Number the Stars by Lois Lowry |
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Language Arts Department
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Literary Analysis
Tone
Based on evidence from the book…
What is Lowry ’s attitude towards the situations Annemarie faces?
What is her attitude towards her characters?
What parts are funny? sad? frightening? serious?
Organization
Describe how the plot is organized in this novel?
How is it like other books? How is it different?
Why does she begin with the race home from school? Why does she add the afterword?
Why doesn't the story follow the Rosens throughout the story?
Author’s message
According to the author's website: " In this tale of an entire nation's heroism, Lois Lowry reminds us that there is pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war." What pride is demonstrated in the novel? What is the cost of this pride? What acts of human decency are performed? Why are these two things important?
Consider the following as themes:
friendship
bravery/courage
Diction
Identify seven to fourteen words that you found particularly important or interesting.
What words, if changed, would affect the story (change its meaning, mood, tone, suspense)?
Does the dialogue sound realistic?
When does Lowry uses Danish words? Why?
Syntax
How would you describe the length and variety of the sentences in the novel?
Did Lowry use figurative language? When and where?
Rhetorical purpose
Is Number the Stars persuasive, informative (expository), and/or entertaining?
What is done in the text to achieve this purpose? (How is it entertaining, what evidence does it offer to be persuasive, what details are given to be informative?)
Imagery
When you think back on scenes from the book, what do you see?
Which scenes stand out in your mind?
Are there any images/objects that keep popping up in the book? What purpose could Lowry have for repeating that image?
What details help establish the setting of 1944 Denmark?
Genre
What genre(s) is Number the Stars ?
How does this type of story help get the message across?
Would another genre be more effective?
Can you think of other films or novels featuring the Holocaust? How is this similar/different?
Can you think of other stories where someone risks everything for a friend? For a cause/belief?
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Literary Terms
Protagonist (main character)
Antagonist (character who is in conflict with protagonist)
Round characters (multi-faceted)
Flat characters (one-sided)
Foreshadowing
Flashback
Point of view
Conflicts Character vs character
Character vs nature
Character vs self (internal conflict)
Character vs society
Character vs supernatural
Plot
Introduction
Rising Action
Climax
Resolution
Setting
Time period
Place
Connections:
Personal
World
(Please remember, we do not maintain these sites and cannot control their availability nor their contents.)
The Author’s Website: http://www.loislowry.com/
About the author: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/lowry.html
Encarta's entry on World War II
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Last updated: 2 Feb 2005