Theme Statements
What is a THEME? How do you write THEME STATEMENTS anyway?
THEMES
A theme is the overall message of a written work, which can be displayed in one or two words. It should include conceptual words to state and describe principal ideas. A literary work can have more than one theme and is usually the message the author is trying to convey throughout a work.
NOT A THEME
- Command
- Always/Should/All
- Specific to text or character
- Cliché
DOs
- Obtain comprehension and understanding of characters behavior
- Use sometimes, can, may, often
- Convey into life
- Make general comment on a subject
DON'Ts
- Express as subject or topic
- Convey as a moral
- Make too general
- Make too specific
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THEME STATEMENTS
- Read, analyze, and combine big ideas
- Choose abstract concept
- In form of a sentence state author, text and abstract concept
- Then state the opinion of the concept and what it reveals from text
EXAMPLES
- Perseverance is displayed in the play Merchant of Venice to show hatred and the need of vengeance to retaliate one's own respect and importance.
- Love is shown in the play Merchant of Venice to reveal brotherly love that has acquired through friendship and displays a sense of hurt when having to part ways.
- Desperation is demonstrated in the play Merchant of Venice to show how broke and needy one was about receiving money to impress and get what was desired.