I need help with this question. I just don't understand what it's asking me. Could someone tell me how I should start it, please? Thank you!

Writers often communicate their themes by building clues into the story. Choose one story from Collection 4 and show how the author uses characterization, title choice, and key passages to develop the theme of the story. Use examples from the story, including quotes from the key passages you choose.

The stories are:
Helen on Eighty-sixth Street
Marigolds
Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird

First, choose a story.

Decide what the theme of the story is. What message was the author trying to get across?

Then follow the rest of the directions to support your answer above.

Thank you Ms. Sue!

To start answering this question, you first need to select one story from Collection 4. Once you have chosen a story, the next step is to identify its theme. The theme is the central idea or message that the author wants to convey through the story.

To analyze how the author communicates the theme, you should focus on three specific elements: characterization, title choice, and key passages. Characterization refers to how the author develops the characters in the story. Pay attention to how the author describes their traits, actions, and dialogue. Title choice is another important aspect as it can often provide insight into the main idea of the story. Finally, key passages are specific sections of the story that are particularly relevant in conveying the theme.

Once you have identified the theme, you can find examples from the story that support it. These examples should include quotes from the key passages you have chosen. You can look for passages that directly express the theme or those that provide evidence or clues towards it.

By analyzing the author's use of characterization, title choice, and key passages, you will be able to demonstrate how these elements work together to develop the theme of the story you have selected from Collection 4.

Remember to provide specific examples and quotes from the story to support your analysis. This will strengthen your response and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the author's techniques.