1: Life of pi & The kite runner English 12 & English 12 Honors Ms. Lomauro
#1 - WRITING ABOUT THEME A theme is a message. A message is not the same as an idea. A message will usually contain a noun and a verb.
#1 – Writing about theme For example: IDEA: Kanye West THEME: Kanye West might be the most arrogant human on earth, but his songs sure are snappy.
HOW COULD YOU BE SO HEARTLESS?
#1 – Writing about theme Some examples from the Life of Pi Test: “One theme of the novel is survival…” “A theme of Life of Pi is religion…” “A major theme of this book is fear…” These are all salient ideas, concepts, motifs, but AS STATED, they aren’t themes.
#1 – Writing about theme Themes: “One theme of Life of Pi is that within us all lies the will to survive…” “A major theme of this novel is that we all have the power to create the story of our lives…” “The main theme of Life of Pi is that sometimes we must abandon morality in order to survive…”
#2 – authorial intent When writing about literature, we CANNOT speculate about ANY of the following: What the author wanted to show us What the author meant What the author believes What the author feels What the author likes to do on the weekend What the author thinks about the new American Idol judges
#2 – Authorial intent Our focus must be on the text, not on the author We have no idea what Hosseini, or anyone else, for that matter, wanted to show or do All we can do is use our knowledge, experience, skills, empathy, curiosity, etc. to make our own meaning out of the text. Avoid this trap in your writing. Beware! Cuidado! Atchung!
#2 – AUTHORIAL INTENT “Hosseini uses Amir to show us that he believes that the only way to achieve redemption is to act, not just to feel sorry.” “Khaled Hosseini is saying that the reason Amir struggles emotionally is…” Who knows what Hosseini thinks? Did you ask him? Does he text you? Send you birthday cards? Do you have his recipe for falafel?
You cannot read my mind.
#2 – AUTHORIAL INTENT Here’s the same idea, without the pitfall of authorial intent: “Amir’s struggle shows us that it is not enough to simply feel badly about the past; the way to achieve redemption is through action.” Same idea, solid argument, no speculation about what the author intended. Boo-ya.
#2- AUTHORIAL INTENT Maintain focus on the text. Keep your writing character-focused. The author’s intent is impossible to know, and therefore irrelevant. Seriously.
#3 – CHECK THE FACTS An error in fact can kill an otherwise strong paper. You MUST reread portions of a novel that you plan on focusing your argument around. Not doing so will ALWAYS present a problem. Depending on how central the error in fact is to your overall argument, the impact can be considerable.
#3 – check the facts The most common error in fact: Amir willingly goes back to Pakistan to save Sohrab as a means of getting the redemption he has been searching for. Many papers contained this major error in fact. The most common comment I made on all 48 honors papers.
#3 – Check the facts Amir has never done anything to try and seek redemption. We can argue that if Rahim Khan did not intervene, this would have continued. Amir is not on a quest for redemption. A quest is a purposeful endeavor. Amir is guilted into returning to the Middle East by Rahim Khan, who is at the end of his life. Amir is duped by Rahim Khan into retrieving Sohrab from the Taliban. He belives there is an American couple who will take custody of Sohrab once he returns. Sohrab saves Amir from Assef with his slingshot. Amir would have probably been beaten to death by Assef had Sohrab not intervened.
#3- check the facts To omit the fact that Amir is duped into retrieving Sohrab from the Taliban is to vastly oversimplify the conclusion of the novel. A hard truth to accept about Amir: Had it not been for Rahim Khan’s deception, Amir would have never taken on the responsibility of Sohrab. When he is being beaten by Assef, he is not thinking of Sohrab’s well-being, but about how good he feels to be receiving punishment.
#4 – be proud of yourselves Writing is not easy. Every paper had strong points. A lot of insightful, thoughtful treatment of the characters. Many shared personal connections – that takes courage and I appreciate that. All papers showed effort. We will continue to work on these higher- level writing skills throughout the year.