Literature: Where the Truth Lies: Chapters 17-18 Name____________________

Due: Monday, November 1, 2010 407

Thinking about Theme: Coming-of-Age

Directions: This homework is a little bit different than ones you have had before. Instead of focusing on the plot of the story, we are going to be looking a bit more in depth at the theme. This assignment will require you to make inferences. (Remember: An inference is like a guess, but it’s based on the facts and ideas from the story). Making good, substantial inferences is not always an easy task, and as a result this assignment might be difficult. Push yourself to do the best work that you can do. Think hard and do good work.

Use complete sentences and proofread your work.

A themeof a story or a novel refers to a main idea or messagethat the author is communicating to the reader. Where the Truth Lieshas a variety of themes, one of which centers around the concept of Adolescence or Coming-of-Age.

Adolescence/Coming-of-Age is very closely connected with the idea of independence. It is a time when we begin to define our identities, asking ourselves questions such as “Who am I?” and “What do I believe?”What we’ve learned from our parents, families, and communities inform our answers to such questions, but in adolescence, our answers emerge as more truly our own.

When we look at the theme of Coming-of-Age in literature, we often look at specific characters and the ways that they have changed, begun to make their own decisions, and developed their own ideas throughout the course of a book. We will be doing this with Kyra, the main character of the novel.

1. In what ways is Kyra Coming-of-Age and beginning to develop her identity and independence from her family? In what kinds of ways has she changed since she left her family at Sanctuary and embarked on this journey? The answer to this question should be a well organized, thoughtful, and detailed paragraph.

2. Find at least three examples of text that support what you’ve written above and describe the different ways in which Kyra’s independence and identity are emerging.

   1. Copy the text onto your homework and also write the page number where it was located.

   2. Explain HOW the text you chose supports the inferences you made above.