THEME

COMMON CORE STANDARD

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

What is theme?

The theme of a story is the meaning, moral, message or big idea of the story.

It can also be a lesson you can learn about life or an insight into human nature.

* The theme of a fable is its moral.

* The theme of a parable is its teaching.

* The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave.

Most themes are not stated directly; the reader must infer them from the details and events of the story. (Infer ~ To make an educated guess)

Examples of themes:

There is time for work and time for play.

A kind act is always remembered.

Whatever you do, do with all your might.

Let's explore the themes or lessons of the following fables:

1. The Ants and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"

"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.

When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.

Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of need.

ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/btl10.ela.early.theantsandthegrasshopper/the-ants-and-the-grasshopper/#.WewO_2CWw9g

ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/btl10.ela.early.citymouseandcountrymouse/city-mouse-and-country-mouse/#.WewR-GCWw9g

2. The City Mouse and the Country Mouse

A country mouse invited his cousin who lived in the city to come visit him. The city mouse was so disappointed with the sparse meal which was nothing more than a few kernels of corn and a couple of dried berries.

"My poor cousin," said the city mouse, "you hardly have anything to eat! I do believe that an ant could eat better! Please do come to the city and visit me, and I will show you such rich feasts, readily available for the taking."

So the country mouse left with his city cousin who brought him to a splendid feast in the city's alley. The country mouse could not believe his eyes. He had never seen so much food in one place. There was bread, cheese, fruit, cereals, and grains of all sorts scattered about in a warm cozy portion of the alley.

The two mice settled down to eat their wonderful dinner, but before they barely took their first bites, a cat approached their dining area. The two mice scampered away and hid in a small uncomfortable hole until the cat left. Finally, it was quiet, and the unwelcome visitor went to prowl somewhere else. The two mice ventured out of the hole and resumed their abundant feast. Before they could get a proper taste in their mouth, another visitor intruded on their dinner, and the two little mice had to scuttle away quickly.

"Goodbye," said the country mouse, "You do, indeed, live in a plentiful city, but I am going home where I can enjoy my dinner in peace."

3. The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a lion, the king of the jungle, was asleep, a little mouse began running up and down on him. This soon awakened the lion, who placed his huge paw on the mouse, and opened his big jaws to swallow him.

"Pardon, O King!" cried the little mouse. "Forgive me this time. I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days!”

The lion was so tickled by the idea of the mouse being able to help him that he lifted his paw and let him go.

Sometime later, a few hunters captured the lion, and tied him to a tree. After that they went in search of a wagon, to take him to the zoo.

The Lion and the Mouse – Fable & Short Story Online

Just then the little mouse happened to pass by. On seeing the lion’s plight, he ran up to him and gnawed away the ropes that bound him, the king of the jungle.

"Was I not right?" said the little mouse, very happy to help the lion.

The Lion and the Mouse – Fable & Short Story Online

MORAL: Small acts of kindness will be rewarded greatly.

4. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

A Shepherd Boy tended his master's sheep near a dark forest not far from the village. Soon he found life in the pasture very dull. All he could do to amuse himself was to talk to his dog or play on his shepherd's pipe.

One day as he sat watching the sheep and the quiet forest, and thinking what he would do should he see a wolf, he thought of a plan to amuse himself.

His master had told him to call for help should a wolf attack the flock, and the villagers would drive it away. So now, though he had not seen anything that even looked like a wolf, he ran toward the village shouting at the top of his voice, "Wolf! Wolf!"

As he expected, the villagers who heard the cry dropped their work and ran in great excitement to the pasture. But when they got there they found the boy doubled up with laughter at the trick he had played on them.

A few days later the Shepherd Boy again shouted, "Wolf! Wolf!" Again the villagers ran to help him, only to be laughed at again.

Then one evening as the sun was setting behind the forest and the shadows were creeping out over the pasture, a Wolf really did spring from the underbrush and fall upon the Sheep.

In terror the boy ran toward the village shouting "Wolf! Wolf!" But though the villagers heard the cry, they did not run to help him as they had before. "He cannot fool us again," they said. The wolf killed a great many of the boy's sheep and then slipped away into the forest.

Liars are not believed even when they speak the truth.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

THEME IN FABLES.pdf

EXTRA CREDIT: RECURRING THEMES

WRITING ASSIGNMENT (50 points)

DUE DATE: TBA (To be announced)

STEP 1

Click on any of the following websites and pick 4 fables or stories:

Aesop's Fables 1

Aesop's Fables 2

Fables and Fairy Tales

STEP 2

Read 4 fables or stories of your choice

NOTE: At least 2 of them must have a common theme (Common means 'the same' or 'very similar'. Example: The common theme for "Androcles and the Lion" and "The Lion and the Mouse" is 'Little friends may prove to be great friends')

STEP 3

1. Pick 2 fables or 2 stories with a common theme .

2. Copy the essay template at the end of this page.

3. Follow the instructions on the template.

4. Begin writing your first draft (USE your OWN paper).

(Please refer to the sample essay at the bottom of this page)

ESSAY TEMPLATE

COPY THE FOLLOWING TEMPLATE - Use a separate sheet of paper :)

Write Your OWN title _________________________________________

(NOTE: DO NOT forget to center your title and to capitalize the most important words of your title.)

(Skip 2 lines)

Paragraph #1: Introduction

You must include the following information - (Do not forget to indent at the beginning of every paragraph):

1. Titles of the fables/stories you read.

2. Thesis statement ( Write the common theme for both stories)

3. A brief/short summary (a few lines) of both stories and how they are related to your theme.

(Skip a line)

Paragraph #2: Body

You must include the following information - Do not forget to indent the first sentence of your paragraph:

1. A transition (Example: To begin with, first,...) followed by the title of the FIRST fable/story you read.

2. Write an example/passage/detail/event/action or quote (exact words taken from the fable in quotation marks) and EXPLAIN how they are related to the theme.

(Skip a line)

Paragraph #3: Body

You must include the following information - Do not forget to indent the first sentence of your paragraph:

1. A transition (Example: To continue, second,...) followed by the title of the SECOND fable/story you read.

2. Write an example/passage/detail/event/action or quote (exact words taken from the fable in quotation marks) and EXPLAIN how they are related to the theme.

(Skip a line)

Paragraph #4: Body

You must include the following information - Do not forget to indent the first sentence of your paragraph:

1. A transition (Example: Moreover, third,...) followed by the title of the FIRST or SECOND fable/story you read.

2. Write another example/passage/detail/event/action or quote (exact words taken from the fable in quotation marks) and EXPLAIN how they are related to the theme.

(Skip a line)

Paragraph #5: Conclusion

You must include the following information - Do not forget to indent the first sentence of your paragraph:

1. A transition (Example: In conclusion, to conclude, finally, to summarize,...) followed by an explanation on how the characters in BOTH stories did something or learned something related to your theme.

2. Summarize and paraphrase (paragraphs 2 and 3 and write your own conclusion about how both stories/fables have a common theme.

SAMPLE ESSAY

Forgiveness

(Indent) A theme is the moral or lesson of a story. A recurring theme appears in more than one work. The recurring theme for the stories “I Am Not Mad Anymore” and “A Bad Road for Cats” is no matter how mad you are at someone, you should always try to forgive them. In the story “I am not mad anymore”, Shirl, the seventeen-year old girl, was upset because Carly, her twin sister, had run away. Carly realizes that she should go home. She happily waits for her at the airport, forgiving for her wrong decisions. In the story “A bad road for cats”, Magda, the main character of the story, loses her cat, Louis. She goes to look for him and has to buy him back. At first she was angry at the boy who sold her cat, but later on, she forgave him.

(Indent) To begin with, the theme of the story“ I Am Not Mad Anymore” is no matter how mad you are at someone, you should always forgive them. It was very evident that Shirl was upset with Carly. “Sometimes she could feel the acid of her fury in her veins” This statement shows how upset the main character was. She also said, “Pure rage would burst her blood cells, pack her arteries”. She didn’t mean that literary her arteries packed. She was showing how angry she was.

(Indent) After a while, Shirl’s anger started to grow smaller and smaller. She stopped caring why she was mad. “At first Shirl held Carly wholly responsible, but time went by, she lost interest.” She began to forgive her sister. Shirl learned a valuable lesson. She learned that she should always forgive people.

(Indent) To continue , the main character in the story “A bad road for cats”, learns a valuable lesson. When she lost her cat, she was upset. When she found but that a boy was selling her cat, she got angry. “Magda wanted to leap for Louis, steal him and run home”. This shows that she was also sad because she lost her cat. “She came to feel sympathy for him remembering his tears”. The woman felt sorry for the boy and forgave him. She even had a present for the boy.

(Indent) In conclusion, both stories have a common theme. The stories teach us that we should always try to forgive people and “No matter how upset you are with someone, you should always forgive them”. Both of the main characters learned a very valuable lesson about life that will help them live their lives with wisdom and inner peace.

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