Briggs/Yang- FNDN I
Unit Handout
Practice Analysis Paragraph on “The Stolen Party”
1. Reread (and re-annotate) the following passage:
Finally she came up to Rosaura and her mother. She had a big smile on her face and Rosaura
liked that. Senora Ines looked down at her, then looked up at her mother, and then said
something that made Rosaura proud, "What a marvelous daughter you have, Herminia."
For an instant, Rosaura thought that she'd give her two presents: the bracelet and the yo-yo.
Senora Ines bent down as if about to look for something. Rosaura also leaned forward,
stretching out her arm. But she never completed the movement.
Senora Ines didn't look in the pink bag. Nor did she look in the blue bag. Instead she
rummaged in her purse. In her hand appeared two bills. "You really and truly earned this," she
said handing them over. "Thank you for all your help, my pet."
Rosaura felt her arms stiffen, stick close to her body, and then she noticed her mother's hand
on her shoulder. Instinctively she pressed herself against her mother's body. That was all.
Except her eyes. Rosaura's eyes had a cold, clear look that fixed itself on Senora Ines's face.
2. Write a well-developed paragraph that interprets and analyzes the passage above. Using
specific details and quotes from the passage as evidence, answer the following question:
How does this passage reveal the story’s central theme, or message about life?
*In answering this question, be sure to clearly state WHAT the story’s theme is before
analyzing how the passage develops this theme.
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Start with a topic sentence that states your main point (this is your opinion of the story’s
theme expressed through the passage)
Then give your reader some context: a sentence that tells a short summary of what is
happening in the story when the passage occurs.
Use evidence (details from the passage and story) and commentary (your own
explanation of the details) to support your ideas. Include at LEAST 2 pieces of evidence.
Use the frame on the back of this page to structure your analysis. Please write or type your
paragraph on a SEPARATE sheet of paper. The most well-developed, effective paragraphs are
at least 7-9 sentences.
In this passage from “The Stolen Party,” author Liliana Heker conveys the idea that
___________(theme, or larger significance, revealed by the passage)________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
At this point in the story, ______(provide context—describe what’s happening in the story)___
___________________________________________________________________________________.
The phrase/detail “___________________________” refers to __________________________ and
suggests to the reader that ____________________(significance)_________________________. The
words “________________” and “__________________” further reinforces this concept because
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Also, the author’s choice of the word/phrase “_____________________” emphasizes/reveals that
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Overall, the passage builds a key idea in the short story that ______________________________
(connect significance of quote to story’s overall themes/meaning)__________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.