Theme

Theme
step 2

Analyze the significance of the quote in terms of author’s purpose (theme). Remember, a theme is a universal truth or observation about human nature. It is expressed as a complete statement. It is NOT the same as a subject, which can be expressed in a word or two (i.e. “censorship” or “the importance of reading”). A theme is the author’s message about that subject. Most themes are implied, rather than directly stated. The longer and more complex a literary work, the more themes it will have.

step 3

Quote from Smarter Than You Think with MLA citation. Be sure to select quotes from throughout the book.Explain the quote (see templates for explaining quotations below):

“In other words, Thompson believes ________.”

“Thompson is insisting that _________.”

“In making this comment, Thompson urges readers to _________.”

“The essence of Thompson’s argument is ________.”

“Thompson’s point is _________.”

step 4.

Make a connection between the texts. How do the ideas in Smarter relate to the ideas in Fahrenheit? What do you think about these ideas? I expect at least a paragraph (5-8 sentences) for each response.

Examples teacher gave Example (no, you cannot choose the same quote)

“One time, as a child, in a power failure, his mother had found and lit a last candle and there had been a brief hour of rediscovery, of such illumination that space lost its vast dimensions and drew comfortably around them, and they, mother and son, alone, transformed, hoping the power might not come on again too soon…” (Bradbury 7). Example (no, you cannot copy my analysis)

In this passage, Bradbury reveals his nostalgia for the days before electricity came to light our lives, and appreciation for the transformative power of returning—however briefly—to a life lived simply without all the bells and whistles technology offers. Montag’s nostalgic memory illuminates one of the central themes of this novella: Technology is no substitute for real relationships or real intelligence. Example (no, you cannot choose the same quote)

“There is a nice metaphor for a fear that can nag at us in our everyday lives too, as we use machines for thinking more and more. Are we losing some of our humanity? What happens if the internet goes down: Do our brains collapse too? Or is this question naïve and irrelevant—as quaint as worrying whether we’re ‘dumb’ because we can’t compute long division without a piece of paper and a pencil?” (Thompson 16). Example (no, you cannot copy my explanation)

Thompson’s point is that the internet, and all the amazing digital technology we have today is just another tool, like paper and pencil, for thinking, and that we would be foolish to waste time worrying about how our tools might limit our ability to think without them. Example (no, you cannot copy my connection)

Bradbury is exactly the kind of person Thompson mocks in this passage. Bradbury is very concerned about the ways technology changes the way we think and interact with each other, while Thompson insists that technology is merely a tool as harmless as pencil and paper. I wonder if Thompson feels this way because he knows we will likely never be without our technology, except in those rare moments of a power outage, as Bradbury describes? I would love to hear the two of them argue about the way technology changes us! I bet Bradbury could hold his own.

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