Introduction
The Heart Goes Last is focused on two particular people: a couple. Both of them had lived in poverty for a long time after Stan, the boyfriend, get his job taken away. Eager to feel the long-gone taste of happiness and no worries, they quickly began their next chapter in a corrupt society full of injustice and limited amounts of "freedom". This book goes over the prison systems, dystopian societies, lack of privileges they are given, and the toxic relationships that result because of that.
The student must be able to pick out themes from this book. Given knowledge of the dystopian system, lack of freedom, and the relationships, they will be able to come to a conclusion.
Task
Create a PowerPoint connecting the themes in this book to something you have read or watched in a story or movie.
Ex: In both The Maze Runner and The Heart Goes Last, the theme of freedom arises.
In Star Wars and The Heart Goes Last, there is hope.
Process
It is important for the student to recognize important themes AND symbols in the novel.
A theme is a central subject in the text.
https://literarydevices.net/theme/
Answer the following questions:
What is the theme of each sentence?
1. She sat down in fear as she watched her child get taken away from her.
2. He jumped up and down, almost as if he was a kid again after he realized that he had the winning lottery ticket.
3.They held each other tightly, hoping that it would be the last time they part, though they knew it wouldn't. The war had a way of getting in people's lives: it just so happened to affect Sally's.
Some themes in this book are: the dystopian society, toxic relationships, and the prison system.
https://literarydevices.net/dystopia/
What are some characteristics of a dystopia?
If you had the choice to join a dystopia, would you take it like how Stan and Charmaine did despite the risks?(subjective)
How does a dystopia limit the amount of freedom people may have had?
https://www.healthscopemag.com/health-scope/toxic-relationships/
What makes a relationship toxic?
How is Stan and Charmaine's relationship toxic?
https://literarydevices.net/symbolism/
A symbol is a literary device, sometimes appears often in the story, that has a lot of hidden meanings.
What are some common symbols in literature?
What are some symbols in this novel?
What is the symbol/s of each sentence?
1. She woke up and saw the heavy snow outside. It has only been a few months since her father has passed, but she misses him everyday.
2.The red of the sunset struck our weary eyes, though we thought nothing of it, so soon afterwards, we fell asleep. The next day we were attacked by fifty-thousand men.
3. "He gave me this rose," She once told me, "as a promise to keep our love."
"Where is he?" I asked without thinking,
"Still in my heart."
Evaluation
Rubric:
| Task: | Distinguished | Proficient | Apprentice | Novice |
| Must contain at least two themes | Has two themes | Has two themes but the connection is uncertain | Only has one theme | Does not have any |
| Clearly addresses the theme | Addresses the theme in a clear manner | Addresses the theme but with some confusion | Chooses a theme not in this novel | Does not attempt at choosing a theme |
| Punctuation/Grammar/Spelling | Has little to no grammar issues | Has a few grammar issues | Has a lot of incorrect grammar | Has major grammar mistakes |
| 10 slides minimum | Has no less than 10 slides | Has 8-9 slides | Has less than 8 slides | Has 4 slides |
| Has correct sources and citations | Uses correct sources/citations | Most citations and sources are correct | Tries to use correct sources/citations | Does not use correct sources/citations |
Conclusion
The purpose of this assignment is for the student to be able to read a novel and find the key themes and symbols in it.
Credits
Teacher Page
This task was chosen for a student to be able to find themes and symbols in text.
Read the book slowly and carefully in order to get the best idea of it. Do not skip over parts or you may miss something important.