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    Literary Theme

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    Donna Meneses
    1. The document discusses how to identify the theme of a literary work. 2. It provides 5 steps: summarize the plot, identify the subject, identify the insight learned about the subject, state how the plot presents the insight, and write a statement of the theme. 3. Themes are not a single word, the purpose, the moral, or the conflict, but rather the central idea or insight about the subject that the author wishes to convey.

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    Literary Theme

    Uploaded by

    Donna Meneses
    33 views12 pages
    1. The document discusses how to identify the theme of a literary work. 2. It provides 5 steps: summarize the plot, identify the subject, identify the insight learned about the subject, state how the plot presents the insight, and write a statement of the theme. 3. Themes are not a single word, the purpose, the moral, or the conflict, but rather the central idea or insight about the subject that the author wishes to convey.

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    21st century lit

    Original Title

    LITERARY THEME

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    1. The document discusses how to identify the theme of a literary work. 2. It provides 5 steps: summarize the plot, identify the subject, identify the insight learned about the subject, state how the plot presents the insight, and write a statement of the theme. 3. Themes are not a single word, the purpose, the moral, or the conflict, but rather the central idea or insight about the subject that the author wishes to convey.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    33 views12 pages

    Literary Theme

    Uploaded by

    Donna Meneses
    1. The document discusses how to identify the theme of a literary work. 2. It provides 5 steps: summarize the plot, identify the subject, identify the insight learned about the subject, state how the plot presents the insight, and write a statement of the theme. 3. Themes are not a single word, the purpose, the moral, or the conflict, but rather the central idea or insight about the subject that the author wishes to convey.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Objectives:

    1. Determine the steps


    in identifying
    literary theme
    2. Identify the theme
    of a literary piece
    3. Reflect on a current
    issue
    Literary works are
    used
    •to entertain
    •to teach a moral
    lesson,
    •to convey meaning,
    •to make the reader
    aware of some aspects
    of the human conditio
    Through literature, you
    may creatively share
    • .

    your ideas and express


    themes that are
    timeless and universal.
    •Twenty-first century learners like
    you use literature to express lofty
    sentiments and deep feelings
    •You will also use it to communicate
    reactions to current issues
    The Literary Element of Theme
    •Theme is:
    • the central, underlying, and controlling idea or insight of a work of literature.
    • the idea the writer wishes to convey about the subject—the writer’s view of the
    world or a revelation about human nature.

    •Theme is NOT:
    • expressed in a single word
    •the purpose of a work
    •the moral
    • the conflict
    Identifying the Theme in Five Steps
    • To identify the theme, be sure that you’ve first identified the
    story’s plot, the way the story uses characterization, and the
    primary conflict in the story.

    •Use these steps to determine the theme for a work:


    •1. Summarize the plot by writing a one-sentence description for
    the exposition, the conflict, the rising action, the climax, the
    falling action, and the resolution.
    •2. Identify the subject of the work.
    •3. Identify the insight or truth that was learned about the
    subject.
    •How did the protagonist change?
    • What lesson did the protagonist learn from the resolution of
    the conflict?
    •4. State how the plot presents the primary insight or truth
    about the subject.
    •5. Write one or more generalized, declarative sentences that
    state what was learned and how it was learned 
    •Example:
    A fifteen-year-old boy in an American suburban high school,
    who has not made the basketball team, knows the experience of
    disappointment, but so does a seventy-year-old grandmother
    whose family does not come home for the holidays. Each
    character’s story might detail the events of how they move from
    disappointment to contentment. These stories have a similar
    theme. Even though the details of the story are expressed
    differently, either scenario could express the theme of
    overcoming disappointment and hurt – yet, each in a unique way.
    •Could you connect with either of these characters? Why? Get
    into the habit of asking how and why questions as you move
    through the details of a literary selection.

    •Furthermore, certain themes can be understood by people


    regardless of age, gender, geography, or culture. This
    commonality makes them universal. Universal themes
    developed in a story, poem, or play ultimately expand the
    reader’s knowledge of being human by the expression of
    experiences through different perspectives.
    •Common themes can include:
    loneliness, oppression, repression,
    transformation, good versus evil,
    struggle and accomplishment, death,
    rebirth, initiation, redemption, and
    free will.
    •With a specific purpose in mind, the author carefully crafts
    themes using literary tools. By employing literary tools, the
    author embeds the theme or meaning into separate elements
    that make up the totality of the literary piece.
    •  Some of the most common tools of the author’s craft are:
    character development, setting, mood, plot, point of view,
    figurative language, allegory, symbolism, and irony.
    •A poet might additionally use: alliteration, metaphor, simile,
    onomatopoeia, personification, rhyme, and repetition.
    •Why are themes important?
    •Themes are the central focus of literary
    works. Themes express the intended lesson,
    conclusion, message, or point of view of the
    author. Themes connect all the parts of the
    story such as characters, plot, problem
    (conflict), setting and events. A theme keeps
    the writer on point

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