1. Turn and Talk: How does a reader determine the theme of a fictional story?

2. Today you will learn how to determine the theme of A Christmas Carol

3. Central ideas So what? Theme statement

4. Possible Central Ideas: abandonment acceptance ambition anger beauty betrayal blame class community compassion conformity courage cowardice death deceit duty empathy entitlement fear forgiveness freedom grace greed grief guilt happiness identity ignorance integrity intolerance isolation jealousy legacy love loyalty maturation popularity prejudice pride privacy reputation redemption rivalry secrecy self-improvement self-reliance suffering survival temptation transformation truth

5. STEP #1: What BIG ideas does the text deal with? Some central ideas of A Christmas Carol are… – death – greed – redemption – transformation

6. Central Idea: Redemption Definition: rescue; salvation; atonement for guilt Synonym: a second chance

7. STEP #2: So What? What is the author saying about a central idea(s)? Dickens is saying… – Give people second chances; even the worst of the worst deserve it. – The person who is seeking redemption has to really want it and he has to earn it; otherwise, he cannot be saved. – A second chance really can change a person.

8. STEP #3: Condense step 2 into a short sentence (S + P + O) Therefore, a theme of A Christmas Carol is… – Redemption is earned not given. – It is never too late to be redeemed. – Redemption is transformative.

9. Central ideas So what? Theme statement Try another theme statement using a new central idea…

10. Possible Theme Statements for A Christmas Carol Conflict causes growth and change. The welfare of others is everyone’s concern. The fear of death is transformative.

11. Avoid these clichés: Money doesn’t buy happiness. Everyone deserves a second chance.

12. A theme is NOT… A cliché Written on a Hallmark card A moral A lesson Advice Fortune cookie message A “you” statement One word A summary Non-example: “Slow and steady wins the race.”