Transcript Uncovering Universal Themes in Literature

Uncovering Universal Themes
in Literature
What is a Universal Theme?
A universal theme…
• will apply to ALL people
• will apply to ANY time period
• will NOT mention a character’s name
• A universal theme for Cinderella: “When a
person lives a life of virtue and goodness,
he or she will be rewarded in kind.”
How to Uncover Universal Themes
• Generate a list of topics that come up in the story
• Evaluate and refine the list down to the three most
significant topics
• Determine the author’s tone (attitude) on each of the
topics
• Make a statement that sounds like this: (Author’s Name)
feels/thinks (topic) is _______.
• William Shakespeare feels (true love) is worth dying for.
• William Shakespeare believes putting aside (petty
differences) is necessary to avoid deeper pain and
suffering in the future.
• Now you try it.