English 2D THEMES Activity
Name:____________________________
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 . . .” ), BUT some are just comments about subject or plot. Many are set up to
look like themes as if they were theme statements, but they are really only statements about subjects or plot details.
Decide what these sentences are really about. For each one, check off either subject, plot, or theme.
Statement
Subject
Plot
Theme
1.
The theme is greed.
1.
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2.
The theme is love.
2.
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3.
The theme is the inner conflict over a personal problem.
3.
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4.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
4.
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5.
The theme is that she tried to change the past and failed.
5.
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6.
A crisis can bring out the best in some people and the worst in others.
6.
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7.
No matter how hard you try, you cannot change the past.
7.
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8.
The theme of the movie is that forgiveness heals the person who
8.
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9.
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10. The theme is revenge.
10.
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11. The theme is telling the truth.
11.
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12. Love is eternal and changeless.
12.
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13. Love is fragile; lack of communication may destroy it.
13.
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14. The theme is that greed is destroys people.
14.
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15. The themes are the consequences of loneliness, pride, and guilt.
15.
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16. Lack of self-knowledge can lead to disaster.
16.
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17. Courage is not fearless; courage is doing the right thing despite fear.
17.
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18. The themes are trust and betrayal.
18.
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19. The theme is that he tricked his friends and they sought revenge.
19.
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20. The theme is that some people cannot be trusted.
20.
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21. The theme is sad: she rejected love because of the past.
21.
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22. The theme is that one should not generalize from someone else’s
22.
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23. People are capable of great heroism when put to the test
23.
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24. The theme is the cold snobbery of the upper classes.
24.
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25. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
25.
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forgives as much as it heals the person being forgiven.
9.
The theme is good versus evil.
narrow experiences.