Theme
Thematic Statement
• A thematic statement is a single sentence that
describes a specific interpretation of the overall
meaning of a work of literature. It must be brief,
focused and
and insightful.
insightful.
• Theme is the central message of a literary work.
It is not the same as a subject,
subject, which
which can
can be
expressed in a word or two: courage, survival,
war, pride, etc. The theme is the idea the author
wishes to convey about that subject. It is
expressed as
as aa sentence
sentenceor
or general
general statement
statement
about life
life or
or human
human nature.
nature.
Consider?
• A theme is a meaning
meaning of
of aa work.
work.(Yes,
(Yes,there
there
can be more than
than one
one “meaning.”)
“meaning.”)
• Can the meaning of a work be love? hate?
greed?
• No—that makes no sense! Those are just
topics, not themes.
• The theme is the statement
statement an
an author
author isis
making about
about aa topic.
topic.
What a thematic statement is NOT!
• A theme is NOT a moral, a directive, or an
order. A theme observes, weighs, and
considers actions and ideas, but it avoids
judging what people should or should not do;
therefore, words like “should” and “ought”
are not appropriate in a thematic statement.
• “Be nice to elderly people” or “Love like
there’s no tomorrow.”
What a thematic statement is NOT!
• Themes are NOT trite sayings such as clichés,
maxims, or aphorisms.
• “Actions speak louder than words,” “Love
hurts,” or “Absence makes the heart grow
fonder.”
What a thematic statement is NOT!
• Themes do NOT refer to the specific names or
events of a particular literary piece. A theme
does not summarize
summarize aa work.
work. AA theme
theme drops
drops
character names and uses more general terms
terms
like “parents,”
“parents,” “leaders,”
“leaders,”“society,”
“society,”oror“young
“young
people” in a general
general observation
observationabout
aboutthe
the
human experience.
experience.
What a thematic statement is NOT!
• Themes avoid absolute terms such as “all,”
“none,” “everything,” or “always” because
they indicate sloppy thinking.
• Terms like “we,” “sometimes,” or “often”
suggest a more realistic view of the variety of
human experiences. (Remove the
the negative
negative
words from your statement. Don’t use doesn’t
or won’t.)
Starting
• Begin by using several abstract words to state the
principal ideas of the work (topics that the piece is
really about). Abstract words describe concepts or
ideas that exist only in our minds like alienation,
alienation,
prejudice, ambition,
ambition,freedom,
freedom,love,
love,loyalty,
loyalty,passion,
passion,
etc.
• Combine those abstract ideas with comments that
reflect the author’s observations about human
nature, the human condition, or human motivation. In
other words, what is the author saying about the
abstract idea? Is he/she, for example, saying something
about the qualities of people and/or commenting on
society?
Thematic Statement Examples
• Many Obstacles come unexpected in life, but finishing
what you have started will make you realize if it was
worth it or not.
• No matter how diverse one is, they should contain
loyalty, compromise, friendship and sacrifice.
• Hardship can make or break friendship/relationships.
• Step in someone's shoes to get rid of ignorance.
• Like a house without a roof is incomplete, a man
without trust is incomplete too.
• The choices you make in life can help overcome
struggles.
Implicit Theme
• This is a theme that is stated inside
inside aa story.
story.
The author wants you to get a specific
message, therefore the author has stated the
theme in the story.
Explicit Theme
• This is the concept of writing thematic
statements. The theme is not specifically
addressed in the story. It is up to the reader
reader to
to
figure out
out aa theme
theme to
to the
the story.
story.