One advantage to reading a historical fiction novel is you get to learn what it was like to live in a very different time than the one you currently occupy. If the book is well written, you may gain a great deal of insight as to what life was like during that era in history. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry takes place in the southern United States in the 1930s, a place and time that many people found both frustrating and cruel.
Earlier in his module, you should have created two different collages—one representing a character's perspective and one representing a symbol. Locate each of your collages, and then read the prompts below. You will use one of these prompts to write an essay about the connection between a theme in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and other elements in the story.
Look back at the collage you created to represent the perspective of a character other than Cassie, the story's narrator. Which of the other character's experiences reveals the most about the kinds of conflicts that were common in the South during the Jim Crow era? What does the character's reaction suggest about the novel's message or theme?
If you choose this prompt, click the button below to download a worksheet that will help you plan your theme essay.
Look back at the collage you created to illustrate a symbol in the novel and to hint at one of the novel's themes. Where does the symbol appear in the novel, and how is it described? What does it represent (if anything) to Cassie or to other characters in the novel? And what does the symbol suggest about the novel's overall message or theme?
If you choose this prompt, click the button below to download a worksheet that will help you plan your theme essay.
Follow the directions in the worksheet carefully, and make sure that you answer all of the questions listed in the prompt. When you are finished, submit your final draft to your teacher for a grade. Your essay will be graded using one of the rubrics below.
Characters and Theme Essay
| Superior 5 points |
Average 3 points |
Poor 1 points |
|---|---|---|
| Paragraph 1 | ||
| Your first paragraph describes the character very accurately and thoroughly, providing five or more well-selected details that help readers imagine and understand the character. | Your first paragraph describes the character that will be the focus of your essay, including four or five important details that help readers understand the character. | Your first paragraph describes the character that will be the focus of your essay, but includes too few details to help readers understand the character. |
| Paragraph 2 | ||
| Your second paragraph describes at least three events involving your character—events that also clearly demonstrate the kinds of conflicts that were common during the Jim Crow era. | Your second paragraph describes two or three events that happened to your character, including at least some events that reveal the kinds of conflicts he or she would have faced during the Jim Crow era. | Your second paragraph describes two or three events that happened to your character, but the events do not clearly reveal the kinds of conflicts that were common during the Jim Crow era. |
| Paragraph 3 | ||
| Your third paragraph describes in careful detail the character's reactions to the events you described in the second paragraph. The paragraph works really well to connect those reactions to one of the novel's themes. | Your third paragraph describes the character's reactions to the events you described in the second paragraph. It also explains what those reactions say about the novel's theme. | Your third paragraph describes the character's reactions to the events you described in the second paragraph, but it does not clearly explain what those reactions say about the novel's theme. |
| Paragraph 4 | ||
| Your fourth paragraph provides a clear, very concise summary of your essay's main ideas in your essay. It describes your character in a way that emphasizes the themes suggested by the character's perspective. | Your fourth paragraph summarizes the main ideas in your essay in a couple of sentences. It includes a brief, general description of your character and reminds readers what themes the character's perspective suggests. | Your fourth paragraph summarizes the main ideas in your essay in a couple of sentences, including a brief, general description of your character but it does not remind readers what themes the character's perspective suggests. |
Symbols and Theme Essay
| Superior 5 points |
Average 3 points |
Poor 1 points |
|---|---|---|
| Paragraph 1 | ||
| Your first paragraph identifies a very important symbol in the novel, explaining where the symbol appears and how it is described. The paragraph also suggests a theme in the novel and helps readers understand the role that the symbol plays in the scenes where it appears. | Your first paragraph identifies a symbol in the novel, explaining where the symbol appears and how it is described. If the symbol is an object, it explains the role that the symbol plays in the scenes where it appears. | Your first paragraph identifies a symbol in the novel but does not explain the symbol fully enough. You should have identified where the symbol appeared in the novel and how it was described. |
| Paragraph 2 | ||
| Your second paragraph provides a thoughtful, convincing explanation of what the symbol represents to Cassie and the other characters in the novel. The paragraph also suggests what theme or idea that symbol should represent for readers. | Your second paragraph fully explains what the symbol represents to the narrator (Cassie) and/or the other characters in the novel. | Your second paragraph does not fully or clearly explain what the symbol represents to Cassie and the other characters in the novel. |
| Paragraph 3 | ||
| Your third paragraph clearly and thoroughly describes one or more themes that the symbol might suggest. It also explains—just as clearly—how or why the symbol points toward those themes. | Your third paragraph identifies one or more themes that the symbol might suggest or support and explains how or why the symbol points toward those themes. | Your third paragraph identifies one or more themes that the symbol might suggest or support but does not explain how or why the symbol points toward those themes. |
| Paragraph 4 | ||
| Your fourth paragraph provides a powerful conclusion to your essay. It summarizes the main ideas in your essay briefly and concisely but also reminds readers—in a memorable way—what theme or themes the symbol suggests. | Your fourth paragraph summarizes the main ideas in your essay in a couple of sentences, providing a brief, general description of your symbol and reminding readers of the theme or themes the symbol suggests. | Your fourth paragraph summarizes the main ideas in your essay but doesn't remind readers what theme or themes the symbol suggests. |
