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ELA 5: Themes 1128 Views
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Description:
Picking a theme for a party is pretty easy—always go karate party, because they come with nunchuck egg rolls. Themes in writing are a little different. They’re about sending messages, not chucking egg rolls at unsuspecting bystanders. We're not saying one is better than the other, though. We suggest you chuck a few egg rolls and draw your own conclusion.
Transcript
- 00:04
[Coop and Dino singing]
- 00:13
If you’re sitting down to write, it’s a good idea to have something to write about. [woman sits down and thinks about writing]
- 00:17
Otherwise, you might as well just be putting together a shopping list.
- 00:22
What your piece of writing needs is a subject.
- 00:25
A subject can usually be described in one or two words. [Coop describing what a subject is]
Full Transcript
- 00:28
For instance, surfing is a subject. So is autumn. So is toilet bowl cleaner, if you
- 00:35
can find a way to make it interesting. [A man wearing rubber gloves cleaning a toilet]
- 00:38
The theme, on the other hand, is the message about being human that the author sends when
- 00:44
writing about the subject. [Dino discussing the theme]
- 00:46
Any piece of writing worth its salt has some kind of message.
- 00:51
It could be saying that we are all born basically good…[A baby in a basinet and a halo appears]
- 00:54
…or that true love conquers all…
- 00:56
…or that we have a hard time turning down anything wrapped in bacon. [Man serving food wrapped in bacon to a woman]
- 00:59
Doesn’t have to be profound…but there does have to be some kind of message.
- 01:03
But…an author would not be much of a writer if they just out-and-out stated the theme
- 01:08
and then, uh…went home. [A door with an out to lunch sign displayed]
- 01:11
Themes aren’t usually stated directly in a text. The reader has to discover the theme…[Woman using binoculars in a country side]
- 01:15
and that's part of the fun of reading.
- 01:17
That, and being able to turn on a flashlight under the covers when it’s past your bedtime. [flashlight turned on under the covers]
- 01:23
Readers infer themes as they read a text.
- 01:25
To infer is to guess or figure out, using details from the text.
- 01:30
In a fictional story, the reader sees what happens to the characters and figures out [Girl reading a Harry Potter book in a library]
- 01:34
what mistakes they make, how they've changed because of them, and what it all means.
- 01:39
Nonfiction writing has themes as well.
- 01:41
When you’re reading something and trying to nail down the theme… [Hammer striking a nail]
- 01:44
…see if you can find a word or short phrase that seems to capture the entire idea,
- 01:49
or subject, of the piece. [Astronaut floating in outer space looking at Earth]
- 01:51
Then, you can try to think of a way to explain what the author said about that subject.
- 01:56
If you can come up with a suitable explanation that delivers some sort of message about the [Darth Vader crossing a road with a light saber]
- 02:00
human condition…
- 02:01
…and that message is fully supported by all of the text…
- 02:04
…then boom – you’ve tracked down the theme.
- 02:07
Just make sure you’ve got a firm grip on it. They’re slippery little suckers. [Theme slips off of a scale]
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