PURPOSE, THEME, CHARACTERIZATION

Anthem

Purpose

The reason behind the text. This is especially important for examining rhetoric. You cannot examine the logic or argument of a piece until you know the reason for the piece, or what the author is trying to tell you.

What does the author want the audience to take away?

You might remember to define purpose as filling in this verbal infinitive phrase: “to ______”. For example: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain

Purpose

To persuade: author’s goal is to get the reader to agree with the author’s opinion (advertisements, commercials, newspaper editorials, etc.)

To inform: author’s goal is to enlighten the reader with topics that are usually real or contain facts (textbooks, cookbooks, newspapers, encyclopedias, etc.)

To entertain: author’s goal is to tell a story or describe real or imaginary characters, places, and events (poems, stories, plays, comic strips, etc.)

Purpose

What is Rand’s purpose in writing the novel? How do you know?

How does Equality’s society’s structure & rules show the purpose?

What text evidence can you provide to support your response?

Characterization Review

• Author’s reveal characterization two ways: – Direct characterization

• the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like

– Indirect characterization• the writer reveals information about a character and

his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him

Characterization Review

Round vs. FlatRound Character: a

character who reveals various, and sometimes contradictory, personality traits.

Flat Character: a character who reveals only one character trait

Static vs. DynamicDynamic Character:

a character whose personality goes through a transformation in a story

Static Character: a character whose personality remains unchanged throughout a story

Characterization Review

Each person/character has strengths & weaknesses.

Internal & external struggles can create conflict for a character.

What can a character learn from his/her struggles/conflicts & apply to his/her life?

Conflict Review

External Conflict: Man vs. man Man vs. nature Man vs. society Man vs. technology

Internal Conflict: Man vs. self

Theme Review

Theme = life lesson a reader can take away from a piece of literature.

A theme statement = main idea in a work of literature; it must be a complete sentence & must be supported with examples throughout the text

Themes are not trite clichés

Conflict = Theme

What conflict(s) does Equality face?What is a theme of the novella?

How does Equality’s conflict = how the theme develops?

What text evidence can you use to support your claim?

Text Evidence

Rand states, “write directly what is in the text” (23).

Be sure that the punctuation is after the citation not inside the quotation.

Also, make sure that you lead into the quote; never “drop” a quote into your answer