Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Ministry of Basic, Higher & Technical Education

DIVISION OF LANAO DEL SUR 1
Module Code: LDS-ENG11/12-CNF-Q1-W1-D4

MODULE IN CREATIVE NONFICTION

First Quarter/ Week 1 Day 4

Name:___________________________________________Grade/Strand:___________________
Name of Teacher: ________________________________Date: _____________________

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW (OBJECTIVE): Interpret the theme of a particular text

WHAT’S NEW (Your Lesson for Today): Literary Elements as Techniques to

Develop Themes

Try to discover:
You are now on the last module about themes. The discussion and practice exercises helped you
in understanding what theme is all about. It should now be clear to you that themes are not stated
directly and that you as the reader should be the one to state it.

But still the big question in your mind maybe is how do you know that your understanding of
the theme is the same as with your classmates. Based on the results of a study by Victoria Kurtz and
Michael F. Schuber entitled Readers’ Interpretations of Theme in Short Fiction which examined both
the process by which individual readers arrive at a theme of a fictional story. Sixteen avid readers read
two stories of micro fiction paragraph by paragraph, commenting after each paragraph on the larger
point the author might be making. At the end of each story, the participants stated a theme capturing the
overall meaning of the story. The results showed that readers (1) differed substantially in their
interpretations of the stories’ themes, (2) can draw the same conclusion about a story and yet make very
different thematic inferences while reading, and (3) appear to keep alive a number of interpretations
about a story’s meaning, concluding the overall theme only at the story’s end. The results strongly
suggest that themes do not reside in texts in any obvious way but are constructed by the readers. The
results also suggest that thematic inferences are not computed automatically.as part of comprehension,
but rather later as acts of interpretation.

So it is possible that you may have a different interpretation of the theme because it depends on
your understanding of the ideas presented by the writer, and of course how you use other skills in
reading like predicting, making inferences, getting the main idea, etc. But it doesn’t mean that you
can just have any theme that you like. It still has to be connected to the plot, characters and other
elements.

References for further Enhancement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFToXJehlhA
ps://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-identify-book-theme-739101

Here are other tips on how you can state the theme.
 Don't include specific characters or plot points. This perspective on life should apply to
people and situations outside the story.
 Don't be obvious. "War is bad," is not a theme. Dig a little deeper using details from the story.
(What specifically is bad about war? How does it negatively impact the characters or the world
of the story?)
 Don't make it advicey. "You should always be there for your family," isn't a theme, it's a
suggestion. Keep your theme statement objective and based solely on evidence from the story
("The bond between family can overcome any obstacle.")
 Don't use cliches. "Once a cheater, always a cheater," or "Actions speak louder than words,"
aren't themes. They're just expressions people use all the time and have very little power or real
insight.

Practice Exercise 1

Directions: Try restating these themes in your own words. Remember to write in complete
sentences.

1. Action speaks louder than words.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Money can’t buy happiness.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Never give up.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Everyone makes mistakes.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

5. It is impossible to make everyone happy.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Generalization
Themes are implied, not stated. As you read any form of literature, themes are
the lessons the writer wants you to learn about human nature. You need to use the
other elements that help develop the theme like characterization. You need to dig
deeper in to the text so that you will get the main theme and not only the big idea.
 Evaluation: Here are some example theme statements from stories you're probably read. Choose
one and interpret the theme by restating them in your own words and explaining what it means to you.

In 'The Dark Knight Rises', Christopher Nolan presents the idea that true heroism requires complete and
utter selflessness.
The central theme of 'Finding Nemo' is that fear is sometimes more dangerous than danger itself.
In 'Romeo and Juliet', Shakespeare presents the idea that love is more powerful than hate.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Integrated the Development of the Following Learning Skills:

Communication: Following Directions
Critical Thinking-Interpreting the theme of a text
Collaboration-Sharing experiences
Character- Introspection, Perseverance

References:online
https://study.com/academy/topic/interpreting-theme-meaning.html
ducation.seattlepi.com/explanation-theme-literature-students-1555.html