Themes, symbols, and motifs come alive when you use a storyboard. In this activity, students will identify one theme from the text and trace the way it is developed throughout the story. Students may find that plot events, characters traits, important quotations, and symbols might all help convey a theme. Selecting and depicting these elements can be good preparation for an essay on themes within the novel.
The example below shows a sample storyboard for an exploration of the theme of prejudice. As a town with a large immigrant population, Manifest is home to many kinds of prejudice in the early 1900s. World War I only increases the townspeople’s fear of outsiders. Throughout the book, these prejudices manifest themselves in both major and minor ways.
Other themes to consider for this activity:
The 1917 flashbacks begin with Jinx and Ned running into a KKK rally. The KKK is strong in Manifest because of its large immigrant population. The klan members object to the different races, nationalities, and religions of the immigrants.
At the fair, Lance Devlin brags about enlisting in the army. He mocks Ned for being too poor to enlist, then suggests that he might be an enemy spy since his ethnic heritage is unknown.
Many of the women in town are prejudiced against Miss Sadie due to her Hungarian heritage, accent, and clothing. They do not allow her to submit a square for the Victory Quilt that is to be signed by President Roosevelt.
Ned is taken away from his mother when they arrive in America. When Miss Sadie finally tracks him down years later, he has been adopted by an American family. Miss Sadie decides not to reveal her identity in order to spare him humiliation and and prejudice she experiences.
Arthur Devlin takes advantage of the immigrants' need for work by making them work long hours for low pay. He encourages tension between ethnic groups by refusing to let different nationalities work together. He hopes this will prevent them from working against him.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard depicting important themes, symbols, and motifs in the story.