Theme
Objective:
You will be able to explain how the elements of a story affect the theme.
What is theme?
Theme asks us to identify:
What is this story really about?
It's the author's take on the big idea!
The theme is the controlling idea. It is the life lesson to be learned from the story. To find the theme of a story, we must determine the central purpose.
It's essentially the message that
the author is trying to get across
throughout the text.
Theme includes the topic,
but makes a comment on it.
- Everybody needs love
- Fate is for people who don't want to try
Discovering one's
purpose in life
is the greatest
discovery of all.
Love is the power
that unites us in
times of tribulation.
What if I'm having a hard time
figuring out what the story is about?
Look at:
1. What a character learns/discovers (characters actions)
2. Conflict in the story
3. Series of events that take place (plot)
All of these elements of a story affect the theme.
A theme states
the big idea + the author's message
A theme is a big idea that all people can relate to and that is found throughout a text.
What's the topic?
friendship
truth
good and evil
Good will conquer evil.
Being different is better than conforming.
What's the theme?
How do other elements affect the theme?
Example:
Think about the story Cinderella. (Pair-Share)
- What character traits (3) did Cinderella portray?
- Think of how these character traits affected the outcome of the story.
- Now think about how this would affect the theme "good things happen to good people".
- In other words, if Cinderella was not that the "type" of person she was, would the story have had a different theme?
Conflict:
Example:
*The conflict in "Remember the Titans" is that the football players have to learn to work together as a team.
* This shows our topic of the movie (unity) which then can lead to the theme of "in unity, there is strength".
Plot
Remember, plot is the series of events that take place in the story. How does plot affect theme?
Conclusion
A theme is a big idea that all people can relate to and that is found throughout a text.
- The conflicts of the story determine the next event that is going to take place.
- If the conflict was changed, then the story would take a different path. Therefore, it would change the actions of the character.
- Also, the problems that the character has to face sheds lights on the topics that are in the story.
Characters:
A thematic statement is the big idea + the author's message
- They contribute their feelings, goals, or personality to the conflict and can alter another characters' actions.
- The experiences a character goes through determines the topics of our story.
- These topics determine our theme.
Remember the Titans