How to Write an Essay on the Theme of a Book

Themes O Every book has a theme and often they contain more than one. O In order to successfully identify and write about a book's central theme, you need to: O closely read the text, O plan before you write and O provide sufficient analysis and direct quotes from the story to support your point.

Find the Theme O A theme is a universal idea that is often a reflection on human experience suggested by the text. O Often a theme can be gleaned from an evaluation of the circumstances surrounding repeated objects or symbols in the story.

Find the Theme cont. O The central theme can also be identified by examining the characters' strengths, weaknesses, values, thoughts and actions. O The theme is not explicitly stated, so your notes are crucial to identifying and evaluating the book's central theme

Analysis O An essay on the theme of a book is a synthesis of your reflections on elements of the story and their relationship to a deeper and broader meaning. O The analysis shows how the theme is illustrated in the text and why the theme matters, both in story and in the real world.

Analysis cont. O Your analysis can examine why characters make specific choices, how the book's setting impacts the plot, what conflicts exist in the text and how those conflicts are resolved. O Most importantly, your analysis should answer the question of why any of these points matter.

Questions for Theme Analysis 1) What important idea or theme does this literary work convey? Think about the subjects on your scavenger hunt page and the theme statement you wrote in the Finding Theme activity. 2) What do characters do that helps illustrate this idea? 3) What do characters say that helps to illustrate this idea? 4) What events take place in the work that help to illustrate this idea? 5) Are there any recurrent images or clusters of images? Do these images support the idea or theme that you find in the work? 6) What does the narrator say that helps to illustrate this idea? 7) Do you see evidence of this theme in modern society? How?

Thesis O When you have determined the theme of the book, you can formulate a thesis statement. O The thesis statement conveys a particular point about the theme and how it is manifested in the book.

After you have your thesis statement, draft an outline O Introduction O Use one or two sentences to express your personal opinions on the subject of the book O State the theme you conclude from the book(thesis) O Describe in general, how the author expresses such theme, i.e. by using characterization, symbolism, setting or conflicts, etc. (this will be where you lead in to your body paragraphs)

Outline cont. O Body - Write three paragraphs to explain how the author expresses the theme in his book. To describe each example, you need to include the following information. O What happened? What did the character do to show the theme? O What did the character say or think (quotes from the character, or the narrator)? O What is the consequence of his/her action?

Outline cont. O Conclusion O Restate your theme O What did you think of the theme? How has it affected you? After you construct your outline, you need to create a rough draft. We will be revising and editing these, after which, you will complete your final essay. Final Essays will be submitted to Turn It In. (no exceptions)

Gather Quotations O In addition to analysis, the body of the essay should incorporate evidence to support the the analysis. O Using direct quotes from the novel, you can concretely link the theme to the story with specific examples. O The quotes prove the point you are making at that moment

Gather Quotations cont. O All quotes must be properly cited and must be accompanied with explanations of how specifically the evidence is a concrete manifestation of the book's overall theme, as well as the essay's overall point.

Quotation Requirements O You will need at least 3 quotes per body paragraph O Total of 9 quotes! O You will need to lead into the quote, and also comment on the quote after you quote it. O You must effectively explain how the quote helps to prove your point.

Resources: O Holt McDougal Literature O Online textbook: my.hrw.com O Le Morte d’ Arthur Scavenger Hunt O Finding Themes in Le Morte d’ Arthur O Character, Action, and Setting Graphic Organizer O Le Morte d’ Arthur in Four Panels

General MLA Guidelines O Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper. O Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt. O Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your instructor). O Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.

General MLA Guidelines O Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times. O Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. O Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.

Formatting the 1 st page O Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested. O In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text. O Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.

Formatting the 1 st Page O Double space between the title and the first line of the text. O Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. O Double space between the title and the first line of the text.

Basic in-text citation rules O In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase. O General Guidelines O The source information required in a parenthetical citation depends (1.) upon the source medium (e.g. Print, Web, DVD) and (2.) upon the source’s entry on the Works Cited (bibliography) page. O Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. More specifically, whatever signal word or phrase you provide to your readers in the text, must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry in the Works Cited List.

In-text citations: Author- page style O MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example: O Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). O Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). O Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

In-text citations: Author- page style cont. O Both citations in the examples above, (263) and (Wordsworth 263), tell readers that the information in the sentence can be located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Wordsworth, they would find the following information: O Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, Print.

MLA Formatting Quotations O When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on their length. Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please note that all pages in MLA should be double-spaced.

Short quotations O To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

For example, when quoting short passages of prose, use the following examples: O According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree. O According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184). O Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?

Omitting Words in Quotations O If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipsis marks, which are three periods (... ) preceded and followed by a space. For example: O In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that "some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale... and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs" (78).

OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab All information regarding MLA format was taken from the OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab. For more information, go to: 747/1/

Works Cited O Battaglia, Soheila. "How to Write an Essay on the Theme of a Book | The Classroom | Synonym." The Classroom. Demand Media. Web. 30 Oct O The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, Web. 30 Oct