theme
what is a theme?
- Themes are an underlying message that runs throughout a story. It could be about FAMILY (e.g. the film, Parent Trap, or The story of Tracey Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson). Or the theme could be about DOING THE RIGHT THING like in Frozen 2.
- The theme isn’t usually spelled out in the story, but it’s the overall feeling you get when you have finished reading a book or watching a film.
- The best themes are UNIVERSAL TRUTHS, so that everyone can understand them e.g. FRIENDSHIP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GREAT WEALTH.
how do themes relate to genre?
Genre tells you where you will find books on a shelf in the library, but theme relates to deeper messages within books and stories. (See here for a reminder about genre.)
You might have three books: a fantasy, a mystery and a humorous story and they could all have a central theme about friendship. Or they could all be about betrayal, or any of the other themes.
So theme doesn’t depend on genre although some genres will be more likely to have certain themes (e.g. adventure stories often have a central theme of life and death or good v. evil).
how many of these films have you watched? What would you say is the central theme for each of the ones you have seen?
Share your answers with friends and family who have also watched these films and see if you agree.
If you have enjoyed this exercise, see my other resources. Or see more of my work here.