Theme

Alan had very few responsibilities, but one of them was to clean his room. It did not take long, but Alan still didn't like doing it. One day Alan thought of a way to save some time. Rather than putting everything neatly back in its place, he decided to just throw all the stuff on the floor into his closet. His mom would think that he had cleaned his room, and it would only take a fraction of the time. Alan was pleased with himself for thinking of this brilliant idea. He figured that this would save a lot of time and energy. The next time his room got messy, he piled everything up in the closet and the pile grew. It grew and grew. Then Alan's friend Steve called. "Alan, everyone is playing baseball at the park. Do you want to play too?" Alan loved baseball. "That sounds great, Steve. I'll be right there." Alan went to grab his baseball mitt when he realized that it wasn't in its usual place. Alan thought to himself, I guess it's in the closet. When he opened up the closet door, he was faced with a huge, unnavigable mess, some of which poured out as he opened the door. Alan began digging through the pile in a frantic attempt to find his mitt. He dug and dug, and as he dug his room got messier and messier. Soon his room was the messiest that it had ever been, and he still hadn't found his mitt. Alan sighed in despair. By the time he found his mitt, the boys had long concluded their game and Alan had hours of cleaning ahead of him before he'd be allowed to leave.

• Treat others as you wish to be treated; what goes around, comes around.

• A thing worth doing, is worth doing correctly; cutting corners comes at a cost; it is better to do a thing once the right way than many times the wrong way.

• Give credit where credit is due; a good relationship has to have some give and take.

• Do not criticize things that are dear to others, particularly if they are not seeking your criticism

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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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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?

• 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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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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