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Reading Assignment:  Finish Sadako and the Thousand Paper  Cranes

 

Writing Assignment :  Write one or two paragraphs explaining what you think is  a key theme in The Big Wave.  Open by saying something like “Pearl Buck’s The Big Wave  is a story that stresses the importance of ……….  Readers can see this, for instance, in the scene where….. Then too, there is the moment in which….

 

Below is a second illustration where I have filled in the blanks. But remember, these are examples. Do not copy them. Instead use your own thoughts, words, and examples. The basic pattern is (1) introduce the theme you think is important and (2) provide two examples that illustrate the theme. (3) Rely mainly on the present tense to explain your examples.

 

Here is an Example based on Mark's excellent suggestion in class. But "example" means you should use it to figure out your own way of writing the paragraphs. It doesn't mean you should copy what I say here:

 

Pearl Buck's short novel, The Big Wave, makes a strong case for facing ones fears.  This is particularly clear in the scenes where Kino talks to his father.  For instance, Kino's father tells him that as a child he should not think about death. Instead, he should enjoy life. But he also tells him not to fear death. To love life without fearing death is, the father says, the "Japanese Way."

 

That this theme is important to the book is also clear in the novel's ending. Jiya, who has lost everything when the big wave slams into the beach, returns to the spot where his family was destroyed. Jiya knows the risk he is taking. But he returns anyway because he wants to be a fisherman like his father. With his new wife, he will face his fear in order to live his life according to his wishes, rather than his fears.  

Last edited by Laraine
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    Pearl Buck’s The Big Wave is a story that says long long ago on a shore in Japan, there were two boys. One called Kino and one called Jiya, they were good friends. Kino's father was a farmer and Jiya's father was a fisherman. They lived there happily. One day the big wave came and it killed Jiya's family. So Jiya lived with Kino's family. When Jiya and Kino became big men, Jiya married Kino's sister, Setsu and went back to the shore and became a fisherman like his father.

    I think the key theme of this story is we should face danger with out fear. I remember a great man said "Fear of danger is more terrible than the risk itself a thousand times". So if we do not fear danger, danger isn't fearfull. For example, the boy who called Jiya, was afraid of the ocean very much when the big wave killed his family, but when he wanted to open, he turned into brave. He knew that his grandfather was a fisherman, and his father was, and he must be a fisherman. He didn't afraid of the danger, so the danger was not scary for him.

    We should learn brave from him.

Mark, This is excellent. I certainly think you are right about the theme and you give a solid example to support your point of view.

 

I will send you some comments via e-mail. But let me say again how pleased I am by what you have written. I especially like the way you organized it into two parts, giving a summary first and then a nice clear statement of your point of view.  You just get better and better.

 

 

Best, Laraine

Last edited by Laraine

earl Buck’s The Big Wave is a story that stresses the importance of facing the dangers and go over the dangers. I know it from: when Jiya know his family dead in that big Wave, he didn’t afraid it .he went over the dangers and lives with Kino’s sister together. In our life, we should do like Jiya, when we have something hard or dangers, just facing them and go over them.

Hello,Laraine

   Pearl Buck’s The Big Wave  is a story that stresses the importance of facing our fear.In the story,when Kino wants to be a fisherman,but he is scared about the sea,his father tells him,don't be afraid,just do what you want to do.After Jiya's family died in th big wave,Jiya is so sad and so scared about the sea,but when he is older,he is brave,he  with Setsu and lives on the shore again,he can face his fear,Even he only a fisherman.

 We should face our fear,too.

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