Exploring Themes in Literature

Exploring Themes in Literature

Read each question carefully and provide thoughtful, well-supported answers based on your understanding of literary themes.

Read the following excerpt from 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald and answer the questions that follow.

'And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves on the trees, just as the flowers and the leaves burst open and bloom, so it is with the human heart. It is a time for hope and new beginnings. It is a time to be alive and to live fully. The world is reborn. And so it is with the human heart. It is a time for hope and new beginnings. It is a time to be alive and to live fully. The world is reborn. And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves on the trees, just as the flowers and the leaves burst open and bloom, so it is with the human heart. It is a time for hope and new beginnings. It is a time to be alive and to live fully. The world is reborn.'

1. Which of the following themes is most evident in the provided excerpt?

2. How does Fitzgerald use imagery in the excerpt to convey the theme you identified in question 1?

3. A literary theme is often a central   or insight into life expressed through a story.

4. Unlike a topic, which can be expressed in a word or two, a theme is a   statement about the human condition.

5. A motif is synonymous with a theme; they both refer to the main idea of a literary work.

6. Discuss how a recurring symbol or motif in a novel you have read contributes to the development and reinforcement of one of its major themes. Provide specific examples from the text to support your analysis.