The lion and the mouse a lion asleep in his lair was woken up by a mouse running over his face. losing his temper he seized it with his paw and was about to kill it. the mouse, terrified, piteously entreated him to spare its life saying he could him in return someday. the idea of so insignificant a creature ever being able to do anything for him amused the lion so much that he laughed aloud, and good-humoredly let it go. but the mouse's chance came, after all. one day the lion got entangled in a net which had been spread for game by some hunters, and the mouse heard and recognized his roars of anger and ran to the spot. without more ado it set to work to gnaw the ropes with its teeth, and succeeded before long in setting the lion free. recall the second step in the process to determine theme. in two to three sentences, explain why these events happened in the fable.

Reread this portion of the excerpted text from common sense. men of passive tempers look somewhat lightly over the offenses of britain, and, still hoping for the best, are apt to call out, come, we shall be friends again for all this. but examine the passions and feelings of mankind. bring the doctrine of reconciliation to the touchstone of nature, and then tell me, whether you can hereafter love, honor, and faithfully serve the power that hath carried fire and sword into your land? if you cannot do all these, then are you only deceiving yourselves, and by your delay bringing ruin upon posterity. your future connection with britain, whom you can neither love nor honor, will be forced and unnatural, and being formed only on the plan of present convenience, will in a little time fall into a relapse more wretched than the first. what key concept about the relationship between an abusive government and its citizens does paine want readers to understand? use evidence from the text to support your response. your response should be one to two complete paragraphs.