1. Response to Literature: THEME
THEME ESSAY

2. What’s the purpose of a writing a THEME essay?
AUTHOR’S MESSAGE.
Essay= Your understanding of the message from the author
Not all themes are necessarily intended by the author.
That is irrelevant.

3. Author’s Message: The Heart of the Story
Theme = lesson about life
can be applied to human nature/the world
Sometimes obvious
Sometimes dig deeper
You do not have to agree with it.
It should be more complex than:
People should be nice to each other.

4. Theme Practice Harry Potter
If you’re ever attacked by trolls, you should use the wingardium leviosa spell. When faced with real terror, the real hero is the one who stands up for what is right regardless of the consequences and dangers of doing so. Rainbows are a beautiful part of nature that should be respected.

5. Once you know the theme…
Write it out in a VERY clearly sentence like this:
People should be thankful for what they have and not dwell on the things we don’t in order to find true happiness.
This will become your THESIS STATEMENT.

6. Motifs to guide your THESIS:
Connections to WWII
Civilization vs Savagery
Identity
Democracy and Dictatorships
Maturity
Establishing the perfect society
Human nature
The source of control
The source of strength

7. Introductory Paragraph: Theme Essay
Hook___
One-Two Sentence Summary___
Title___
Author___
Theme (Thesis Statement)___

8. Once you have your topic sentence…
How do you know this is the theme?
Where is it displayed/shown/developed in the story?
Where’s the EVIDENCE?
You need 4 examples (events from the story) that back up your theme
TWO FOR EACH BODY PARAGRAPH (2 body paragraphs) .