Discovering Theme Through Mythology

The message or lesson of a piece of literature is known as theme. WHAT IS THEME? The message or lesson of a piece of literature is known as theme. It is universal – meaning anyone can relate to the message conveyed in the statement.

THEME VS. TOPIC It is important to know the difference the theme and topic of a work of literature. Topic can be expressed in one word, such as, friendship or bravery. Theme is expressed in a complete sentence or statement and expresses the lesson we learn about the topic.

Examples of Theme and Topic Friendship War Friendship is more valuable than money. War can turn ordinary people into heros. Notice that the theme statements are a complete sentence and do not address specific characters in any specific story. When you begin writing theme statements of your own, they must be universal. Do not mention characters from the story.

IDENTIFYING THEME IN LITERATURE Note: There are many different possible theme statements that can be derived from one story. The story is not about what happened to the characters but what they learn as a result of what happened to them.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR Characters – Who are they? What do you know about them? What character qualities that are rewarded or discouraged? What changes do the characters go through? What lesson do they learn that we can also use and apply to our own life?

ECHO Listen and read the myth to analyze the elements of a myth and identify the theme.

I Do…We Do…You Do Analyze and Write a Theme Statement Use the worksheet to analyze the story. Write a theme statement. Write a SWBST summary for the myth. I DO – pg. 641 Model 1 & 2 WE Do – Partner Up: Analyze Echo, page 643 You Do – Daedalus and Icaraus