RETEACH

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MOTIF

A repeated element or idea used to help build a story’s overall meaning and theme
is called a motif. Writers often use one or more symbols to help create their motif.
A symbol is a person, place, or thing that has a stated and an unstated meaning.
For instance, an olive branch has a stated meaning and a symbolic meaning. Its
stated meaning is a branch on an olive tree. Its symbolic meaning is extending an
offer of peace. Using motifs and symbols helps writers build their theme, or
underlying main idea.
DIRECTIONS: Read this paragraph from Charles Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities
and answer the questions that follow.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it
was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of
incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was
the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us,
we had nothing before us…

List five pairs of people, places, things, or ideas in this passage.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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 PRACTICE

Name: Date:

MOTIF

A. DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions that follow on the lines provided.

1. Why does Dickens create pairs of items?

2. What does the motif of pairs suggest in this passage?

3. What does the symbol of light and darkness represent in this passage?

4. What is the theme of this passage?

5. Why do you think Dickens opened the novel with this motif?

B. DIRECTIONS: Explain what the motif of pairs adds to this passage. How would the
passage be different without this motif?

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