Divining Deeper Meaning: Themes & Motifs in Chapter 3 of When the Emperor Was Divine

Lit & Lens Society Analysis Toolkit – Part 2

Once you’ve read Chapter 3 and completed your initial close reading, it’s time to go deeper. This pair of activities invites you to explore the subtle—but powerful—literary choices Julie Otsuka makes in the final pages of When the Emperor Was Divine’s central chapter.

We’re calling it “Divining Themes & Motifs” for a reason. The chapter’s title asks us to think about what “divine” really means—and in these activities, you’ll analyze how Otsuka weaves meaning into symbols like water, dust, flowers, tortoises, and dreams.

🧠 Part 1: Activation, Personal Connection & Thematic Close Reading

In this first part, you’ll:

• Reflect on your own understanding of the word divine
• Connect the boy’s experience of waiting, invisibility, and disconnection to your own experiences
• Choose one of six topics to explore in detail (Marketing, Father, Dreams, Tortoise & Gloria, Water, or Ghosts/Black & White)

🌿 Part 2: Symbolism, Layered Imagery & Advanced Literary Analysis

In this follow-up, you’ll:

• Closely analyze annotated passages about the tortoise, the father, dust, and dying willow trees
• Think symbolically: What does it mean that the boy mails a leaf to his father? Or that only a tulip (not a willow) survives?
• Prepare for a high-level literary analysis paragraph or essay

✍️ Why This Matters

This activity is all about noticing fine literary details and using them to support bigger, thematic ideas—exactly what IB and advanced literary writing asks you to do.

So if you’re prepping for a Lit essay, or you just want to get more out of the novel, this is your space to go beyond summary and really think.