Stories are temporary portals to another world; there is a myriad of knowledge to be learned from the scenario, and the lies on top of that knowledge are simple morals. Langston Hughes writes in “Thank You Ma'm” the chronology of a single night in a poor neighborhood of an anonymous city. This "timeline" chronicles the unfolding of generosity that begins when a teenager botches a robbery attempt against Mrs. Jones. A harried bachelor on a British train overhears three children, their aunt, conversing rather obnoxiously in Saki's short story, "The Narrator." After a failed attempt at story-telling, the bachelor tries his hand at storytelling and tells a wonderfully satisfying and inappropriate story. These stories are full of humor, but they have, like all other stories, an underlying theme. Both of these stories' themes are "implied" and provide an excellent stage for comparing and contrasting a story. Theme is the power underlying a story; the “strength” that makes the entire experience worthwhile. Theme is “an idea or message that the writer wishes to convey” (Holt 874). A theme can be stated or implied. A declared theme is a theme “that the other expresses directly in his work (protic.net); an implicit theme is a theme “that is not directly stated in the work” (protic.net). As mentioned above, both of these stories have an implicit theme, which now turns out to mean that the author of the story implied it. Themes exist in all stories (verbal or written) and can be long, short, true or false. “The people of Earth will beat any other intelligent life in any competition” is a theme, but so is “good always beats evil.” "Once upon a time . . ." The stories also have themes, except they are more one-dimensional, for example,...... in the middle of a newspaper...... stories, but in a realistic fictional setting , ma'am" and a bright train car in "The Storyteller" creates the setting for this compare and contrast essay. These tales are similar in that their themes both focus on negative objects, but cast them in a positive light. However , the suggested themes are different as “Yes Ma'm” tells the reader not to believe in people based on where they live, but “The Storyteller” communicates not to judge something based on its formality “Yes Ma'. m" by Langston Hughes has an implicit theme that is found everywhere, "kind people can be found even in the lowest places on the planet". Another real theme belonging to “The Storyteller” by Saki reads: “Sometimes the most improper is best.” Both main messages are true and provide a very interesting focal point for the reader's enjoyment.