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A theme statement is the meaning of a work or purpose for why the author wrote this piece; it is a statement that the author is trying to make about a topic.
"Love" is not a theme statement. This is merely a topic so it cannot stand alone as a theme.
How do I write a theme statement?
How do I write a theme statement?
1) Start by brainstorming the abstract topics that you believe to be a central part of the text. Is your text about 'love', 'greed', 'hate', 'prejudice' etc.
2) Think about what the author is suggesting or observing about humans and these topics. What is the author saying about these topics? What is the author's opinion on 'love', 'greed', 'hate' etc.?
3) Theme statements should apply to people and the world.
Try and answer these questions:
- how does the author feel about people based on the characters in the text?
- how does the author feel about the relationship between people and society or the Earth?
- how does the author feel about life experiences or what insights/opinions does the author have about life?
What shouldn't I do in a theme statement?
What shouldn't I do in a theme statement?
1) Use first and second person!
2) Tell people what to do or what to believe. Stay away from morals and cliches as you progress through writing.
3) Use broad generalizations with words like 'everyone' or 'always' or 'never'.
4) Refer to specific plot points or characters in your theme statement. The author uses their entire story to make a statement about life and characters, plot etc. are just features or parts of how they do this.
Help! I'm stuck and don't feel confident. I need a formula or structure to help me write this.
Help! I'm stuck and don't feel confident. I need a formula or structure to help me write this.
1)
Topic/Idea
Author's opinion on topic/idea
More details (i.e. when, where, how, conditions etc.)
Ex. 1
Independence
occurs when parents allow students to make decisions for themselves
even with the risk of failure looming in the background.
Ex. 2
Courage
means attempting difficult tasks
in the face of fear.
2)
Introduce work and author
Topic/idea
Author's opinion on topic/idea
More details (i.e. when, where, how, conditions etc.)
how it appears BROADLY in the text
Ex. 3
In "The Interlopers" by Saki, the author presents
Mother Nature
as superior to humans
despite how humans act towards the Earth
through the conflict between the main characters and nature.
Ex. 3
In "The Interlopers" by Saki, the author presents Mother Nature as superior to humans despite how humans act towards the Earth through the conflict between the main characters and nature.
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