The Blackthorn Key
Work from the bottom up--Response 1 first and Response 13 last.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Response 12
The theme of a story is the central message the author is sending. Books often have several possible themes. Some themes of The Blackthorn Key could be home, loyalty and good vs. evil. What do you think the theme of it is? You can pick one of the options I listed or choose one of your own. Please support your opinion of theme with examples of where that theme is in the book.
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The theme of this book in my opinion is definitely courage because at a young age Christopher was orphaned, and then was chose to become an apothecary's apprentice. Then after being an apprentice for three years his master is murdered and he is blamed for it. So he has to figure out who killed his master without dying and without being captured. Another theme of the Black Thorn Key is good vs. evil because Christopher has to capture Oswyn without him figuring out he is on to him. So really it could be either of them.
ReplyDeleteThe theme in this book in my opinion I would say would be courage and good v.s evil. Firstly, I think that having courage in this book is a good theme because Christopher was orphaned at a little age and he has to have courage throughout the book to solve Master Benedict’s puzzle for him. I think that solving all of the codes and puzzles would take a lot of patience and a lot of courage. Also, he has to run from all the people that are looking for him and he has to be brave and trust himself to find out the key. Christopher also has to have courage all throughout the book. Secondly, I think that good v.s evil is a good theme because Christopher and Tom have to fight the bad guys all throughout the book. I also think that good v.s evil is represented throughout the book because there needs to be bad guys so that Christopher and Tom can find out the key to all of the murders happening in London.Two of the themes in this book are having courage and good v.s evil.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the book the Blackthorn Key I’ve come to realize that the theme of the story is good vs. evil. I say this because the story is about about an ongoing feud between the good and the bad. On page 90 it says “Master’ I said. ‘There’s been another murder.” Here it explains that the bad side is killing people. An example of the good side throughout this story is on page 348 it says “ Tom leaned over. He put his hand on my chest, his face lined with worry.” This is an example of good for a couple of reasons. First of all Tom is Christopher’s best friend, and after promising he wouldn’t come back he still did. Second, coming back would be dangerous for Tom he could have easily gotten hurt. Last Tom coming back for Christoper could have easily taken his life. Yet Tom risked his own life but saved both Christophers and Lord Ashcombe’s. In the end, I think that the best theme to describe this book would be good vs. evil.
ReplyDeleteYes, Ellie! Good VS Evil is all over this book. Your examples are wonderful.
DeleteMaiya Swan
ReplyDeleteOnce I finished The Blackthorn Key, I’ve come to a conclusion that the theme of this book is loyalty. To be an apprentice, you have to have loyalty and obey your master. During the book, I noticed that Christopher had lots of loyalty to his master and would do anything for him. On page 138, Tom said, “Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out. Master Benedict believed in you.” This shows me that Master Benedict and Christopher had a tight relationship and were close to each other. Loyalty is a very important trait to have and in this book there was lots of it.
Nice job, Maiya. Loyalty is, indeed, one of the themes of this book. Both Benedict and Christopher showed extreme loyalty, which enabled Christopher to solve things in the end.
DeleteAfter finishing The Blackthorn Key, I can conclude saying the main themes of this book are loyalty and trust. Being Loyal is very important, Christopher is loyal to his master and will do anything. Also, Tom is a loyal friend, he sticks by Christopher the whole way and does his very best to help him. The other theme trust is also important because through out this book Christopher doesn't know who to trust. Basically saying be careful who you trust could be the theme.
ReplyDeleteConnor, Christopher had to be so careful with whom to trust. I agree that it's one of the book's theme. Loyalty is also felt throughout. Benedict, Christopher, and Tom and show extreme loyalty. Nice job!
DeleteThere are always many themes in books. Sometimes it can be hard to choose one. I think that one of the themes of “The Blackthorn Key” is courage. I think this because Christopher has to do a lot of things in the book that take courage. In the book on page 246 it states, “Games are over Christopher, the Elephant said. Come on out. Footsteps came closer to the doorway, moving cautiously. I dropped the coal in the heap of white on the floor. There was a hiss. What's that? Martin said. Then powder burst into flame. Smoke poured from the mound as a rose-red wall of fire erupted, keening like a banshee.” This to me says that Christopher had to have courage to fight Elephant, Martin, and Wat. Christopher had to be really brave running through the streets trying to stay away from all the people trying to capture him.
ReplyDeleteCourage is a great choice, Lindy! Christopher had a lot of it to go up against so many.
DeleteI believe one of many themes in "The Blackthorn Key" is journey, as most journeys lead back home. In the book, Christopher is an orphan who is taken in to be an apprentice. Soon his master becomes his father figure, and the shop where he works becomes his home. Then Master Benedict is killed, and Christopher is stripped from both his home and family. In an attempt to figure out who killed his master, Christopher goes on a journey through his town with his friend Tom, and they eventually find the culprit. In the end, Christopher is given all of Master Benedicts possessions, including the shop where Chris spent the most wonderful years of his life, his home. This proves that even after all of the struggle, Chris' journey led him back home.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Kaitlyn! I had not that of journey as a theme, but you back it up well. I love it!
DeleteThe Blackthorn Key has many themes. One theme I think it has is love and friendship. I think it is love because Master Benedict loved Christopher like a son. He did all he could to protect him and died trying. He also cared for Christopher like no one ever had, and that made a huge impact on Christopher’s life. I think that friendship is also a theme because of the strong friendship between Christopher and Tom. All throughout the book they work together to solve the puzzles and codes to get to the Fire. Even if Tom thought it was a bad idea. At one point in the book Christopher tells Tom to not come with him because he thinks it is too dangerous. But Tom comes back anyway and saves Christopher’s life by doing so. I think that love and friendship are very strong themes in this book.
ReplyDeleteI think the scene where Tom comes back anyway solidifies the friendship theme. Nice job, Emmalee!
DeleteFirst of all the theme is very important to the book.At first I thought that the theme was loyalty but I could not explain it.The theme that I am sticking with is caring or love. I picked caring or love because through out the book there is a lot of caring or love. One example is that when Christopher was an orphan Master Benedict took Christopher in.Master Benedict also took care of Christopher and raised him gave him food and water.Master Benedict also taught Christopher how to read codes.Master Benedict got Christopher thought many trails of his life in the book.Though out the book there is lots of love and caring and this is all my paragraph was about.
ReplyDeleteI think that the theme of the book "The black thorn key" is courage. I think it is courage because Christopher is doing all this crazy stuff. After 3 years of being a apothecary his master gets murdered. He is on to Oswyn and is trying to capture him. He also need to try and live. he needs freinds help
ReplyDeleteJoshua Bloomfield
ReplyDeleteOne theme I think this story holds is loyalty. My reason for this thought is one of the main characters, Tom remains loyal to Chris throughout the entire book. Even when Chris decides to do stupid things like shoot a cannon indoors, Tom sticks with him. I mean Tom and Chris met after Chris made a bajankety catapult that misfired and hit Tom who was playing with his sister. Tom came over and instead of giving him the beating of his life he says simply why are you pelting me with rotten fruit. After that Tom just goes with whatever Chris does. There more and more possible themes that I could go on about, but I feel this one fits the bill the most.
Loyalty is a theme that is shown throughout, Josh....Espcially by Tom, as you point out.
DeleteI think the overall theme of the book is loyalty. I say this because Christopher never gave up the real location of the Archangels fire. At the end of the book we believe that Christopher has given up its location, but we later find out that he never did. Lord Ashcombe on page 356 states, “You set. A trap” in which Christopher responds by saying “Yes, my lord. I couldn’t take the chance that Olwyn might find it and escape. This shows that even when suffering Christopher will stay loyal to his master’s secret. Master Benedict returns this trust by never giving up on Christopher even when all seems lost. Tom on page 138 even says so when he states, “Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out. Mater Benedict believed in you.” The rusted relationship between Master Benedict and Christopher tells me that the main theme of this book is loyalty.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme of the Blackthorn key is trust. An apothecaries job is pretty much built on trust, or that is what I got out of it. If you are an apothecary and you don't have trust how will you make friends to help you with your remedies. You would find trust in the book, when Master Benedict was always with Hugh. They practically shared recipes and the Archangel's Fire of course. If you think about the Archangel's Fire was very dangerous so Master Benedict trusted Hugh hoping that he wouldn't do anything bad with it.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the theme of this book is good vs evil and loyalty. All throughout the book you see Christopher and Tom sticking together through thick and thin. Even when Christopher did stupid things Tom was still there with him. Another reason I think it is loyalty is because Christopher never really gave up the hiding place of the Archangels fire. But I also think the theme could be good vs evil because during whole book you see conflict between protagonists and antagonist. The book has two sides good and evil and they are two of the main mysteries throughout this book.
ReplyDeleteLola, thank you for using the point of good and evil against protagonis/antagonist. It's important we remember both sides and who is who. I agree that good vs. evil is a central theme, along with loyalty. Good work!
DeleteI think that the theme of the book is loyalty. Christopher never betrayed Master Benedict. He knew that he needed to protect the Archangels Fire. Christopher didn't leave he stayed because he loved Master Benedict. Master Benedict trusted Christopher. He sent Christopher away so that he wouldn't be killed.
ReplyDeleteJesse P.
ReplyDeleteI believe a themes of the story would be good vs. evil. I believe this because Martin and other bad guys wanted to find the secret recipe so that they could cause danger around the city. Christopher on the other hand, was given a quest to find a secret code so that Martin could not get his hands on the recipe. I believe that loyalty was also a theme because Stubbs did whatever Martin wanted him to do. I also saw that Christopher showed to be very loyal to Master Benedict and loved him very much. Master Benedict proved to be loyal to Christopher also because he believed Christopher would suceed in his quest and he took care of him when other masters in London would be very mean to learners.
Hunter Arends
ReplyDeleteI think that the theme of the book is loyalty. The reason I think this is most of the Story needs loyalty to happen. One example is, Tom has to be loyal to Christopher for him to follow Christopher into most places and keep the story going. Another reason I think the theme is loyalty is, most characters in the book are loyal to each other. Christopher - Benedict, Tom - Christopher, Osyen - The Elephant - Wat - Stubb - Martin. One example from the book that shows that these people are loyal to each other is Tom. When Tom got hit by Christopher's fruit cannon when they didn't know each other he didn't beat Christopher up, he just asked, why are you pelting me with fruit? Tom also save Christopher from Wat after the explosion even though he was told not to go back.
There are many themes throughout the book, "The Blackthorn Key." One theme is friendship. Tom and Christopher's friendship stays strong throughout the whole book. An example of this is when Christopher tells Tom to stay away from him and don't come back because he thinks it is too dangerous, but Tom comes back anyways. On page 348 it states, "A second blow came, a deep, solid thwack on the top of his head. Wat crumpled to the ground. I stared dumbly at his unconscious body. Tom leaned over. He put his hand on my chest, his face lined with worry." Wat was going to kill Christopher but when Tom came back, he used a rolling pin to nock Wat unconscious and saved Christophers life. There were many themes in the book, and some of those were courage, good vs. evil, trust, loyalty and many more, but one main theme is friendship.
ReplyDeleteI think that the theme of the story The Blackthorne Key is good vs. evil and loyalty. In the book good vs. evil was a main one because Christopher was on the good side trying to find who murdered his master. The murders are on the evil side and Christopher was against them. Another evil group was the Cult of the Archangel, they were trying to get the fire to get more power. I also think Loyalty was one of the themes. I think this because throughout the whole book Tom was super Loyal to Christopher. Master Benedict was also loyal, he trusted Christopher and protected him from the murders. He knew that if he left a note for Christopher to figure out the murders, that Christopher would indeed follow it and catch whoever murdered his master.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the themes of the book is courage. I think this because Christopher has to do a lot of things in the book that require courage. Christopher had to be really brave while he tried to avoid the people who were trying to capture and or kill him. An example of Christopher having courage is when he makes black powder and puts it in the fire. he did this so Tom and him could escape from Stubb and Wat. This took courage because he could have been spotted and killed.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteRachel B.
I think the one of the Themes of The Blackthorn Key is you can't trust everyone you once did. In the book Christopher trusted Oswyn. Oswyn was a good guy and was very helpful right up until the end of the book. When Christopher found out that Oswyn was a bad guy it really surprised him. I think another theme of the Blackthorn Key could be loyalty. Thomas was really loyal and helped Christopher whenever he needed it. Also Christopher was really loyal to Master Benedict. He was there for Master Benedict when he got home late. Although there are many themes to The Blackthorn Key these are really important ones.
I love this. Trust between Christopher and Oswyn definitely existed at first. Nice choice, Rachel!
DeleteThere were many themes of this book but one that stood out to me was friendship. Throughout the book Christopher and Tom are always there for each other. Whenever Christopher is stuck in a hard situation Tom is always there to help out even when Christopher tells him not to. One example of this is , ‘ “You came back” I said sai, “of course I did. The promise you make me make was stupid” ‘ This is an example of true friendship. Tom went and saved Christopher even when it was dangerous.
ReplyDeleteone of the themes in the book is courage and theses are important because if Christopher had no courage he wouldn't be able to do moist of the thing he did in the book. An example of Christopher having courage is when he makes black powder and puts it in the fire. he did this so Tom and him could escape from Stubb and Wat. Christopher has a lot of courage in the book and it make it a great book and have such a great storyline
ReplyDeleteJoshua Youles
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I think that the theme of this book is loyalty. I can prove this by going back to when Master Benedict died. Christopher was given a choice to either stat with his master or leave and he chose to stay. When Christopher found his masters dead body he didn't run he stayed their and tried to figure out how he died. Then when Christopher figured out the code which led him to the fire he didn't leave and pretend he had nothing to do with it.Christopher stuck through the mess and stayed loyal to his Master.
Loyalty is exhibited throughout, Joshua. Great examples!
DeleteTrinity H.-
ReplyDeleteI think a theme is endurance. Not entirely in the physical sense, but also mental endurance. Christopher was lied to and picked on at the orphanage, which is hard enough. But then he had to leave and become an apprentice, which took some getting used to. However, after becoming attached to his master, Benedict died, leaving Chris homeless, jobless, and without any possessions of his own. Christopher had to witness/hear about murders, supposedly corrupt leaders, and much more. He was exposed to a lot from a fairly young age, and would have to be physically and mental capable of enduring it all.
Tayler Felton-
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book, the Blackthorn Key I’ve concluded that the theme of the story is good vs. evil. I believe this because the story is about a continuing feud between the good and the evil. On page 90 the author states “Master’ I said. ‘There’s been another murder.” This explains that the evil side is killing people. An example of the good side, in the book is on page 348, the author states “Tom leaned over. He put his hand on my chest, his face lined with worry.” This is an example of the good side for a few reasons. Foremost, Tom is Christopher’s best friend, and after promising he wouldn’t come back he still did. Additional, coming back could have been hazardous for Tom he could have easily gotten hurt. Finally, Tom coming back for Christopher could have easily taken his life. However, Tom endangered his own life to save both Christopher and Lord Ashcombe’s. In the end, I believe that the greatest theme to describe this book would be good vs. evil.
I think the theme of the Blackthorn Key is good vs evil. After reading the book I could see that there was no in between it was just good or evil there was the killer the people who helped the killer and the people who fought against the killer or tried to find the identity of the murder. Throughout the whole book one thing was always clear Christopher was the good guy along with Mr.Benedict every one else was a possible bad guy there was no middle ground so I think the message the author was trying to send was good vs evil because in a murder mystery theres always a good guy and a bad guy.
ReplyDeleteI love it when we just aren't sure who is going to turn out evil. But you're right, Bella. Good vs. evil is everywhere in this book.
DeleteAfter finishing the book "The Blackthorn Key". I had came to a conclusion tat the theme is loyalty. I think that the theme is loyalty because you have to be able to obey and listen to your master just like Christopher does in the book. I finally realized that Christopher had gave his master his loyalty and trust. Another example is when, Tom stays by Christopher's side. This shows me that Tom gave loyalty to Christopher.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "The Blackthorn Key," I think the theme of the book is loyalty. To be an apprentice, you have to be able to listen and obey your Master and do the things they tell you to do just like Christopher does in he book. Something that lead me to believe that the theme of the book is loyalty is when Master Benedict died. Christopher had a choice to stay with his master or leave and he decided to stay which showed great loyalty towards his master. Something else that lead me to the theme loyalty is Master Benedict's loyalty to Christopher. He was always loyal to Christopher and always protected him from the murders. In my opinion, the theme of the book is loyalty because of the many times characters were loyal to each other.
ReplyDeleteYes, loyalty is all over this book, Courtney! Benedict was also loyal to Christopher by behaving the way he did and trying to protect Christopher, right?
DeleteEllie S.
ReplyDeleteI think that the main themes in The Blackthorn Key are trust, and loyalty. Master Benedict had to have a lot of trust for Christopher to leave him with the responsibility of the Archangel’s Fire. Christopher also had to trust Tom enough to tell him about the Archangel’s Fire. Tom was also very loyal to Christopher. Tom could have gotten arrested or killed while he was helping Christopher, but he was loyal and did it anyway. There were many more examples of both loyalty and trust throughout the whole book.
I think that one theme in The Blackthorn Key is friendship and family. Without Christopher’s family, Master Benedict, he wouldn’t have found the Fire. Without his friend, Tom, he would have been much more lonely and Master Benedict’s death would have been much harder on Christopher were it not for Tom. Without the help of Tom, Christopher might have been crushed because of Master Benedict’s death to where he was vulnerable to those trying to kill and hurt him. Friendship and family are two very important themes in the book, The Blackthorn Key.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this book in my opinion is good v.s evil. I think that good v.s evil is a good theme because Christopher and Tom have to fight the bad all throughout the book.On page 90 it says “Master’ I said. ‘There’s been another murder.” it explains that the bad side is killing people. Another more example of this is in the book, Tom is Christopher’s best friend, and after promising he wouldn’t come back he still did. Secondly, during whole book you see conflict between protagonists and antagonist.
ReplyDeleteGabby, I agree! Good vs. evil is prevalent in this book. Do you think it was hard to figure out who was actually evil in the book? I had my ideas, but most were wrong.
DeleteI feel the theme of the book could be perseverance. Since Christopher didn't know all the codes from Master Benedict, he had to keep trying to get the codes and symbols right. Christopher also had help from his friend Tom which leads me to my next possible theme which is friendship. From the very beginning of the book the plot has revolved around keeping your friends close. Christopher and Tom were very close. From helping Chris make gunpowder to deciphering codes, Tom was always ready to help. Master Benedict and Christopher had a great bond as well. Benedict had taught Christopher everything he knew to help when he wouldn't be there anymore. Chris had to keeping trying to make sure his friend got the redemption he needed.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book The Blackthorn Key, I think the theme of the book is courage. I think the theme is courage because Christopher was put into an orphanage at a young age. Then he was picked to be an apothecary's apprentice. He had to fight bad guys and go through losing Master Benedict his only and only true family. Through all of this Christopher had to keep courage that everything would turn out to be all right, and most of it did. This is why I think the theme of the book is courage.
ReplyDeleteCailan M
ReplyDeleteThe theme of a story is very important. I think the theme of The Blackthorn Key is loyalty. Christopher was very loyal to Master Benedict. Master Benedict gave Christopher a home and taught everything he knows and loves. So, Christopher is very loyal and obedient of his Master. For example, I doubt many other apothecaries would go through as much trouble as Christopher did to find their master's killer. Christopher is so loyal to Master Benedict that he put his own life in danger just to find out who ended his master’s.
There are many nice themes, but one of the most consistent is friendship. The friendship between Tom and Christopher is lasting throughout the book. Tom never deserts Christopher even when he nerly kills them both. And Tom convinced his parents to adopt Tom as an apprentice. But he quickly gets kicked out.
ReplyDeleteFugi
ReplyDeleteWatch out 2022 is danger.
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