Reference no: EM133236497

"Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self" (a personal essay by Alice Walker) Organization

1. How does Alice Walker organize her essay? What marks the shifts in the essay? (A shift can be a change in tone, attitude, or mood.) For each shift you notice, also qualify the change.

Consider the point where the chronology is not linear. What purpose does this serve? Style

2. Consider Walker's style in this personal essay. What makes this piece an essay as opposed to a short story? What is the effect of including poetry in an essay?

Theme vs. Statement of Theme

A theme is typically a word or short phrase that is at the root of a piece of literature. Poetry anthologies are often organized by theme: e.g. Love; Death; Loss; Beauty.

A statement of theme is a full sentence that answers "what about it?" when a theme is presented. If the theme is love, then what is the literary text expressing about love?

3. What are some key words that are at the core of this essay?

Once you have collected some key words and phrases, you must express them in a statement of theme.

Choose what BEST expresses the overarching message in the literary piece. In the future you will have a guiding question that includes key words on which to focus; for now, you will consider what you believe to be the essence of the piece. When constructing a statement of theme, always consider:

CONFLICT → RESPONSE(S) → RESULT

(What is the main problem (usually for the protagonist) → How do they react to it? → What is the result?)

The following is ONE way of constructing a statement of theme:

When an individual __________(insert conflict here)________________, he or she might ______(insert response to conflict here)____________, which results in ______________(result)_________________.

4. Write a statement of theme for Alice Walker's essay.