Theme

Prep for Essay #2
In the 2nd essay, due at the end of Week 7, we
analyze how any piece from Weeks 4-7 uses a
literary element. So far the elements we’ve
studied are tone, symbolism and now theme.
Two more elements coming in weeks 6 and 7.
This lecture’s purpose is to help you understand
how to analyze (take apart) theme in a literary
piece.
Theme - ENGL 151L 2

Theme is . . .
Meaning. Moral. A lesson. The light
the author tries to give us.
Theme - ENGL 151L 3

For the writer Theme is
• A goal that drives their writing
– People really are basically good/evil/afraid/brave/lonely . . .
let me show that.
• Meaning discovered as they write
– I lived/survived/felt/believed/dreamed this. What does it all
mean? What have I learned that I can share?
• Meaning shaped for the writer’s pleasure &
peace
– This all means something. Things don’t just happen to me; I
create out of it. I find purpose.
• Wisdom passed on to society and the future
– Other people might need what I have learned.
Theme - ENGL 151L 4

For the reader Theme can be
• Meaning received
– Someone (else) lived/survived/felt/dreamed this. What did it mean
for them? How do they survive and thrive? I can use this.
• Meaning updated - “a long time ago in a galaxy far away”
– This time, place or world is so different from mine but people then
cared about the same things we care about now. I can connect.
• Imagination expanded
– These people (or creatures) are so different from me but some of the
same issues come up for all of us. I can relate.
• Change ignited
– I don’t want to think about (insert uncomfortable / painful /
frightening topic), but this piece is making me see it in new ways. I
can change.
Theme - ENGL 151L 5

For a culture Theme is
• A nurturing message
– Never give up – We are Marshall, Shawshank Redemption, the Rocky franchise, WALL.E, Forrest Gump,
Dunkirk, Saving Private Ryan, Benji, Coach Carter, Remember the Titans, Rudy. And so many others.
– Overcome obstacles - Good Will Hunting, Whale Rider, Rudy, Ratatouille, Hamilton, Sonny’s Blues, the
Pursuit of Happyness, Brittany Runs a Marathon, Precious
– Know/accept yourself - Sugarcane, the film short Identity, The Mask, Everyday Use, Little Miss
Sunshine, Brave, Mean Girls, A Pair of Tickets
– Life is good, appreciate the little things – Two poem we’ll read later: Joyus Valadorus, The Crickets Have
Arthritis, Slumdog Millionairre,
• A warning
– You can’t/can escape fate - Appointment in Samarra, Fences(?) Predestination, Looper, Groundhog Day,
The Zoo Keeper’s Wife, Oedipus, Inception
– Technology/govt/____ is dangerous - The Matrix, War Games, Black Mirror, I Robot, 1984, The Veldt,
Minority Report
– Don’t forget your roots - Everyday Use, Queen Sugar, A Pair of Tickets, Reservoir Dogs
• A repository of values
– Oppose Racism - Fences, Do the Right Thing, To Kill a Mockingbird, Hidden Figures, Fruitvale Station,
Selma, and many others, many slam poets
– Don’t pre-judge people - Cathedral, When Love Arrives, Wonder, Big Figh
– Family First – Winter’s Bone, Everyday Use, Finding Nemo, Game of Thrones (?), The Fighter
Theme - ENGL 151L 6

A few cautions about Theme
• Usually there is no single correct statement of
theme though there can be incorrect ones.
• Some pieces bring forward several themes,
depending how they’re read and interpreted.
• Meaning is mysterious: It’s what you take from
the piece. The author may not even have
intended that. Bring your whole self to the
piece and interpret it out of that, and based in
the piece.
Theme - ENGL 151L 7

Assert yourself
Writing about theme is a type of argument: I see it this
way and here’s my evidence. Types of evidence:
1. Direct quotes followed by an explanation of how the
theme shows in the theme.
2. Paraphrases followed by explanation.
3. Biographical evidence – Facts about the author’s life
that support your argument.
4. Your reaction narrated – Tell how you experienced the
piece’s theme/meaning. This is valid and interesting.
5. Expert sources – Experts in literature who agree with
your interpretation of the theme. Reviews and essays
with named authors.
Theme - ENGL 151L 8

Find quality sources
to develop and support your ideas
All sources used in academic essays must be by named
authors published in books, journals, magazines or
established web sites. Places like Schmoop, Cliff Notes
and Wikipedia are good to get ideas and stimulate
thinking. Dig deeper and find the named sources.
The NCC library created this module to help. Proquest
Central is a good database to start with. If you have not
used databases much, try this tutorial. Knowing your way
around databases is a valuable skill needed in many
fields. Something to add to your resume!
Theme - ENGL 151L 9

A well-developed Theme
Topics are large and general and can be named in a word or two. Themes are about
some part of a topic. They’re focused and specific. Think of them as an answer to a
question someone had about the topic.
Theme - ENGL 151L
Topic – what is the piece about? One possible theme for that topic
Destiny You have to face your past before you can achieve your
destiny (The Lion King, A Pair of Tickets)
Cooperation When we work together we can’t be stopped (A Bug’s
Life, Black Panther)
Journey It’s not the destination but the journey that counts.
The journey will change you forever (Cars, Rhyme of the
Ancient Mariner)
Love Love conquers all (The Notebook, Sonny’s Blues, many
others)
10

“All you have to do is kill me, like they said you would.”
The theme of Minority Report surfaces at the film’s
climax. After watching the ending, try putting the theme
into your own words before moving to the next slide.
Theme - ENGL 151L 11

So what is the Theme?
“You know your own future, which means you can change it if
you want to. You still have a choice. Like I did.”
“Yes, I have a choice. And I make it.”
Aha – This is a familiar theme that shows up often
in science fiction: We do have free will
Help update this presentation. Minority Report came out in 2002. I
like to use it because I know the screenwriter, John Cohen. But,
it’d be nice to have a more recent film. For 10 bonus points and my
thanks, email in a clip from a film you know well. Choose a scene
that expresses the theme, and put that theme in your own words.
Please paste in or paraphrase these instructions in your email.

Symbols reveal theme
A symbol is an object, action, or even a sound
that runs through a piece. It helps build and
reinforce the theme so the reader feels it. The
reader feels it more because symbols carry
weight and meaning. That is, they may be a
physical thing, like a window, a sunrise, an
albatross, but they also come to stand for—to
give the feeling of—an abstract concept such as
freedom, new beginnings, guilt, forgiveness, etc.

A sound that runs through a story and
carries meaning is known as a motif.
Theme - ENGL 151L
Click on the picture to hear the Oh no
watch out shark coming music from Jaws.
Seems like even the actor can hear it!
14

Only so many themes?
Some might disagree, but one source for screen writers, The Script Lab, classifies
all of life’s complexity into ten major themes:
1. good vs. evil
2. love conquers all
3. triumph over adversity
4. individual vs society
5. individual vs nature
6. individual vs him/herself (addictions for example)
7. death as a part of life
8. loss of innocence
9. revenge
10. the battle
In the forum we’ll interrogate that list.
 Are there themes you would add?
 Which themes on that list are most important to you and your generation?
 What themes do you tend to like? Can you think of examples?

Piece we Studied Some topics in it Themes about those topics, phrased as
question or statement. For up to 20 BP’s,
think of 1 more for each (briefly explain,
funny ones count even if not essay-level)
Story of an Hour Marriage, self-
awareness, change
Are marriages always all good or all bad?
Once you glimpse freedom it’s hard to go
back. Good thing we have texting now!
The Journey (Mary
Oliver poem)
Personal growth, change,
enmeshed families
What holds us back from our destiny?
It takes strength to move out into the
world.
Ancient Mariner Superstition, guilt, faith,
compulsion, spiritual
crisis & transformation,
nature
Superstition drives people to extreme acts.
What makes us love that which we hated?
Every living this is connected.
A Pair of Tickets Identity, origins, siblings,
mothers, war and
families
Mom is always right.
Family secrets must come out.
The Camel and his
Friends, fable
Trust, friendship, group
dynamics, deception, self
awareness
Camels should avoid jungles (lol).
The moral is given at the end, “Be careful in
choosing your friends.” Can you see others?

Wisdom clips
You might enjoy this compilation. Viewing it,
one gets the impression that film and story exist
in order to hand on meaning and wisdom.
Reel Wisdom - Lessons from 40 films
in 7 minutes

Questions about Theme to help generate
essays and journal posts
 What themes interest me? Which pieces from weeks 4-7 touch on those?
 What are the symbols in the piece? How do they reveal the theme?
 Does my understanding of the theme change as I read, re-read and discuss?
 Is my theme on the list on slide 15? If not, what can I say to show it IS a major
theme?
 If two pieces have a similar theme, what’s different? Do I want to take the
extended essay option? (The 2nd piece can come from any week.)
 Does a character or narrator ever say the theme out loud (in a moment of
conflict for example or the climax of the plot)?
 Is there a movie, novel, TV series or other piece that I can bring in to extend the
essay (for up to 25 Bonus Points?)
 Does the piece’s title have anything to do with the theme?
 Does the ending say anything about the theme?

Much meaning in the nutshell of a great piece of art
Thanks for thinking

Theme

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