Transcript Motifs, Subject, Themes

MOTIFS-SUBJECTSTHEMES
A Closer Look
J.M Coetzee from Elizabeth Costello
◦ Realism has never been comfortable with ideas.
It could not be otherwise: realism is premised on
the idea that ideas have no autonomous
existence, can exist only in things. So when it
needs to debate ideas, realism is driven to invent
situations—walks in the countryside,
conversations—in which characters give voice to
contending ideas and thereby in a certain sense
embody them. The notion of embodying turns
out to be pivotal.
◦Love
◦Patience
◦Revenge
◦Justice
=
=
vs.
becomes:
vs.
Purpose
To express a value
To express a theme
To express a moral
To question why things are the way they are
What Questions Lie Ahead?
What is a motif?
What is a theme?
Why are themes important?
MOTIF
A real concrete element of the text that actually appears written
down on the page.
repeated again and again throughout a text and through this
repetition it begins to symbolise bigger ideas (see topic)
‘The One’
◦suggests Neos uniqueness and
almost saviour-like or Christ-like
nature
Bullet
Time
re-emphasizes the fact that Neo is unique,
capable of things that normal mortals are not.
THE EYE OF
SAURON
Implies pure evil and its ever-present, ever
vigilant nature
The totem:
Reality is
questionable
SUBJECTS
◦ ‘bigger
ideas’
◦ can sum up in one or two words what a
text is ‘about’ or what the main issues
are.
◦ dont go into much detail.
EXAMPLE SUBJECTS
Role of women
Constructed nature of social roles
Appearance vs. reality
Freedom
Love
Social control
THEMES
much more detailed development of
exactly what the text says about a topic.
contain a message or set of assumptions
about the way the world is.
THEME
◦
expresses the writers perspective on some aspect of
human life
◦
meant to be true of people outside the story in the
real world.
◦
expressed effectively in one or two sentences
**tells us what the world is actually like, not what the
world should be like.
EXAMPLES…OR NOT?
◦ The story was pretty good.
◦ It’s about how poor they are and the
terrible things that happen to them.
◦ Poverty
◦ Poverty destroys the life of an individual
◦ Moral: we should do something to help the needy
EXAMPLES…OR NOT?
◦ ‘Female Clothing’
◦ ‘The Role of Women in Society’
◦ ‘Society constructs different roles for its
members, both male and female. These roles are
falsely created, but people who do not conform
to them are treated as immoral, wrong, and are
excluded in some way.’
Why are themes important?
Transmit values and ideas about life
(sometimes without our being aware of it)
Clever authors can make us accept a set
of values without our noticing or
challenging it.
What is are values?
constitute what the society
considers to be of worth
nearly always abstractions.
personal values may differ from the values held
generally by the society.
VALUES
Honesty
Marriage
Fidelity
Ambition
Inquiry
Obedience
Kindness
Strength
Conformity
Aggression
Truthfulness
Humility
Courage/bravery
Order
Purity
Sincerity
Glory
Popularity
Reliability
Persistence
Wealth
Love
intelligence
Maturity
Individualism
Chastity
Freedom
Compassion
Frugality
Courtesy
Sex
Security
Power/authority
COMMON THEMES?
Some themes are so common and so
strong that we often assume them to be
true!
DO YOU KNOW THESE?
◦ The pure and good of heart will eventually overcome those who are
evil and selfish.
◦ Appearances can be deceptive and the ‘true’ value of a thing is
hidden from view (until you look hard enough).
◦ Enduring hardships makes the individual who experiences them a
stronger, better and wiser human being. Suffering is good for you!
◦ Success for a woman involves finding someone to love, no matter
how successful they may otherwise be (they are in incomplete until
they have found that person).
DO YOU KNOW THESE?
◦ Fate ensures that two people who were meant to
be together do in fact end up together despite
initial problems in the relationship.
◦ Nature / natural life is more pure and ‘real’
than the cold, lifeless, artificial life that we have
created for ourselves with technology. A
‘good’ person must struggle or fight to
rediscover that purity.
The pure and good of heart will eventually overcome
those who are evil and selfish.
Harry Potter
The Lord of the Rings
The Chronicles of Narnia
Star Wars
The Exorcist
Constantine
Appearances can be deceptive and the ‘true’ value
of a thing is hidden from view (until you look hard
enough).
Shrek
Beauty and the Beast
Cinderella Story
Forrest Gump
Fate ensures that two people who were meant to be together
do in fact end up together despite initial problems in the
relationship.
◦ How to Lose a Guy in 10 days
◦ 10 Things I Hate About You
◦ She’s All That
◦ Serendipity
◦ Grease
Enduring hardships makes the individual who experiences them a
stronger, better and wiser human being. Suffering is good for you
The Pianist
A Beautiful Mind
A Love Song for Bobby Long
The 10 Commandments
The Passion of the Christ
Success for a woman involves finding someone to love, no
matter how successful they may otherwise be (they are in
incomplete until they have found that person).
◦ Sleepless in Seattle
◦ You’ve Got Mail
◦ Something’s Gotta Give
◦ Pretty Woman
Nature / natural life is more pure and ‘real’ than the cold, lifeless,
artificial life that we have created for ourselves with technology. A
‘good’ person must struggle or fight to rediscover that purity.
King Kong
Wall-E
American Beauty
Fight Club
The Matrix
Garden State
Lost in Translation
Pleasantville
Bladerunner