Understanding Theme Identifying themes in our reading of The Power of One

 Turn to the Literary Terms Review crossword puzzle.  We’re going to keep all our literary terms and definitions in one spot in our binder.  On the back of the Literary Terms Crossword puzzle you will record our definition and notes about theme.

 Keep in mind when recording definitions that wording does not matter. I will not ask you to memorize definitions word-for-word. Instead, it is more important for you to understand how a literary term is used. This means that you will need to decide what is most important to remember when we go through literary terms in class.  Use clues to help you figure out what is most important. Clues might include: –Bold-face font –Underlining –Italics –Repeated information or phrasing  Keep this in mind as you add the next term to the back of your literary terms cross word puzzle.

Theme What exactly is this elusive thing called theme? The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave. Essentially, a theme is a comment on humanity, reality, and perhaps society. In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out the theme yourself. The writer's task is to communicate on a common ground with the reader. Although the particulars of your experience may be different from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both you and the writer are seeking.

Definition  Theme – the central insight or truth regarding human experience that is expressed through the fictional world that the writer creates.

Keep this in mind…  Themes are generally implied rather than directly stated.  Themes are not directives; they do not direct the reader to do or not do something. –Example - Not a theme: People should not judge each other based on stereotypes. Theme: People unconsciously use stereotypes to prejudge members of particular groups.  The theme is not the plot; however, a statement of theme often emerges from the central conflict of the story.  Themes are declarative sentences that relate the specifics of a story to the human experience.  Themes are not single concepts or one word abstract ideas –Example - Not a theme: Heroism Theme: Devotion to an ideal can make a simple life heroic.

Finding the Theme  Here are some ways to uncover the theme in a story: –Check out the title because sometimes it tells you about the theme. –Notice repeating patterns and symbols as they may lead you to a theme. –What are the details and particulars in the story? What greater meaning may they have? –Remember that theme, plot, and structure are inseparable, all helping to inform and reflect back on each other. Also, be aware that a theme we determine from a story never completely explains the story. It is simply one of the elements that make up the whole. –A story may have more than one theme.

Applying our definition of theme  Now working with a partner, you will need to write a theme statement for your reading of chapters 1-6. Underneath your theme statement you will need write two specific examples from chapters 1-6 of the text (with page numbers) to support your theme.

EXAMPLE  A person’s hunger for power over others can lead corruption and inhumane treatment of others. –The Judge leads the younger students to pee on Pisskop. “When the Judge and his council of war had all peed on me…” (5). –The Judge beats Pisskop when Judge thinks Pisskop insults him. “The Judge’s eyes seemed to pop out of his head…” (23).