Themes vs. Thematic Statements

Theme (Thematic Ideas) The main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly 1-2 word labels Examples: Love and/or Friendship War Violence Revenge Appearance vs. Reality

HOWEVER…. Thematic ideas are not, in and of themselves, accurate representations of the complexities of a text. We need to discover what is being said throughout the text as a whole.

Thematic Statements… Take a theme/thematic idea and turn it into a statement (1 or 2 sentences), or commentary, thus highlighting the message within the text. Thematic statements must be Universal They must be able to be applied to other works from around the world.

Theme vs. Statement Examples Example from The Hunger Games: Theme: Fear Thematic Statement: Uncontrolled fear leads to violence and regret. Example from The Fault in Our Stars: Theme: Love Thematic Statement: Unconditional love withstands any obstacle.

Thematic Statements Do Do Not Express the theme as a universal comment Expresses the theme in your own words Uses qualifying words (can, may, often, etc.) Draws information about a character’s behavior Express a theme as a topic or subject (“The theme is…) Express a theme as an adage/cliché (“Crime doesn’t pay.”) Express a theme as a moral (“It’s wrong to gossip.”) Make too general (“All people,” “Everyone,” Etc.) Refer to specific characters (“Katniss learned to control her fear.”

Try your own: American Sniper Theme: War or violence Mean Girls Theme: Revenge or friendship The Hunger games Theme: Sacrifice Try your own: