English 3U “Look Ma, I’m doing Themes” Name:____________________________ If you listened carefully in the last few days you should now be able to tell the difference between three terms: a subject (or topic or issue -- these are pretty much interchangeable, although the term “issue” is somewhat more specific), plot detail (events in the story) and a theme, a generalization about life which can be supported by those plot details, images, etc. Instructions: Read the following very carefully. Some are authentic theme statements (even if they aren’t brilliant and even if they don’t begin with “The theme is . . .” ), some are comments about subject or plot, and many are set up as if they are theme statements even though they are really only statements about subjects or plot details. Decide what these are really about. In the answer column beside the statement, check off subject, plot, or theme. Statement Subject Plot Theme 1. The theme is power. 1. ____ ____ ____ 2. The theme is love. 2. ____ ____ ____ 3. The theme is the quest for self-knowledge in a confusing world. 3. ____ ____ ____ 4. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 4. ____ ____ ____ 5. The theme is that she tried to recapture the past and failed. 5. ____ ____ ____ 6. A crisis can bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. 6. ____ ____ ____ 7. You can’t recapture the past. 7. ____ ____ ____ 8. The theme of the movie is that even though he betrayed his brother, the 8. ____ ____ ____ brother forgave him. 9. 9. ____ ____ ____ 10. The theme is revenge and its dangers. The theme is good versus evil. 10. ____ ____ ____ 11. The theme is appearance versus reality 11. ____ ____ ____ 12. Love is eternal and changeless. 12. ____ ____ ____ 13. Love is fragile; lack of communication can destroy it. 13. ____ ____ ____ 14. The theme is that greed, pursued without concern for the 14. ____ ____ ____ 15. ____ ____ ____ consequences, is destructive to the pursuer and to others. 15. The themes are the consequences of loneliness, poverty, and lack of self-esteem. 16. Lack of self-knowledge can lead to disaster. 16. ____ ____ ____ 17. The failure to forgive harms everyone involved. 17. ____ ____ ____ 18. The themes are fidelity and infidelity. 18. ____ ____ ____ 19. The theme is that he seduced and abandoned her. 19. ____ ____ ____ 20. The theme is that people cannot always be trusted to be faithful 20. ____ ____ ____ 21. The theme is tragic: she rejected her own lover because of her mother’s 21. ____ ____ ____ 22. ____ ____ ____ 23. People are capable of great heroism when put to the test. 23. ____ ____ ____ 24. The theme is the foolish snobbery of the upper classes. 24. ____ ____ ____ 25. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. 25. ____ ____ ____ experience. 22. The theme is that one should not generalize from someone else’s narrow experiences.