
What are some examples themes?
Common Theme ExamplesCompassion.Courage.Death and dying.Honesty.Loyalty.Perseverance.Importance of family.Benefits of hard work.More items...
What is theme give 2 examples?
Examples. Some common themes in literature are "love," "war," "revenge," "betrayal," "patriotism," "grace," "isolation," "motherhood," "forgiveness," "wartime loss," "treachery," "rich versus poor," "appearance versus reality," and "help from other-worldly powers."
What is a theme of a story example?
A theme is, broadly speaking, a story's central idea: a concept that underpins its narrative. Theme can either be a definitive message like, “greed is the greatest force in human culture,” or abstract ideas like love, loss, or betrayal.
What is a theme in a story?
The theme of a story is what the author is trying to convey — in other words, the central idea of the story. Short stories often have just one theme, whereas novels usually have multiple themes.
What are 3 very common themes?
10 common themes in writing1 Beauty.2 Good vs. evil.3 Coming-of-age.4 Loyalty.5 Betrayal.6 Life and death.7 Justice.8 Family.More items...•
What are 4 common themes?
So today we're taking a look at some of the most popular themes explored in the world of books, through some specific literary theme examples....10 Most Popular Literary Theme ExamplesLove. ... Death. ... Good vs. ... Coming of age. ... Power and corruption. ... Survival. ... Courage and heroism. ... Prejudice.More items...
How do you identify a theme?
Ask these three questions to find your theme.What is the story about? This is the plot of the story. ... What is the meaning behind the story? This is usually an abstract result of his actions. ... What is the lesson? This is a statement about the human condition.
What is a good theme for a story?
Other common themes include hatred, hope, greed, good versus evil, the coming-of-age experience, and the circle of life.
Can a theme be one word?
A theme is not ONE WORD. That is a topic. Bad example 1: The theme was love.
What best define a theme?
A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work. The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements.
How do you write a theme?
When you write a theme statement, start by listing some of the topics of the text; for example, alienation, prejudice, ambition, freedom, love, loyalty, passion, etc.). The topic can also be a longer phrase, such as the relationship between love and hate. Can the meaning of a work be love?
What theme means?
(θiːm ) noun. an idea or topic expanded in a discourse, discussion, etc. (in literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout a work.
What are 2 themes in everyday use?
In her short story “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker takes up what is a recurrent theme in her work: the representation of the harmony as well as the conflicts and struggles within African-American culture.
What's a theme meaning?
Britannica Dictionary definition of THEME. [count] 1. : the main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc. The quest for power is the underlying theme of the film.
What theme means?
(θiːm ) noun. an idea or topic expanded in a discourse, discussion, etc. (in literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout a work.
What is theme Short answer?
A theme in a piece of writing, a talk, or a discussion is an important idea or subject that runs through it.
What is theme?
In literature, a theme is a central idea that is recurringly explored and expressed throughout a text.
What is a useful way to think about theme in visual terms?
Theme is a throughline or a thread in work of literature.
What are some universal themes explored in literature?
Love Beauty Ethics Mortality
While themes can be about big, universal issues, theme can also refers to...
... themes specific to certain texts.
What is a motif?
A motif is a recurring image, object or idea that is used to explore a text's themes.
List three big themes that are commonly explored in literature.
Relationships and love Loneliness, isolation, alienation Childhood, coming of age, innocence and experience Nature Memory Social class Power, freed...
What are some themes specific to the Romantic movement?
Nature The power of the imagination The individual
What are some themes common in the Modernist literary movement?
The search for meaning Disconnectedness Interiority
Why does theme matter in storytelling?
Okay but do I need a theme? Isn’t it enough to have a fun story and a loveable hero and a dastardly villain and a happily ever after at the end of it ?
What is the theme of The Great Gatsby?
These themes often deal with the sacrifice of innocence and idealism in order to attain a greater understanding of ourselves and the world. The Great Gatsby is a tragic work of literature that follows the central character’s disillusionment—and, by proxy, the reader’s—with the glittering party lifestyle that was once so seductive.
Why is it important to make your characters understand the theme?
Making your characters do this is an important way of strengthening the themes of your story.
What are some themes in literature?
Themes can be concepts like redemption, sacrifice, true love, or family. Literature in particular has an enormous range of tools from which to draw themes, like setting, imagery, metaphor, conflict, and—most importantly of all— character. It’s through character that your readers will experience your theme and come away with a new understanding of why it matters.
How to find the theme of a story?
To find the theme of your story, decide what central idea the story is trying to communicate with the reader. Try asking yourself why you’re writing it in the first place. Why does it matter to you? This can take time, and the answer may surprise you.
What is a theme in art?
Theme is the broad central idea supporting any narrative work. The work can be a novel, a short story, a poem, or even something like a song or visual art (many art galleries curate their collections based on a unifying central theme). Any medium that tells a story will have a theme—whether it was put there painstakingly by the artist layer by layer, or whether it grew organically from their unconscious experience as they created their work.
Why is it important to have a theme in a book?
Crafting a literary theme that resonates with readers on a deep, visceral level will help them feel connected to your characters and invested in what those characters are fighting for. A vibrant, engaging theme in a work of literature has the power to affect real change and make readers look at the world in a new way.
What is the difference between theme and subject matter?
They are both closely related to each other; however, the subject matter is the topic that is overtly addressed and presented by the writer whereas the theme is the meaning or underlying message that is imparted through the writing.
What is the theme of Romeo and Juliet?
One theme of this play, and Romeo and Juliet certainly features several themes, is the power of romantic love and the futility of others to stop it . The subject matter is almost exclusively related to the foundational elements of the story, such as what happens and to which characters. The theme, in contrast, is the lingering meaning ...
What is the meaning of theme?
Definition of Theme. As a literary device, theme refers to the central, deeper meaning of a written work. Writers typically will convey the theme of their work, and allow the reader to perceive and interpret it, rather than overtly or directly state the theme. As readers infer, reflect, and analyze a literary theme, ...
What is the subject matter of a literary work?
The subject matter of a written work is what the text is about and is, typically, clearly indicated by the writer. The theme of a literary work reflects why it was written and what the author hopes to convey on a deeper level to the reader without direct statements. A reader may infer and a writer may imply a theme within a literary work.
What is the purpose of theme in literature?
As a literary device, the purpose of theme is the main idea or underlying meaning that is explored by a writer in a work of literature. Writers can utilize a combination of elements in order to convey a story’s theme, including setting, plot, characters, dialogue, and more. For certain works of literature, such as ...
What is the central theme of Joyce's novel?
However, as this passage indicates, the central theme of this literary work is the tension between individual artistic expression the demands of society for conformity. The novel’s main character, Stephen Dedalus, faces conflicting loyalties on one side to his family, church, and country, ...
What is the theme of a book?
Theme is often what creates a memorable and significant experience of a literary work for the reader. Themes are often subject to the reader’s perception and interpretation. This means that readers may find primary and/or secondary themes in a work of literature that the author didn’t intend to convey. Therefore, theme allows for literature ...
What Is Theme?
Theme is an underlying message or the big idea of a story. This message could tell more about human nature or life in general. Many stories have more than one theme.
What is the main idea of Cinderella?
In Cinderella, the main idea of the story could be stated as, 'Even though she works hard for them, Cinderella is treated badly by her stepfamily until her fairy godmother helps her to go to the ball, meet the prince, and live happily ever after.'. Lesson Summary.
What are the themes of Cinderella?
Cinderella's character is also honest and compassionate and she tries to cooperate with her sisters' and step mother's demands. Even though her family is mean to Cinderella, the theme of family is there too. We learn about how a family should behave, instead of being so mean to one another. The biggest theme of Cinderella is the idea of transformation . Cinderella's dress, her carriage, and especially those shoes, her whole life changes when her fairy godmother helps her to transform.
What could you infer if your mother started putting on her galoshes and raincoat?
If your mother started putting on her galoshes and raincoat, what could you infer the weather is like? You could infer that it is either raining, or it will rain soon. No one needed to tell you the weather forecast. You can infer that by putting the information together.
What does it mean to enroll in a course?
Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams.
What to do if students are not skilled enough to give in-depth written answers?
If students are not skilled enough to given in-depth written answers, allow for time for students to present their theme findings to the class orally.
What do students have to write to write a story?
Students must write the answer to the questions for their chosen story. Students must identify the theme for their story based on the answers to their questions. Students must write a very brief defense for the theme they have chosen. For example:
What is a Theme Statement?
A theme statement is a sentence that reveals the general idea of the content as it is written and presented on paper. A good thematic statement is often an idea that can be condensed into one sentence or a generalization based on the entire content.
Why are Theme Statements Important?
A theme statement helps readers focus on the main idea. Readers can then get an insight into what they are about to read, avoid being distracted by side issues, and stay on track.
50 Thematic Statement Examples
The following are ten categories of theme statements with five examples for each category:
Steps for Writing a Great Theme Statement
Remember that a theme statement is the essence of what you are trying to say about your subject. There are no rules or guidelines for writing one, but the steps below will get you there:
Themes versus Theme Statements
Many people will use the terms themes and theme statements interchangeably, but they are two very different things. The following are differences between themes and theme statements:
Bottom Line
You want your theme statement to be the final piece that brings everything together. It’s all about finding what works best for you and your article, and it may take some tweaking. Having a clear idea of what your essay is about and who your audience is will help you.
How does Golding explore morality?
By showing each character’s slightly different experience and perception of events, Golding explores how complex “morality” is — contrasting his characters' desire to conform with their sense of behaving correctly. In this way, the complexity of morality becomes the book’s organizing force, the central source of tension that propels the story forward.
What is the theme of Lord of the Flies?
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies takes human morality as its central theme. It focuses on a group of boys stranded on an island and forced to fend for themselves. The children soon create their own micro-society on an island, with power structures, internal politics, and, eventually, violence. In short, the novel's thematic statement — its hypothesis — might be “If isolated from society, human beings would not act ‘morally’ anymore.”
What is the theme of a story?
In literature, the theme of a story is, broadly speaking, what a book is about. They are concepts that pervade and recur throughout a piece of writing and are often reinforced by motifs.
Why is it important to stay conscious of your theme?
As a writer, it’s helpful to stay conscious of your story’s themes so that you can equip yourself with a compass to show you what’s important in your story. This will guide you towards creating moments that engage readers and deepen your story’s significance — so let’s take a look at why themes are important and how you can tell what a story’s theme is.
How do authors tackle complex ideas?
Authors can tackle complex ideas through narrative. Sometimes, the theme of a book will take the form of a hypothesis where the story plays out as a “what if” experiment. Here, authors have the chance to use characters as imagined case studies of human behavior, examining, for example, how different people react to the same events.
Is Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman relatable?
Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman may not at first seem like an entirely relatable book. Its protagonist is someone who grounds her entire identity and purpose in being a convenience store worker — to the point where she wishes society accepted that as her ultimate aspiration and stopped pressuring her to date and get married.
Do all books have a single character?
Not all books have a very tight focus on a single character or mission. Many novels and anthologies contain multiple, seemingly unrelated narratives or points of view united only by common themes.
What Is a Topic?
As stated, the topic is the main subject of your work. It quickly answers the pivotal questions of who, what and why. Since the topic can answer these questions, it is clearly defined through specifics and facts. A few questions you can ask yourself to find a topic include:
Why is it hard to discern a theme?
The theme is a bit harder to discern from a book, play or paper. Why? Because the theme doesn’t hit you in the face as a topic does. Instead, it’s buried snuggly within the pages of your book and you have to seek it out. Once you finish the work, you understand the theme of it. However, you’ll find both major and minor themes throughout the piece. For example:
What was the theme of Pride and Prejudice?
The topic of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was to showcase the expectations of women in the 1800s. Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games follows a girl’s growth in a dystopian future as she fights to beat the odds. One book can cover several different topics.
What is the theme of the Hunger Games?
One of the major themes of The Hunger Games is freedom vs. oppression. You can see this through the Capital’s oppression of the districts and how Coin tries to make this same mistake by oppressing the Capital.
How to find the topic of a work?
The topic of a work is relatively easy to find by reading the work’s synopsis on the book jacket or online.
What is the theme of Harry Potter?
A major theme of the Harry Potter series is death. You can see this through his parents’ deaths and the deaths of other main characters like Dumbledore, Sirius, Lupin, and Snape. Voldemort’s obsession with avoiding death through immortality shows this theme as well.
Why is it so hard to figure out the theme of Pride and Prejudice?
The novel’s theme can be harder to figure out because it’s implied through the characters’ thoughts, feelings and actions. As you read or watch the piece as a whole, you get an idea of the work’s underlying theme. For example, through the actions at the parties and the way the characters feel about marriage, you see the overarching theme of marriage in Pride and Prejudice.

Definition of Theme
Common Examples of Literary Themes
Famous Examples of Disney Movies and Their Themes
- Of course, theme is an essential literary device in terms of written works. However, nearly all works of art feature theme as an underlying meaning to be understood and interpreted by the audience. Here are some famousexamples of Disney movies and their related themes: 1. Peter Pan: out-growing the world of childhood 2. Mulan: girls/women can do battle as honorably as bo…
Difference Between Theme and Subject Matter
- Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the difference between the theme and subject matter of a literary work. They are both closely related to each other; however, the subject matter is the topic that is overtly addressed and presented by the writer whereas the theme is the meaning or underlying message that is imparted through the writing. The subject matter of a written work is …
Examples of Theme in Literature
- As a literary device, the purpose of theme is the main idea or underlying meaning that is explored by a writer in a work of literature. Writers can utilize a combination of elements in order to convey a story’s theme, including setting, plot, characters, dialogue, and more. For certain works of literature, such as fables, the theme is typically a “...