By Laurie Halse Anderson Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

On your index card, write your response to this: When you hear someone say “high school”, what word or phrase comes to mind?

Laurie Halse Anderson Anderson thought up Melinda’s character after a nightmare. She woke up one night because she thought she heard a girl sobbing. “The crying girl was in my head, a bad dream. I sat down at the computer and wrote out what I was hearing. The next morning I listened to that voice again and the character of Melinda Sordino unfolded.”

Laurie Halse Anderson Melinda somewhat resembles Anderson during her own freshman year of high school. She had just moved into a new town and her family was having problems.

Theme The Story’s Meaning and Roots English 1 EQ: Why do writer’s need to know and correctly use domain-specific vocabulary?

What is a Theme? Theme: some idea or insight about human life and human nature that gives meaning to the story A good story should mean something to the reader. The story can reveal the writer’s whole view of life (how it works or fails to work).

What Do We Mean by Theme? A theme is unseen and usually unstated Theme is an idea; it may give insight into some aspect of life Theme is not the same as the story’s plot (series of events) Theme is not the same as the story’s subject

Discovering a Story’s Theme 1. A theme may be stated in no less than a single sentence (may need to be longer). Ex. Hard work will always be rewarded. 2. A theme is not the same thing as a moral, which is a rule of conduct. Ex. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. (This is a moral because it tells you what to do.)

Discovering a Story’s Theme 3. Ask how the protagonist has changed during the story & what the character has learned about life. 4. There is no one correct way to state the theme of a story. You may have several ideas about what the theme is.

THEMES: Self-Identity Self-Reflection Stereotypes Individuality Family Appearance vs Reality