NONFICTION

Prepared by Jose Erwin Borbon

LESSON 4

Analyzing & Interpreting

Theme & Literary
Techniques
BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR
FILL IN
FILL OUT
FILL UP
FILL IN put something into
FILL OUT complete a form
FILL UP cause to become full
BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR
in
on
at
in
 specific month
Example: in January, in December, in June
 specific year
Example: in 2017, in 2015, in 2040
 month and year
Example: in June 2017, in December 2015, in May 2040
 specific period within the day (with "the" as article)
Example: in the morning, in the afternoon
in
 season of the year
Example: in summer, in fall, in autumn, in winter
 historical period
Example: in the Renaissance, in romantic era, in World
War 2
 decades
Example: in 1970's, in the 80's, in 2000's, in 2010's
on
 holidays or specific holidays
Example: on Christams day, on holidays, on Panay
Liberation day
 specific/exact date
Example: on May 10, 2022, on February 31, 2031
 on weekends, on weekdays
 specific day
Example: on Monday, on Friday, on Wednesday
 at
 specific time
Example: at 2:30 pm
 specific period within the day
Example: at dusk, at night, at dawn, at noon
 meal of the day
Example: at lunch, at dinner, at breakfast
theme &
literary
techniques
When the astronaut landed on the moon, he felt
loneliness. Thinking there was no one else, he became
a little forlorned, though the view of Earth was
stunningly beautiful.
LONELINESS
The bus was travelling at a great speed when it was
stopped by a gang of robbers. The passengers were
ordered to get out, leaving their precious belongings in
the bus.
FEAR
Their marriage ceremony was taking place in a grand
hotel. All the eminent people of the city were invited,
the reason that the celebration was excellent.

HAPPINESS
The teacher said that she hoped all of her
students would pass with good grades.

HOPEFULNESS/OPTIMISM
The general commanded his troops to open fire at
the enemy, and to kill each and every soldier of
the combatants.

HOPEFULNESS/OPTIMISM
 THEME
• Themes can be found everywhere:
literature, stories, art, movies, etc.
• The theme can be a moral.
• Ask yourself, “What is the story
teaching?”
 THEME
• underlying meaning of the story,
• a universal truth, (something true for all)
• a significant statement the story is
making about society or human nature.
 THEME
the central idea, topic or point of a
story, essay, or narrative
 THEME
The theme is usually something everyone
goes through, a statement or a lesson
about life.
 THEME
An understanding of theme is dependent
upon one's previous experience of life and
literature.
 THEME
theme in literature can enlarge one's
understanding of life.
 THEME
most stories explore a single theme
(or more) from multiple angles,
through multiple story scenarios
THEME VS. SUBJECT
subject is a topic that acts as a
foundation for a literary work, while a
theme is an opinion expressed on the
subject
THEME VS. SUBJECT
a writer may choose a subject of war for
his story, and the theme may be his
personal opinion that war is a curse for
humanity; usually, it is up to the readers
to explore the theme of a literary work by
analyzing characters, plot, and other
literary devices
 COMMON EXAMPLE OF THEMES
 The individual’s relationship and obligation to society
 The quest for immortality
 The individual’s inward journey to understand himself or
herself/identity.
 The individual’s relationship and obligation to the natural
world.
 How justice and injustice are decided
 The individual’s relationship and obligation to society
 The individual’s experience of alienation, loneliness and
despair
 The individual as hero; what it means to be a hero or anti-
hero
 Role of Institutions
 What tomorrow’s world holds for us aka: “The Future”
 MORE THEMES
• Bravery: Never give up.
• Friendship: Success comes with working together.
• Greed: Family and friends are worth a ton.
• Loyalty: True friends will tell you when you’re wrong,
and they’ll never leave you.
• War: When man has suffered a loss, no one wins. War is
necessary sometimes.
• Honesty: The truth will set you free.
• Kindness: It is better to give than to receive.
CONTEMPORARY THEMES
Machines help humans
Discovering your own potentials
There’s goodness in everyone
Power is equal to responsibility
Overcoming fears
LITERARY
FLASHBACK
an interruption in the present of a vivid memory set in
the past. There are a variety of things that can cause a
flashback to occur, which include songs, food, people,
places, or similar events to those in the past. Through
flashbacks, we are able to reflect upon experiences we
have had in life, both positive and negative, and apply
them to the present. Flashback is one of the most popular
literary devices used in writing.
FLASHBACK
Possibly one of the most famous uses of flashback in
literature is in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. Why?
Because the whole story is just one big flashback.
When you meet the characters in the start of the novel,
Catherine is already a ghost. Therefore, the love story
between Heathcliff and Catherine is developed
through flashback as Nelly Dean tells their love story.
Time has no limits on love, especially in Wuthering
Heights.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

•
FORESHADOWING
a literary device that writers utilize as a means to
indicate or hint to readers something that is to follow or
appear later in a story. Foreshadowing, when done
properly, is a excellent device in terms of
creating suspense and dramatic tension for readers. It
can set up emotional expectations of character behaviors
and/or plot outcomes. This can heighten a reader’s
enjoyment of a literary work, enhance the work’s
meaning, and help the reader make connections with
other literature and literary themes.
FORESHADOWING
• Dialogue, such as “I have a bad feeling about this”
• Symbols, such as blood, certain colors, types of birds, weapons
• Weather motifs, such as storm clouds, wind, rain, clearing
skies
• Omens, such as prophecies or broken mirror
• Character reactions, such as apprehension, curiosity, secrecy
• Time and/or season, such as midnight, dawn, spring, winter
• Settings, such as graveyard, battlefield, isolated path, river
SYMBOLISM
This embodies both literal and concrete attribute, as well
as suggestive and abstract quality. Symbolism can take
many forms, including: A figure of speech where an
object, person, or situation has another meaning other
than its literal meaning The actions of a character, word,
action, or event that have a deeper meaning in the
context of the whole story.
SYMBOLISM
“My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time
will change it; I'm well aware, as winter changes the
trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks
beneath a source of little visible delight, but necessary.”

Wuthering Heights by In Emily Brontë

OTHER LITERARY TECHNIQUES
• Irony
• Imagery
• Figures of Speech
• Allegory
• Euphemism
• Motif
• Cliffhanger
• Humor
• Satire
• Suspense