Theme

One summer's day, a merry Grasshopper was dancing, singing and playing his violin with all his heart. He saw an Ant passing by working hard to store food for the winter. “Come and sing with me instead of working so hard,” said the Grasshopper “Let’s have fun together.” “I must store food for the winter,” said the Ant,“ and I advise you to do the same.” “Don’t worry about winter, it’s still very far away,” said the Grasshopper, laughing at him. But the Ant wouldn’t listen and continued to work. When winter came, the starving Grasshopper went to the Ant’s house and humbly begged for something to eat. “If you had listened to my advice in the summer you would not now be in need,” said the Ant. “I’m afraid you will have to go without supper,” and he closed the door. What is the theme?

• You must share with your neighbor.

• It is wise to work before you play.

• Friendship

• Don't be greedy.

Where can a reader find the theme?

• It stated directly in the text.

• A character tells you.

• The reader must understand what the character has learned.

• Books or movies do not have themes.

Lucy is a superhero. There is an evil villain approaching Lucy's small-town of Gray. Lucy hears of this news, and she instantly begins training so she can defeat him.

What theme can we take away from this summary of a story?

• Friendship is important.

• Treat others how you would like to be treated.

• You must work hard to reach your goals.

A story can have more than one theme.

• true

• false

Which of the following is NOT a theme?

• sharing with others is caring

• money is the root of all evil

• hard work pays off

• love

In math class, Mr. Carico handed the students their graded tests. Nicole showed her friend Maura the score she had gotten. It was bad. Maura, on the other hand, had gotten an A. On the bus ride home, Nicole and Maura were talking about the math homework for that night. "I just don't get this stuff," Nicole said. "I guess I'll bomb the next test, too." "Look, let's do the math homework together. I can help you," said Maura. Nicole shook her head. "No, I'll figure it out." Maura shrugged. "Okay," she said. That evening, Maura called Nicole. "I'm bored. What are you up to?" Maura asked. Nicole had been struggling with the math homework but didn't want to say so. Clearly, Maura had already finished. "Just getting ready for bed. I'm beat," Nicole lied. "It's not even nine!" Nicole bristled. "Well I'm tired, okay? It's not my fault you're bored." Maura was silent for a moment. Then she quietly said she had to go. Nicole hung up, too, and grabbed her pencil again. But the longer she stared at her worksheet, the more the problems looked like a jumble of meaningless symbols. She took a deep breath and reached for her phone. "Yeah?" Maura answered. Nicole told her the truth. "I'm sorry I was a jerk earlier. I was in a bad mood because I was stuck on the homework. I guess I was feeling resentful that you finished already." Maura said she understood. "Do you think . . . would you still be willing to help me?" Nicole asked meekly. "Of course," Maura said. "Like I said, I'm bored. I need something to do." On the next math test, Nicole got an A. The theme of this passage is- Don't let pride keep you from asking for help. What line best supports this theme?

• "Do you think . . . would you still be willing to help me?"

• Nicole had been struggling with the math homework but didn't want to say so.

• But the longer she stared at her worksheet, the more the problems looked like a jumble of meaningless symbols.

• Math is the hardest subject of all.

What is a theme?

• a story line

• the topic/subject

• a universal truth about life and people

• the time and place of an event

The theme of a piece of literature is the same as its ...

• message

• significance

• subject

• meaning

You can often infer the theme of a piece of literature by ...

• evaluating how a character has changed

• sharing a character's experience

• determining how the conflict has resolved

• ALL of the above

Which of the following statements about theme is TRUE?

• Authors NEVER use the same theme twice

• Themes only repeat in short stories

• All poems have the same theme

• The same themes can occur in different stories/different authors