The Hero

The Hero — page 1 — INTRODUCTION TO Themes in Literature o you find yourself drawn to the same types of stories Are your favorite characters on a quest Are they seeking revenge Or are your favorite stories about love Love revenge a quest these are all examples of themes Although each story is different many stories focus on similar themes You can expand your understanding of the books you read by recognizing the common themes within them What Is a Theme A theme is a concept or idea that shows up again and again in various works of art literature music theater film and other endeavors throughout history Some themes revolve around a story s plot For example a play about a young girl moving away from home and learning the ways of the world would be considered a coming of age story But themes are not always so easily

The Hero — page 2 — noticed For example a work might have allusions Allusions are references sometimes indirect to other works or historical events Themes might also relate to specific characters or subjects of a work For example many stories present heroes or villains These common character types are often called archetypes How Do You Uncover a Theme Themes are presented in different ways in different works so you may not always be aware of them Many works have multiple themes Uncover themes by asking yourself questions about the work What is the main point or lesson of the story What is the main conflict What do the characters want Where does the story take place In many cases themes may not be apparent until after a close study or analysis of the text What Is an Analysis Writing an analysis allows you to explore the themes in a work In an analysis you can consider themes in multiple ways You can describe what themes are present in a work You can compare one work to another to see how the presentation of a theme differs between the two forms You can see how the use of a particular theme

The Hero — page 3 — either supports or rejects society s norms Rather than attempt to discover the author s purpose in creating a work an analysis reveals what you see in the work Raising your awareness of themes through analysis allows you to dive deeper into the work itself You may begin to see similarities between all creative works that you encounter You may also improve your own writing by expanding your understanding of how stories use themes to engage readers Forming a Thesis Form your questions about how a theme is presented in a work or multiple works and find answers within the work itself Then you can create a thesis The thesis is the key point in your analysis It is your argument about the work For example if you want to argue that the theme of a book is love your How to Make a Thesis Statement thesis could be worded as follows Allison Becket's novel on the Heartless Road In an analysis a thesis statement typically appears at the end of the introductory paragraph It is usually only one sentence long and states the author's main idea asserts that receiving love is critical to the human

The Hero — page 4 — Providing evidence Once you have formed a thesis you must provide evidence to support it Evidence will usually take the form of examples and quotations from the work itself often including dialogue from a character You may wish to address what others have written about the work Quotes from these individuals may help support your claim If you find any quotes or examples that contradict your thesis you will need to create an argument against them For instance Many critics claim the theme of love is secondary to that of revenge as the main character Carly sabotages the lives of her loved ones throughout the novel However the novel that s resolution proves Carly's experience with love is the key to her humanity How to Support a Thesis Statement An analysis should include several arguments that support the thesis's claim An argument is one or two sentences long and is supported by evidence from the work being discussed Organize the arguments into paragraphs These paragraphs make up the body of the analysis Concluding the Essay After you have written several arguments and included evidence to support them finish the essay with

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