Determine the Theme in Literature

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?

• share with your neighbor

• work before you play

• be respectful

• don't be greedy

Which of the following could be the theme of a story?

• Fear is more dangerous than any beast

• A brave young girl pretends to be a man and takes her father's place in the army. 

• a fear of heights

• "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dogs, too!"

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 novel can have more than one theme.

• TRUE

• FALSE

A theme should always be written as...

• A sentence or statement

• A phrase

• One or two words

• A brief summary of 5-8 sentences. 

What is a theme?

• a topic of a passage

• a unifying idea about life

• the main idea of the selection

• a summary that includes the major plot points

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

• Friendship

• Friendships can teach you important life long lessons.

• Sonja and Mariel were no longer friends due to a big misunderstanding.

• First Jean forgot to study, then he asked to cheat off his friend's test, the teacher caught them, and Jean received a zero.

Your past does not determine the person you can become in the future.

This sentence is most likely an example of:

• main idea

• summary

• theme

• topic

What is the theme of this story?

• Don't be lazy.

• Our friends are always there for us.

• Turtles are faster than rabbits.

• It is better to take your time and do it right instead of rushing and failing.

What is theme?

• Message about life that the author expresses

• Sequence of events

• Main events

• Time, location, and mood of a story