Discovering Theme

The theme of any text is meant to be the most profound aspect of the text itself. When a text creator (author, painter, photographer, poet, etc.) is in the beginning stages of making the text you will later hold in your hands, it is the theme that takes the most attention in planning, as it contains the message they wish to share with the world—with you! It is their chance to have a voice and share thoughts and observations about human nature or society.

You have to distinguish between topic and theme to understand the latter.

    • A topic is what a text is about, expressed in one or two words. For example, sadness is a topic. The sample topic does not provide details to tell you anything about sadness.

    • A theme, however, is a complex idea about human behaviour or society. A complete sentence (or two) is required to express such an underlying message or insight into life. For example, the following sentence is a theme statement: If prolonged, sadness can limit a person's potential.

    • Theme is rarely stated directly within the text; the elements of text lead the viewer to an understanding of the message.


A parallel can be made to music. Various genres use various components to create various effects, such as a banjo in Blue Grass and a steel guitar in Country and Western. Themes in various genres are similar because the effects are similar, as in Hip-Hop or Rap.

Can you identify the topic and the theme for the following photograph?


The subject of this image is a toddler using a laptop.

 

©Thinkstock

 

The topic of the photograph may be youngsters and technology.

The theme, or idea about youngsters using technology, may be one of the following:

    • Toddlers, who are exposed to technology too early in life, experience learning difficulties.

    • Young children gain a sense of independence from early exposure to technology.