Theme with story

Activity time 

Now let’s look for the theme in the following story: Theme with story

A fox felt very hungry one day and went in search of food. He looked everywhere but couldn’t locate anything that he could eat. 

Finally, he came across a farmer’s wall as his tummy grumbled. He noticed the biggest, juiciest grapes he’d ever seen at the top of the wall. They had a deep purple color, which indicated to the fox that they were ready to be devoured. 

The fox had to leap high into the air to grab the grapes. He opened his lips to capture the grapes as he jumped, but he missed. The fox tried again, but this time he failed. 

He tried a few more times but was still unsuccessful. 

Finally, the fox decided to give up and leave. 

Let’s investigate the story’s theme now. 

Theme – “Greedy fox” 

Main idea: Never belittle what we can’t have; nothing worthwhile comes easily. 

Let’s look at how to identify these topics in the passage now. 

Let’s figure out the  theme. 

The underlying message, or “main idea,” of a story is called the theme. In other words, in a novel, play, short story, or poetry, the critical belief about life that the author attempts to convey becomes its theme. This idea or belief is universal. In most cases, it is ubiquitous. When a theme is universal, it affects people of all races and languages. It’s the meaning of the story. A piece of writing frequently contains multiple themes. 

How does a writer come up with a theme? 

So, how does a story, poetry, or narrative establish a theme? It ultimately boils down to the writer’s outlook on life. If a writer has a strong belief system or strong feelings about specific issues – which most individuals do – those strong life views will be mirrored in his or her writing. A work must have depth in order to last, and depth in writing reflects depth in the writer. 

In reading, how do we discover a theme? 

The writer’s point of view on the subject or a discovery about human nature that he or she intends to express Make sure you’ve recognized the storyline, the way the story uses characters, and the story’s principal conflict before attempting to determine the theme. 

Let us examine the distinction between theme and main idea. 

What is the distinction between a theme and a main idea and moral? 

The theme is the author’s underlying message, whereas the main idea is the story’s main point. 

What is the distinction between a theme and a moral? 

The moral of the story is a specific lesson that the author wishes to impart. Meanwhile, the theme can be more generalized; a story can potentially include multiple themes. Readers discover theme(s) as they read since they appear repeatedly throughout the novel (or nonfiction). As a result, a theme can be a moral, but the theme does not have to be the story’s moral. 

Let’s practice with a few examples. 

Choose the suitable theme from the list given below 

1. Should our politicians be immune to suspicion, as Colton’s wife was? Should they be sentenced to political exile even before their cases are heard, if they are convicted by a lower court? Should they be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and parade around with all the trappings of power till then? 

What was the writer’s mindset when he or she drafted the passage? 

1. Depressed 

2. Puzzled 

3. Confident 

Answer: _______________________________ 

Answer: b 

1. IT workers are requesting that the number of vacation days be increased from two to three each week. Every day, they work past their normal working hours. A software engineer is likely to work at least 9-10 hours every day in an office, rather than the standard 8 hours, and they are also accustomed to working on weekends at home on pending tasks. 

The author is: 

1. IT professionals’ suggestion is neutral. 

2. Optimistic about the IT professionals’ suggestion. 

3. Pessimistic about the IT suggestion. 

Answer: ______________________________ 

Answer: b