Theme

Literature has central idea. Stories, novels, plays, and poems all have themes, ideas about life that the author is trying to express.

What is a theme?

• Ideas about life the author is trying to express

• Stories, novels, plays, and poems

• Ideas about a story, novel, play, or poem an author is trying to express.

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Fables are short stories, usually about talking animals, that teach a lesson. Since fables teach a lesson, you know they have a theme; after all, themes are really just lessons about life!

Which answer is most correct?

• Fables are short stories, usually about talking animals, that teach a lesson about life.

• Fables are short stories, usually about talking animals.

• Fables are short stories about life, always with talking animals.

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Central ideas and themes are the same thing - the big points that are being made about life. The fable of The Tortoise and the Hare has a lesson to teach about life: slow and steady wins the race. The fable of The Lion and the Mouse expresses the idea that we shouldn't count anyone out, even if they're small.

Which statement is most correct?

• Central ideas and themes are the same thing

• Central ideas and themes are the same thing--the big points that are being made about life

• Central ideas and themes are different. Central ideas are for information text, and themes are for literature

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Every piece of literature you read, whether it's a poem, story, play, or novel, has a theme, and often they have more than one. One theme in The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play is that the teen years are lonely years. So now, if someone asks you about the author's life lesson in a story, you know they're just asking about the story's theme.

Which answer is most correct?

• Every piece of literature often has more than one theme

• Most pieces of literature only have one theme

• The Diary of Anne Frank is a short story

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What is the theme of the following text?

“It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you; and besides, the Bible bids us return good for evil.” (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte)

• Karma will get you back.

• Evil is everywhere.

• Materialism is a destructive quality.

• Overcome evil with goodness.

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What is the theme of the following text?

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, he said, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” (Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)

• Travel is a worthy pursuit.

• Live every day to the fullest.

• The quest for power is a wasted desire.

• Youth and beauty are fleeting.

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What is the theme of the following text?

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.” (Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss)

• You are in charge of your own destiny.

• Always know where you are going.

• Loss of innocence comes at a price.

• Power is the eye of the beholder.

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What is the theme of the following text?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” (A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)

• Life is full of paradoxes.

• Opposites attract.

• Seasons come and go.

• Inner strength is more important than outer strength.

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What is the theme of the following passage?

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.…” (The Raven by Edgar Allan

• Fear is an unsettling but powerful emotion.

• Revenge is always an option.

• Always lock your doors.

• The boogie man is alive and wel

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What is the theme of the following text?

“Not far away from here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there, and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?” (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)

• Hunger is a global issue that should be addressed.

• No one should suffer needlessly.

• Display generosity through random acts of kindness.

• Holidays are joyful celebrations.

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