Learn How to Find the Theme of a Book or Short Story

If youve ever been assigned a book report, you may have been asked to address the  theme of the book. In order to do that, you really have to understand what a theme is. Many people, when asked to describe the theme of a book will describe the plot synopsis, but thats not the same as the theme.   Understanding Themes A books theme is the main idea that flows through the narrative and connects the components of the story together. A work of fiction may have one theme  or many, and they arent always easy to pinpoint right away. In many stories, the theme develops over time, and it isnt until youre well into reading the novel or short story that you fully understand the underlying theme or themes.   Themes can be broad or they can focus on a specific notion. For example, a romance novel may have the obvious, but very general, theme of love, but the storyline may also address issues of society or family. Many stories have a major theme and several minor themes that help develop the major theme.   The Differences Between Theme, Plot, and Moral A books theme is not the same as its plot or its moral lesson, but these elements are related and necessary in building the larger story. The plot of a novel is the action that takes place within the course of the narrative. The moral is the lesson that the reader is supposed to learn from the plots conclusion. Both reflect the larger theme and work to present what that theme is to the reader. A storys theme isnt typically stated outright. Often it is suggested by a thinly veiled lesson or  details contained within the plot. In the nursery tale The Three Little Pigs, the narrative revolves around three pigs and a wolfs pursuit of them. The wolf destroys their first two homes, shoddily built of straw and twigs. But the third home, painstakingly built of brick, protects the pigs and the wolf is defeated. The pigs (and the reader) learn that only hard work and preparation will lead to success. Thus, you can say that the theme of The Three Little Pigs is about making smart choices. If you find yourself struggling to identify the theme of a book youre reading, theres a simple trick you can use. When you finish reading, ask yourself to sum up the book in a single word. For example, you could say preparation best symbolizes The Three Little Pigs. Next, use that word as the foundation for a complete thought such as, Making smart choices requires planning and preparation, which could be interpreted as the moral of the story.   Symbolism and Theme As with any art form, the theme of a novel or short story may not necessarily be clear. Sometimes, writers will use a character or object as a  symbol or motif  that hints at a larger theme or themes. Consider the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which recounts the story of an immigrant family living in New York City in the early 20th century. The tree growing up through the sidewalk in front of their apartment is more than just part of the neighborhood background. The tree is a feature of both the plot and the theme. It thrives in spite of its harsh surroundings, much like the main character Francine as she comes of age.   Even years later, when the tree has been chopped down, a small green shoot remains. The tree serves as a stand-in for Francines immigrant community and the themes of resilience in the face of adversity and the pursuit of the American dream. Examples of Themes in Literature There are several themes that are  reoccurring  in literature, many of which we can identify quickly. But some themes are a little harder to figure out. Consider these popular general themes in literature to see if any of them might be appearing in something youre reading right now. FamilyFriendshipLoveOvercoming hardshipsComing of ageDeathStruggling with inner demonsGood vs. Evil Your Book Report Once youve determined what the main theme of the story is, youre  almost ready to  write your book report. But before you do, you may need to consider what components of the story stood out the most to you. To accomplish this, you may need to reread the text to find examples of the theme of the book. Be concise; you dont need to repeat every detail of the plot or use multi-sentence quotes from a character in the novel, a few key examples can suffice. Unless youre writing an extensive analysis, a few short sentences should be all you need to provide evidence of a books theme. Pro Tip:  As you read, use sticky notes to flag significant passages that you think may point to the theme; consider all of them together once youve finished reading.   Key Terms Theme:  The main idea that connects all elements of the narrative.  Plot:  The action that takes place over  the course of the narrative.Moral:  A lesson that the reader is intended to learn from the plots conclusion.Symbolism:  The use of a particular object or image to represent a larger idea.   Article edited  by  Stacy Jagodowski

The Oppression of Miranda in The Tempest Essay - 1998 Words

The Oppression of Miranda in The Tempest Mirandas schooling in The Tempest shows the audience the conflicting arrangement white women in the Shakespearean drama as well as Shakespearean times are forced to act within. Paul Brown points out that the discourse of sexuality†¦offers the crucial nexus for the various domains of colonialist discourse (208) and the conduct in Prospero manipulates his followers sexuality is the mainstay of his power. The Miranda-Prospero relationship servers to represent a sort of patriarchy, which is unarguably the system many Renaissance women and women of Shakespeares time found themselves in. It is thus unsurprising that Prospero controls Miranda and her sexuality as well. The†¦show more content†¦As a Renaissance woman protagonist, she acts within an completely male world: I do not know/ One of my sex; no womans face remember (3.1.48-49). While no other women appear in the play, references are made to other women, but the count here is still minimal and sums up to three. Mi randa speaks of the lack of female companionship around her because of her location, but simultaneously the audience sees that the references to women that do occur within the play often have a sinister purpose for appearing within the lines. The other women mentioned in the play seem to provide a sort of dark cloak over the proceedings of the play, even if they are completely absent. Regardless, Miranda, as the only physical woman in the play the audience actually sees and hears, is described by Prospero with kind words, and few, if any, negative imagery revolves around the appearance of the innocent Miranda. For example, Prospero informs Miranda that this Art is prompted by his concern for her; I have done nothing but in care of thee (1.2.16). Prospero also tells Miranda that his mistreatment and harshness toward Caliban stems from the fact that Caliban attempted to rape Miranda and Prospero wants to protect her from any harm that could come about from Caliban.(1.2.347-51). 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This passage is clearly portrayed in Aristophanes’ ‘Assembly Women,’ Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest,’ and Cà ©saire’s ‘A Tempest.’ These works of literature focus primarily on the acquisition of power, and how it is used to change, manipulate, a nd control the people/circumstances/laws in question. 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Life of pi personal essay Free Essays

In Yawn Marten’s Life of Pi, Piecing Molotov Patella’s Journey explores many connections to my life. His life in India, along with his experience on water, allows Pi to recognize many attributes about himself. My life in three specific ways, mirrors the life of Pl. We will write a custom essay sample on Life of pi personal essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now This is proven through hope, loss, and religion involved in both of our lives. Pip’s ‘cup half full’ outlook, along with his â€Å"fierce will to live†(Marten, 164) is what gives him hope throughout his Journey on water. This is seen when Pi absorbs that there is a tiger in his life boat and that they are stranded in the middle of the ocean. This makes him realize oncoming death, however he fails to accept it due to the voice he hears in his heart; â€Å"l will not die. I refuse it. I will not make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine (163). † This spark of light found in his heart in such a hopeless situation, proves his amazing outlook on life and will to survive. Similarly, I try to view every situation in a positive light as well, no matter how hopeless the situation may be. This is usually seen when I may be in a bad situation with others, and instead of complaining, I will make the remark â€Å"Well, it could be worse. For instance†¦ † This attitude tends to create more positivist in everyone and every situation. In addition, Pip’s loss of loved ones also connects to myself. When he can no longer deny the death of his Father, Mother and brother Rave, he grieves; â€Å"what a thing to acknowledge in your heart (141)! † This represents the love that he will forever cherish of his family. Loss is something that everyone lives with. In the case of God’s Theodosius, people presume that evil, including loss, is existent due to possible reasons: to build character, to develop free will, pure revenge, etc. In the case of P’, I believe that his loss establishes building of character, and in connection to my first point, creates motivation which brings him hope. The loss of my family members, including all four of my grandparents, has been bitter sweet. Of course, death is a tragedy in the case of loved ones, however, believing that they are looking down on e has given me hope and motivation, like P’, to strive for success and make them proud. The major factor that Pi develops throughout the novel is the discovery of his identity. His religion(s), family, and self, all contribute to the way that he showcases himself when he is independent on the ocean. In his search for religion, Pi is not limited by the bounds of a single religion, but instead seeks guidance and meaning from many. His choices of following the religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity are all able to contribute to his strong love for God/Allah. It is Pip’s dignity and belief for God that he cares about; â€Å"To me, religion is about our dignity, not our depravity'(79). Like Papua Gandhi, I agree that ‘All religions are true† (76) and that there are no rules for loving God as religion is an independent choice. After all, the point of spirituality is not to becoming limited by narrow thinking, but to find yourself in order to enhance your lives, and the lives of those around you. Unlike P’, I was raised practicing the single religion of Judaism in my household. My mother (who inverted) along with my father, exposed me to the practices and beliefs of Judaism, which I still practice and abide by today. This goes along with my Bat Mitzvahs at the age of thirteen which identified me as a woman. My belief in God, like Pi, is strong, and thanks to religion, is a major part of my identity. When examined closer, Pip’s hope in all situations, loss of loved ones, and identity which is seen through his religion, are all able to connect closely with myself. Works Cited Marten, Yawn. Life of Pi: a novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print. How to cite Life of pi personal essay, Essays

Ethical Dilemma Information Security and Privacy

Question: Discuss about theEthical Dilemmafor Information Security and Privacy. Answer: Introduction The data breach of 500 million users of Yahoo raised an ethical concern of information security and privacy. Ethics are used to different right from wrong. Consequentialism identifies consequences of an action and if they are harmful to humans, the act is considered unethical. Deontologist identify some moral duties of citizens or people providing or using ICT services in this case that have to be followed otherwise the act would be considered unethical. The consequences of data breaches and the lack of privacy and security in the case of Yahoo data breach case raises ethical questions on both grounds. Information security concerns about three aspects of data and that include confidentiality, integrity and availability. When confidentiality is compromised, it can lead to violation of privacy which is against ethical principles. In addition to this violation, compromise of confidentiality can also cause additional harm if the private data that is obtained gets misused. In case of Yahoo, the company did not reveal that the data was hacked for 2 years and that time was long enough for hackers to use the confidential information of Yahoo users for their benefits. They could have launched phishing attacks or done other forms of cyber crimes using the users information(Petkovic?, Jonker, Brey, 2007). Analysis using Doing Ethics Technique (DET) DET is a technique that can be used for analysis of the ethical situation of the current case. For this, eight ethics related questions have to be answered about the case in view including: What is going on? There was a data of 500 million users of Yahoo that was stolen by a state sponsored hacker in October 2016. This was the biggest data breach in the history of ICT. Although, Yahoo claims that no financially sensitive information of the users was stolen, yet the user names, email IDs , passwords, secret questions and other private information was stolen which could affect the yahoo users(Fiegerman, 2016). What are the facts? Some important facts of the case include: Email IDs, passwords, secret questions, birthday details and other non-sensitive information of 500 million yahoo users was stolen The attack was launched by a state sponsored hacker Yahoo was going through a stage of acquisition when Verizon had offered it a purchase price of $4.83 billion The hacking had been going on since 2014 but was disclosed by Yahoo only after two years It was the biggest data breach of century after the MySpace data breach of 360 million users What are ethical and non-ethical issues? Some ethical issues that were raised by the case included: Violation of confidentiality and privacy of Yahoo users Violation of security parameters pose risk to users Yahoos silence for two years that went without disclosure of hack posed another ethical question asking if a company should keep their interests before their users(Cantrell, Salido, Hollebeke, 2012) Some non-ethical issues could also be identified as follows: The data breach affected the deal of Verizon that was planning to acquire Yahoo as it kept the deal on hold and the data breach was likely to affect the deal size The data that was hacked had to be remediated which costs a major amount to the victim organization Due to data hack, personal information of users can get misused or they can face phishing or other types of malicious attacks(DET, 2016) Who is affected? Yahoo email users were affected by the incident. What are issues and implications? Implications of the data breach could be: Email IDs can face spam or phishing attacks that can expose Yahoo users to more severe attacks if they end up disclosing more sensitive information over emails. Phishing attacks can also be used to trick users into password change for which user may end up clicking a malicious code that can download virus into their machines(The Ethics of Data Sharing: A guide to best practices and governance, 2016) Personal user details can be used to create fake accounts or hackers can pose as users before banks causing danger to both banks and users(ACT, 2008). What can be done about it? Users can be protected in two ways - either they become aware themselves and use more secure options of using systems or company can provide their users with better security features like mobile based login or two factor authentication. What are the options? For users to take control and strengthen their security, they can: Use more complex passwords containing alphanumeric characters Make security questions difficult to answer Ensure that passwords are changed in specific durations to avoid(LOHRMANN, 2016) If a company has to strengthen its security systems, they can take following actions: They can force security policies that are stricter such as forcing users into creating only complex passwords They can implement security features into email service such as spam blocking, two factor authentications and more The service provider can give additional methods for login that are not obvious and not easy to login such as login through a mobile number Companies can create awareness in users about security and send guiding emails to them for training(Dwork, Hardt, Pitass, O., Zemel, 2011) Companies can monitor and track user activities over emails such as use of IP, number of emails sent in a day and so on to identify abnormal patterns such that users can be warned of possible attacks. ICT service provider of emails can block sending of files that have extensions that can possibly be harmful such as .exe Which option is best and why? Users are normally not very serious and may not even be aware of the consequences of their actions and thus, the best approach would be that the ICT service provider itself makes the policies stricter and guide users into making their email accounts more secure. The service provider can do a lot of things to make users aware of the threats, consequences of their actions and keep them updated on the possible harmful activities on their accounts. Companies being expert in their own systems would better understand when a user is required to be educated and what settings can cause harm to accounts such that they make appropriate recommendations to users to create awareness(Bonneau, 2010). References ACT. (2008). Teachers code of professional practice. ACT. Bonneau, J. (2010). The science of guessing: analyzing an anonymized corpus of 70 million passwords. University of Cambridge. Cantrell, B., Salido, J., Hollebeke, M. V. (2012). Industry needs to embrace data ethics: heres how it could be done . Microsoft. DET. (2016). Standard of Practice. DET. Dwork, C., Hardt, M., Pitass, T., O. R., Zemel, R. (2011). Fairness through awareness. Fordham Law. Fiegerman, S. (2016, October 23). Yahoo says 500 million accounts stolen. Retrieved from CNN News: https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/22/technology/yahoo-data-breach/ LOHRMANN, D. (2016, October 2). After Massive Yahoo Data Breach: Have We Learned Anything? Retrieved from Government Technology: https://www.govtech.com/blogs/lohrmann-on-cybersecurity/after-massive-yahoo-data-breach-have-we-learned-anything.html Petkovic?, M., Jonker, W., Brey, P. (2007). Ethical Aspects of Information Security and Privacy. Springer. (2016). The Ethics of Data Sharing: A guide to best practices and governance. Accenture.