Writing Focus - Theme Analysis

When you read and analyze a literary work, you should search for the theme(s). The theme is the central topic. Themes of a literary text go beyond the definition of a moral of the story.  These are abstract concepts or ideas that create meaning.  When connections are made, you are able to extract the theme. Themes are never explicitly stated for the reader. Instead, you must figure out their meaning by interpreting the text.

Writing a Theme Analysis

Themes are present throughout Oedipus the King/Oedipus Rex, as well as many other literary works with which you are familiar. How do you analyze a literary work for theme and then write a theme analysis? In this interactivity, click on each of the dots to learn more about exploring theme, creating a thematic statement, and writing a theme analysis. Click the player button to get started.

View a printable version of this interactivity.

 

Theme Analysis Review

Have you mastered the skills it takes to analyze a literary work for theme in order to write a theme analysis? If you are ready, then test your knowledge. In this non-graded interactivity, read each statement and decide whether it is true or false. Then, select the appropriate answer and click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.

 

 

Topic Vocabulary

After you have read Oedipus the King/Oedipus Rex, review the root words and vocabulary from this work found in the table below. Consider how those words are used in reference to the work Oedipus the King/Oedipus Rex. Next, compose sentences using the words "empathy," "maternal," "mortal," "obscure," and "paternal" correctly.  Refer to the word roots, definitions, and the example provided below to aid in creating these sentences.  You should create a total of five sentences.

Word	Root	Root Meaning	Definition
empathy	path	feeling, emotion	sharing another person's feelings
maternal	mater-	mother	relating to motherhood
mortal	mort-	death	certain to die
obscure	ob-	up against, in the way	hard to understand
paternal	pater-, patri-	father	relating to fatherhood

Example: Jennifer felt that the meaning of the word was too obscure, so she chose to use a less complex word in its place.

Once you have completed your vocabulary sentences, please submit your work to the dropbox.