2.  view about life and/or how people behave in a work of fiction or a personal essay  View the author reveals  Controlling idea  Central insight

3.  Main idea  Theme  Thesis  Big idea

4. ThemeMain Idea Fiction /personal essayInformational Text Not directly stated (often)Can be directly stated or implied Universal messageSpecific to text

5.  ____Chum Salmon swim upstream if they can escape many obstacles like fishermen and sea lions.  ____ Living beings tend to fight to survive regardless of the obstacles.  ____ Homer Simpson is the best candidate for president.  ____ People tend to follow strong leaders.

6.  NOT intended to teach or preach  NOT presented directly  NOT a moral or a lesson  NOT about specific characters in the story  NOT about something that happened in the story (plot)  NOT a word or phrase (that is the subject)

7.  You must figure out the theme yourself.

8.  There is no single way to discover theme.  Ask: What insights into life or human nature are revealed by the story.  Examine: changes to the protagonist; what the protagonist learned; or the nature of the conflicts  Finish the sentence: People tend to…  complete sentences  Make generalization vs. reference to specific characters or plot

9. 1. The Individual in Nature  a. Nature is at war with each of us and proves our vulnerability.  b. People are out of place in Nature and need technology to survive.  c. People are destroying nature and themselves with uncontrolled technology.  Can you think of examples of fiction that have any of these themes?

10.  The Individual in Society  a. Society and a person's inner nature are always at war.  b. Social influences determine a person's final destiny.  c. Social influences can only complete inclinations formed by Nature.  d. A person's identity is determined by place in society.  e. In spite of the pressure to be among people, and individual is essentially alone and frightened.

11.  Time  a. Enjoy life now, for the present moment, because we all die too soon.  b. By the time we understand life, there is too little left to live.

12. a. A boy and a girl must go through a special trial or series of trials before maturing. b. Manhood or womanhood is often established by an abrupt, random crisis, sometimes at an unusually early age. c. Aspects of childhood are retained in all of us, sometimes hindering growth, sometimes providing the only joy in later life. d. d. A person grows only in so far as he or she must face a crisis of confidence or identity.

13. a. Death is part of living, giving life its final meaning. b. Death is the ultimate absurd joke on life. c. There is no death, only a different plane or mode of life without physical decay. d. Without love, death often appears to be the only alternative to life.

14. a. An individual is isolated from fellow human beings and foolishly tries to bridge the gaps. b. Through alienation comes self-knowledge. c. Modern culture is defective because it doesn't provide group ties which in primitive cultures makes alienation virtually impossible.

15.  Themes in interpretive fiction often challenge our beliefs and provide rather somber truths. A reader need not accept a theme that is contrary to his or her personal beliefs. However, any theme is worthy of consideration in that it is someone's view.  http://members.fortunecity.com/nadabs/literature-theme.html

16.  Which is the best theme statement for Lord of the Flies:  A. Jack and his followers become evil.  B. Human Nature  C. Human Nature is defective.  D. People like to kill pigs.

17.  Which is the best theme statement for “The most beautiful thing”?  A. A boy and a girl fall in love even though they can’t communicate easily.  B. Love conquers all.  C.

18.  What is the best theme statement for “Where have you gone Charming Billy”? A. A new soldier starts to giggle and puts his platoon in danger. B. War tends to be both mentally and physically stressful. C. Expect the unexpected. D. Don’t let fear stop you. E. Fear

19.  What is the best theme statement below for the story of Romeo and Juliet?  A. A person matures quickly when faced with crisis situation  B. Romeo and Juliet face many difficult decisions  C. Loss of innocence  D. You should not go against your parents’ wishes.

20.  1. A theme is a life lesson  2. A theme is a plot retell  3. A theme names characters and setting from the work being read  4. Theme is a universal statement about life or society  5. Theme is applicable beyond the immediate material  6. Theme can be found in every piece of fiction  7. There can be more than one theme in a story  8. Theme should be a complete sentence, not just a phrase.

21.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8BcnX mOl_s&list=WL&index=2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8BcnX mOl_s&list=WL&index=2

22.  Read the question carefully so you know exactly what they want  For example: Which choice is NOT an example of…  Underline key words  Figure out the answer before you look at the choices.  Eliminate obviously wrong answers (cross them out)  Read all choices carefully  Avoid answers with words like Always, All, Never, None…