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Theme

Theme. Notes. An Introduction to Theme. True love will conquer all obstacles and triumph in the end. Write down some popular songs, books, shows, or movies that convey the message above. Theme. Theme: Central idea, or insight, about life that a story reveals.

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Theme

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  1. Theme Notes

  2. An Introduction to Theme • True love will conquer all obstacles and triumph in the end. • Write down some popular songs, books, shows, or movies that convey the message above.

  3. Theme • Theme: • Central idea, or insight, about life that a story reveals. • This insight is a truth about human behavior that the writer has usually discovered from experience. • Example: don’t marry for love alone • Example: as one grows old, death becomes less terrifying • To communicate their experience, the writer simply tells a story that deals with that idea in some way. • Theme is the idea on which a story is built upon.

  4. Communicating Theme • Theme is usually indirectly stated or implied. • The characters will “act out” the theme for the readers. • If the story works as the author intended, we (the readers) will feel the characters’ experiences so strongly that the truth that is revealed to them is also revealed to us. • As an effect, the reader has seen what the author wanted us to see and/or understand about human behavior/life.

  5. The Effect of Theme • Although the theme is “invisible,” it serves as the story’s most forceful element. • A similar theme can be found across several different pieces of literature. • Or, a similar theme can be found across genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) • A powerful theme can be the reason that a work of literature is noticed, famous, liked, disliked, or even remembered.

  6. Universal Themes • Universal theme: • Theme that deals with basic human concerns and recur in every culture and period of history. • Examples: good and evil, life and death, love and loss • These themes are experiences that are common to all people everywhere, and are common to tell. • Universal themes are often the types that help to guide us through life by shining light on our common experiences.

  7. How To Find a Story’s Theme • This is not an easy task… • It requires stepping back from the work and thinking about it holistically (as a whole). • Figuring out the theme can and will help you to understand a piece of literature more fully. • Typically, you can express a story’s theme in at least one full sentence or phrase.

  8. Items to Consider When Attempting to Find a Story’s Theme • Subject • Character • Conflict • Title • Test • Subjectivity

  9. Steps to Finding a Story’s Theme • The theme of a work is NOT the same as its subject. • The subject is simply the topic, which can be stated in a single word, such as love. • The theme will make some revelation about the subject, though. So, it helps to figure out the subject first. • An example of a theme that would deal with the subject love: • Love may be more likely to bloom when we least expect it.

  10. Steps to Finding a Story’s Theme • Think about whether the main character changes in the course of the literature (dynamic). • This can simply mean the main character realizes something he or she didn’t know before. • Or, it can be a significant change. • Often, the author expresses the theme through what a character learns.

  11. Steps to Finding a Story’s Theme • Think about how the conflict is resolved • Conflict is a central idea in a piece of literature. • Example: A character may have to decide between individual freedom or the responsibility to their family. • Therefore, how the conflict is resolved may provide a clue to the story’s theme. • Example: Cartoons – The small, physically weak character can often triumph over a strong and aggressive character by using cleverness. • Before and after you finish reading a work of literature, think about the title. • Does it have special meaning? • Does it point to the theme in some way? • Not all titles will, but you should consider it at least.

  12. Steps to Finding a Story’s Theme • Once you think you have discovered the theme, test it! • Try applying your theme to the whole piece of literature. • Make sure it doesn’t just apply to one or a few parts of the literature. • Keep in mind subjectivity … it’s your opinion! • Others may feel differently than you do about the theme you have chosen. Or, you may have a different way of revealing the theme than someone else. • There may even be more than one theme. • As long as you can support your chosen theme with evidence from text (intelligently), it should work!

  13. Think Critically About the Theme • A wise reader will always make a judgment about an author’s view, rather than just accept it as valid. • For example, a wise reader would ask… • Is this story’s view too romantic? • Is it too cynical? • Is it too simplistic? • Is it realistic? • Is it narrow-minded? • Is this writer over enthusiastic? • Is the writer trying to get me to buy an idea that is false or over exaggerated?

  14. Think Critically About the Theme • Much of popular fiction is “formula fiction” • Fiction written to a plan that satisfies the general preference for happy or upbeat stories rather than something that is true-to-life. • As wise readers, we must learn to judge the credibility of the fiction we read… just the same as we do with television.

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