Themes in Short Stories
I told my best friend Rick that I pulled a prank on my sister. She was so mad to find paint inside her shampoo bottle. I told Rick not to say a word when she asked us about the shampoo bottle.
Rick thought that my sister was pretty cute and so when she asked who put paint inside her shampoo bottle, Rick said: "it was your brother who pulled a fast one."
Betrayal
"I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you." -Pocahontas
Love
"They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours forever so we wouldn't have to move each year"
Hopes and Dreams
One day Little Red Riding Hood's mother sent her to her grandmother's house with a basket of bread. She warned her daughter to go straight there and not talk to strangers. Along the way, Little Red Riding Hood met a wolf.
"Where are you headed?" the wolf asked.
"To Grandmother's house," said Little Red Riding Hood, forgetting her mother's warning. "She lives in the first house in the village."
The clever wolf hurried to Grandmother's house and gobbled her up. He put on her clothes and got into bed. Soon Little Red Riding Hood arrived at the house and knocked. "Come in," said the wolf in a high voice.
A) Never go alone anywhere
B) Always listen to your parents
C) Do not be afraid to speak out
B) Always listen to your parents
In Chapter 5, Brian realizes that crying solves nothing and that he must control his emotions to survive.
What is...
Georgia decided to take a sewing class but felt very frustrated when she couldn't sew a straight line on the first day.
Even though she felt frustrated she continued to go to class week after week. By the last week of class, she was able to create a rectangular pillow for her bed.
Perserverance
"We didn't even realize we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun." — Winnie The Pooh
Friendship
“In English my name means hope. In Spanish, it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing. I wish I could be named Zeze.
Identity
A group of sailors set sail on a long voyage. They brought along a monkey to keep them company. After several weeks at sea, there was a terrible storm. The choppy waves tossed around the small ship, and both the sailors and the monkey were thrown into the sea.
A dolphin saw the monkey in the water and rescued him. The dolphin swam to a nearby island, carrying the monkey on her back. When they arrived at the island, the dolphin asked, "Have you been here before?"
The monkey said, "Yes, I have. Actually, I am the king of this island." Of course, that was not true. In fact, no one lived on the island at all.
The dolphin replied, "Good. Then you no longer need me." And she swam off, leaving the monkey stuck on the island.
A) Boasting and lying can get you into trouble.
B) Never trust someone you don't know.
C) Never help people in need.
A) Boasting and lying can get you into trouble.
The characters in Lightning Thief constantly struggle to find out where they fit in because they are caught between the human world and the world of myth.
What is... Identity.
Even though Greg had been looking forward to his best friend's party for over a month, he knew his grandma would really love to see him, especially since she was sick.
It was a tough decision knowing that all his friends were going to be at the party, but he said: "it's not like this is the last party I'll ever be invited to" and so he went to go see his grandma.
Family
“The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.” – The Lion King
Learn from your mistakes
"Down, down Mango Street we go. Rachel, Lucy, me. Our new bicycle. Laughing the crooked ride back"
Friendship
A monkey put his hand into a jar of cookies. He grasped as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the cookie jar. Unwilling to lose the cookies, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly lamented his disappointment.
A) Your actions have rewards.
B) Do not eat too many cookies.
C) Greed can get you into trouble.
C) Greed can get you into trouble.
This major theme is the central message Wonder, teaching students at Beecher Prep to look past physical differences and choose empathy instead.
What is...Kindness
One minute we were goofing around and having fun and the next thing I knew Hank's body flew over the top of the cliff. His fingers grasped to a railing, desperately crying for help. A fall at this height could be fatal.
My heart pounded through my chest and fear ran through my veins as I pulled him up as hard as I could.
Courage
"Even miracles take a little time." -- Fairy Godmother (Cinderella)
Be patient
This theme is shown when Esperanza lets go of her past anger toward Miguel and learns to show mercy to those who wronged her, allowing her family to heal.
What is...Forgiveness
An old monkey on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered them to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the sticks. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the bundle," said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father.
A) Teamwork is the key.
B) Old people are better than young people.
C) Do not give up and try again.
A) Teamwork is the key.
This theme in Percy Jackson explores the conflict between ancient prophecies that dictate the future and the characters' choices to shape their own lives.
What is...destiny.
"I don't want a new baby brother!" whined Kim. She couldn't believe that she would have to share everything with him. This did not sound fun at all
"You will have to look out for him and teach him new things." mom said. "That is true," said Kim. "Maybe it won't be that bad after all."
Acceptance
This theme is the central focus of the song "Let It Go," as Elsa flees into the mountains to finally live without hiding her powers or following strict royal rules.
What is... freedom.
This theme is achieved when Simba returns to Pride Rock to overthrow his uncle Scar, ending his corrupt rule and bringing fairness back to the kingdom.
What is...justice.
An ant went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of drowning. A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her. The Ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank. Shortly afterward a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches. The Ant, perceiving his design, stung him in the foot. In pain, the birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove take wing.
A) Do not underestimate animals.
B) Friends can come in different sizes.
C) Return the favor when possible.
B) Friends come in different sizes.
C) Return the favor when possible.
This theme in Esperanza Rising is shown when a wealthy girl loses everything but learns to find strength, hope, and pride in hard labor and starting over.
What is resilience?