Simply put: If a story lacks theme, the reader might not connect with it. What happens when that link is missing? Theme helps a good story become a compelling one. Most importantly, theme allows readers to relate to the characters and their struggles — and to feel invested in the outcome.
This mini-course delivered via email gives you resources so you can jumpstart your personalized program. Write With Focus using these resources on writing craft, creativity and productivity. Sara Letourneau is a Massachusetts-based writer who practices joy and versatility in her work.
Learn more about Sara at her personal blog , Facebook , and Twitter. Do you know? Can you give me a brief history of Prussia? Who were the Ottomans? Who discovered oxygen? How did Peter I of Russia come to power? What can you tell me about Kwanzaa? What is the Alma-Ata declaration? I've heard that in some countries, everyone has to sign up for the military between high school and college. How were women treated in Ancient Rome? What is the history and meaning of Turkey's flag?
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Looked like a paycheck to me, though. In To Kill a Mockingbird, what are some examples of the characters having courage? What's cud? I was once told to stop chewing my cud and get back to work. What can you tell me about the word patois from The Awakening?
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In truth, themes are far more general than the moral of the story. The moral is a specific lesson that the author is trying to teach. Meanwhile, the theme can be more generalized; there can also be more than one theme in a story. Readers uncover theme s as they go along, because it consistently reappears throughout the work of fiction or nonfiction. As such, a moral can be a theme, but the theme doesn't have to be the moral of the story.
For example, in Romeo and Juliet, one could argue that the theme is the power of love. Love drew these two characters to one another, and nothing was going to stop them from coming together. However, the moral of the story is quite different. The case could be made that the moral of the story is not to let old family wounds carry on needlessly. Or, don't let your ego rule your life, especially when it comes at the expense of your children's happiness.
So, the moral repair old family wounds can be one of the themes of the story, but the theme undying love isn't necessarily the moral of the story. While the theme is the underlying message that the writer would like to convey, the mood is a literary element that evokes certain feelings through words and descriptions.
The mood can evoke an emotional response from your readers, helping them connect with your writing piece. In a way, the mood the author establishes creates an emotional setting. One of the ways mood can be established is through the point of view in which the story is being told. That creates rather a gloomy mood, doesn't it? Frost indicates he shall be telling this with a sigh. However, that's an appropriate mood, given the author's reflection on a regrettable choice he made in the past.
Throughout every bit of character development and conflict resolution, a theme should be prevalent. It's the glue that binds the story together. If the theme is courage, we'll see it in most of the pivotal plot elements.
We'll admire the main character for his strength and resolute behavior. We'll see it unfold, no matter the setting or number of characters. The next time you read a new work of fiction or nonfiction, jot down notes pertaining to the theme or themes.
See how many you can find. After you've turned that final page, see what central message you've taken away with you. Perhaps it'll inspire you to live a better tomorrow. Are you ready to frame a theme into a fascinating story that'll stand the test of time?
You can get started with these tips on writing a bestseller. All rights reserved. As a literary device, the purpose of theme is the main idea or underlying meaning that is explored by a writer in a work of literature.
However, more complex works of literature tend to have a central theme that is open to interpretation and reflects a basic aspect of society or trait of humanity.
Many longer works of literature, such as novels, convey several themes in order to explore the universality of human nature. In her short story , Charlotte Perkins Gilman holds forth a revolutionary theme for the time period.
Her husband, brother, and others are committed to keeping her idle. She is even separated from her baby. Rather than allow the narrator any agency over her daily life, they disregard her words and requests for the fact that she is a woman and considered incompetent. Therefore, this allows the reader to perceive the narrator as an empowered figure in many ways, as opposed to one that is oppressed or incompetent.
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat?
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