Determining ThemeWhen determining the theme of a fiction story, you must consider three important questions...
1. What is the conflict of the story? 2. How do the characters respond or react to the conflict? In other words, what do they do to try and solve the problem? 3. How is the conflict resolved? In other words, how does the story end? Were the characters successful? Did they learn any lessons along the way? These three questions should lead you to understanding the theme. Remember, the theme is the author's message or opinion about life. It can be applied to many situations and experiences. Common Topics for ThemesThere are MANY themes in literature. Here are some of the most common topics author's write about, which the themes in your books may stem from...
Remember, these topics are not necessarily the themes themselves. When stating a theme, you must state what the author is trying to say ABOUT the topic through their story. For example... Text: The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting Topic: cooperation (working together) Theme: When young and old people work together, they can achieve great things! |
Character TraitsPerspective
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