Response to Literature:
THEME
How to write a great
theme essay
What is Response to
Literature?

Whenever you read non-fiction (A
paragraph, a book, a passage, a short
story) and have to talk about it, you
are responding to literature.

There are 2 critical types of RTL:
THEME and CHARACTER ANALYSIS
What’s the purpose of a writing a
RTL THEME essay?

Very often, the purpose for
reading is to find the AUTHOR’S
MESSAGE. This is another way of
saying THEME. They are
essentially the same thing.

People who read your work want
to see if you understood the
LESSON about life that was
contained in what you read.
Author’s Message:
The Heart
The author’s message or Theme is a
lesson about life that can be
applied to most if not ALL people
in the world. It should feel like
advice for the reader to live by.
Sometimes the message will be
explicit (very clear) other times,
you will need to dig deep to figure
it out.
Theme Practice
If you’re ever attacked by trolls, you should
use the wingardium leviosa spell.
Never give up on true friendship
Rainbows are a beautiful part of nature
Once you know the
theme…
Write it out in a VERY clearly sentence
like this:
The author wants us to learn that we
should be thankful for what we have and
not dwell on the things we don’t.
This is called your TOPIC SENTENCE, or
THESIS STATEMENT. In a theme essay,
it’s also called the theme or author’s
message.
Paragraph 1 of RTL: Theme
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Hook___
Title___
Author___
Genre___
Two Sentence Summary___
Theme (Thesis Statement)___
Once you have your topic
sentence…
Ask yourself how you KNOW that this
is what the author wanted us to
learn.
Where’s the EVIDENCE for your topic
sentence?
You need 3 details (events from the
story) that back up your theme- one
in each body paragraph
Paragraphs 2-4 for RTL: Theme
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___1st Event to prove the theme
___Quote from the text (this does not have
to be dialogue) (The quote helps to further
describe your event for your reader)
___(2)Commentary (This is where you
explain how this event proves your theme)
(Body paragraphs follow CD-Com-Com:
Concrete Detail-CommentaryCommentary)
The 1st Event (Paragraph 2)
Event to prove the theme:
In the story, Elena has to leave behind
the city she loves.
Quote to strengthen the
support of your first event P2
A quote is needed to prove the
theme and it should further
describe the event
She tells her mother, “Please,
mother I want to stay here, all of
my friends are here and this is
where I belong.”
Two Sentences of
Commentary P2
Two sentences of commentary means that you need
two sentences of your own opinions to explain
how this event proves your theme
I know the author wanted me to learn that I
should be thankful for what I have, because the
main character must overcome having to a new
city, even though she really liked her old one. She
is forced to leave behind all her friends, and
because at the end of the story, the character is
much happier when she focuses on the things
she appreciates, rather than what she doesn’t
have.
Sample 1st Body Paragraph
In the story, Elena has to leave behind
the city she loves. She tells her mother,
“Please, mother I want to stay here, all of
my friends are here and this is where I
belong.” I know the author wanted me to
learn that I should be thankful for what I
have, because the main character must
overcome having to a new city, even
though she really liked her old one. She is
forced to leave behind all her friends, and
because at the end of the story, the
character is much happier when she
focuses on the things she appreciates,
rather than what she doesn’t have.
You already have your
first paragraph done!
Pretty easy, huh?
So let’s review
Paragraphs 2-4 follow this formula:
 ___ Event to prove the theme
 ___ Quote from that event to prove
the theme
 ___ Two sentences of commentary
where you explain how this event
proves the theme you have identified
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
Restate the theme___
Restate 3 events___
Create a feeling of closure___
Final Commentary___
Now end with a feeling of
closure:
Finish with a sentence that supports
your thesis statement: “My
favorite pet is my dog, Romeo.”
by saying it a different way.
I have never had a better pet.
Paragraph One:
 Hook___
 Title___
 Author___
 Genre___
 Two Sentence Summary___
 Theme (Thesis Statement)___
Paragraphs Two-Four:
 Event to prove the theme___
 Quote from the text (this does not have to be dialogue)___
 (The quote helps to further describe your event for your
reader)
 Commentary (2)___ (This is where you explain how this
event proves your theme)
Paragraph Five:
 Restate the theme___
 Restate 3 events___
 Create a feeling of closure___
 Final Commentary___