Theme
Central meaning or message about
life that the author wants to convey.
Usually parallel to real life lessons.
Mini-Lesson: Theme
• The story’s central message.
• The theme of a fable is it’s moral. The theme
of a parable is it’s teaching. The theme of a
piece of fiction is it’s view about life and how
people behave.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer's day a grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content.
A group of ants walked by, grunting as they struggled to carry plump kernels of corn. "Where are you
going with those heavy things?" asked the grasshopper.
Without stopping, the first ant replied, "To our ant hill. This is the third kernel I've delivered today."
"Why not come and sing with me," teased the grasshopper, "instead of working so hard?"
"We are helping to store food for the winter," said the ant, "and think you should do the same."
"Winter is far away and it is a glorious day to play," sang the grasshopper.
But the ants went on their way and continued their hard work. The weather soon turned cold. All the
food lying in the field was covered with a thick white blanket of snow that even the grasshopper could not
dig through. Soon the grasshopper found itself dying of hunger. He staggered to the ants' hill and saw
them handing out corn from the stores they had collected in the summer. He begged them for something
to eat.
"What!" cried the ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world
were you doing all last summer?"
"I didn't have time to store any food," complained the grasshopper; "I was so busy playing music that
before I knew it the summer was gone."
The ants shook their heads in disgust, turned their backs on the grasshopper and went on with their work.
The Fox and the Grapes
ONE hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through
an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just
ripening on a vine which had been trained over a
lofty branch. “Just the things to quench my thirst,”
said he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run
and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning
round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up,
but with no greater success. Again and again he
tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to
give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air,
saying: “I am sure they are sour.”
Steps for finding the theme.
1.
Decide what the main topics of the story are. Try to choose the
two most important ones.
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Friendship
Courage
Hope
Trust
Justice
Violence
Race-relations
Love
Freedom
Childhood
Survival
Growing up
Family
2. Using the two topics, try to decide what
important message the author of the text is
trying to send relating to those topics.
For example, if the story you are reading is
mostly about friendship and courage, using
evidence from the text, you may decide that the
theme is “Friendship can give you the courage to
try things that you were once too scared to try.”
You will rotate through 5 stations.
At each station, read the fable/story with your
group and complete the chart in your journal.
Title of Fable/Story
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
2 Main Topics
Theme
1) The Crow and the Pitcher
A CROW perishing with thirst saw a pitcher,
and hoping to find water, flew to it with delight.
When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it
contained so little water that he could not possibly get
at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach
the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he
collected as many stones as he could carry and
dropped them one by one with his beak into the
pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach
and thus saved his life.
2) The Hare With Many Friends
A Hare was very popular with the other beasts who all claimed to be her
friends. But one day she heard the hounds approaching and hoped to escape them
by the aid of her many Friends. So, she went to the horse, and asked him to carry
her away from the hounds on his back. But he declined, stating that he had
important work to do for his master. “He felt sure,” he said, “that all her other
friends would come to her assistance.” She then applied to the bull, and hoped that
he would repel the hounds with his horns. The bull replied: “I am very sorry, but I
have an appointment with a lady; but I feel sure that our friend the goat will do what
you want.” The goat, however, feared that his back might do her some harm if he
took her upon it. The ram, he felt sure, was the proper friend to apply to. So she
went to the ram and told him the case. The ram replied: “Another time, my dear
friend. I do not like to interfere on the present occasion, as hounds have been
known to eat sheep as well as hares.” The Hare then applied, as a last hope, to the
calf, who regretted that he was unable to help her, as he did not like to take the
responsibility upon himself, as so many older persons than himself had declined the
task. By this time the hounds had caught the Hare, and tore him to shreds.
3) The Mule in the Lion’s Skin
An Mule once found a Lion’s skin which the
hunters had left out in the sun to dry. He put it on
and went towards his native village. All fled at his
approach, both men and animals, and he was a
proud Mule that day. In his delight he lifted up his
voice and brayed, but then every one knew him, and
his owner came up and gave him a sound pounding
for the fright he had caused. And shortly afterwards a
Fox came up to him and said: “Ah, I knew you by
your voice.”
4) The Fox and the Goat
A fox one day fell into a deep well and could find no means of escape. A
Goat, overcome with thirst, came to the same well, and seeing the Fox, inquired
if the water was good. Concealing his sad plight under a merry guise, the Fox
indulged in a lavish praise of the water, saying it was excellent beyond measure,
and encouraging him to descend. The Goat, mindful only of his thirst,
thoughtlessly jumped down, but just as he drank, the Fox informed him of the
difficulty they were both in and suggested a scheme for their common escape.
“If,” said he, “you will place your forefeet upon the wall and bend your head, I
will run up your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards.” The Goat
readily assented and the Fox leaped upon his back. Steadying himself with the
Goat’s horns, he safely reached the mouth of the well and made off as fast as he
could. When the Goat upbraided him for breaking his promise, he turned around
and cried out, “You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains in your head as
you have hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down before you had
inspected the way up, nor have exposed yourself to dangers from which you had
no means of escape.”
5) The Fox and the Cat
A Fox was boasting to a Cat of its clever devices for
escaping its enemies. "I have a whole bag of tricks," he said,
"which contains a hundred ways of escaping my enemies." "I
have only one," said the Cat; "but I can generally manage with
that." Just at that moment they heard the cry of a pack of
hounds coming towards them, and the Cat immediately
scampered up a tree and hid herself in the boughs. "This is
my plan," said the Cat. "What are you going to do?" The Fox
thought first of one way, then of another, and while he was
debating the hounds came nearer and nearer, and at last the
Fox in his confusion was caught up by the hounds and soon
killed by the huntsmen.
Journal Entry
• From what we have discussed, answer today’s
Essential Question in your journal.
• Summarize what your learned.
How do I determine and analyze
the theme of a text?
Answers
1) If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.
• The crow might have died if he had given up, but he persisted and
through his ingenuity was able to succeed.
2) It is better to have a few good friends than many superficial ones.
• The hare believed she had many friends, but when it mattered she
had none.
3)Don’t pretend to be something that you are not.
• The Mule was ridiculed and scolded for pretending to be something
else.
4) Think things through before taking action. Don't be impulsive.
• The goat should have considered his escape route before jumping in
the hole to die.
5) It is better to do one thing right than a hundred things incorrectly.
• The fox was killed because of his indecision.