Eleven - Importance Of Tact

(Current Time: 9:49 Am, 2nd Blk)

(Current Sounds: 'DND-Do Not Destroy' by Masafumi Takada)

Musings and some Homework. Maybe. I dunno:

Taking a break from the Poetry for 30 Days thing. (WILL GET HER HEAD IN TROUBLE FOR THAT ONE)

I guess I kind of wanted to state my thoughts about finding a theme in writing. It was in my previous English class, so I guess I should just put it out in the open.

Okay, ANY GOOD STORY OR NEWS ARTICLE will have some sort of theme into it. Especially if it's the kind of writing's that make you think about what you're doing...an opinion article~! xD

Be warned. These are some pretty interesting/boring notes. I'm interested about them--and kind of bored of them all at the same time.

According to the notes I have, a theme is the main idea, message or meaning of a literary work. The theme is the message the story presents. The author will not tell you what the theme is. He/She will reveal it to you through the other elements of the short story: characters, setting, plot and point of view.

The theme is found out by carefully observing the story's events, where it takes place, the characters and what they're like, and whether they change or not, the narrator and his/her attitude towards things, the writing style and any symbols that appear.

A THEME IS NOT THE SAME AS THE SUBJECT OR A SUMMARY OF THE ACTION. 

Its really the statement of the way things are or how they should be. Its the author's reflection on a universal truth. Its the THING that surrounds us.

(>.> I...really still don't get what I'm reading here...)

The shortest way to name a theme is with a word or phrase. Say a story is grief-filled, or coming of age, or coping with loss. It...doesn't go too far: the real question is "What about grief, or coming of age or coping with loss?" 

What does the story have to tell us about its theme idea?

--Thus there came along a theme statement/theme sentence. Its more of the complete whole than a theme idea, and one that really tells the story's message. After carefully reading the story, and examining the character, setting, plot and point of view, you will be able to write one or two sentences about the theme.

-HOW TO IDENTIFY THEME

+Character: 

-What happens to the main character in the story?

-Does he/she change during the story?

-What forces bring about the change?

-Is the character sympathetic? Why or why not?

+Setting:

-Is the setting important to the story?

+Plot:

-What kind of conflict is in the story?

-How is the conflict resolved?

-HOW MANY THEMES CAN A STORY HAVE?

Novels can have various themes. There could only be one for a short story, since most short stories don't have subplots and multiple issues going on. However there can be different ideas about what the one theme is. They can all be related but different all at the same time. There's often more than one right answer, though some answers may be closer to the writer's intent than others.

*A REALLY good theme statement has several characteristics.

-Its a whole sentence, a statement, not just a word or phrase.

-It accounts for the major evnts of the story, not just certain ones.

-It applies beyond the confines of the story. That is, it could apply to other people, perhaps us. That means it doesn't specifically name the people or events  in the story, but it is more general.

-Its not a cliche or too obvious. "Don't judge a book by its cover" is trite and superficial, so it wouldn't be a good theme statement.

How to avoid making bad theme statements:

*Don't make it too vague!

*Don't make it too short and incomplete.

*Don't account for one event in a complex story.

*Try not making the statement into a moral.

*PLOT SUMMARIES ARE THE SUCK. They don't convey any message at all.

Try to cover the major points of the story. They are worded in a general way, so they could apply to real people. They are what we take to be the author's overall message.

I'll try to find some good anime and try to get three theme statements for them...laaaaater.

>.>;

I swear, I'll read this, and then laugh at myself for the wasted effort. Ho well--its saved for my convienience xD

-kiwi

PS: For you gamers out there (the ones with a Wii, really), REALLY, GO GET NO MORE HEROES.

...Because you'll be left in the dust when NMH2: Desperate Struggle comes out :D