Learning Objective:
Today we will
understand that theme is the
meaning or moral of the story.
•Theme = meaning or moral
•Meaning =importance
•Moral = life lesson you learn from a story
What are we going to understand
today?
Today we will understand that
theme refers to the meaning or
moral of the story!
It is important to understand the theme of a
story because it helps you understand the life
lesson that the author is explaining.
What are other reasons it is important to
understand the theme?
To understand the author’s message.
It will be tested!
Have you ever been in
trouble?
Why?
What lesson did you learn?
Our lives are like stories! Full of
lessons we need to learn!
Theme
Is the insight into life you learn from a story. It is
the deeper understanding you gain about
yourself and the world. Sometimes the theme
of a story is not immediately clear. A good
way to figure out the theme is to pay
attention to the main character and observe
how he or she changes during the course of
the story.
Symbolism
is the use of objects to represent ideas. For
example, the author might use a dove to stand
for peace or a lamb to stand for innocence
interpreting symbols can help you understand
the theme.
Theme
Some themes are universal. This means they
span different times and cultures. You might
find the same theme about friendship in a
folktale from Africa and in a short tale from
Japan. You might even find the same theme in
a movie you see on television.
Theme
In order to discover theme, you have to keep in
mind the other elements of fiction: plot,
characters, and setting. Everything in a story
contributes in some way to the story’s theme!
Let’s look at some examples!
Ways to identify
THEME
• Pay attention to the main character and
observe how he or she changes throughout
the story.
Ways to identify
THEME
• Plot – the events that unfold in the story
that lead to the them.
Ways to identify
THEME
• Look for symbolism, it’s how the author
uses objects to represent ideas.
Ways to identify
THEME
vs
vs
• Setting: The time and location in the story
can also affect the theme.
Let’s practice with some short
stories to identify the theme!
Let’s Practice!Steps to identifying theme
The Ant and the Dove
An ant went to the bank of a river to
quench its thirst, and being carried away by
the rush of the stream, was on the point of
drowning. A dove sitting on a tree
overhanging the water plucked a leaf and
let it fall into the stream close to her. The
Ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to
the bank. Shortly afterwards a bird catcher
came and stood under the tree, and laid his
lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the
branches. The Ant, perceiving his design,
stung him in the foot. In pain the bird
catcher threw down the twigs, and the
noise made the Dove take wing.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the story
Think about the elements of
the story, (plot, setting,
characters, symbols).
Use the elements to identify
the theme.
Answer the question.
What is the theme in this
story?
a. Mind your own business.
b. Treat others as you’d like
to be treated.
c. Use others to your
advantage.
d. Think before you act
Let’s Practice!Steps to identifying theme
The Ant and the Dove
An ant went to the bank of a river to
quench its thirst, and being carried away by
the rush of the stream, was on the point of
drowning. A dove sitting on a tree
overhanging the water plucked a leaf and
let it fall into the stream close to her. The
Ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to
the bank. Shortly afterwards a bird catcher
came and stood under the tree, and laid his
lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the
branches. The Ant, perceiving his design,
stung him in the foot. In pain the bird
catcher threw down the twigs, and the
noise made the Dove take wing.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the story
Think about the elements of
the story, (plot, setting,
characters, symbols).
Use the elements to identify
the theme.
Answer the question.
What element helped you
identify the theme?
a. symbols
b. characters
c. setting
d. none of the above
Let’s Practice!Steps to identifying theme
The Ant and the Dove
An ant went to the bank of a river to
quench its thirst, and being carried away by
the rush of the stream, was on the point of
drowning. A dove sitting on a tree
overhanging the water plucked a leaf and
let it fall into the stream close to her. The
Ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to
the bank. Shortly afterwards a bird catcher
came and stood under the tree, and laid his
lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the
branches. The Ant, perceiving his design,
stung him in the foot. In pain the bird
catcher threw down the twigs, and the
noise made the Dove take wing.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the story
Think about the elements of
the story, (plot, setting,
characters, symbols).
Use the elements to identify
the theme.
Answer the question.
Why did the ant help the dove
avoid capture?
a. The dove was his only
friend.
b. The ant is returning a
good deed.
c. He thought the dove
would be a good dinner.
d. The bird catcher is going
to catch the bird
Let’s Practice!Steps to identifying theme
The Ant and the Dove
An ant went to the bank of a river to
quench its thirst, and being carried away by
the rush of the stream, was on the point of
drowning. A dove sitting on a tree
overhanging the water plucked a leaf and
let it fall into the stream close to her. The
Ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to
the bank. Shortly afterwards a bird catcher
came and stood under the tree, and laid his
lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the
branches. The Ant, perceiving his design,
stung him in the foot. In pain the bird
catcher threw down the twigs, and the
noise made the Dove take wing.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the story
Think about the elements of
the story, (plot, setting,
characters, symbols).
Use the elements to identify
the theme.
Answer the question.
What does the ant’s and
dove’s behavior teach you
about life?
a. What goes around comes
around.
b. Only think of yourself.
c. Look the other way
d. Practice random acts of
kindness
Now let’s use a longer narrative to
identify theme!
Vocabulary
• Rice moon-a full, white moon. It appears in
midwinter or early spring.
• Rattan-slats made from the stems of rattan
palm trees.
• Brocade-a rich cloth with raised designs
woven into it
Under the Rice Moon
By Rhiannon Puck
Far from the evening shadows thrown by Hong-Kong’s tall
buildings, the narrow streets of the city of Kowloon come
alive under the rice moon.(Where does the story take place?)
Food stands sell bowls of noodles, rice and fried fish balls on
bamboo sticks to factor workers strolling homeward at the
end of the day.
In a small rattan cage, a cliff swallow huddles with its tiny
wings tucked around its body. For the first time in its life, the
little swallow will not fly under the rice moon tonight.
The man who caught the swallow that same morning sells
dried fruits and sugarcane. A young girl walking through the
market place buys a stick of cane to chew and sees the
swallow in its small cage.
She has just enough money to buy it, and as she walks
home, the rattan cage swings open and bobs lightly on
her arm. “I promise to take care of you, little bird,” the
young girl whispers.
The swallow blinks at her sadly from the corner of the
cage, and in a language the young girl cannot
understand, the bird cries, “Let me fly under the rice
moon!”(How do you understand what the cliff swallow is
saying?)
Sour smells and sharp noises come from the side alleys
and drift out to the crowds, and taxi horns blare and
dash for the next fare. Near the center of the market, a
boy glances up from the pairs of colorful brocade
slippers his mother has made for him to sell.
He hears the cliff swallow flutter its wings softly as
he looks through the stacks of shoes. Thinking that
the tiny bird would make his ailing daughter happy,
he offers the boy a very high price. “I know who will
take care of you, little bird,” the man whispers.
When he arrives home, he carries the cliff swallow in
its rattan cage to the room where his daughter lies
sleeping. Rather than wake her, he places the caged
bird on her bedside table. As he leaves the room,
the little bird coos, “Oh, please let me fly under the
rice moon tonight!” But the man does not
understand the swallow’s language.(What do you
learn from the father’s actions?)
When the girl wakes suddenly in the middle of the
night, the first thing she sees through her fever is a
small cliff swallow blinking at her from behind the
bars of a rattan cage. She knows too well how
horrible it is to be kept inside. (What does this
statement tell you about life?)
“I know what you need little bird,” she murmurs.
But the swallow no longer believes what people say.
Slowly, the sickly girl rises from her bed and carries
the cage to the open window. Unlatching the rattan
door, the girl asks, “Will you fly for me, too little
bird?” And her language is one that the swallow
understands.
When a young girl stops to look at the slippers, the boy
sees a caged bird at her side. The swallow blinks at him
from the corner of the cage.
The boy trades a pair of his mother’s brocade slippers for
the swallow and lifts the cage to look at the bird. “I
promise to take care of you, little bird,” the boy murmurs.
The cliff swallow coos. “How I would like to fly under the
rice moon!” But the boy does not understand.(What does
the swallow mean when it says “I would like to fly under
the rice moon again”?
He puts the cage to one side as a man stops at the market
stand to look at the rows of brocade slippers. After a hard
day’s work, he wearily searches for a cheerful gift for his
young daughter, who has been at home with a fever.
For a moment, the bird studies the open cage
uncertainly. Then it steps to the edge, carefully
spreads his small wings, and flies away.
Although the cliff swallow now can fly anywhere it
chooses, it always passes by the little girl’s
bedroom each night. (What lesson do you learn from
the cliff swallow’s nightly visits?) And each night,
for a little while, both the bird and the girl are free
under the rice moon.
Do the people who owned the
cliff swallow before the sick girl
think they are giving the bird
what it wants? Explain?
Who owned the
swallow and
what promise
did they make?
What tells you that the
characters in this story value the
bird highly?
The characters
value the
swallow in this
story
What is the theme of this story?
The theme of
this story is
How has the cliff swallow’s
problem been solved?
The cliff
swallows
problem was
solved
Why is it important to understand
that theme refers to the meaning
or moral of the story?
To be able to understand the
theme of the story!