FYI: Wonder Theme Essay

Wonder Theme Essay

The theme of a literary work is its underlying central idea, or the generalization it communicates about life. At times, the author’s theme may not confirm or agree with your own beliefs, but even then, if it is skillfully written, the work will still have a theme that illuminates some aspects of true human experience.

Questions for Theme Analysis in Wonder

1.    What do characters do that helps illustrate this theme?

2.    What do characters say that helps to illustrate this theme?

3.    What events take place in the work that help to illustrate this theme?

4.    What does the narrator say that helps to illustrate this theme?

Writing your Essay

·       First, pick one theme to write your essay analysis.

·       Next, you need to form your thesis statement.

·       After deciding on a thesis, you need to form a rough outline using the provided example. You will need to provide at least three examples from the book to illustrate the theme, which will be the components of your body paragraphs.

·       You will need two quotes per body paragraph. Don’t rely on the quotes to explain themselves. You need to ACE your work by leading into the quote, and also comment on the quote after you quote it. You need to effectively show how the quote helps to prove your point.

Follow the outline below-

·        Introduction paragraph-

Use one or two sentences to express your personal opinions on the subject of the book. (DO NOT WRITE THE WORDS, “I THINK” ANYWHERE IN YOUR PAPER!)

o   State the theme you chose from the book (thesis)

o   Describe in general, how the author expresses such theme, i.e. by using characterization, setting or conflicts, etc. (this will be where you lead in to your body paragraphs)

·        Body paragraphs-

Write at least 3 body paragraphs to explain how the author expresses the theme in his book. To describe each example, you need to include the following information.

o   What happened? What did the character do to show the theme?

o   What did the character say or think (quotes from the character, or the narrator)?

o   What is the consequence of his/her action?

·        Conclusion

o   Restate your theme

o   Write your final thought. (DO NOT WRITE THE WORDS, “I THINK” ANYWHERE IN YOUR PAPER!)

After you construct your outline, you need to create a rough draft. I want this to include at least your introductory paragraph, with your thesis and what your body paragraphs are going to contain, and a conclusion paragraph that paraphrases the main idea of your paper.

After you complete your final essay, you need to CAREFULLY proofread it, or have someone else proofread it.

I want these to be typed, Times New Roman, size 12, double-spaced, with your name, date, period and the title “Wonder Theme Analysis” in the upper right hand corner heading.

You will be turning in to me your outline, rough draft, questions, and final paper, so save it all. If you have any questions, please ask me.