In this lesson, you’ll be asked to write an argument explaining your ideas about The Giver. This kind of writing might be new to you. In the past, your teachers may have asked you to write summaries or book reports about the novels you read.

When you summarize a novel for a book report, you describe the story’s plot, the series of events that happen in the story. However, when you write an argument supporting your ideas about a novel, you focus on the story’s deeper meaning―its themes.

Themes are different from topics, which also show up in novels. Topics are very broad, general ideas like friendship, competition, and survival.

Question

What are some topics in The Giver?

Answer

growing up, memories, history, community, rules, pain, courage, conformity, and nonconformity

Generally, topics can be identified using one word or a very short phrase. Themes, on the other hand, are more specific or detailed. They are often summarized in one sentence. For example, the history of human civilization is a topic in The Giver, but a theme would be written this way: Life would be very different if you knew nothing about the past. The same theme could be written a bit differently: Knowing where you came from can help you know where to go next.

Can you tell the difference between a topic and a theme? Choose the correct label for each example below.