1. English II
Theme, Plot & Setting
Notes

2. What is PLOT? The basic structure of a story
Exposition: Setup of setting, characters, and initial conflict
Rising Action: All of the events in the story that lead to…
Climax: The highest point of action in the story, where conflict is at its strongest.
Falling Action: Events that slowly release the tension and lead to…
Denouement/Resolution: The end of the story. The outcome of the conflict(s)

3. What is SETTING?
Setting is the context in which the story takes place (time period, place, social environment)
Setting affects characters and their decisions
It also affects the atmosphere and mood of the story.
Time period in particular affects how characters react to their situations.

4. What Is THEME?
Theme is the message, or lesson, that the author wants you to learn from the story.
Often displayed through the actions of characters
A character goes through a crisis or major event, which causes a change.
The character learns a valuable lesson in his own life.

5. Common Topics for Themes — “Big Ideas”
Courage
Fear
Achievement
Dreams
Equality
Being yourself
Kindness
Jealousy
Hope
Differences
Friendship
Honesty
Hard work
Acceptance
Love
Family
Doing the right thing
Themes usually use one of these “big ideas” to teach the reader a lesson; most themes can be condensed into one statement.

6. Asking the Right Questions
Ask yourself these questions to determine the theme of the story:
What did the characters learn?
How did the characters grow or change?
Why did the characters act this way?

7. Practice Write the theme statement for the story below.
“The Bundle of Sticks”
An old Monkey on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some advice. He ordered them to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son: “Break it.” The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the sticks. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. “Untie the bundle,” said the father, “and each of you take a stick.” When they had done so, he called out to them. “Now, break,” and each stick was easily broken. “You see my meaning,” said their father.

8. Practice
Tammy and Sammy were both students in Mr. Morton’s reading class. Mr. Morton wasn’t too strict about deadlines, and Sammy took advantage of that. He did all of his homework in his other classes but never bothered to complete Mr. Morton’s reading assignments, figuring that he could complete them later. Tammy, on the other hand, completed each assignment Mr. Morton assigned the night that he assigned it. She had to stay up a little later, but she didn’t want to get a penalty for turning in her reading work late. Tammy knew reading was a core subject and that she had to keep “C” average for the entire year or she would have to go to summer school. When the end of the quarter came, Tammy and Sammy had both planned on going to the Enchanted Castle amusement park, but Mr. Morton called Sammy’s mother, and she grounded Sammy until he turned in all of his work. That weekend was horrible for Sammy. He stayed up until 2:00 AM each night and still couldn’t complete all of the assignments. The whole while, Tammy had a great time eating pizza at Enchanted Castle, watching movies late at night, and enjoying her weekend free of stress and pressure. At the end of the quarter, Sammy was lucky to squeak by with a “C” minus in reading while Tammy earned an “A.” Sammy still hasn’t learned his lesson and probably won’t complete this activity either.

9. Practice
In his sophomore year of high school, Michael Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. But at five feet and eleven inches tall, the coach believed that Jordan was too short to play at that level, so Jordan was cut from the team. Jordan didn’t let this obstacle defeat him. In fact, it pushed him to work even harder. He trained vigorously and grew another four inches the following summer. When he finally made the varsity squad, Jordan averaged 25 points a game and went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in history.

10. Practice
Justin was jealous when his cousin Cassie was named valedictorian of her class. "Some people are just born smart," he told himself later as he watched TV on the couch. He had not been with Cassie all of those times when she studied late into the night. Justin was also jealous when his cousin Victor was elected class president. "Some people are just more popular than others," Justin told himself while playing video games on the couch. He had not been with Victor while he tirelessly campaigned, listened sympathetically to the problems of others, and treated everyone he knew with kindness and respect. When Justin's cousin Matthew became the quarterback for the varsity squad, Justin was envious. "Some people are just more athletic than others," he told himself as he played around on his computer. Justin had not been with Matthew while Matthew trained relentlessly to develop his athletic abilities. "One day something lucky will happen to me too," Justin told himself as he snacked on junk food.

11. Practice “The Monkey and the Cookies”
A monkey put his hand into a jar of cookies. He grasped as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the cookie jar. Unwilling to lose the cookies, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly lamented his disappointment.