1. D EVELOPING A T HEMATIC S TATEMENT

2. W HAT IS A THEME ? A theme is a message or main idea that the writer wants the reader to remember after reading his/her work. Most stories, plays, novels, and poems have more than one theme. Some works, like mysteries, might be intended primarily for entertainment and not have a clear theme.

3. W HAT IS A T HEMATIC S TATEMENT A thematic statement is a complete sentence that expresses a theme.

4. W HAT IS A THEME NOT? 1. A theme is not ONE WORD. That is a topic. Bad example 1: The theme was love.

5. W HAT IS A THEME NOT? 1. A theme is not ONE WORD. That is a topic. Bad example 1: The theme was love. 2. A theme is not a definition Bad example 2: Love is when you have feelings for someone.

6. W HAT IS A THEME NOT? 1. A theme is not ONE WORD. That is a topic. Bad example 1: The theme was love. 2. A theme is not a definition Bad example 2: Love is when you have feelings for someone. 3. A theme is not specifically about one story or character; rather, it is universal. Bad example 3: Werewolves and vampires don’t get along.

7. S OME GOOD E XAMPLES Topic: LOVE Unconditional LOVE withstands any obstacle. Topic: HOPE HOPE can help a person to survive any dark time. Topic: COURAGE It is important to have the COURAGE to express your individuality. Topic: JEALOUSY JEALOUSY can cause lasting damage to individuals and relationships.

8. S OME GOOD E XAMPLES Topic: LOVE Unconditional LOVE withstands any obstacle. Topic: HOPE HOPE can help a person to survive any dark time. Topic: COURAGE It is important to have the COURAGE to express your individuality. Topic: JEALOUSY JEALOUSY can cause lasting damage to individuals and relationships.

9. S OME GOOD E XAMPLES Topic: LOVE Unconditional LOVE withstands any obstacle. Topic: HOPE HOPE can help a person to survive any dark time. Topic: COURAGE It is important to have the COURAGE to express your individuality. Topic: JEALOUSY JEALOUSY can cause lasting damage to individuals and relationships.

10. S OME GOOD E XAMPLES Topic: LOVE Unconditional LOVE withstands any obstacle. Topic: HOPE HOPE can help a person to survive any dark time. Topic: COURAGE It is important to have the COURAGE to express your individuality. Topic: JEALOUSY JEALOUSY can cause lasting damage to individuals and relationships.

11. S TEP 1: C HOOSE A T OPIC Common topics for themes include: Courage Honesty Unhappiness Death Identity Wealth Family Love War Freedom Prejudice Respect Friendship Trust Stereotyping Growing Up Truth Sacrifice Hate Violence Innocence

12. S TEP 2: W RITE A STATEMENT BASED ON YOUR TOPIC Helpful reminders  A THEME is a statement about a topic  Theme involves making a point about a topic  If your topic was racism, your thematic statement might be: racism is caused by ignorance and insecurity

13. S TEP 3: C HECK THAT YOUR THEMATIC STATEMENT IS UNIVERSAL Could this thematic statement apply to everyone (in the world? In this classroom?) Where have you seen this theme in your life? Write about this situation. If you can’t relate, come up with a situation you could encounter where you’d observe this theme. If you can relate, it’s probably universal!

14. S TEP 5: G ROUP WORK Share your thematic statements with your group.

15. T HREE P OEMS + T HEME If your three poems fit your theme, then great...you have no homework! If your poems do NOT fit your theme, then you need to decide whether you want to change your poems OR change your theme. If you decide to change your poems  You can add/change a few lines to make it fit your theme better  You might decide to completely throw away your Nostalgia and Passion poems, and write new poems. If you decide to change your theme  Make sure this theme fits all three of your poems Remember: If the topic of your theme is freedom, the actual word freedom does not have to be present in your poem to ensure that it is related to the theme.