Development of Theme

How do you support the validity of a theme?

• text evidence

• summarizing

• you can't

• using the plot

A theme should be supported by ...

• your own words

• evidence from the text

• rationale/reasoning

• ALL of the above

Which of the following is NOT an example of a theme?

• Treat others the way you want to be treated.

• The little boy lied to his mother.

• With hard work, you can accomplish anything.

• You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

During a baseball game, Tanner tried to tag a player leaving first base. When the umpire called the player out, Tanner immediately informed the umpire that he in fact did not tag the runner. Two weeks later, the very same umpire was at another one of Tanner’s baseball games. Tanner was playing short stop and tagged a runner as they approached third base. When the umpire called the player safe, Tanner didn’t say a word, but the umpire noticed the surprised look on Tanner’s face. “Did you tag the runner?” she asked Tanner. When Tanner told her that he did tag the runner, the umpire changed her decision and called the player out. The coaches and parents were furious, but the umpire stood by her decision. What is the theme?

• You should cheat to win.

• Always work hard.

• It pays to be honest.

• Teamwork is best.

A theme should be a statement, not just one word. 

• TRUE

• FALSE

A novel can have more than one theme.

• TRUE

• FALSE

One way you could figure out the theme is to...

• Skim through the story

• Just read the beginning of the story

• Think about what the character has learned

• Read the ending of the story

What is the theme of this story?  

• Eat your vegetables.

• Don't brag. Be modest. 

• Don't talk to strangers. 

• Necessity is the mother of invention.

A theme is universal when

• It applies to you

• It applies to your dog

• It applies to everyone in the world

• Americans

Why are themes important in literature?

• They're not

• Because

• They help us learn about ourselves and others

• They teach us themes