Match the quotations with their themes
Key Notes :
A theme is a key message or lesson communicated in a story, poem, or play. A single work of literature might have a number of themes, and different parts of the story will highlight different themes.
Usually, works of literature don’t openly state their themes. However you can often identify themes by looking at important moments in the text, including dialogue, action, and observations made by the narrator.
For example, look at this quotation from an important moment in Tuck Everlasting:
She was afraid to go away alone. It was one thing to talk about being by yourself, doing important things, but quite another when the opportunity arose.—Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting. © 1975
To find the theme, analyze the quotation. What does it suggest about the character’s values? What life lessons could be taken from the quotation? Use questions like these to make an inference or an educated guess:
The character thought leaving home would be easy when she didn’t actually have to do it.
Finally, apply the inference to the wider world to find a theme:
It’s easier to imagine doing brave things than it is to actually do them.
Learn with an example
🤜 Read the quotations below from Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty. Match each one with the theme or lesson it suggests.
- Not being able to talk about something can be a burden.
- Good things stand out only next to bad things.
© 2003 Martha E. Bray
Read each quotation and make an inference. Then, apply your inference to the wider world to find the theme.
Quotation 1: And I could only stand by . . . The keeper of a secret so terrible it made me afraid to speak, scared that it would pour out of me like kerosene, burning everyone.
Inference 1: The speaker feels like keeping her secret is a tremendous responsibility.
Theme 1: Not being able to talk about something can be a burden.
Quotation 2: ‘Because you don’t notice the light without a bit of shadow. Everything has both dark and light.’
Inference 2: The speaker believes that you only notice things through contrast.
Theme 2: Good things stand out only next to bad things.
🤜 Read the quotations below from Clare B. Dunkle’s The Hollow Kingdom. Match each one with the theme or lesson it suggests.
- People are willing to make sacrifices for the people they care about.
- Nature can be a source of courage and comfort.
© 2003 Clare B. Dunkle
Read each quotation and make an inference. Then, apply your inference to the wider world to find the theme.
Quotation 1: ‘If you love her enough to give up your world for her, don’t you think she would want to do the same for you?’
Inference 1: The speaker believes that if you love someone enough, you are willing to sacrifice everything.
Theme 1: People are willing to make sacrifices for the people they care about.
Quotation 2: She looked around at the stars, the moon, the trees. These were things she could count on.
Inference 2: The character feels reassured by the stability of the natural world.
Theme 2: Nature can be a source of courage and comfort.
🤜 Read the quotations below from Brian Jacques’s Redwall. Match each one with the theme or lesson it suggests.
- The power of a tool lies in its user.
- You must learn new things slowly and thoughtfully.
© 1986 Redwall Abbey Company
Read each quotation and make an inference. Then, apply your inference to the wider world to find the theme.
Quotation 1: ‘Knowledge . . . is the fruit of wisdom, to be eaten carefully and digested fully, unlike that lunch you are bolting down, little friend.’
Inference 1: The speaker compares knowledge to food and implies that it must be learned carefully and fully understood.
Theme 1: You must learn new things slowly and thoughtfully.
Quotation 2: ‘Maybe the sword does have some magic. Personally, I think it’s the warrior who wields it.’
Inference 2: The speaker believes that the magic does not come from the sword but from the person who is using it.
Theme 2: The power of a tool lies in its user.
let’s practice!
