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10/9/20151 Motifs/Themes Ms. Bokpe
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10/9/20152 Theme The theme of a work is the large idea or concept it is dealing with. Stand back from the text and see what sort of general experience or subject links all its details together. i.e. the theme of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is evil
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10/9/20153 Theme What we are interested in as critics is the particular way in which the theme is handled in a particular text. We move from the general to the distinctive.
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10/9/20154 Motif A motif is much smaller It is a type of incident or image that occurs frequently in texts. A narrative motif can be created through the use of imagery, structural components language A motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative (or literary) aspects such as theme or mood. i.e. a common motif in poetry is making love
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10/9/20155 Blade Runner In the American science fiction cult classic Blade Runner, director Ridley Scott uses motifs Blade RunnerRidley Scott Blade RunnerRidley Scott to establish a dark and shadowy atmosphere, to weave together the thematic complexities of the plot. Throughout the film, the recurring motif of ‘eyes’ is connected to a constantly changing flow of images, and sometimes violent manipulations, in order to call into question our ability, and the narrator's own, to accurately perceive and understand reality.
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10/9/20156 Theme/Motif A theme is abstract and a motif is concrete. A motif is not necessarily a theme. The latter is usually defined as a message, statement, or idea, while a motif is simply a detail repeated for larger symbolic meaning. a detail repeated in a pattern of meaning - can produce a theme; but it can also create other narrative aspects distinct from theme.
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