1.Writers often communicate their themes by building clues into the story. Choose one story from Collection 4 and show how the author uses characterization, title choice, and key passages to develop the theme of the story. Use examples from the story, including quotes from the key passages you choose.

Question

***Hear is my answer**
In the story "The Gift" the author uses indirect characterization. When introducing them he doesn't say the boy's name nor anything about him other than that it is his first time in space and that it is almost Christmas. When he mentions parents he uses the word "they" , "So when, at the customs table, they where forced to leave behind his gift." He is not referring to them as parents until later in the passage when he says "his" this gives you a clue that they might be parents to the boy you just read about.
The title choice of the story suggest there is a gift involved as you read. You later find out that the gift was a small tree lit with white candles. The young boys parents where not able to bring the tree because "exceeded the weight limit by no more than a few ounces." Farther into the story you learn that the father finds a new gift for the boy.
The key passages are 1,2,7 and 10. In passage one it opens the story and tells us about the boy, his parents, and their problem about his present. In two it shows how worried his parents are about finding him a present and lets us know they will need to find a new one. The next passage 7 acknowledges the fact the father has an idea for a new present and makes his son wait. In ten we see what the present is. The present is people singing Christmas carols and the stars outside the window. I believe the theme of the story is how much a parent loves their child in order to get them a present also how child experiences are unique and wonderful.----Do you think that is good or does it need a little more?

Answer 1

This is not a theme:
how much a parent loves their child in order to get them a present also how child experiences are unique and wonderful
Read through themes in here and rephrase so you have a theme, not a summary of the story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_(literature)
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/writingabookreport/a/themelist.htm
(Notice that themes are phrases, not compound sentences.)

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Plus ...
These are your directions:
...show how the author uses characterization, title choice, and key passages to develop the theme of the story.

Use examples from the story, including quotes from the key passages you choose.

As far as I can tell you have not done any of this.

Since I do not know the author and cannot find this story online, I cannot help you with that.