1 / 23

Themes

Themes. And creating a Thesis from Themes…. Thematic Ideas . The central idea or insight revealed by a work of literature. The theme gives insight about human life and human nature that gives meaning to the story. More than one theme can be applied to literature at a time. .

marion
Download Presentation

Themes

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Themes And creating a Thesis from Themes….

  2. Thematic Ideas • The central idea or insight revealed by a work of literature. • The theme gives insight about human life and human nature that gives meaning to the story. • More than one theme can be applied to literature at a time. • Most themes are implied, so the reader must look deeper into the literature to determine the theme.

  3. Struggle with NaturePower of Nature • Struggle= characters are involved in an external conflict with forces in the natural world • Power= characters are exposed to the intense force of elements of the natural world

  4. The fishermen are lost in “The Perfect Storm” Characters in “The Day after Tomorrow” must battle global warming. The iceberg in “Titanic” The twister in “Twister”

  5. Survival of the fittest • Weaker, less intelligent characters are less likely to endure than stronger, smarter characters The British school children in Lord of the Flies “The Most Dangerous Game”: Rainsford struggles with General Zarroff Tom Hanks in “Cast Away”

  6. Coming of Age • Characters in the narrative mature and develop as a result of the complications in the plot Scout’s experience in To Kill a Mockingbird Forrest Gump must grow up quickly and learn about the world due to his differences

  7. Power of Love • Characters rely on those whom they respect, revere, honor, and cherish to resolve conflicts in a narrative Romeo and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet Rose leaves her wealthy husband-to-be for a poor artist in Titanic

  8. Loss of Innocence • Characters leave behind their child-like virtue and purity as a result of being exposed to the brutal reality of day to day living. Children in Peter Pan realize they cannot stay young forever

  9. Struggle with Self • Characters in a narrative must contend with personal internal feelings or demons that often contradict each other or conflict with what seems most appropriate.

  10. struggle with self Anakin Skywalker battles his own fear and anger Marcus Brutus chooses between his love for democracy and his love for Caesar

  11. Disillusionment with Life • Characters are distracted and disgusted by what they encounter in society, their friendship or their family Guy questions his life as a fireman and what used to be… Lt. Dan from “Forrest Gump” is disillusioned after losing his legs

  12. The Effects of Scientific Progress • Characters’ actions and lives are impacted both positively and negatively by technological advances Crichton’s Jurassic Park The effects of the robots in “I, Robot”

  13. Alienation and Isolation • Characters in the narrative are alone and withdrawn and feel removed or rejected by society. Jim from Huckleberry Finn is alienated because he is different Shrek is alienated because he is different

  14. Good Overcoming Evil • Characters become involved in a conflict wherein Good (exemplified by abstract concepts such as Honor, Truth, and Justice and personified by a hero) triumphs over Evil (exemplified by abstract concepts such as Shame, Corruption, and Unfairness and personified by a villain).

  15. good overcoming evil Beowulf defeats Grendel Luke Skywalker leads the rebels to victory over the evil empire

  16. Tolerance of the Atypical • Character’s level of acceptance of differences in personal/ mental/ physical attributes or systems of beliefs/ ideas/ events in cultures or individuals

  17. Love and Friendship • Characters encounter other individuals who provide emotional support through difficult times.

  18. Noble Sacrifice • A character surrenders his of her life to benefit the lives of others

  19. Revenge • Characters seek to right a wrong by punishing those who have harmed them

  20. The Great Battle/ Journey • Battle= characters are involved in an epic struggle against forces that oppose them • Journey= characters leave home and engage in a quest to reach a goal

  21. General guidelines to find theme… • A theme is not the same as a moral… The question to ask is, “What does this story reveal?” not “What does this story teach?” One of the best ways to find theme is to ask, “How has the protagonist changed?” • A theme must be stated about the subject of the story, rather than just a phrase. There is no one correct way to state the theme… There is more than one correct answer and usually more than one theme/story…

  22. In Cinderella • Name and defend what themes are relevant in Cinderella. Alienation and isolation coming of age Good overcoming evil Power of love disillusionment with life

  23. Stating a theme • A theme must be stated in a complete sentence… • Just saying “alienation and isolation” is not satisfactory • So, you must use the theme phrase and then add on what your opinion is… • For example: In Cinderella, good overcomes evil when Cinderella never gives up trying to prove that she has the foot that fits the glass slipper.

More Related