THEME

Extracting and Writing the Theme

PERFORMANCE TASK: THEME BUILDING
Rubric
1. The team came up with three powerful themes. – 10
POINTS
2. The team justified these themes with sufficient textual
evidence. – 10 POINTS
3. The team followed the guidelines of the presentation
technique they picked. – 5 POINTS
4. The team gave a compelling and moving presentation.
– 5 POINTS
TOTAL: 30 POINTS
WHAT IS THEME?
 Theme
• Theme is a central idea (best expressed
completely), supported by textual evidence,
that gives the reader a clearer
understanding of the literary text.
• Theme is an insight about human life that is
revealed in a literary work.
• Theme is rarely directly stated by the author.
 Textual Evidence
A textual evidence is a passage
from the literary text, which can be
quoted, paraphrased, and
summarized, that supports any
claim a reader makes about a poem
or story.
 Theme
• Good literature has many possible, provable
themes.
• Theme is always more than one word.
Theme is not topic.
• A theme is not a moral. You have to dig
deeper for your theme to be compelling and
not sound like a beauty pageant Q&A
answer.
 Theme

To get the theme, ask yourself,

“What’s the author’s message to me?”
To get the theme, complete
the statement:
The author’s message to
the reader is that… or
The author believes…
Cupid and Psyche
Lucius Apuleius
Madaurensis

(c) Google Images

The author believes that physical beauty is
not always an advantage that assures a
person’s happiness.
Textual Evidence:

There was once a king who had three daughters, all lovely maidens, but
the youngest, Psyche, excelled her sisters so greatly that beside them
she seemed a very goddess consorting with mere mortals. The fame of
her surpassing beauty spread over the earth, and everywhere men
journeyed to gaze upon her with wonder and adoration and to do her
homage as though she were in truth one of the immortals. They would
even say that Venus herself could not equal this mortal.
The author believes that physical beauty is
not always an advantage that assures a
person’s happiness.
Textual Evidence:

Still more strange, no one fell in love with her. Men were content to look
and wonder and worship—and then pass on to marry someone else.
Both her sisters, inexpressibly inferior to her, were splendidly married,
each to a king. Psyche, the all-beautiful, sat sad and solitary, only
admired, never loved. It seemed that no man wanted her.
The author believes that physical
attraction sparks a romance, but trust
sustains a relationship.
Textual Evidence:

And so no doubt he would have done, if Venus had not first

shown him Psyche, never thinking in her jealous rage
what such beauty might do even to the God of Love
himself. As he looked upon her it was as if he had shot one of
his arrows into his own heart.
The author believes that physical
attraction sparks a romance, but trust
sustains a relationship.

Textual Evidence:

He told her who he was, and sadly bade her

farewell. “Love cannot live where there is no
trust,” he said, and flew away.
The author believes that strength is
evident in humility and the acceptance of
defeat.
Textual Evidence:
Poor Psyche in her despairing wanderings was trying to win the gods over to her
side. She offered ardent prayers to them perpetually, but not one of them would do
anything to make Venus their enemy. At last she perceived that there was no hope
for her, either in heaven or on earth, and she took a desperate resolve. She would
go straight to Venus; she would offer herself humbly to her as her servant, and
try to soften her anger. “And who knows,” she thought, “if he himself is not there in
his mother’s house.” So she set forth to find the goddess who was looking
everywhere for her.
 AUTHOR’S MESSAGE
1. The author believes that physical beauty is
not always an advantage that assures a
person’s happiness.
2. The author believes that physical attraction
sparks a romance, but trust sustains a
relationship.
3. The author believes that strength is evident
in humility and the acceptance of defeat.
 THEMES
1. Physical beauty is not always an
advantage that assures a person’s
happiness.
2. Physical attraction sparks a romance,
but trust sustains a relationship.
3. Strength is evident in humility and the
acceptance of defeat.
Physical beauty is not always an
advantage that assures a person’s
happiness.
Textual Evidence:
Psyche is regarded as the most beautiful woman in the
world, even more beautiful than the goddess of love and
beauty herself. Men from everywhere admire her physical
appearance, but only to the point of worshipping her—not
loving her. Her sisters who are not as attractive as her are
happily married to kings. This only shows that physical
beauty is not the key for someone to be truly happy.
Physical attraction sparks a romance, but
trust sustains a relationship.
Textual Evidence:
Cupid immediately falls in love with Psyche when
he first sees her. For a long time, though in the
dark, they are happy together. But things change
when Psyche betrays his trust by seeing him in
broad light and wounding him right after. Psyche
gains back her husband’s trust by enduring the
obstacles that Venus, Cupid’s mother, put her
through. Only then do they live happily ever after.
Strength is evident in humility and
the acceptance of defeat.
Textual Evidence:
When Cupid flies away from Psyche, the mortal
woman realizes how unfaithful she has been.
Nevertheless, she determines to find her husband
and be with him again. Even though she knows that
Venus is against her, she prays to her and begs her
favor. Although it is obvious she needs to beat Venus
to reunite with Cupid, she knows she is not a match,
so she humbles herself before the goddess.
Complete the statement.
Theme is a _____, supported by
__________, that gives the ______ a clearer
understanding of the literary text.