Themes in The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Themes in The Witch of Blackbird Pond

How do we find a theme?

Poll

Do you know what a theme is? Are you comfortable identifying themes in texts?

• No, I haven't heard of "theme" before.

• I have heard of "theme," but I don't remember what it is.

• I know what themes are, but I don't think I would be able to find it in a text on my own.

• I know what a theme is and I think I could find it in a story.

On the next slide, you will be watching a video from Khan Academy, teaching you how to identify theme in the story of Anansi the spider. After watching, you will be asked to come up with your own theme for the story, so pay close attention to the messages being told!

Open Ended

What theme would you give the story of Anansi the spider?

Topics

• Another way to find the theme of a text is to think of the broad TOPICS, or ideas that are in the text.

• TOPICS are usually a word or short phrase, NOT a sentence.

TOPICS

For example, the movie Moana covers the topics of identity and self-discovery.

Moana wants to know who she is and what her purpose is. This drives her to leave her village and moves the plot along.

THEMES and TOPICS are similar because they both deal with the meaning of the story, but they have a key difference.

• Topics are usually one broad word, like "loyalty" or "family"

• THEME is a statement:

• "You should be careful with your loyalty to others"

• "Family will always be there for you"

• You could consider these the "lessons" or "message" that the author wants you to learn through the story.

THEMES of Moana

• Topic: Boundaries

• Theme: Some boundaries are meant to be broken.

• Topic: Identity

• Theme: It is important to discover who you are to others and to yourself.

• Topic: Bravery

• Theme: Taking risks and being brave is sometimes necessary.

Multiple Choice

True or false: Stories can have only ONE theme to them.

• True

• False

Poll

Do you think that other things, besides stories, can have themes to them?

• No, I think it's just stories that have themes.

• Yes, other things can have a theme to them.

Plenty of other things around us have themes to them, from art to movies to music! Think of a song you like - what is a theme to that song? If it's a love song, what is the singer saying about love?

Poll

Which of these is a TOPIC of The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

• Identity

• Loyalty

• Love

• Fear

• Prejudice (judging others)

You can turn TOPICS into THEMES by asking yourself, "What does the author believe about this topic?"

For example: What does Elizabeth George Speare, the author of The Witch of Blackbird Pond, believe about identity?

Hint: The author will almost NEVER outright say in a novel:

"I believe ____ and you should agree with me!"

You have to determine the theme on your own, without it being TOLD to you by the author. This is analysis!!!

Open Ended

Choose one of the topics and try to create a theme that relates to The Witch of Blackbird Pond:

---> Loyalty, Love, Fear, Prejudice

(or choose your own topic from the book)



"Speare believes that..."

So how do you turn this into an essay?

Once you determine a theme, you can write an essay about it. Think of it like an argument, except your thesis is now the theme and you must find evidence to PROVE to your audience that you are RIGHT in claiming it is a theme!

You find evidence by going to the text and finding WHERE that message was LOUDEST.

Open Ended

Theme: Prejudice (judging people without knowing them) is dangerous and harmful.

Explain ONE TIME where this statement was TRUE in The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Summarize the details of the event.

"One time where prejudice was dangerous or harmful in the novel was when..."

For a full essay, you would need:

• At least three examples of the theme in the text (at least one for each body paragraph)

• Direct quotes from the text

• To explain HOW this evidence proves your theme is a theme of the novel.

• To be familiar enough with the text to KNOW where to find evidence (annotating and note taking are key here!)

Things to remember:

• You can claim pretty much ANYTHING is a theme, but you have to be able to back it up with evidence.

• You will be expected to write quite a few of these types of essays in high school (and college, if you choose to go)

• These essays can be really fun! You look for the deeper message and get to become like the detective/expert on the topic.

• It doesn't require ANY outside research to write (until college, anyway). You only need to know the events of the novel and analyze them.

Poll

Do you know what a theme is? Are you comfortable identifying themes in texts?

• No, I haven't heard of "theme" before.

• I have heard of "theme," but I don't remember what it is.

• I know what themes are, but I don't think I would be able to find it in a text on my own.

• I know what a theme is and I think I could find it in a story.