1. Theme
8th grade Language Arts

2. Learner Objective
I can determine the theme of a story and explain how it is developed.

3. Essential Questions What is theme?
How is it developed throughout a story?
What is the relationship of theme to characters, setting, and plot?
How do they help develop the theme?

4. What is theme?
A Theme is the meaning, moral, or message about life or human nature.
It is the central idea of a story.
The theme of a literary text is the underlying idea or statement that the author is trying to convey.
Theme - A writer’s message.

5. Your job as the reader
Part of your job as a reader is to understand what a writer is trying to say. Writers seldom come right out and tell you, “Hey, reader, this is what I want you to know.”
You need to make inferences and draw conclusions about what the writer is trying to express.

6. How do I find the theme? Figure out the topic or big idea
Common topics or big ideas
Love, Friendship, War, Journeys, Respect, Revolution, Service, Helping others

7. Difference between Subject and Theme
Theme is not the subject of a story (what it is about), but it is a message or moral (lesson) about life or human nature.
Example: The Subject of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is murder.
The Theme, or central truth of the story, is that you can never escape your crimes-that your own misdeeds will come back to haunt you.

8. After deciding the topic or big idea…
Ask yourself:
What is the author saying about the big idea?
What lesson about life is the text trying to relay?
What changes does the main character go through?

9. How do I figure out what the theme is?
One way to figure out the theme is to examine and infer the lesson learned by the main character and apply is to all people.
Most themes are not stated they must be inferred.
Some can be revealed by one or more of the following:
The title of the story
Important phrases and statements about ideas like courage and freedom
The ways the characters change and the lessons they learn about life
The reader has to figure it out by using details from the story.
Details include:
Title
Descriptions of the characters
Setting
Plot

10. Example: “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Clues
“The Tell-Tale Heart” implies a heart will reveal a secret.
The story’s narrator is disturbed by his own thoughts.
The story takes place in the man’s house as well as in his own mind.
The narrator plans and commits a murder. He then resolves his internal conflict (battle within himself) when he confesses to the police.
Story Elements
Title
Character
Setting
Plot

11. Determine the theme
Remember that a theme is a STATEMENT. It will not be a one or two word phrase.
A good theme statement shows what lesson about life it is important to learn.

12. Common Themes The journey is more important than the destination.
Love conquers all.
True friends will stand by you in good and bad times.
Stand up for what is right.

13. Practice