1. The dog and His Reflection
A dog found a piece of meat one day and while walking with it in his mouth near a stream, he saw another dog in the water with another piece of meat. He was not aware that it was his own reflection and not another dog.
So, wishing to have the other meat, too, not satisfied with his own, he opened his mouth to grab it, but at that moment, his meat fell into the water and it was carried away till he couldn’t see it any more. So, he remained hungry that day.
What LESSON should the dog take from this encounter?

2. What is theme? Themes commonly found in literature How to find theme
Literary Themes
What is theme?
Themes commonly found in literature
How to find theme

3. Theme = universal truth
The theme is usually something everyone goes through, a statement or a lesson about life.

4. If it is well written you will be able to easily recognize it.
At times the author's theme may not confirm or agree with your own beliefs.
-but-
If it is well written you will be able to easily recognize it.

5. Common Literary Themes (Themes repeated in many works)
For each of the themes, write one sentence about a time in your life when you, or someone you know, encountered this theme

6. 1.The quest for immortality and the fear of death

7. 2. A character’s relationship and obligation to society.
Sometimes called “man vs. society”

8. 3. A character trying to find him or herself
Sometimes called “man vs. self”

9. A character’s relationship to the “natural world”
Sometimes called
“man
vs.
nature”
A character’s relationship to the “natural world”

10. 5. How justice and injustice are decided

11. 6. A character as a hero; what it means to be a hero or anti-hero.

12. 7. What it means to be a “survivor.”

13. 8.A Character feels loneliness and despair

14. 9. Crime Does Not Pay:

15. 10. What tomorrow’s world holds for us …
aka: “The Future”

16. 11. Love Friend Love Self-centered love Love of Country Game-Playing
Admiration
Possessiveness
Physical Love
Romance
Logical Type Love
Self-centered love
Game-Playing
Unrequited love
Godly love
Familial love
Infatuation
Jealousy

17. 12. The Importance of Family

18. How do I find a theme?
First choose three abstract nouns that the story is about/demonstrates
Example:
1. Alas, Babylon is about…
(a) survival
(b) success
(c) community

19. Wait…What is an abstract noun you ask?
???
Wait…What is an abstract noun you ask?

20. Cannot taste Cannot touch
The Abstract Noun
One class of nouns is abstract. Your five senses cannot detect this group of nouns. You cannot see them, hear them, smell them, taste them, or feel them.
Cannot see
Cannot hear Cannot smell
Cannot taste Cannot touch

21. Check out the following example:
When Joseph dived into the violent waves to rescue a drowning puppy, his bravery amazed the crowd of fishermen standing on the dock.
Bravery, one of the nouns in this sentence, is an example of an abstract noun. You can see Joseph, the water, and the crowd. But you cannot see bravery itself. Bravery has no color, size, shape, sound, odor, flavor, or texture; it has no quality that you can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Any noun that escapes your five senses is an abstract noun.

22. List of some Abstract Nouns
peace warmth hospitality information anger education melancholy softness violence conduct courage leisure knowledge safety liberty grief piety
justice chaos progress speed experience time friendship trouble work culture virtue taste evil democracy death

23. After you choose your abstract nouns
2. For each noun, write a sentence (using the noun) that you think the author wants to say to readers. Make sure this sentence is universal. Example: Pat Frank (the author) is saying that... (a) People will find innovative means to survive. (b) Disaster sometimes leads to greater success. (c) Difficult times bring people into greater community.

24. Difficult times bring people into greater community.
3. Choose one sentence from above. Quote or paraphrase evidence from the text that illustrates this theme.
Example:
i. Randy and Florence
didn't think much of each other before The Day
she helps mend and cook
they share everything--coffee, food, salt (goldfish?)
ii. blacks and whites
work together to chase highwaymen
help run water pipes
Caleb in school with Ben F and Peyton
iii. rich and poor
poor man's chicken is as good as Carleton Hawes's
Jim Hickey gives honey
variety of men join Bragg's troop

25. Let’s try it with a simple story first!
Hansel and Gretel Hansel and Gretel are the young children of an impoverished woodcutter. When a great famine settles over the land, the woodcutter's wife (originally the children's biological mother, but later changed to their stepmother) announces her plan to take the children into the woods and leave them there to die, therefore with two less mouths to feed, she and her husband might not starve. The woodcutter reluctantly submits to his wife's scheme. They are unaware that in the children's bedroom, Hansel and Gretel have overheard them. After the parents have gone to bed, the children sneak out of the house and gather as many white pebbles as they can and return to their room.

26. The next day, the family walk deep into the woods and the children lay a trail of white pebbles behind them. After their parents abandon them, the children wait for the moon to rise and illuminate the pebbles. They return home safely, much to their parents' horror. A week or so later, the mother angrily orders her husband to take the children further into the woods and leave them there to die. Hansel and Gretel attempt to gather more pebbles, but find the doors locked and escape impossible.

27. The following morning, Hansel takes a slice of bread and leaves a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow. However after they are once again abandoned, they find that the birds have eaten the crumbs and they are lost in the woods. After days of wandering, they follow a beautiful white pigeon to a clearing in the woods, and discover a cottage built of cake and gingerbread. They greedily begin to eat the rooftop of the house, when the door opens and a hideous old crone emerges and lures the children inside, with the promise of soft beds and delicious food.

28. What Hansel and Gretel do not know is that the hag is in fact a cannibalistic witch who built the house to entice children into her clutches, so that she may eat them. She locks Hansel in an iron cage in the garden and forces Gretel into becoming a slave. The witch feeds Hansel regularly to fatten him up, but Hansel cleverly sticks a bone he found in the cage (presumably a bone of its previous captive) and the witch feels it, thinking it to be his finger. Due to her blindness, she is fooled into thinking Hansel is still too thin to eat. After weeks of this, the witch grows impatient and decides to eat Hansel, "be he fat or lean."

29. She prepares the oven for Hansel, but decides she is hungry enough to eat Gretel, too. She coaxes Gretel to the oven door and asks her to put her head in to see if the flames are high enough. Gretel, sensing the witch's intent, lies that she does not understand what she means. Infuriated, the witch demonstrates, and Gretel instantly shoves the witch into the oven, slams and bolts the door and turns the heat up, burning the witch alive. She frees Hansel from the cage and the pair discover a vast treasure chest filled with jewels, gold, and diamonds. Packing the jewels into knapsacks, the children find their way home to their father. His wife has mysteriously died. The father has spent all his days lamenting the loss of his children, and is delighted to see them safe and sound, and with the witch's wealth, they live happily ever after.

30. This work is about (single abstract nouns)
This work is about (single abstract nouns) (a)_____________________ (b)_____________________ (c)_______________________
peace hospitality anger melancholy softness violence courage knowledge safety liberty grief
justice chaos experience time friendship trouble virtue taste evil death

31. The author is saying that: a) b) c)

32. Letter Chosen: i. ii. iii.

33. You now know how to find the theme of a story!
Congratulations