Theme goals

Ensure that your theme can, in fact, be found through analysis of the text.
o I totally agree that humans live a dreary, meaningless existence, but you didnt get
that from Blues Clues.
Idea needs depth
o Is it a valuable lesson about the human experience? Would most people care about
this?
Use clear definitions and language which can be understood by anyone.
o Would someone who will never meet you to ask for clarification be able to
understand this?
o Ex. When you say nature, do you mean nature as opposed to nurture (meaning
genetic predisposition), flora and fauna, natural laws?
Avoid clichs (even if youre making an existing argument, use your own words)
o Dont be lazy and steal lessons from movies and whatnot! A lot of the time, if a
movie was preachy enough to explicitly state a lesson, its lack of subtlety is a clue
that its not very sophisticated and you can do better yourself!
Dont obscure meaning through your wording (whether through unnecessary length or
confusing wording)
o Eschew extraneous obfuscation. Keep it simple, student!

Theme Checklist
Theme can actually be derived from the text in question
Idea is significant
Language could be precisely understood by anyone without a need for clarifying questions;
definitions are unambiguous
Avoids relying on clichs
Language is efficient enough that the message is clear
_______/5
Theme Checklist
Theme can actually be derived from the text in question
Idea is significant
Language could be precisely understood by anyone without a need for clarifying questions;
definitions are unambiguous
Avoids relying on clichs
Language is efficient enough that the message is clear
_______/5
Theme Checklist
Theme can actually be derived from the text in question
Idea is significant
Language could be precisely understood by anyone without a need for clarifying questions;
definitions are unambiguous
Avoids relying on clichs
Language is efficient enough that the message is clear
_______/5
Theme Checklist
Theme can actually be derived from the text in question
Idea is significant
Language could be precisely understood by anyone without a need for clarifying questions;
definitions are unambiguous
Avoids relying on clichs
Language is efficient enough that the message is clear
_______/5