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Understanding Universal Theme Statements

Learn how to identify and write universal theme statements—ideas in literature that apply to all people. Understand the difference between central ideas and themes, and how to express them in meaningful, complete sentences.

Daniel Miller
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Universal Theme StatementDefinitionA universal theme statement is a phrase that describes how we present themes inclass. All parts of the phrase are relevant to our uses. It is universal, meaning thatanyone, regardless of any external differences, can relate to it (if you are human, itapplies to you in some way). Theme is a subject or topic brought up in a text which thatpiece goes into great detail about. These are often brought up and exemplified as thetext goes on. and are usually discovered upon the completion of a reading. Statementis a simple definition: it has to be a sentence. Thus, our full definition of a universaltheme statement is a topic or idea that is frequently and deliberately brought up in atext that applies to anyone reading it and presented in a full sentence.Theme is often confused with central idea, and the reason is logical. A central idea islike a theme in the sense that both are topics or ideas brought up by a text. However,that's where the central idea stops. It's just that: the idea that is central and importantin a text. It is frequently brought up and exemplified, explored through several scenes.These can often be generic concepts or idioms.So what's the difference? A central idea brings up a topic. The theme is what thespecific text has to say about it through the events that play out. The universal themestatement is presenting the theme in a full sentence that can then be related to by anyhuman being reading it.ExamplesExample I: A Good Man is Hard to FindIn the short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find", one of the central ideas is family. Thestory goes into detail through the many interactions the grandmother and her familymembers have . The idea of family is present in how the kids respond to things, as wellas through the grandmother's personality, priorities, and dialogue with familymembers/other characters. This is one of the central ideas of the text, and how it ispresented.

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