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Name:

To understand the theme behind a literary work is to understand the humanity of the author. Use
the following resources to learn more about the authors we are learning about. Because of
sporadic record-keeping hundreds of years ago, we know very little about William Shakespeare.
Are you able to piece together Shakespeare the person from what you find out?

We know very little about William Shakespeare as a person. Use this resource to learn about the
man behind the plays and deduce what he was like.

https://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323
What do post hoc observations tell us about
Shakespeare's marriage?
From about 1590 to 1613, how many total
plays did Shakespeare write?
What reason do historians have for postulating
that William Shakespeare did not exist?

Use the following questions to create your idea of who J.D. Salinger was.

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ro-Sc/Salinger-J-D.html
What activities did Salinger participate in
during his time at Valley Forge Military
Academy?
Why did Salinger leave Ursinus College after
only one semester?
How did public libraries and schools initially
react to The Catcher in the Rye?
Explain how Salinger is protective of his
private life.

The following resource has some themes from The Catcher in the Rye listed under a tab. Each
theme has a theme statement that is a brief sentence. Find each one and write them in the
appropriate box below.

http://www.theinteractivecatcherintherye.com/
Isolation
Innocence
Sexuality
Youth
Name:

Morality
Sadness

Read and analyze the theme statements that you just wrote. Without looking at the first page, use
the information you know to write your own theme statements.

Isolation
Innocence
Sexuality
Youth
Morality
Sadness

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