After Twenty Years
O Henry
Thematic Link
• What is the theme?
– What is the big idea, message about life or
human nature?
– Life is filled with unexpected discoveries.
– What is the big idea about friendship?
• It is important to have faith in friends.
Vocabulary
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Dismally
Habitual
Simultaneously
Staunchest
vicinity
Literary Analysis Concepts
• Surprise Endings
– Sudden turn in action
– New realization
– An unexpected outcome in the plot of a story.
• Foreshadow
– Events in story that give clues to future action
– Class work: With a partner go back through the story
and identify 3 events in the plot that foreshadow the
future outcome.
Literary Analysis II
• Irony- a contrast between what you expect to
happen and what actually happens.
• Character-the people who appear in the story
are called characters. Both major and minor
characters have traits and motives.
• Traits are qualities of the character’s personality
that are consistent or aren’t changed.
• Motives are emotions, wants or needs that
cause characters to act the way they do.
Share-Pair Activity
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List 5 of your traits
List 5 things that motivate you
Share with partner
Partner introduces you to class
Retrieved Reformation
• What is the theme( the message about
life, human nature, the human condition)?
Introductory Paragraph
(Give thesis statement about the theme)
Attention Grabber (Ask a question, tell an
anecdote, or find a relevant quotation
about your issue.
• Example:
– Can a person be changed by love?
Thesis Statement
• Thesis Statement-write a clear opinion
introducing at least 3 major pieces of
evidence that support your thesis. The
theme in Story X by Author Y is
_________because reason 1, 2 and 3.
USE RED Pen
• Example: The theme in A Retrieved Reformation
by O’Henry is love can change a life. O’Henry
has Jimmy Valentine fall in love with Annabelle;
Jimmy beomes a good citizen; and finally, he
saves the little girl.
Example from the Text
• Example: “For example, the authors
writes that
• Use BLUE Pen
• For example, on page 140, O Henry
writes, “…Jimmy Valentine looked in
her eyes and became another man.”
Quote with Introduction
• Quote with Introduction (Transition
Word Underlined) As evidence
the character states…
USE Black Pen
• As evidence, Jimmy states in his letter,
“I’m going to marry the finest girl on
earth.”
Commentary/explanation
• Commentary/Explanation: This shows
that …This also proves that…
USE GREEN Pen
This shows that love has the power to
change a crook into an honest man.
Concluding sentence
• Concluding Sentence
USE RED Pen
• Love is a powerful force for
good/change.