Your teacher asks you to find the themes that two stories have in common. What should be your first two steps? Read both stories at the same time--first a paragraph in one story and then a paragraph in the other story.
Read the first story and make a list of its themes. Then read the second story, looking for themes on your list.
Skim through the first story, looking for words with multiple meanings. Then look for the same words in the second story.
Ask a classmate to read one story while you read the other. Then compare notes.