Constructed Response # 2

What is the central theme of “The Fourth Man” by Agatha Christie?

How does the author use characters to develop this theme?

Use two examples from the text to support your claim.

Identify a main theme (not topic) of “The Fourth Man.”

Identify which type of character is used to develop this theme.

You must do a T-chart:

  • Identify one theme of ‘The Fourth Man” at the top.
  • On one side, identify one character and explain howhe or shesupports the theme.
  • On the other side, provide an example from the text with a citation.

Rubric:

10 points – Claim and Conclusion– ---Introduce a precise claim that identifies a character and its type and answers the prompt.. ---Write a concluding statement to support the claim ------Add to your claim by using language from your reasoning. Start with “Thus” or “Based on…”

10 points– Evidence–Supply 2 direct quoteswith citations from our core novel which develop the claim.

10 points – Reasoning - Explain how the evidence leads to the claim.

10 points – Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, MLA format, and style

Reminders:

Use MLA format when typing.

Use transitions when starting a new idea (First, Second, In addition, For example, Further)

Use present tense.

Explain each quote BEFORE the quote. Explain how eachexample connects to your claim.

Do not use

  • You, I, We, My, etc.
  • “This quote proves that”…“That is why”…”Another example is…”
  • If… then (if there was no character, then there wouldn’t be a story)
  • Contractions,Repetition

Draw your T-Chart here:

Name ______Period___

Constructed Response #2- Character and Theme

Write your claim: include the author and title, identify the tupe of character(s) used, and state the theme.

In the short story “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, uses the protagonist to support the theme that people overlook the details in life that prove to be of great value. Sherlock Holmes who uses his attention to detail and deductive skills in order to solve a crime, to develop this theme.

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Write your first example of how this type of character supports the theme:

  • Start with a transition, explain specifically who and what this type of character is
  • Explain the context of the supporting quote; then include the quote with a citation.
  • Connect the quote back to the theme.

First, Holmes attempts to solve a mystery for Helen Stoner, whose twin sister died in bed one night after hearing a whistle. Holmes knows the importance of paying attention to detail and decides to stay the night at Stoner’s house. Holmes explains, “There are a thousand details which I should desire to know before I decide upon our course of action” (Doyle 15). During his stay in the home and the specific room where Stoner’s sister died, Holmes pays careful consideration to detail and finds a ventilator with a bell-rope tied to the bed. Holmes finds it necessary to understand all of the details of the crime scene before he would decide on a course of action.

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Write your second example of how this type of character supports the theme:

  • Start with a transition, explain specifically who and what this type of character is
  • Explain the context of the supporting quote, then include the quote with a citation.Connect the quote back to the theme.

Next, Holmes further uses his skills of observation pinpoint the stepfather as the murderer. Holmes says, “My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to you, to this ventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole and coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me” (Doyle 38). Thus, Holmes’ attention to detail allowed him to understand that the sister’s stepfather had murdered her by sending a snake through the ventilator down the rope in her room, subsequently biting and killing her.

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Concluding statement: restate the theme in new words and summarize the examples.

Doyle’s characterization of the protagonist Sherlock Holmes as a detail-oriented detective whose discovery of the bell-rope and the fact that it was a dummy leads to him solving the murder helps the reader understand his message that paying attention has great rewards.

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Don’t forget your book citation.

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(Farmer, Nancy. The House of Scorpion, New York, Simon+Schuster Children's Publisher, Print.