How to Find the Theme of a Story

Khan Academy

This educational video provides a clear and engaging guide to understanding literary themes, distinguishing them from plots, summaries, and main ideas. The narrator explains that a theme is a universal message or lesson woven throughout a story that connects the text's action to big ideas about the world. To illustrate this abstract concept, the video uses relatable analogies, such as a humorous anecdote about food poisoning, to differentiate between what happens (plot) and what is learned (theme). The core of the video features a detailed retelling of the West African folktale of Anansi the Spider. In this story, the trickster Anansi attempts to hoard all the world's wisdom in a clay pot, only to be outsmarted by his young son. The narrative serves as a practical case study for the viewer, demonstrating how to apply specific analytical questions—such as "How did the characters grow?" and "What stays with you?"—to uncover the deeper meaning of a text. For educators, this resource is an excellent tool for scaffolding literary analysis skills in upper elementary and middle school classrooms. It offers a concrete framework of "Big Questions" that students can apply to any text to identify themes. The video addresses common confusion between themes and morals, provides a culturally responsive text example, and models the critical thinking process required to move from surface-level comprehension to deeper interpretation.