what is a theme of speech

Memorable Graduation Speech Themes

Use a Quote to Anchor Your Commencement Speech Message

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It's graduation night and the auditorium is filled to capacity The eyes of family, friends, and fellow graduates are on you. Everyone is waiting for you to make your speech . So, what message are you going to share?

How to Write a Powerful Speech

Consider logistics, purpose, and audience as you go to write your speech. Know what is expected of you before you decide what you'd like convey to your audience.

Figure out what your responsibilities are outside of just writing a great speech and be aware of any pertinent details. Answer the following questions before writing.

• Is there a deadline for your speech? What is it?
• What is your allotted time to speak (time limit and place in the program)? 
• Where will you be speaking? Will you be able to practice there?
• Will there be anyone in the audience that you need to acknowledge?
• Who will be introducing you? Do you need to introduce anyone after your speech?

Be sure to practice your speech to work out any awkward phrasing or tongue twisters. Speak slowly and do your best to memorize it, even though you will probably have a copy with you during the ceremony.

Now determine the purpose of your speech. The goal of a graduation speech is generally to convey a message about your academic journey to the audience. Decide what central unifying idea you want to communicate to the people in the crowd about how you got here and how you've achieved success. Any anecdotes, quotes, stories, etc. should relate to this. Do not write a speech that is only about yourself and your achievements.

Keep in mind that each member of the audience at a graduation is probably only there for one member of the graduating class. Use your speech to bring everyone together through shared experiences. People of all ages and walks of life will be in attendance, so avoid the use of cultural references that target only a small portion of attendees. Instead, speak generally about the human experience and share stories that everyone can understand.

Above all, be tasteful. Use humor conservatively and do not, under any circumstances, condescend or otherwise disrespect fellow classmates, staff, or audience members. Remember that it's fine to be proud, but not conceited. In addition, be respectful of everyone's time and stick to your time limit.

Memorable Speech Topics

Now it's time to decide what your speech will be about. If you're in need of some direction, use one of these ten themes. Try using a quote to anchor your speech.

Setting Goals

The ability to set goals defines success. Frame your speech around the importance of setting goals for oneself using inspirational stories. Famous athletes, politicians, and other influential people are great options. Refrain from making this about yourself.

Conclude your speech by emphasizing that you should set goals throughout your life, not stopping when one success is achieved.

"What keeps me going is goals." - Muhammed Ali, professional boxer

"I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time." - Michael Phelps, Olympic swimmer

Taking Responsibility

Learning to take responsibility for your own actions is a very relatable theme. Without lecturing your audience or implying that you've learned all that there is to learn, explain to the crowd how you began to understand the importance of accountability.

A speech about taking responsibility can be about a mistake that you learned from or a challenge that grew you. Be careful not to place any blame on others for tribulations you've faced. Alternatively, talk about someone else's experiences.

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. president

"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes...and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility." - Eleanor Roosevelt , diplomat and former First Lady

"Those who enjoy responsibility usually get it; those who merely like exercising authority usually lose it." - Malcolm Forbes, publisher and entrepreneur

Learning From Mistakes

The topic of mistakes is great for graduation speeches for a number of reasons. Mistakes are relatable, entertaining, and personal. Use a mistake that discouraged you, a mistake you ignored, or a mistake that you learned from as the theme of your speech.

No one can avoid making mistakes and you can really draw on this fact to relate to all members of the audience. Talking about your imperfections conveys humility and strength that everyone will appreciate. Conclude your speech by elaborating on how you have developed a healthier perspective of failure through mistakes.

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph

"Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life." - Sophia Loren, actress

Finding Inspiration

Graduation speeches are meant to be inspiring, especially for the graduating class. Appeal to your fellow classmates with a speech about people that did amazing things with their life to show them that they can achieve greatness too.

Inspiration isn't just for creative minds with a muse. Talk about anyone that has encouraged, influenced, motivated, or otherwise provoked you to be a better version of yourself. Share the experiences of people that make you feel inspired.

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working." - Pablo Picasso, artist

"I want to have a cultural impact. I want to be an inspiration, to show people what can be done." - Sean Combs, rapper and singer

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." - Zig Ziglar, author

Persistence

Graduation is the result of the extended hard work of all graduating students. While there are certainly varying degrees of academic success, everyone walking across that stage has achieved something great.

Although graduating takes dedication and persistence, it marks only the beginning of a lifetime of trial. But rather than focusing on how difficult life can be, share inspiring stories of endurance. Encourage every audience member, especially graduates, to persist in the face of challenges to come.

Everyone can relate to the experience of being knocked down and getting back up. A few moving anecdotes or quotes are sure to drive your message home.

"Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty and persistence." - Colin Powell, former U.S. politician and general

"Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence." - Ray Kroc, McDonald's franchising agent

Having Integrity

With this theme, you can provoke audience members to think about what makes them who they are. Talk to them about what you feel it means to be a morally upright and reliable person—are there any people in your life that exemplify this?

The moral code that one lives by shapes who they are. Give your crowd an idea of what you value by speaking about someone you admire. Talk about the relationship between principles and success.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates, philosopher

"Morality, like art, means drawing a line someplace." - Oscar Wilde, author

"I've learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values - and follow my own moral compass - then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own." - Michelle Obama, lawyer and activist

The Golden Rule

This theme draws on a guiding principle taught to many from the time they are children: treat others how you want to be treated. This philosophy, known as the Golden Rule, is familiar to nearly everyone.

This speech theme is ideal for brief stories about people in the audience. Share narratives of exchanges that you have had with teachers, coaches, and fellow students to illustrate the compassion present just within your school walls. Let the crowd know how much people being empathetic toward you has changed your life.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” - Unknown

"We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it to life.​" - Edwin Markham, poet

"We rise by lifting others." - Robert Ingersoll, writer

Leaving the Past Behind

Graduation is often seen as the end of an era and the beginning of the rest of your life. Lean into this notion by sharing memories from high school or college and talking about how you plan to move forward.

Avoid making this speech all about you. Everyone has memories and experiences that have shaped them as well as goals for the future. This theme is unique because it allows you to combine touching stories from the past with hopes for tomorrow, but it can be easy to get caught up in talking about yourself if you're not careful.

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." - Thomas Jefferson , 3rd U.S. president

"Past is prologue." - William Shakespeare's The Tempest

"If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future." - Winston Churchill, British politician

Maintaining Focus and Determination

You might choose to talk about how focus and determination drive success. You can tell the audience stories about times during your academic career that required focus or even divulge a time that you were unfocused.

You don't need to try to convince the audience that determination makes a person successful, so just try to leave them with something to think about and/or entertain them with stories.

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." - Aristotle

"You can focus on things that are barriers or you can focus on scaling the wall or redefining the problem." - Tim Cook , Apple CEO

Setting High Expectations

Setting high expectations means establishing a clear path forward. Talk about times that stretched you outside of your comfort zone or times that you had to choose not to settle for less than the best.

You may choose to share examples of people with high expectations for themselves and others that are in the audience. Motivated classmates and teachers that push you are great options. Leave graduates thinking about what high expectations they will hold themselves to after graduation.

"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal." - Mother Teresa, Catholic nun and missionary

"Set high standards and few limitations for yourself." - Anthony J. D'Angelo, motivational speaker and author

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Definition of Theme

As a literary device, theme refers to the central, deeper meaning of a written work. Writers typically will convey the theme of their work, and allow the reader to perceive and interpret it, rather than overtly or directly state the theme. As readers infer, reflect, and analyze a literary theme, they develop a greater understanding of the work itself and can apply this understanding beyond the literary work as a means of grasping a better sense of the world. Theme is often what creates a memorable and significant experience of a literary work for the reader.

Themes are often subject to the reader’s perception and interpretation. This means that readers may find primary and/or secondary themes in a work of literature that the author didn’t intend to convey. Therefore, theme allows for literature to remain meaningful, “living” works that can be revisited and analyzed in perpetuity by many readers at once or by a single reader across time.

For example, William Shakespeare ’s well-known tragedy ,  Romeo and Juliet , has been performed and read countless times and by countless people since its publication in 1597:

Come, gentle night ; come, loving, black-browed night; Give me my Romeo; and, when I shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night

Even those who have not directly heard or read the lines of this play are familiar with its theme of the power of romantic love and its potentially devastating effects.

Common Examples of Literary Themes

Many works of literature share common themes and central ideas. As a literary device, theme allows the author to present and reveal all aspects of human nature and the human condition. This enhances the enjoyment and significance of a literary work for readers by encouraging thought, interpretation, and analysis. Discovery and analysis of theme is also one of the primary reasons that readers return to “classic” literary works that are centuries old. There is no end or expiration to the significance and impact theme can have on readers of literature.

Here are some common examples of literary themes:

• Human versus nature
• Good versus evil
• Coming of age
• Courage and perseverance
• Individual versus society
• Faith versus doubt
• Chaos versus order
• Gender roles

Famous Examples of Disney Movies and Their Themes

Of course, theme is an essential literary device in terms of written works. However, nearly all works of art feature theme as an underlying meaning to be understood and interpreted by the audience . Here are some famous examples of Disney movies and their related themes:

• Peter Pan : out-growing the world of childhood
• Mulan : girls/women can do battle as honorably as boys/men
• The Sword in the Stone : education and courage are stronger than brawn and force
• Cinderella : kindness and inner beauty are rewarded
• Pinocchio : dishonesty leads to trouble
• Aladdin : the best course of action is to be who you are
• The Rescuers : it doesn’t take great size to make a difference
• Snow White : jealousy can lead to cruelty
• The Fox and the Hound : the importance of friendship
• The Little Mermaid : love often requires choices and sacrifices

Difference Between Theme and Subject Matter

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the difference between the theme and subject matter of a literary work. They are both closely related to each other; however, the subject matter is the topic that is overtly addressed and presented by the writer whereas the theme is the meaning or underlying message that is imparted through the writing.

The subject matter of a written work is what the text is about and is, typically, clearly indicated by the writer. The theme of a literary work reflects why it was written and what the author hopes to convey on a deeper level to the reader without direct statements. A reader may infer and a writer may imply a theme within a literary work. However, the subject matter of a literary work is not inferred by the reader or implied by the writer; it is overtly stated and understood.

For example, in Shakespeare’s  Romeo and Juliet , the subject matter is two young people from feuding families who fall deeply in love with each other. One theme of this play, and Romeo and Juliet certainly features several themes, is the power of romantic love and the futility of others to stop it. The subject matter is almost exclusively related to the foundational elements of the story , such as what happens and to which characters. The theme, in contrast , is the lingering meaning and thought left to the reader as a means of reaching a greater understanding of the play itself and the larger concept of love.

Examples of Theme in Literature

As a literary device, the purpose of theme is the main idea or underlying meaning that is explored by a writer in a work of literature. Writers can utilize a combination of elements in order to convey a story’s theme, including setting , plot , characters, dialogue , and more. For certain works of literature, such as fables , the theme is typically a “ moral ” or lesson for the reader. However, more complex works of literature tend to have a central theme that is open to interpretation and reflects a basic aspect of society or trait of humanity. Many longer works of literature, such as novels, convey several themes in order to explore the universality of human nature.

Here are some examples of theme in well-known works of literature:

Example 1:  The Yellow Wall-Paper  (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)

If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency – what is one to do? My brother is also a physician, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing. • So I take phosphates or phosphites whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again. Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good.

In her short story , Charlotte Perkins Gilman holds forth a revolutionary theme for the time period. The protagonist of the story is kept in a room with sickly yellow wall-paper as a means of “curing” her emotional and mental difficulties. Her husband, brother, and others are committed to keeping her idle. She is even separated from her baby. Rather than allow the narrator any agency over her daily life, they disregard her words and requests for the fact that she is a woman and considered incompetent.

Gilman conveys a theme of rebellion and feminism to the reader as the narrator begins to embrace the “trapped” woman she has become. Therefore, this allows the reader to perceive the narrator as an empowered figure in many ways, as opposed to one that is oppressed or incompetent.

Example 2:  Harlem  (Langston Hughes)

What happens to a dream deferred?       Does it dry up       like a raisin in the sun ?       Or fester like a sore—       And then run?       Does it stink like rotten meat?       Or crust and sugar over—       like a syrupy sweet?       Maybe it just sags       like a heavy load.        Or does it explode?

Hughes’s well-known poem explores the universality of hope and dreams among humans and the devastating legacy of oppression in deferring such hope and dreams. Hughes structures the poem in the form of questions and responses addressing what happens to a dream deferred. This calls on the reader to consider their own dreams as well those of others, which underscores the theme that dreams, and the hope associated with them, is universal–regardless of race, faith, etc.

Tied to this theme is the deferment of dreams, reflecting the devastating consequences of racism and oppression on the hopes of those who are persecuted. Therefore, the underlying theme of the poem that Hughes conveys to the reader is that, though dreams and hopes are universal, the dreams and hopes of certain members of society are put off and postponed due to the oppression of their race.

Example 3:  A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man  (James Joyce)

I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe, whether it calls itself my home, my fatherland, or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defense the only arms I allow myself to use — silence , exile , and cunning.

Joyce incorporates several themes in his novel . However, as this passage indicates, the central theme of this literary work is the tension between individual artistic expression the demands of society for conformity. The novel’s main character , Stephen Dedalus, faces conflicting loyalties on one side to his family, church, and country, and on the other side to his life as an artist and dedication to artistic expression.

Through the experiences and conflicts facing the novel’s protagonist, Joyce is able to convey his exploration of the theme of the artist’s role in society. This includes freedom of individual expression versus the constraints of societal conventions. As a result, this theme is imparted to the reader who is able to interpret and analyze aspects of the novel’s central meaning. By the end of Joyce’s novel, the theme culminates in Stephen Dedalus’s decision to isolate himself from family, church, and country, to pursue his art. Therefore, the reader’s inference of the novel’s theme impacts their perception and understanding of the story’s resolution as well as the broader concept of the artist’s role in society.

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Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of theme.

As a literary device, theme is the central topic or idea explored in a text. Usually the theme of a work of literature can be stated in one word, such as “love” or “solitude.” A work of literature can, and often does, have more than one theme. The theme is generally not stated explicitly in the text, but instead is expressed through the characters’ actions, words, and thoughts.

Thematic Concept vs. Thematic Statement

The definition of theme can be broken into two categories: the thematic concept of a work and the thematic statement. The thematic concept refers to what a reader understands the work to be about, while the thematic statement refers to what the work says about that subject in question. The thematic concept thus is usually an abstract concept, like “love” or “solitude” as we said before, while the thematic statement usually is a sentence highlighting the argument of the piece of literature. The thematic statement often comments on the way the human condition affects or is affected by the abstract concept of the theme. For example, the theme of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace is stated directly in the title—war and peace. The thematic statement could be something about the irrationality of human decision-making in times of both war and peace, and the search for the meaning of life in the face of this irrationality.

Common Examples of Theme

• Many politicians craft a message about their campaign around a central theme. In 2008, American presidential candidate Barack Obama used the themes of “hope” and “change” to energize voters.
• Brands also sometimes relate their advertising campaigns around a theme. For example, in 1947, advertisers for De Beers came up with the slogan “A diamond is forever.” Connecting the theme of immortality with the theme of love, De Beers made it so that any man who wished to display his everlasting love for a woman had to buy a diamond. De Beers effectively created the tradition of the diamond engagement ring.

In both of these cases, the thematic concepts were so strong and convincing that they overcame oppositional arguments. In the case of De Beers, men were suddenly expected to spend two months of their salary on a diamond ring, which until that time would have been considered ludicrous.

Significance of Theme in Literature

All works of literature contain some sort of theme. Themes are generally universal in nature, and relate to the condition of being human. Thus the theme in a work of literature crosses boundaries and makes a story meaningful to people to any culture or age. While readers may not understand all the references and language in a book from a different time period or culture, the theme of the novel is what makes it comprehensible.

Examples of Theme in Literature

IAGO: Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.

( Othello by William Shakespeare)

Much of the dramatic action in Othello hinges on the jealousy that Othello feels toward his wife, Desdemona. In this excerpt, Othello’s best friend, Iago, warns him of being jealous (the metaphor of jealously as a green-eyed monster is such a famous quote that it created the idea that a person could be “green with envy”). Ironically, Iago is the one who creates this jealousy and feeds it.

In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy.

( 1984 by George Orwell)

George Orwell’s novel 1984 contains multiple references to power and manipulation. Orwell had been a firsthand witness to the propaganda put out during wartime in the 1930s and 1940s, and saw how officials in different countries manipulated stories to keep themselves in power and prove their legitimacy. This theme example presents the concept of “2+2=5” to show that the Party in power will try to make citizens believe even things that are obviously and unequivocally wrong. Orwell reiterates this theme later when the main character, Winston, ends up tracing “2+2=5” in the dust of a café table after he has been fully indoctrinated in the Party’s propaganda.

The gypsy was inclined to stay in the town. He really had been through death, but he had returned because he could not bear the solitude.

( One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez)

There are many themes in Gabriel García Márquez’s epic work One Hundred Years of Solitude , but the titular theme of solitude reoccurs many times throughout the novel. This is a theme that García Márquez states explicitly, and the characters in the novel have many different attitudes toward it. In this example of theme, a man has died and come back to life “because he could not bear the solitude.” The solitude of death is worse than the pain of life for the man. However, many characters actually seek solitude in life and find that the state of being alive is inseparable from a state of solitude. The characters try to connect over love, family, and duty, yet find themselves always and inextricably alone.

JOHN PROCTOR: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!

( The Crucible by Arthur Miller)

Arthur Miller wrote his play The Crucible as a response to the scare tactics of the McCarthy era. As he saw his friends and peers being labeled as communists and blacklisted, Miller turned to the Salem witch-hunt as a model to artistically address the situation. One of the key themes both during the McCarthy era and in The Crucible is reputation and “having a good name.” At the end of the play, John Proctor refuses to admit to witchcraft to save his life. When asked why, he gives an impassioned speech about the importance of reputation, considering it even more important than life itself.

Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love.

( Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling)

J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series contains the major theme of good versus evil. Even more important than this, though, is the theme of love. Over the course of the series, Harry Potter learns that he is alive because of his mother’s love, and the sacrifice she made for him. This love, in J. K. Rowling’s conception, is so powerful that it resists the ultimate evil. And, indeed, Lord Voldemort is evil precisely because he is both unable to feel love and unable to grasp its significance. In this quote from the final installment of the series, Dumbledore tells Harry that living without love is the greatest hardship of all.

Test Your Knowledge of Theme

1. What is the correct theme definition? A. The “big idea” that is explored in a work of literature. B. What the author explicitly states is important. C. A refrain that characters say. [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #1″] Answer: A is the correct answer.[/spoiler]

2. Look at the following excerpts from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby . What theme do they expound upon?

Why they came East I don’t know. They had spent a year in France for no particular reason, and then drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together.

“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

I lived at West Egg, the – well, the least fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them.

A. Boredom B. Wealth and class C. Resentment [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #2″] Answer: B is the correct answer.[/spoiler]

3. Which of the following excerpts from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an example of the theme of compassion?

When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake. But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ’em.

After my bout with Cecil Jacobs when I committed myself to a policy of cowardice, word got around that Scout Finch wouldn’t fight any more, her daddy wouldn’t let her. This was not entirely correct: I wouldn’t fight publicly for Atticus, but the family was private ground.

First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

[spoiler title=”Answer to Question #3″] Answer: C is the correct answer.[/spoiler]

What is Theme in Literature?

Before you can think about teaching or analyzing theme, it’s essential to understand what it is (and isn’t), why it’s used, and how to identify themes in a text. Consider this article your one-stop-shop for understanding theme.

Theme Definition

A theme is a central idea or underlying message in a piece of literature that ties together various textual elements. Every work of literature has at least one theme to serve as an overarching message, offering readers insights into the author’s commentary on life, society, or human nature.

Themes explore universal concepts such as love, power, identity, or justice. Therefore, while a theme applies to a particular work of literature, it also speaks to the general human experience, creating a bridge between literature and the real world.

Theme Pronunciation

Theme is a one-syllable word pronounced with a long “e.”

Here’s how to pronounce theme: theem

What are the Different Types of Theme?

While all themes reflect a universal topic, there are two forms of theme: thematic topics and thematic statements .

• A thematic topic is the broader concept or abstract idea explored and developed throughout a literary work. These are general concepts that are often universal and can be applied to various situations. Thematic topics are often represented in a single word, such as love or power.
• A thematic statement is more specific, providing clear insight that expresses the author’s commentary on the topic. These statements offer more perspective on a broader theme within the context of the story while still leaving room for real-world application. Examples include, “The pursuit of power corrupts individuals, blinding them to the ethical consequences of their actions” and “Love conquers all.”

Essentially, themes are broader and overarching, while thematic statements offer a clearer statement that reflects the author’s perspective or the message they want readers to take away from a literary work.

What it’s NOT: Theme vs. Main Idea

It’s easy to confuse a story’s theme with its main idea. While these two concepts are similar, there are some key differences between theme and main idea to be aware of.

A main idea refers to what a text is about, summarizing the overarching concept of a paragraph, passage, chapter, or entire text. These statements include specific details about a particular piece of literature and are often explicitly stated or easily supported with concrete details from the text.

On the other hand, a theme refers to a more universal and abstract message that an author is revealing through a piece of literature. Themes consistently show up throughout a text, working to emphasize a deeper meaning that reflects an author’s commentary on a particular idea. While readers must rely on details and literary elements to reveal a text’s theme, their universal nature allows readers to apply the concept to the world beyond the pages.

What is the Purpose of Theme in a Story?

Authors use themes to explore intricate or abstract ideas about the human experience in their writing. As a result, they can infuse their works with complexity and depth, allowing readers to engage with the text on multiple levels.

In some ways, themes give stories their meaning. While literary elements such as plot, conflict, setting, character, and tone help tell a story, themes reveal the bigger picture beyond the narrative itself. Therefore, themes help establish a bridge of relevance between the literary work and the real world, empowering students to make connections with a text and think more critically about its broader message.

Due to their universal nature, themes give literature the power to hold enduring significance through time, allowing generations of readers to analyze, enjoy, and extract meaning from a single text.

How to Identify Theme in a Story

The challenge with identifying a text’s theme(s) is that they are not usually explicitly stated, requiring readers to make inferences , identify patterns, uncover underlying messages, and interpret the author’s overarching commentary or perspective. Therefore, identifying themes in literature requires close reading and critical thinking.

Follow the steps below to identify and analyze a theme in literature: 

1. Seek Out Patterns and Reoccurring Symbols

Authors rely on meaningful patterns, called motifs, and recurring symbolism, including characters, objects, or images, to reveal a more profound message. Note any words or phrases, patterns, or symbols that appear repeatedly throughout a text and consider how they represent abstract concepts or reinforce a central idea.

2. Pay Attention to Character

Paying attention to characterization , including what a character says, thinks, and does, can reveal an author’s overall message. Consider characters’ motivations, conflicts, and changes throughout the story, analyzing how their experiences contribute to the overall message the author is conveying about human nature, society, or life.

Use my free STEAL chart to keep track of characterization .

3. Consider Conflict and Resolution

Conflicts can reveal more than a point of tension in a story. By analyzing a text’s central conflicts and resolutions, readers can gain perspective on the theme. While the conflict helps establish the thematic topic, the resolution often provides valuable insights into the author’s commentary.

4. Analyze Mood and Tone

Analyze the nuances of an author’s language choices and their impact on the narrative, paying attention to how diction elicits specific emotions for the reader. Paying attention to the tone and mood ( and the feelings that go with them) plays a pivotal role in revealing an author’s perspective and underlying messages within a text.

5. Note Contrasts and Irony

Look for instances of contrast in a story, especially moments of irony where the narrative contradicts the reader’s expectations. Authors often use these literary devices to highlight thematic elements by challenging readers’ assumptions, leading to a deeper understanding of the theme.

6. Determine the Author’s Purpose

Consider the bigger picture beyond the pages. Reflect on why the author wrote the work and the messages they may want to convey. By considering a narrative’s historical, cultural, or social context, the reader can gain valuable insight into the intended themes.

Tips for Teaching Theme

• Identify Concrete Details First: Start by encouraging students to identify concrete details in a text before diving into abstract themes. Analyzing specific information provides a solid foundation of understanding before jumping to thematic conclusions.
• Scaffold as Needed: Recognize that theme analysis is an abstract and complex task. Break down the steps, offer guidance, and provide additional help or resources to support students in building their analytical skills.
• Start with Short Stories: Begin theme exploration with short stories to reduce overwhelm and build confidence in thematic analysis. The concentrated nature of more concise narratives allows students to hone their skills before tackling longer works.
• Use Anticipation Guides: Use anticipation guides as a pre-reading activity to activate students’ prior knowledge about potential themes. This strategy initiates critical thinking around thematic concepts before diving into the nuances of a text.
• Keep Students Organized: Encourage students to keep notes, utilize graphic organizers, or use tools like concept maps to keep their thoughts in order. This helps them track evidence, connections, and interpretations as they explore themes in a text.
• Remind Students to Use Evidence: Teach students to support their abstract themes with concrete evidence. Emphasize the significance of quoting specific lines or passages from the text to validate their analysis.
• Be Flexible: Remember, interpretation plays a significant role in literary analysis. As long as students can support their thematic claims with textual evidence, give them space to explore their thoughts and perspectives—even if they don’t match your own.

Examples of Theme in Literature

1. the theme of guilt in “the tell-tale heart” by edgar alan poe.

A prominent theme in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe is the theme of guilt and the psychological effects of a guilty conscience . After murdering his neighbor, the unnamed narrator is haunted by the memories of the old man and the constant sound of his beating heart. The noise serves as one of the story’s main symbols of the narrator’s psyche as he slips into madness, revealing the inescapable nature of his guilt.

Throughout the short story, Poe explores the psychological weight of guilt through the unraveling of the narrator’s thoughts and actions, showcasing the effect of a guilty conscience. While Poe’s commentary certainly applies to the story, it causes readers to consider the real-life consequences of guilt and wrongdoing .

2. The theme of power and corruption in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

As an allegory to the Russian Revolution of 1917, George Orwell’s “Animal Farm ” explores the theme of power and corruption as a group of farm animals rebel against their human oppressors. While the animals are initially motivated by the pursuit of equality and justice, they quickly find themselves in the midst of a power struggle that leads to corrupt leadership amongst themselves.

The theme is clearly illustrated through characters such as Napoleon, who initially represents the ideas behind the revolution. However, over time, he and the other pigs succumb to the allure of power. The motif of the pigs’ gradual transformation into oppressive leaders and the evolving language of the commandments reinforce the theme of power and corruption in the narrative, creating a cautionary tale about unchecked authority and how those in power can use manipulation to maintain control .

3. The theme of tradition in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” expresses her profound commentary on the dangers of conformity by exploring the dark consequences of mindlessly following tradition. The story is set in a small pastoral town as they prepare for their annual lottery, where the “winner” is stoned to death by the community, including their family and neighbors.

While horrifying to readers, the townspeople are seemingly unphased by the dark and gruesome tradition. Jackson hints at the story’s theme using symbols, characters, and motifs throughout the story. Everything from the townspeople’s passive participation in the ritual without question to the splintered black box used for picking names emphasizes how everything about the lottery is rooted in how things have always been done. As a result, Jackson skillfully crafted a cautionary tale about the dangers of blindly following societal norms and traditions without reevaluating their moral and ethical implications.

More examples of theme in classic and popular literature:

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores themes of the American Dream and how the relentless pursuit of wealth and social status often results in moral decay and unfulfilled aspirations.
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins dives into themes of survival and societal inequality , positioning Katniss Everdeen as a symbol of hope and resistance against oppressive forces.
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee explores themes of racial prejudice and social justice , highlighting the importance of empathy in the face of systemic inequality.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling highlights the battle between good and evil , emphasizing the importance of resilience and standing up against dark forces.
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare explores the theme of fate , and regardless of Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other, they are “star-crossed lovers”  trapped by their doomed fate.

Additional Resources for Teaching Theme

Save time by using my done-for-you lesson plan for introducing theme .

Read this post for more tips on teaching theme using short stories .

Engage your students in an exploration of theme with the following videos:

• Review themes in popular Pixar films
• Explore side-by-side examples of 10 universal themes
• Introduce theme with a detailed breakdown

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• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Themes

I. What is Theme?

One of the first questions to ask upon hearing someone has written a story is, “What’s it about?” or “What’s the point?” Short answers may range from love to betrayal or from the coming of age to the haziness of memory. The central idea, topic, or point of a story, essay, or narrative is its theme .

II. Examples of Theme

A man, fueled by an urge for power and control due to his own pride, builds a supercomputer. That supercomputer then takes over the world, causing chaos and struggle galore.

This sci-fi style story contains many common themes. A few of its themes include:

• Danger of excessive pride
• The risky relationship between humankind and developing technology

A boy and a girl fall in love. The boy is forced to join the army and fights to survive in a war-torn country as his beloved waits at home. When he returns from war, the two are united and married.

The love story also has many common themes in literature:

• The power of true love
• Fate, which sometimes tears lovers apart and then joins them together

As can be seen from these examples, themes can range widely from ideas, as large as love and war, to others as specific as the relationship between humankind and technology.

III. Types of Theme

Just as a life is not constantly immersed in love, the pursuit of knowledge, or the struggle of the individual versus society, themes are not always constantly present in a story or composition. Rather, they weave in and out, can disappear entirely, or appear surprisingly mid-read. This is because there are two types of themes: major and minor themes.

a. Major Themes

Major themes are, just as they sound, the more important and enduring themes of the narrative. Major themes are the most significant themes of the story, and often they are a part of the entire story. A book on war would have the major theme of war’s effect on humanity, whereas a romance novel would have the major theme of love.

b. Minor Themes

Minor themes are, on the other hand, less important and less enduring. They may appear for part of the narrative only to be replaced by another minor theme later in the narrative. They provide discussion points for a chapter or two, but do not color the entire story. A book on war may have minor themes such as the home front’s reaction to war or the political aspects of war. A romance novel may have minor themes such as flirtation, marriage, and fidelity.

IV. The Importance of Using Theme

The importance of using theme in narrative is unparalleled. The theme is the underlining idea an author is trying to convey to an audience. A story without major ideas for the character and reader to experience, think through, and learn from is not a story at all. A story, by its very nature, must have a theme, sometimes many major and minor themes, all throughout. Themes are the ideas book clubs, poets, playwrights, literature students, film enthusiasts, movie-makers, and creative writers mull over in-depth. They are the meaning behind the entire story, the deeper reasons that the story has been written and shared.

V. Examples of Theme in Literature

Theme is a prominent element in literature. Here are a few examples of theme in poetry and prose:

“i carry your heart with me(i carry it in)” by E. E. Cummings:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling)                                                       i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you   here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart   i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

This poem’s major theme is clear: love. Minor themes include fate, togetherness, and desire.

Atonement by Ian McEwan is an example of a novel whose theme is its title. Here are a few revealing excerpts:

How can a novelist achieve atonement when, with her absolute power of deciding outcomes, she is also God? There is no one, no entity or higher form that she can appeal to, or be reconciled with, or that can forgive There is nothing outside her. In her imagination she has set the limits and the terms. No atonement for God, or novelists, even if they are atheists. It was always an impossible task, and that was precisely the point. The attempt was all.

This section reveals the main theme of atonement along with other minor themes such as the life of the writer and forgiveness.

VI. Examples of Theme in Pop Culture

Just as literary narratives require themes, songs, movies, and television shows do as well. Here are a few examples of theme in pop culture:

The trailer shows that the main theme of Godzilla is nature, as a powerful and destructive force to be reckoned with. Other themes include the human effect on nature, fear of the unknown, and hubris.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

The main theme of this movie is positivity in the face of a bad day, as they happen to all of us. Other themes include family, perseverance, and love.

VII. Related Terms

Because themes encompass main ideas in a narrative, they have many similar elements which do similar things for a narrative. Here are a few examples:

“And the moral of the story is…” As many fables and tales go, morals are a necessary element. They are the main message or lesson to be learned from reading a cautionary story. Although themes and morals are both major ideas in a story, they are different in that themes do not necessarily serve to teach a lesson, whereas morals always do. A theme is simply an idea to be examined, whereas a moral is a clear lesson to be learned. Here is an example of theme versus moral:

Love others the way you would like to be loved.

Whereas the theme is simply an idea, the moral is a message and instruction.

Motifs work in a story to emphasize the theme, and for this reason, is sometimes confused with the theme. Motifs are recurring images, objects, or ideas that highlight the theme. Here is one example of how motif works with theme:

A man is struggling with regret throughout a story. Motifs like dark dreams, repetitive thoughts, and dark lighting emphasize the mood and pervasiveness of the regret.

Whereas the theme is a larger idea, the motifs are smaller elements of a story which repeat in order to reflect that idea.

VIII. In Closing

Themes are the ideas that run through narratives, enlivening them with deeper meaning to be found in real life and fiction alike. They create stories that are not dull but compelling and emotional.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

What is Theme? Definition, Examples of Theme in Literature

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is Theme? Definition, Examples of Theme in Literature

Definition of theme: The theme of a literary work is a salient abstract idea that emerges from the treatment of its subject matter. Common themes are love, war, deceit, revenge, fate, destiny, etc .

What Does Theme Mean in Literature?

What is a theme in literature? A theme is a message or abstract idea that emerges from a literary work’s treatment of its subject matter.

The theme differs from the subject itself. The subject of a work can be described in concrete terms, usually through actions.

For example,

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The subject matter is Huckleberry Finn’s adventures. The theme, however, is more of an abstract idea. The primary theme of Huck Finn, for example, is the conflict between civilization and natural life.

Theme vs. Subject

Example of Theme:

• Theme = Coming of Age.
• Subject Matter = A newcomers difficulties in moving from a small town to the big city.
• Explanation: The theme coming of age will explore the growing pains adolescents are likely to experience in the world. The subject matter for our hypothetical literary work is someone who recently moved from a small town to “the big city.”
• Theme = Pride.
• Subject Matter = The struggles of varsity football players to work together.
• Thematic Statement = It is important to maintain a balance between pride and humbleness because too much self-confidence can be destructive.
• Explanation = In this example, we see the author’s opinion regarding the theme of pride and how it relates to the work’s subject matter.

The thematic statement of a work is rarely said explicitly. Instead, people interpret it through characters, actions, and events within a book.

Thematic Concept vs. Thematic Statement

A thematic statement , however, can be read to be more of an argument about that concept. In an essay, a thematic statement would be called your thesis statement.

• Theme / Thematic Concept = Freedom.
• Thematic Statement = Freedom should be extended to all citizens of the world.

As you can see, the theme of freedom is abstract and broad, and it doesn’t have a thesis statement. The thematic statement of a work, however, will make a claim about this concept. Think of the thematic statement as being an opinion held by the author about the theme itself.

In our example above, the theme is freedom , and the thematic statement is freedom should be extended to all citizens of the world .

There are also central themes and minor themes in literary works, which are just as they sound.

• Central theme = the central or main message of a literary work.
• Minor themes = other, less important messages of a literary work.

Examples of Theme in Literature

• In Paulo Choelo’s novel, The Alchemist , the author explores the subject of fate through a person’s dreams. His thematic statement regarding dreams is that one should always follow his heart and pursue his dreams at any cost.
• In William Blake’s poem, The Poison Tree , the author explores the theme of anger. The thematic statement of the poem is if anger is not dealt with, the feeling will intensify and eventually leads to destruction.

Define theme in literature: In summation, the theme is an idea or concept that a literary work explores: love, despair, honor, etc .

The author explores the theme through the subject matter of his or her work, and when telling the story, arrives at some kind of thematic statement.

Here is a final example of theme found in the short story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry.

In “The Gift of the Magi,” Henry conveys the message that love is more important than material possessions.

• Theme: Love, charity, sacrifice.
• Subject matter: Young couple struggling financially during Christmas.
• Thematic Statement: Love is more important than material possessions.

Theme - Meaning, Definition, Types, Importance and Examples

Every story, song, poem, play, movie, or speech has a theme. It is the subject that stays dominant and is the core idea. This literary piece explores the meaning and definition of themes, the types of themes and how themes are essential. Furthermore, there are examples from literature, movies, TV shows, songs and speeches you can refer to understand better.

Table of Contents

What is theme – meaning and definition, what is the importance of theme in a fiction or nonfiction, types of themes, themes in short stories, themes in poetries, themes in novels, themes in speeches, themes in movies, themes in tv shows, themes in songs, themes in plays.

• Frequently Asked Questions on Theme in Writing

‘Theme’ is the main idea around which a particular piece of writing or speech revolves. It is the central idea which is reiterated through the various characters and events in the text. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines the term ‘theme’ as “the subject or main idea in a talk, piece of writing or work of art”. The Oxford Dictionary of Media and Communication defines theme as “the central, dominant, or unifying idea in a text (or several texts), or a standpoint on the subject, implicit or explicit, which is reflected in recurrent motifs, imagery, and/or symbols”.

I went out for dinner. Yesterday was a Saturday. There are two horses in our front yard. Florence wore a blue cocktail dress. It is raining.

Are you able to make sense of anything from the set of sentences given above? No, right? They are not connected in any way and are just random pieces of information which do not really convey anything at all. This is how absurd a text would be if there were no theme binding the whole thing together. Unless the text or speech is making a point, why would someone want to listen to or read them in the first place? So, be it fiction or nonfiction, see to it that you always have a theme and coherence between sentences and paragraphs. Also, remember that there can be multiple themes – a main theme and a number of sub-themes.

Just like there are different genres, there is a wide range of themes that are used in works of art and literature. If you are a person who loves reading, listening to songs or watching movies and TV shows, you would definitely be able to make sense of what the different themes are. You would have come across a number of them.

The following section has a list of some common themes. As you go through them, try to analyse if you have seen any of them in the books you have read or the movies/TV shows you have watched.

The common themes found in art and literature are as follows.

• Good and evil
• Life and death
• Coming-of-age
• Relationships
• Success and failure
• Perseverance
• Nature/environment

Examples of Themes

Take a look at the following examples to learn how exactly theme works.

In the short story, ‘The Last Leaf’, O. Henry uses hope as the dominant theme. You can see that Johnsy falls terribly ill and loses hope and the will to live despite Sue’s constant efforts to keep her healthy and alive. It is the last leaf that Behrman, the old artist, painted on the wall outside her window that gives her hope and brings her back to being healthy. This selfless action is what kills Behrman in the end. Though hope is the main theme in the story, selflessness, love, and affection also exist as sub-themes that make the story all the more beautiful and memorable.

Guy de Maupassant explores the consequences of greed and vanity in his short story, ‘The Necklace’. You are introduced to Monsieur Loisel and Mathilde Loisel (husband and wife), who are not very rich but live a decent life. However, Mathilde does not seem to be very happy about their domestic, economic and social situation. When they get ready to go to a party, Mathilde borrows a diamond necklace from Madame Forestier. She is overwhelmed by the attention she gets at the party but loses the necklace. They end up working even harder to replace the necklace, replace it somehow and live a poorer life – only to find out later that the necklace was worth nothing and that they had replaced it with an original diamond necklace.

Percy Bysshe Shelley employs themes such as the transient nature of power and everything one owns in this world in his poem, ‘Ozymandias’. He captures the whole idea through these last lines.

“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

In the poem, ‘Mending Wall’, Robert Frost touches upon the complex nature of human relationships and the inevitable nature of societal change. He uses two neighbours and a wall they mend every year to show that not all social norms are acceptable or make sense to all. Most of it is often imposed without any logical explanation.

In the novel, ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ by John Green, the primary themes are love and friendship. You will see how these themes come alive from the point Hazel and Augustus, the main characters of the novel, meet. It shows how their friendship develops into endless love.

Louisa May Alcott focuses on the events in the lives of the four women characters – Meg March, Josephine March, Beth March and Amy March. Though it is a coming-of-age novel, it also focuses on various themes, such as the conflict between familial responsibilities and yearning for personal growth, poverty, independence, family, marriage, society, etc.

In September 2009, Barack Obama addressed the students of America, and the main idea behind his speech was to motivate the students about the importance of completing school education. He encouraged them to work harder and be perseverant.

Muniba Mazari (National Ambassador for UN Women, Pakistan and motivational speaker), when speaking on the topic, ‘We are all perfectly imperfect’, has emphasised on the idea that it is okay not to be okay, and progress starts the moment you begin accepting your broken, perfectly imperfect self. She uses personal anecdotes to remind people to be thankful for what they have and also for what they have lost, for that is what has made them what they are today.

In the movie, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, themes such as grit, determination, education, family and poverty are explored. It teaches you to never give up on your dreams.

The film ‘Pete’s Dragon’ takes you through the lives of Pete and Elliot, the dragon. It emphasises a wide range of themes such as empathy, courage, appreciation of nature, belief in magic, and how one can find and make a family in the most unexpected of places.

The TV Show ‘Young Sheldon’ is a coming-of-age story of young Sheldon narrated by adult Sheldon. It is a portrayal of the people and events in his life.

In ‘Manifest’, themes of time travel, the grief of lost time, the importance of family, friendship, love and relationships and the consequences of using your powers for your own glory are portrayed.

The song ‘Roar’ by Katy Perry is about the need to overcome the challenges that come your way and to stand stronger than ever every time something or someone weighs you down.

Rihanna’s ‘Life Me Up’ is a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, the beloved actor. It touches upon the need for love and support during times of grief. It also addresses the concept of reconnecting with the loved ones you lost.

The themes in the play ‘Doctor Faustus’ include temptation, sin, redemption, free will and fate. You see how the life of Doctor Faustus changes when he sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for worldly knowledge and pleasure.

In Shakespeare’s famous play, ‘Macbeth’, the consequences of being excessively ambitious and power-hungry at the cost of even taking others’ lives are focused upon.

Frequently Asked Questions on the Importance of Theme in Writing

What is the meaning of ‘theme’.

‘Theme’ is the main idea around which a particular piece of writing or speech revolves. It is the central idea which is reiterated through the various characters and events in the text.

What is the definition of theme?

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines the term ‘theme’ as “the subject or main idea in a talk, piece of writing or work of art”. The Oxford Dictionary of Media and Communication defines theme as “the central, dominant, or unifying idea in a text (or several texts), or a standpoint on the subject, implicit or explicit, which is reflected in recurrent motifs, imagery, and/or symbols”.

What are the most common themes found in literature and movies?

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What is Theme? Definition & Examples of Theme in Literature

by Fija Callaghan

Often scholars will talk about theme in literature like it’s this highbrow, deeply intellectual feat of narrative engineering hiding between the lines of a novel or collection of poetry. “Theme,” they say, delicately sipping hundred-year-old brandy from crystal glasses, “is the intentional and philosophical confluence of story archetypes to convey a groundbreaking, politically or socially relevant ideal.” And you nod eagerly in agreement, because you would also like to try some hundred-year-old brandy.

Writers, on the other hand, will often talk about theme like it’s a clumsy animal that has somehow wandered into your story and, having proven itself to be only a minimal nuisance and actually kind of cute, has been allowed to stay and build itself a nest somewhere between your Midpoint and the first major plot point of Act Three .

Really, theme can be both of these things and more. Let’s look at what theme is in literature, how a strong theme can elevate a story, and how to discover the themes already brewing in your own work.

What is theme in literature?

Theme is the broad central idea supporting any narrative work. The work can be a novel, a short story, a poem, or even something like a song or visual art. In a story, each choice made by your characters and each turn of events will support this core underlying theme which you’re trying to convey to your readers.

Any medium that tells a story will have this underlying message—whether it was put there painstakingly by the artist layer by layer, or whether it grew organically from their unconscious experience as they created their literary work.

Literary themes can be concepts like redemption, sacrifice, true love, or family. Storytelling in particular has an enormous range of tools from which to draw themes, like setting, imagery, metaphor , conflict , and—most importantly of all— character . It’s through character that your readers will experience the underlying meaning of your story and come away with a new understanding.

Which comes first—theme or plot?

A question as old as the written word: Is it better to start with a meaningful theme or an engaging plot ? Do you choose a thematic concept and then build your story around it, or do you draft your story and then see what theme emerges? What if you have a story in mind but you don’t even know what the theme is?

Theme and plot are intertwined; neither one comes first, but rather they’re developed together. The moment you have an idea for a story, the theme of that story is already being born. The more you learn about the characters, motivations, and events of your story, the clearer its theme will become.

Writing a story is equal parts art, craft, and intuition. Theme is something that tends to reside in the latter category. While your cognitive mind is exploring roads of possibility in your plot, setting, and characters, your subconscious will be constantly reaching out and searching for deeper meaning in these things.

Ask yourself: Why is this story important? Why is this story happening here , now ? Who are the people in this story, and why do they matter to me? That’s theme at work.

Why does theme matter in storytelling?

Okay but do I need a theme? Isn’t it enough to have a fun story and a lovable hero and a dastardly villain and a happily ever after at the end of it?

Well, yes, but even the simplest of universal tales will have some sort of theme bubbling under the surface. Every story needs to communicate something with the reader.

This will usually be the same main idea that’s driving your protagonist towards their goal. It might be a simple developmental ideal such as the overt central morals in Aesop’s fables, or it might be a larger, more complex exploration of multi-faceted issues that we’re still facing in the world today (we’ll look at some theme examples of these later on).

Crafting a literary theme that resonates with readers on a deep, visceral level will help them feel connected to your characters and invested in what those characters are fighting for. A vibrant, engaging theme in a work of literature has the power to affect real change and make readers look at the world in a new way.

Classic themes in literature

Because stories are so universal, we’ll often see the same central themes being repeated over and over in different works. This doesn’t mean the stories that share these central ideas are unoriginal; rather, it means that they speak to deep universal truths that we all recognize and resonate with. That’s why we return to those stories again and again.

Most of these common themes will fall under two categories: one central idea, or a contrast or conflict between two opposing principles.

Here are some common themes in literature that you can explore in your own writing.

Love is something that we all recognize regardless of our background, language, age, class, ability, or understanding of the world. Love is the greatest unifier of the human species, and it can be as bright and empowering as it can be terrible.

Many works of literature deal with the theme of love, but Romeo and Juliet is one famous story in which the author explores the intensity and destructive qualities of undying love.

We most often associate love with romantic relationships, but focusing on love as a theme in your own work can also look at the deep, soulful love between two best friends, or even the journey towards discovering love for yourself.

Many of us have been betrayed in our lives by people we thought we could trust, whether that’s a friend, a family member, a partner, or someone we knew professionally. Just as antagonists are rarely single-faceted, betrayal is usually a very complex thing that can come from a wide range of different motivations.

What one person sees as betrayal might feel like a natural progression to another, and so this theme can be useful for exploring the complexity of human needs and desires. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a famous work of literature that deals with strong themes of betrayal.

The theme of rebirth has figured into the mythological cycles of a variety of cultures, most famously the rebirth of Christ in the Christian bible.

On a microcosmic level, we often see rebirth as a dawn of hope and opportunity after a devastating experience such as a divorce, a failure, or the loss of a loved one. On a deep psychological level, we like to believe that there can be hope for us even when we ourselves have become lost.

There are many stories of rebirth, but Charles Dickens’ famous holiday piece A Christmas Carol explores the rebirth of its protagonist after a lifetime of avarice and misery.

Modern popular culture has seen a huge resurgence in redemptive character arcs, most famously in “anti-hero” type characters . There is something so satisfying about watching a rascally ne’er-do-well make mistakes, learn from them, and grow into someone we wouldn’t be embarrassed to introduce to our mothers.

Much like rebirth, redemption comes from a place of hope—the idea that there’s always room to grow, and that anyone can find the will to do better. Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is a famous novel that uses this thematic concept to create a dynamic character arc.

For many of us, our relationships with our families are quite complex. And yet, the bond between family members is a very universal idea that can teach us a lot about other cultures, generations, and ways of life.

The relationship we have with our families can also teach us a lot about ourselves, and so this theme is very useful for character-driven stories and novels.

The Book Thief , a novel by Markus Zusak, explores our connection to our blood families as well as the families we build around us.

Prejudice has always been a major societal issue, and those issues are being brought into new light. Prejudice can be found through race, class, and ability both in literature and in the world around us. For this reason, art of all kinds is a powerful tool in fighting against these poisonous ideas and helping people understand them in a new way.

The novel Such a Fun Age , by Kiley Reid, is one of many powerful works that explore themes of racial and class-driven prejudice that is still prevalent today.

Disillusionment

Often we discover that growing and learning about ourselves and the world means letting go of precious ideals or perceptions we once had. Knowledge is never an inherently negative thing, but coming to terms with it can be a less than comfortable experience.

These themes often deal with the sacrifice of innocence and idealism in order to attain a greater understanding of ourselves and the world. The Great Gatsby is a tragic literary work that follows the central character’s disillusionment—and, by proxy, the reader’s—with the glittering party lifestyle that was once so seductive.

Closely related to prejudice, oppression is a very real problem in our world that has inspired a lot of powerful art and literature. Literary work that deals with this theme often seek to accomplish two things: the first, to enlighten people to a toxic situation that they may not have been aware of, and second, to show them that we can do something about it.

Although they deal with very negative and difficult subject matter, themes of oppression are often found in stories full of hope for a better future.

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is one such groundbreaking novel that uses a speculative lens to draw attention to some of the problems we have faced historically and are still fighting against today.

The desire for revenge is a universal human impulse, and watching those impulses play out in the safe arena of fiction is both riveting and cathartic. However, revenge left to ferment and fester can be a very damaging thing and many of these stories teach us just how damaging these desires can be.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a revenge-driven tale that shows two different characters undone by their need for revenge above all else. These themes are often useful for examining the contrast of human strength and weakness.

On the topic of human weakness, corruption is one of the most vicious poisons to enter a human heart. Most corruption comes from a place of fear and survival instinct, and feeds easily from one person to another.

George Orwell’s allegorical novel Animal Farm examines the way this theme takes root and spreads, turning the best intentions into destructive actions fueled by pride and greed.

On some small level, we all take little steps to try and make it through each day. But most of us have never been in a situation so extreme that we need to fight for our lives.

Stories that explore the theme of survival are often a beat or two removed from our day-to-day understanding of the world, but they help us learn a lot about what we are capable of in difficult circumstances. The famous novel Robinson Crusoe is an adventure story that follows the central character cast away on a deserted island, pitting his strength and intellect against the whims of nature and fate.

Death and mortality are constant underlying themes in all works of literature as they are in life. The battle against the inevitability of death has been present in stories from all cultures for as long as there have been storytellers.

Very often literature that deals with the theme of mortality doesn’t present death as something wholly antagonistic, but something with its own place in the cycle of the world. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , from the classic Arthurian Legends, deals strongly with multiple themes of life, death, rebirth, and honoring our place within those themes.

Good vs. Evil

Themes that explore morality are some of the first themes that many readers are exposed to as children. The Chronicles of Narnia , among many others, is a story that shows us this polarity. This theme teaches us that we should always try to do good in the world, and that even when there are bad people doing scary things, we can overcome them by being true to our own best natures.

Even as we grow older and learn that the world and the people in it are more complex than we could have imagined, there is still some part of us that wants to believe in those ideals. We gather strength from believing that good can triumph over evil—whether that’s between two forces in the wider world, or deeper, more intimately, within ourselves.

Individual vs. Society

Tying into some of the popular themes we looked at above like prejudice, oppression, and corruption, this theme will often explore those ideas by placing an individual protagonist at odds with the world around them.

The reader will identify with the central character and use their journey as a way to examine the failings of the society in the story—which may, in turn, reflect some of the failings that the reader can see in their own world as well. The Hunger Games is a popular novel that places an individual in opposition with a seemingly insurmountable status quo.

Life vs. Death

While some stories include themes that seek to understand mortality and the place it has in our life’s journey, other stories may look at life and death as two opposing, contradictory forces.

In the Harry Potter series, all of the events of the story unfold because the primary antagonist is at constant war with death. He treats it as an enemy to be overcome, even domesticated.

Since death is unfortunately a very real part of our natural cycle, these sorts of themes rarely end well for those involved. However, fear of the unknown is also a very real part of our natural cycle and so this central topic has arisen again and again in stories throughout history.

Fate vs. Free Will

How much of our path do we truly choose, and how much is preordained? This is a question we have been asking as long as there has been human consciousness—and people are still debating it today. Stories that explore this theme will usually follow a character who has seen a glimpse of what the future holds for them… and doesn’t care for it at all.

Oedipus the King , a famous Greek tragic drama, follows a character who’s trying to dodge a terrible prophecy about his future. He removes himself from the situation completely, only to find that those very actions are what set his fate into motion.

This theme doesn’t have to be tragic, though; it works just as well if you give your characters the strength to choose their own destinies.

Tradition vs. Change

Tension has always existed between one generation and another, regardless of what culture, ethnicity, or era they might be from. Stories with this theme look at finding the right balance between honoring the traditions of those before us and allowing room to grow.

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods takes a fantastical approach to this theme by pitting the old world gods of popular mythology against the new world of worship that people bow down to today, including media, technology, and the stock market.

These themes teach us that there is wisdom to be learned from our predecessors as well as wisdom in new ideas.

Pride vs. Humility

Pride is one of the most seductive of human sins. It’s also one of the most difficult to break away from, even when we can see as well as anyone how quickly it’s tearing us apart.

Themes of pride and humility are usually character-driven examinations of how we are all susceptible to this weakness, and the ways in which we can find the strength to overcome it. The appropriately named Pride and Prejudice is a good example of a story that shows two characters overcoming their pride in order to find the happiness they truly deserve.

Justice vs. Depravity

Any work of literature that follows a judicial system knows what a knife edge the threat of corruption can be. James Ellroy’s novel L.A. Confidential is a famous modern noir story that explores the thin line between righteousness and corruption, heroes and villains.

Using this concept in your work is an excellent way to explore our strengths, weaknesses, and limitations as human beings in a fundamentally unjust world.

Morality vs. Fear

This is another staple theme of the “hero vs. villain” stories. We like heroes because they always try to do the right thing, but we sometimes forget that doing the right thing can be very difficult and scary. Stories with this theme show us that we all constantly battle between doing what is right and what is easy, and that choosing the brave or honorable path does not happen without fear—it happens in spite of it.

Kristin Harmel’s WWII novel The Room on Rue Amélie follows a brave protagonist determined to play her part in the war efforts, even when she has every reason to feel afraid of doing so. From stories like this we learn how to be brave in our own lives.

How to find the theme of your own story

Unlike plot, theme isn’t really something you build from the ground up. Once you begin to see glimmers of a story, your theme is already beginning to take shape under the surface. It’s your job to excavate it and bring it to life.

To find the theme of your story, decide what central message the story is trying to communicate with the reader. Try asking yourself why you’re writing it in the first place. Why does it matter to you? This can take time, and the answer may surprise you.

For example, if you’re writing about a girl who discovers she’s from a secret lineage of super spies, deep down you might be writing it as a way to understand your feelings about your own lineage.

What sort of conflict is your main character facing? Has someone in her family been kidnapped by a rival super spy faction? Has she discovered some shady business in her family history that has her questioning her own values and perception of herself? In these cases your theme might be things like the importance of family, or the contrasting values of independence and tradition.

Develop your thematic statement

Then, see if you can crystallize your idea into a thematic statement—a one-sentence summary of the concept you’re trying to convey. In the above examples, your thematic statement might be, “Family always comes first,” or “One is not bound by the mistakes of their parents.” This thematic statement then becomes the driving force of your plot.

It doesn’t matter how fantastical or far-removed your story is—its heart, its reason for existing, will be something that you’re exploring or working to understand through the filter of art. It may be conscious or unconscious. Then, once you know what your story is really trying to say, you can share it with people who need your story to help them explore or understand these ideas too.

How to strengthen the theme of a story

Once you’ve figured out what your theme is, it’s time to find ways to make it shine even brighter through the course of your plot points and narrative development. You can do this as you go, or you can go back and find ways to give it a nudge later in the editing process.

Every literary element in your story should help communicate your theme with the reader, and your protagonist’s journey should be a direct parallel to their relationship with the theme. If the theme of your story is “family,” you may need to put your protagonist through a series of obstacles to help them realize the importance of this idea and why it’s worth fighting for.

The types of conflicts your characters face might all be different, but they should all circle back to the relationship they have with this central idea and how that relationship evolves through each major plot point.

When your characters grow to understand the theme in a new way, your readers will too. Making your characters do this is an important way of strengthening the themes of your story.

A writer can use literary devices like motifs, symbolism, and repetition to emphasize the themes in your story. Adding in recurring colors, words, objects, places, numbers, or cultural symbols will help intensify the theme for your reader. See if you can find ways to add little details that make your story’s theme even more prominent.

For example, if your central theme is “corruption,” you could use these literary devices to show a metaphorical corruption, or corrosion, of positive things in the story. You might have your character buy a new pair of shoes which becomes steadily more worn down until they fall apart—this would be a repeated symbol for other things that are being “worn down,” such as the character’s hope, morals, or ideals.

Certain motifs can also bring to mind this idea of corruption, such as tarnished coins or dirty water, and you can drop images like these here and there throughout your story to make the theme even more powerful for your reader.

These sorts of symbols can be used to emphasize all kinds of themes. If your theme is “mortality” or “life vs. death” you may have your main character come across a dead animal early in the story, and have them take time to reflect on their feelings and understanding of this idea before their journey begins.

Conversely, if your theme is “family”, they might need to stop their car to let a family of animals cross the road in front of them. How do they feel about that? Enchanted? Annoyed? Frightened? Their reaction won’t necessarily be stated explicitly, but showing it on the page will give further depth to your theme.

Theme is the heart of storytelling

Theme is one of the most important building blocks of powerful storytelling, but it doesn’t need to be approached from a place of anxiety or stress. Theme is simply a statement of why your story exists and why you need to be the one to tell it.

Storytelling has a very real power to change the world for the better, and theme—sharing it, talking about it, helping people understand why it matters—is how we can begin doing that.

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It’s time to take your speechwriting to the professional level. To do that, you need to learn how to effectively use metaphors and similes and you need to learn how to weave those into a theme.

Let’s start with some definitions. Similes and metaphors both make comparisons. A simile makes an explicit comparison usually using like and as. According to Merriam Webster, a metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy.  You can use a variety of metaphors throughout a speech, but if you stick to one consistent topic, you have a theme. A theme is where you pick a comparison, and you use it throughout your speech. This gives a sense of unity and overall elevates the level of your speech.

What is needed for an effective metaphor?

An effective metaphor uses emotional phrases properly.

According to an article in Psychology Today, “Metaphors are not just a literary technique; they are a very potent psychological technique.” In a study, people were told about climate change using a war metaphor or a race metaphor. Those hearing the war metaphor found the climate change situation more urgent and were more likely to increase their conservation behaviors.

Metaphors have a profound impact on how we think and act on social issues. In the study by Thibodeau and Boroditski, participants read about a crime-ridden city where the criminal element was a beast preying upon innocent citizens (animal metaphor) , or was a disease that plagued the town (disease metaphor).  When subjects were asked for a solution on how to solve the problem, those who heard about the animal metaphor supported strategies such as increasing police presence and imposing stricter penalties. Those who heard the disease metaphor favored seeking out the primary cause of the crime wave and bolstering the economy. The researchers concluded, “ We find that exposure to even a single metaphor can induce substantial differences. People chose information that was likely to confirm and elaborate the bias suggested by the metaphor – an effect that persisted even when people were presented with a full set of possible solutions.” In short, the metaphor influenced how they saw the problem and what type of solution would fit the problem.  Interestingly, while the metaphor influenced their opinions on the issues, they remembered the issue and not the metaphor.  The researchers suggested that even when the metaphor is covert, it affected the subject’s decisions.

An effective metaphor uses something simple to help the audience understand something complex.

Metaphors take hard-to-understand ideas and compare them to simple-to-understand ideas. Take, for example, the ever famous, “Life is a box of chocolates.” It takes something abstract, in this case, love, and compares it to something familiar and understandable, a box of chocolates.

An effective metaphor is one that is understood by the listeners.

A good metaphor works because the audience understands the thing that is being compared. When I told my son, he sounded like a “broken record,” he had not idea what I was talking about. One speaker told me that he made a reference to the “one ring to rule them all” to realize that only half of the audience had never seen the Lord of the Rings movies. He said, “I used a metaphor of a movie they had never seen to explain a concept they didn’t understand. Any understanding they might have had of the concept was lost because their attention was now focused on trying to understand a movie. “

An effective metaphor fits the cultural context.

In a study, students were given an argument about whether their university should require a senior thesis. Football phrases such as “handoff,” “touchdown,” and “fumble” were used. The results suggested that those who liked sports found the metaphor more engaging than those who did not like sports. For the non-sports fan, the metaphor had no more effect than the arguments that contained no metaphor.

An effective metaphor fits the situation.

The right metaphor is one that fits the occasion. Metaphors such as “passed on” and “candle dimmed” are used in eulogy speeches. “Beginning a new chapter” and “starting a new journey” are used for graduation speeches. “Retirement is a blank sheet of paper. It is a chance to redesign your life into something new and different.” This quote by Patrick Foley is an example of how retirement metaphors work. Other retirement phrases may be “unshackled” or “beginning a new highway.”

Check out this website about international metaphors for death

The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor Aristotle

The big idea here is that it must be the right metaphor for the subject and the audience. Metaphors can help you understand complex ideas and can take everyday ideas and make them more interesting. To some degree, metaphors help you show, not tell. A well-told metaphor can help you create visuals in the mind of your audience. When it comes to this advanced language technique, I like to show, not tell. Let’s look at how metaphors have been used in speech, I’ll start with examples of metaphors in presidential speeches.

Presidential Metaphors

Presidential speeches

Watch this movie version of the 272-word Gettysburg Address and listen for references to birth and conception.

Let’s look at a few more examples of how presidents have used metaphors in their speeches.

• We are now engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether this nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.  Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
• And you have changed the face of Congress, the Presidency, and the political process itself. Yes, you, my fellow Americans, have forced the spring. Now we must do the work the season demands.”  Bill Clinton Inaugural Address
• You can be the new majority who can lead this nation out of a long political darkness – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who are tired of the division and distraction that has clouded Washington; who know that we can disagree without being disagreeable; who understand that if we mobilize our voices to challenge the money and influence that’s stood in our way and challenge ourselves to reach for something better, there’s no problem we can’t solve – no destiny we cannot fulfill. Barack Obama
•   America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining. George W. Bush, Speech after 911 Attacks.

Persuasive Metaphor

Metaphors can be very persuasive. Picking a metaphor that the audience relates to is especially important–most people can relate to pizza so that is the comparison that this TED speaker chose. Al Vernacchio criticizes the use of baseball as a metaphor for sex where there is a winner and loser– scoring, getting to first base, etc. He suggests instead that people think of sex as shared pleasure, discussion, and agreement–he suggests the metaphor of pizza. It’s an eight minute, easy to listen to speech, you won’t want to miss this.

Metaphor in Leadership

Simon Lancaster says metaphors are one of the most powerful pieces of political and leadership communication because they move us towards things or make us recoil.  He looks at phrases like the “financial storm” and the “dung heap of capitalism” as ways in which the use of words influences our perception of an issue. (Watch the four-minute clip where he talks about metaphor. It is cued to start at the part where he talks about metaphor. )

If you have time, watch the whole talk to see how he shares his  six rhetorical techniques: Three breathless sentences, t hree repetitive sentences,  balancing statements, m etaphor,  exaggerative statements, r hyming statements

Enduring Metaphors

There are metaphors that seem to stick around through the years. You will see these come up a lot in literature, in songs, and in speeches. These are sometimes referenced as archetypal metaphors. According to communication scholar Michael Osborn, “archetypal metaphors are grounded in prominent features of experience, in objects, actions, or conditions which are inescapably salient in human consciousness.”  Because the human experience aspect is so crucial to these metaphors, you tend to find them in some of the most significant speeches in history. The timelessness of these metaphors increases the likelihood that the speech will outlive its author.

Here are a few of the most prominent enduring metaphors. I’ll give you examples of each.

• Light, Dark
• Storm, Sea, Set Sail
• Battle, war

Seasons, Sunrise, Sunset

• Journey, Road

Winter in our Hearts

At the dawn of spring last year, a single act of terror brought forth the long, cold winter in our hearts . The people of Oklahoma City are mourning still. Al Gore, Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address

Winds of Change The wind of change is blowing through this continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. Harold MacMillian, British Prime Minister

New Birth of Spring

This year a new birth will occur. The physical being that will be its offspring will be like the new beginning which occurs when the spring rains wash away the dead leaves of winter and give life to the summer green which, as an expression of the rhythm of the seasons, blankets our earth. That new birth will signal the wonder that we have begun to construct a new social order. Nelson Mandela, Address to the African National Congress

Light and Dark Metaphor

“If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” Mother Teresa

Only when it’s dark enough can you see the stars. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I See the Promised Land Speech

The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years, and a thousand years later that light will still be seen in this country, and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts. Jawaharlal Nehru, Eulogy to Mahatma Gandhi

The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science Winston Church Hill, The Finest Hour

John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness, a brighter day will come. Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention

Journey, Travel, Destination 

I believe we can give our middle-class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity.

I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history , we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.

Barrack Obama, 2001 Democratic National Convention

Storm, Sea, Sail

That storm sweeps across the human habitat. Like the spring rains, it seeks to drive away the pestilences that continue to afflict the world of living beings, the universal malignancies which seem to have found a home in our diseased society. Nelson Mandela, Address to African National Congress

Stormy Sea It’s been quite a journey this decade, and we held together through some stormy seas. And at the end, together, we are reaching our destination. Ronald Reagan, Farewell Address

Navigate Choppy Waters It’s been my privilege to launch Baylor upon this exciting journey of Baylor 2012 and lead the university beyond the inertia of the status quo. Now that the voyage is well underway, it’s time for someone new to navigate these sometimes choppy waters  while continuing to aim for the carefully charted destination ahead. President Robert B. Sloan, Baylor University

Sails into the Wind Ted Kennedy has gone home now, guided by his faith and by the light of those he has loved and lost. At last, he is with them once more, leaving those of us who grieve his passing with the memories he gave, the good he did, the dream he kept alive, and a single, enduring image – the image of a man on a boat; white mane tousled; smiling broadly as he sails into the wind, ready for what storms may come, carrying on toward some new and wondrous place just beyond the horizon. Barack Obama Eulogy for Ted Kennedy.

Battle, War 

In an analysis of war metaphors in public discourse, researchers concluded that war metaphors are omnipresent because they draw on a common theme that can be communicated in many different situations. War metaphors work because they express an urgent negative emotion that captures attention and can motivate action.

Here are a few examples of the battle/war metaphor that come up in speech.

• I am battling a headache.
• My friend beat cancer.
• He confronted his worst fear.
• I’ve got to tackle my taxes tonight.
• He attacked every weak point in my argument.
• His criticisms were right on target.
• I demolished his argument.
• I’ve never won an argument with him.
• If you use that strategy, he’ll wipe you out.
• He shot down all of my arguments.
• Attack a position.
• Physicians battle against death.
• The disease attacks our bodies.
• War on poverty/plastic/drugs/Christmas

I challenge you to spend one day writing down all the war and battle metaphors you hear, I think you will be surprised. Now that we agree that they are ever-present, let’s look at a few speech examples.

We are engaged in a great civil war and this campus is one of the many battlegrounds. The war I’m referring to is cultural rather than military, but something very vital is at stake. Today the battle is for your hearts and minds, for the freedom to think the way you choose to follow that moral compass that points to what is right. Charlton Heston, NRA, Free Thought and Freedom

So, will you join in the battle to give every citizen the full equality which God enjoins and the law requires, whatever his belief, or race, or the color of his skin? Will you join in the battle to give every citizen an escape from the crushing weight of poverty? Lyndon B. Johnson, The Great Society

A simile makes a comparison using like or as.

A room without books is like a body without a soul.  Cicero

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.  Albert Einstein

A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open. Frank Zappa, Musician

When I joined Apple in 1998, I couldn’t believe my luck. I was going to get to spend the rest of my professional life working for Steve Jobs. But fate comes like a thief in the night. The loneliness I felt when we lost Steve was proof that there is nothing more eternal, or more powerful, than the impact we have on others. Tim Cook, Ohio State Commencement.

Rain , somebody said,  is like confetti from heaven . So even the heavens are celebrating this morning, joining the rest of us at this wonderful commencement ceremony.” USSC Justice John Roberts, Cardigan Commencement Address

The use of theme and figurative language separates the amateurs from the pros. Sometimes a theme is referred to as an extended metaphor. Ta king your comparisons and weaving them into an overall speech theme takes work, but it elevates your speech.   It’s time you learn to be one of the pros. I want to demonstrate how to brainstorm a theme and then give you numerous examples to show you how it works in a speech.

When you are developing your speech, you can use a stand-alone metaphor, or you can weave it into a theme. Ceremonial speeches lend themselves to themes. Funerals, tributes, graduation speeches, and toasts, all work well when given a theme. Sometimes that theme is picked because it carries the emotion and sometimes, the theme is picked because it fits the person. Let me give you some examples. In the first example, Tasha Smith a student in my class was giving a tribute to her grandmother who was a gardener. It lends itself to a speech wide theme:

Plucking the weeds out of my life and out of the lives of others. I realize that it was never about your flower garden. It was really about tending to the things of the heart. Tasha Smith, Tribute to Grandma.

For the next example, my student, Drew Oglesby gave a best man toast. Because he and his friend often took road trips together, he used the theme of travel. He told stories of their road trips, of maps, of getting lost, and of the journey. In the wedding toast, he passes the map and the title of “road trip captain” off to the new bride.

I trust these hints are helpful the next time you two are traveling.  Remember, it is not the road trip that I will always cherish, but the great guy I was able to share it with. So today, I raise a glass to you two.  Mr. and Mrs. ___ because I know you are going to experience far greater adventures than I could ever  imagine. I am confident you two will love each other with every wrong turn in life and you will love each other with every flat tire and detour. I know you will always be there for each other, and I am positive you (the bride) will make the perfect road trip captain!

Filmmaker, Steven Spielberg used the theme of dreams in his 2020 graduation address.

Dreams are a great test. Because a dream is going to test your resolve, and you’re going to know a dream from a pipe dream . You’re going to know a dream from a casual brush with something that you got excited about, and then it evaporates. A real dream is something that not only hangs on to you but you will hang onto it. And it will power you through every obstacle that people and your environment will throw against you. Because if we’re in service of our dreams versus our dreams being in service to us it becomes something greater. It allows us to be game and it allows us to get over our fear to go forward no matter what obstacles are thrown in our path.

Former president Ronald Reagan spoke to the nation after the space shuttle challenger crashed. He masterfully used the theme of exploration. Listen carefully as he uses words such as “Pioneer, daring and brave.”

President Ronald Reagan used the exploration, pioneer, and frontier theme in his speech about the Challenger crash.

For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave , and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, “Give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy.” They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us. We’ve grown used to wonders in this century. It’s hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. We’re still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers. And I want to say something to the school children of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery . It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons . The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave . The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future , and we’ll continue to follow them. I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don’t hide our space program. We don’t keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That’s the way freedom is, and we wouldn’t change it for a minute. We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. There’s a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, “He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.” Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake’s, complete. The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and “slipped the surly bonds of earth” to “touch the face

When Using a Theme, Use Consistent Metaphors

When creating a speech with a unifying theme, it is helpful to be consistent with your metaphor. Not only does it help listeners to understand, but it also elevates the theme. Just for fun, look at this mixed metaphor from President Obama.

Even though most people agree that I’m being reasonable; that most people agree I’m presenting a fair deal; the fact they don’t take it means I should somehow do a Jedi mind-meld with these folks and convince them to do what’s right. Barack Obama messing up Star Wars and Star Trek references while working with Republicans in Congress.

I think this is likely a mess up rather than a mixed metaphor, it does bring up the point that our minds struggle when given two different metaphors to work with.

Kenneth Burke’s Four Master Tropes

Literary theorist Kenneth Burke popularized a vocabulary that allows us to think about various rhetorical devices so we can make sense of experiences.  He believed that by understanding them we could discover and describe “the truth.”  Let’s begin with a definition. What is a trope? It is a way of presenting thought in language. So, Burke wanted to look at how we think based on the language that is being used.

Do you need to know these words to write a good speech? Not at all.  This discussion is here to help you understand the theory that you will need in other classes, it is here to give you a vocabulary to impress your friends, but most of all it is here to help you consider the thought behind the language.

• Metaphor:   A metaphor substitutes one word for another or one idea for another based on some semblance.
• Synecdoche: Synecdoche substitutes one part for the whole. A coach who says he needs “fresh legs” or “fresh eyes” means that they want the whole person–not just the eyes. To have “boots on the ground” means to have the whole soldier on the ground.  When someone is “counting heads” they are counting more than just the head and the Navy a navy officer saying, “All hands on deck” is expecting more than just hands.
• Metonymy: A metonymy elaborates by reducing a concept. It reduces a larger idea to a single word or phrase.  When we say, “the White House issues a statement” we don’t mean the building itself. “Hollywood is corrupt” is a reference to something larger and “beware of the bottle” is not a warning about a bottle, but about the effect of alcohol.
• Irony: Substitutes a statement for its opposite. What is said contradicts what is meant.  When you see that you have a flat tire and say, “That’s great.” You mean just the opposite.

Kenneth Burk in Grammar of Motives

Key Takeaways

Remember This!

• A metaphor is a comparison.
• A simile is a comparison that uses “like” or “and.”
• A theme is a type of extended metaphor.
• An effective metaphor: uses emotional phrases properly, uses a simple thing to help the audience understand something complex, is understood by listeners, fits the cultural context

Side Note: I have tried to include speech samples from various cultures, various people groups, and various political leanings. I purposefully chose speeches that represent a variety of topics to show all the different ways these speech devices are used. You may not agree with the point of view of some of the speakers (there are some of them I do not agree with), but that doesn’t keep us from respecting their ability to construct a good speech. 

Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.

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Do you have an activity to include? Did you notice a typo that I should correct? Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it? Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?

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Brooks, R. (2017). Metaphors for death from around the world. The Langauge Blog. https://k- international.com/blog/metaphors-for-death-around-the-world/

Burke, K. (1954).  Grammar of Motives.   Prentice-Hall.

Burke, K. (1941). Four master tropes. The Kenyon Review 3( 4), 421-438.

Burkely, M. (2017). Why metaphors are important. Psychology Today . https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-social-thinker/201711/why-metaphors-are-important

Bush, G. W. (2001). 911 Address to the Nation. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911addresstothenation.htm

Clinton, B. (1993), Bill Clinton Inaugural Address. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/clinton1.asp

Enelow, D. (1999). The four master troupes. http://faculty.headroyce.org/~denelow/English%2011/rhetoric/Mastertropes.htm;

Churchhill, W. (1940). The finest hour. https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/their-finest-hour/

Jorgensen‐Earp , C.R. & Staton, A.Q . (1993). Student metaphors for the college freshman experience. Communication Education, 42 ( 2), 123-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634529309378920

Cook, T. (2020). Ohio State University.  Commencement speech. https://news.osu.edu/apple-ceo-tim-cook-delivers-ohio-state-commencement-address/

Flusberg, S.J., Matlock, T.  & Thibodeau, P.H.   (2018)   War metaphors in public discourse,   Metaphor and Symbol,   33 ( 1),   1-18,   DOI:  10.1080/10926488.2018.1407992 Available for download https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322238852_War_metaphors_in_public_discourse

Flusberg, S. J., Matlock, T., & Thibodeau, P. H. (2017). Metaphors for the war (or race) against climate change. Environmental Communication, 11 ( 6), 769-783. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2017.1289111

Geary, J. (2009). Metaphorically speaking. TED Global 2009. https://www.ted.com/talks/james_geary_metaphorically_speaking?language=en

Gladkoff, M. Word Nerd. Writing speeches using similes, metaphors, and analogies for greater impact. https://www.word-nerds.com.au/writing-speeches-using-similes-metaphors-and-analogies/

Graves, M.P. (1983). Functions of key metaphors in early Quaker sermons, 1671–1700.  Quarterly Journal of Speech, 69(4), 364-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/00335638309383663

Jensen, J.V. (1983). Metaphor in argumentation. Rhetoric Society Quarterly 13(3-4), 201-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/02773948309390696

Johnson, L. (1964). The great society. http://www.umich.edu/~bhlumrec/c/commence/1964-Johnson.pdf

King, M.L. (1968). I see the promised land. http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/mlk_promised_land.html

Lancaster, S. (2016). Speak like a leader. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGBamfWasNQ

Lakoff, G & Johson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.

Lincoln. A. (1863), Gettysburg Address. http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm

Mandela, N. (1994). Address by Nelson Mandel to the African National Congress National conference on reconstruction and strategy, Johannesburg. http://www.mandela.gov.za/mandela_speeches/1994/940121_recon.htm

Macmillion, H. (1960). The wind of change speech. https://web-archives.univ-pau.fr/english/TD2doc1.pdf

Mere Rhetoric. (2015). Four master tropes. https://mererhetoric.libsyn.com/four-master-tropes

Metaphor. Merriam Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphor

Nehru, J. (1948). Mahatma Gandhi’s Eulogy. https://www.funeralwise.com/celebration-of-life/ceremony/eulogy/gandhi/

Obama, B. (2003). Democratic National Convention keynote address. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2004/barackobama2004dnc.htm

Obama, B. (2008). New Hampshire primary concession speech. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobama/barackobamanewhampshireconcessionspeech.htm

Obama, B. (2009). President Obama’s Eulogy for Senator Edward Kennedy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK5-uJc3EnY

Ogollsby, D. Roadtrip Captian. University of Arkansas.

Osborn, M., & Ehninger, D. (1962). The metaphor in public address. Speech Monographs 29(3). 223-234. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637756209375346

Osborn, M. (1967). Archetypal Metaphor in Rhetoric The Light-Dark Family. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 53 . 115-126. https://doi.org/10.1080/00335636709382823

Osborn, M. (1977). The evolution of the archetypal sea in rhetoric and poetic. Quarterly Journal of Speech 63 , 347-363. https://doi.org/10.1080/00335637709383395

Pollio, H.R.,  Barrow, J.M.,  Fine, H.J.  & Pollio, M.R.  (1977). The Poetics of Growth: Figurative Language in Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Education .  Lawrence Erlbaum

Reagan, R. (1986). President Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Space Shuttle Challenger. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqilE4AAa-M[ Standard YouTube License.

Reagan, R. (1989).  Farewell Address to the Nation. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/farewell-address-nation

Roberts, J. (2017). Cardigan Mountain School Commencement Address. American Rhetoric. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/johnrobertscardigancommencement.htm

Sargent, L.D., Bataille, C.D., Vough, H.C., Lee, M.D. (2011). Metaphors for retirement: Unshackled from scheduled. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 79:2, 315-324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.03.002

Smith, T. Tribute to Grandma. University of Arkansas.

Spielberg, S. (2020). Some Good News Graduation. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IweS2CPSnbI Standard YouTube License

Thibodeau P.H.,  & Boroditsky L (2011) Metaphors We Think With: The Role of Metaphor in Reasoning. PLoS ONE 6(2): e16782. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0016782

Ventura, J. (2016). Sh*t politicians say The funnies, dumbest, most outrageous thins ever uttered by our leaders. Skyhorse Publishing.

Vernacchio, A. (2012). Sex needs a new metaphor. Here’s one. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.ted.com/talks/al_vernacchio_sex_needs_a_new_metaphor_here_s_one Standard YouTube License

Wise, A. (2020, April 17). Military metaphors distort the reality of COVID-19. Scientific American. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/military-metaphors-distort-the-reality-of-covid-19/

University of Arkansas Student Speech Samples from Tasha Smith, Tribute to Grandma, Drew Oglesby, Roadtrip Captain.

Public Speaking by Lynn Meade is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Speech Structure: The Complete OBC Guide

What makes a great speech? The content, of course, but also the structure. All great speakers overlay their content on a well-known structure. 

Your speech structure is the glue that binds your points together. Without it, you cannot really have the impact you desire to have on the audience.

The beauty of this is that a good structure is so subtle it is almost invisible. Its effectiveness is only evident in its impact.

Speech writing can be intimidating for some, however, we have incorporated plenty of speech examples to get a complete understanding. We aim to explain a proper structure that can be applied to any of your speeches.

There are four things you need to keep in mind about this:

Table of Contents

What is the purpose of your speech?

Can too much content be harmful, who is the audience, informative speech, persuasive speech, argumentative speech, demonstration speech, humorous speech, strong statement, visual prop or demonstration, personal anecdote, problem or strong statement, summary on writing your introduction:, credibility, cause and effect:, problems and solutions:, lucky number three, summary on writing your body:, call to action, inspirational, key takeaway, summary of writing your conclusion:, meta description:, picking the right topic.

The content of a speech can largely determine how the audience receives it. For this, you will need to accurately assess who is going to be listening to your speech. There are some questions you need to ask before sitting down to write this speech.

Do you intend to introduce a concept or argue on a controversial topic? Is your purpose of imparting knowledge or guiding the audience through a demonstration? It is essential to have your intentions cleared; otherwise, you can risk creating a speech with no direction.

We understand that as daunting as speaking can be, it is, at the same time, fascinating. When you pick a topic that you are passionate about, it is easy to find yourself packing the speech with all kinds of information. However, in doing so, you can overwhelm your audience.

There is such a thing as too much information. You need to make sure that whatever information you do include is impactful and influential. Aim for something short but memorable. Pick one takeaway message and gear your speech towards that objective.

While it is vital to pick a topic that interests you, it is equally important to make sure that it can grab the audience’s attention. What is the target demographic for your speech? What is the setting for this speech? Is it a particularly controversial topic?

This is important because as humans, most people are likely to be more interested in your presentation if it benefits them somehow. At the same time, you have to consider the setting.

For instance: an office setting would not be the right setting for a controversial social speech. If your speech includes demonstration and requires volunteers, you need to ensure that this is an audience willing to participate.  

Do you understand the various types of speeches?

Before you pen down your presentation, stop to wonder whether you understand the different types of speeches. Understanding what kind of speech you are going for can help you better structure it for maximum efficiency:

An informative speech intends to explain complex topics to your audience by providing engaging information. This can include objects, events, procedures, and more. It is better if you pick a topic that you are interested in so that your enthusiasm shines through.

When you give an informative speech, you are merely trying to educate your audiences about a particular topic. You refrain from becoming too argumentative as it might come across too strong for your listeners. If this is the type of speech you intend to give, you can check out 100 Informative Speech Topics and Ideas to make your job easier. 

A persuasive speech intends to convince the audiences of your viewpoint. It uses compelling points to sway the listener’s opinions. The primary purpose of this type of speech is to affect the audiences’ thought process and persuade them to think about changing how they feel about a topic.

Some examples of a persuasive speech can be a politician’s speech, an animal activist’s speech, and so on. As you can see, the goal here is to persuade and obtain something ultimately. A politician might want to sway your vote in their favor, whereas ani activist has a cause that they’d like to advocate for.

If this is the type of speech you intend to give, you can check out 237 Easy Persuasive Speech Topics and Guide to better plan your speech.

An argumentative speech is more or less a persuasive speech. However, a persuasive speech does not always have to be argumentative. The purpose of an argumentative is to alter how the audience views a subject. 

Changing the audience’s opinion is not an easy job. This is why you need to not only pick a persuasive topic but also believe in it. You need a strong claim along with irrefutable points to support it. 

The best argumentative speeches utilize issues relating to current events. You can see this in the media in the form of mostly social, ethical, political, or religious arguments. Your arguments should make use of logic and realistic examples. Some examples of this type of speech can be: Dress codes shouldn’t be mandatory, Space exploration is a waste of money, etc.

If you’d like to see more topic ideas for an argumentative speech, you can browse the 200 Argumentative Speech Topics and ideas: A Complete Guide . 

A demonstration speech, true to its name, demonstrates to the audience how something works. This type of presentation is more common for high school or college students. It makes use of props and useful body language to properly guide the audience through an activity.

This type of speech can fall under informative speech as you are informing the listeners on a task. While this type of speech is considered a basic speech, it is an excellent way to practice your expository speaking.

If this is the type of speech you’d like to give, here’s a list of 279 Demonstration Speech Topics and Ideas: A Complete Guide , so that you can better perfect your speech.

A humorous speech is the perfect light-hearted solution for adding a fun twist to your speech. This type of presentation aims to entertain the audience. A humorous speech can incorporate any of the above examples. It is, thus, very versatile. And what’s more? You get to have just as much fun delivering it!  

The thing to keep in mind with this kind of speech is that you need to pick a proper topic. You intend to garner a joyful response to its best not to pick a sensitive topic. To help you out, you can browse the 300 Funny Speech Topics to Tickle Some Funny Bones! to structure your humorous speech.

Writing the Introduction (Opening)

The introduction of your speech is vital to the success of your speech. It is what sets the tone of your entire speech. It determines whether or not you grab the attention of the listeners. You will get only one chance to charm your audience and make sure they follow the rest of your speech.

So, how can you make this happen? There are a few different ways you can approach this:

Asking a question is an excellent way to grab your audience’s attention. It piques their curiosity and ensures that they will listen to get an answer to said question. The question can be either rhetorical or literal. For instance, “Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to live in a world without technology?” or “Have you ever felt broken-hearted?”.

Either the audience resonates with your question, or it generates curiosity. This is also a great way to get some audience participation. If you say, “With a show of hands, how many of us here have tried to change our habits and failed?” you can not only garner interest but also physically get the audience invested in your speech.

A question is a great way to get your listeners thinking about your topic while introducing your topic, all in a matter of seconds!

A strong statement is also an excellent way to create a compelling introduction. You must know Martin Luther King’s iconic, “I have a dream.” The intensity that radiates from that sentence immediately captures an audiences’ attention and creates a commanding presence.

Similarly, an excellent example of this type of opening is from Larry Smith’s speech. “I want to discuss with you this afternoon why you’re going to fail to have a great career.” This immediately generates intrigue and curiosity. That’s what you’re going for.

This statement does not have to just be cold facts. It can be a part of a personal story as well. For instance, the statement “Last week, I found out that my childhood friend got in a car accident” is bound to create a powerful silence. If your speech has such a strong emotive statement, you can use it in your introduction to engage your audience better.

Another helpful tip that goes with a strong statement in silence. Give your listener’s a chance to absorb the statement that you have put in front of them with a couple of seconds of silence before diving in further.

A prop can be a fantastic addition to your speech. Not only does it help emphasize your point, but it also helps the audience stay focused on your speech. Props are especially good for a demonstrative speech. Or you can simply incorporate demonstrations as part of your speech.

Body language speaks much louder than words can for us humans. This is why using colorful bags, a deck of cards, colored papers, etc. can be so effective as an opener for your speech. Once, I attended a speech where the speaker brought a heavy bag and simply set it on the table, talking about the bag. The audience was hooked, waiting eagerly till the end to find out what was in the bag.

A quotation can be the perfect way to capture your audience’s attention. It also helps set a tone for the speech that is to come. The quote you pick can be a well-known saying such as “They say all that glitters is not gold, well I beg to differ.” Doing so, you can ignite curiosity.

Similarly, you can also quote a person or a publication and tie it to your speech. For instance, for a motivational speech, you can take the example of someone like Bill Gates- “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” When you use a quote from a big name, you will definitely get people wanting to hear and learn more.

Humor is always a great tool to have in your arsenal. A good icebreaker can warm the listeners up to you and make them more receptive to the rest of your speech. Humor is a very endearing trait for a skilled speaker. Some ideas for your opening can be:

“It’s the funniest thing. As I was coming up to the stage, I began thinking we actually have quite a lot in common. None of us have a clue about what I’m going to say!”

“I know we are all busy, and I want to honor your time. So I will make sure to be accurate and brief, no matter long it takes me.”

The great thing about using humor is that it works on your audience subconsciously. You seem at ease with yourself and radiate confidence. You have to remember that for humor to be effective; it has to be effortless. If you seem unsure about your lines, the audience is sure to pick up on it.

A strong statistic will always add validity to your speeches. Presenting the audience with irrefutable facts backed up by a strong source is a surefire way to gain credibility. It can also add gravity to the scale of the issue that you want to draw attention to. 

However, it is easy to overdo things when it comes to numbers. It can be tempting to add strong statistics to the rest of your speech as well. But remember, the strongest points are ones that linger in an audience’s mind. If you give them too many numbers, none of them will stick out in their heads, and they are bound to feel lost.

Some examples can be: “Look to your right. Now, look to your left. One in three women and one in four women are known to have suffered physical violence. A statement like this not only ignites awareness but also physically makes your listener feel involved in your speech.

An anecdote is a short story taken from your life itself. The story usually adds to the theme of your story. Short and light-hearted anecdotes can add a lot of enthusiasm and charm to your speech. However, you don’t have to make them humorous. Even more, touching stories can be equally, if not more engaging.

When used correctly, a personal anecdote makes for the perfect introduction that draws your listeners towards your central message. Not only does it create empathy, but it also sparks interest. If you don’t have a personal anecdote itself, you can go for a third-person anecdote that speaks to you as well.

Opening with a problem can make for a strong opening. This method generates interest and keeps the audience listening with the promise of an upcoming solution. Try to aim for a problem that caters to a wider demographic for a higher relatability.

Problems that relate to current events can have a better draw. For instance: “Why should remote working be implemented even after quarantine?”

In a similar vein, a powerful statement can be an excellent way to capture your audience’s attention. A statement, when paired with silence, can make for an effective tool. Example: “The top 20% of our society makes 80% of all the money. Would you like to be part of this 20%? If so, I’m going to give you some pointers on how you can align yourself in that direction. Does that sound like something you might be interested in?”

• Your opening plays a big role in whether or not you can grab your listener’s attention straight off the bat.
• Give your audience a reason to pay attention by clearly stating the purpose of your speech.
• If you are giving a speech regarding a field you have some experience with, remember to establish credibility early on.
• Give a short highlight reel of your main points.
• Quotations or powerful statements are a great way to catch the audience’s attention.
• Including current events or statistics will make your speech seem more relevant to a wider range of listeners.
• Asking a question will get your audience more involved and add intrigue to the rest of your presentation.

Structuring your content (Body)

The body of your speech will hold all of your main points. Since this is the longest section of your speech, you need to ensure that it is interesting enough to keep everyone’s attention. Depending on the objective of your speech, you will need to add examples, opinions, and facts to back up your points. What helps during this time is proper organization.

Here are some things you want to keep in mind while drafting the body of your speech:

No matter how much you believe in your point, you still need to give your audience a credible reason to take your word for it. This can be done by adding examples, detailed descriptions, statistics, and so on. Always remember to credit the source when using a statistic. You can also add a strong testimonial to add a touch of personalized support if that applies to your objective.

Transitions

When you have a lot of content packed into your speech, transitions become vital to the effectiveness of your speech. You can consider these as points of a refresh in your speech. Here, the audience can reengage and follow along more attentively. 

The best transitions are always invisible. They can seamlessly add flow to your speech without giving any indication of such to your audience. There are many ways to incorporate this into your speech. 

Some examples can be:

A connective transition is where you reiterate a previous point and introduce a connecting point. The way this method works is that it rehashes an important aspect while relating it to what’s next.

The most effective way to use this is in a problem/solution module. This is where you begin by stating a problem and transition towards a solution.

Example: Now that we’ve understood the various negative effects of junk food, let me tell you how we can plan a better diet to combat obesity.

When you do this, you are providing a summary of the problem and swiftly leading them towards a solution. If you jump straight to the next section, it can feel rushed. Besides, pauses are another important element of speech delivery.

Keywords, as the name suggests, have a certain draw to them. These are words that are central to the theme of your speech. Repetition is a very effective tool in conveying your message. 

For instance: If your speech is about the scarcity of running water in rural communities, you can draw attention by repeating the factors that cause this issue. Doing so will also let you explain in better detail these factors while keeping your audience hooked to the main theme.

Content Approach

Depending on your speech, there are various ways to approach how you frame your content. We all know that content is king; however, without the right approach, it’s easy for your message to get lost along the way. This is why it’s so important to keep your subject matter relevant and interesting. Make sure the content is as compact and concise as you can make it. Some of the methods by which you can ensure this is as follows:

Cause and effect is a great way to present your ideas. This method works best for explaining events and consequences or results. Make sure to include all the appropriate details to add emphasis. The element of ‘what’s next’ is what keeps the audience hooked to your speech. As you unfold a cause and follow it with the effects, it will feel both interesting as well as rewarding to your audience.  

Problem and solution is a speech method as old as time. But it is so because of its reliability. This approach works best for a motivational speech. This type of speech intends to address a problem and offer a systematic solution that benefits the listeners. It is also a common approach for pushing an audience to buy into a service or product. You pose a problem and then offer a solution, including a whole package. Make sure the solution you offer is versatile so that it applies to a wider range of people, thereby increasing appeal.

A narrative approach is excellent for anybody who wants to sharpen their storytelling skills. The important ingredients for a narrative speech are chronology and a simple organization pattern. Typically, any story will have a beginning, middle, and end. Going in order, with smooth transitions will make your story easy to follow. 

This type of speech is most effective for presenting events, life lessons, experiences, rituals, and personal beliefs. Try to stick to the core of the story without too many unnecessary details. Just because a narrative includes storytelling does not mean it can’t have an end goal. For instance: a personal experience of failure might be a great story of caution for the listeners.

The most important thing for a successful narrative speech is build-up. You want your audience to be invested, to care about what comes next, to raise the stakes so that when you provide the conclusion, it is that much more effective. You must always ask yourself, “What do I want the audience to remember after this speech?”.

The best way to write this would be to outline a sketch of events that are relevant to your narrative. After that, you can think about the best way to escalate the stakes. Remember that eye contact is an important visual medium in a narrative speech. It will help your audience connect better to your story.

The number three is impactful. Even the general structure of a speech is divided into three parts: Opening, Body, and Conclusion. When you want to make a point that people remember, you should consider splitting it into three, where the first two act as a build-up while your final point brings the unexpected impact.

The best thing about this method is that you can apply it to just about any kind of speech. This, in fact, adds more structure to your speech and makes it more easily digestible. The key ingredient here becomes balance and transition. Make sure you focus on all three elements of your story equally, so it does not feel rushed. Add in a seamless transition to make your story structure seem effortless.  

• Make sure you have designed your content to suit your audience.
• Divide your body into easily digestible sections so that your main points come across clearly.
• Stress on keywords and clever repetitions to drive your point home.
• Work on your transitions to establish clear sections but a seamless switch to keep your listeners hooked.
• When using facts or statistics, always back it up with a credible source.

Closing your speech (Conclusion)

The conclusion is vital to the success of your speech. This is the parting thought that you will be leaving your audience with, so you have to make sure that it’s a good one. The conclusion is where you reiterate your key point. This is why there is so much importance put on a conclusion to be powerful enough to stay in your memory.

Here are some possible ways you can approach your conclusion:

A call-to-action refers to a statement or material that intends to encourage the listener or viewer to take the initiative. It can also be considered as instruction as it usually directs the audience towards something. 

The most effective way to approach this is to manage both your energy as well as your tempo. While it is essential to maintain a clear and well-enunciated speech throughout, when you reach a conclusion, you are going to want to speed up just a little bit. 

What this does is add a sense of urgency to the message that you are giving. Similarly, higher energy makes the audience resonate and respond equally. They will associate this high energy with your message and remember your speech for longer.

Some examples of this can be: “As we can see, the effects of depression can be life-threatening. So I encourage each and every one of you to go home today and reach out to your friends, talk to them and open up a platform where they know they can come to talk to you for anything. Because you’d rather hear their problems than hear about their death.”

For speeches that are over 5-6 minutes long, the audience can sometimes lose track of the earlier points. This is why it is necessary to summarize your main points before you leave the stage. You don’t have to take them through the entire story, but make sure you include the keywords that trigger in them the memory of that portion. 

You can do this by saying something along the lines of “Let me briefly run you through what we discussed” or “So, we talked about three main things today.” This not only does a great job of reiterating and reconfirming your main points but also signals to the audience that you are drawing towards the end of your presentation.

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.

Even though you might be well familiarized with your speech, it is safe to assume that most of the audience is hearing it for the first time. For this reason, you need to drive your point home by essentially drilling it into their minds. Now, you can’t simply repeat the central theme over and over as that isn’t an effective strategy. But there can be an art to repetition as well.

You should aim to rephrase and reinforce your central idea as you conclude your speech. Don’t go for a word-for-word repetition, but aim to reframe your key themes and arguments. Paraphrasing, in this way, makes sure that you capture the essence of your speech without running the risk of boring your listeners with identical sentences.

We don’t even need to look too far for examples of this method. In Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, he used this method of repetition paired with a rising momentum to create impact. Repetition works best when it is subtle and works on the listeners subconsciously.

Ending your speech on a light note is a great way to brighten moods and make sure the audience remembers your message. Your joke can also be a good way to repeat your central message. If you do decide to end with a humorous story, remember to carve out more time for it. Make sure your conclusion doesn’t distract from your main message.

Some people tend to get too excited and give away the upcoming punchline. Remember that the most effective humor approach is one you don’t see coming. How you can add the subtlety to your conclusion is by following this formula:

Set up – pause – Build up – pause – Punchline

Motivational conclusions are always an upbeat way to close your speech. You will be leaving the stage on high energy that is sure to be contagious. This also ensures that your audience will be taking a piece of your conclusion with them, making sure that it is not only memorable but also useful.

There are many ways to approach an inspirational closing. You can go with an anecdote, a quote, a poem, and so on. The purpose is to give a push, to add strength, to ignite a can-do attitude. 

The trick to a powerful inspirational speech is emotion. Humans are excellent at empathizing. If you can adequately emote throughout your story, adding drama into your storytelling, then it is bound to have a more substantial effect. Vocal variety can also be an excellent element for this. Alter your tempo to weave excitement into your story. You can also use smart pauses to add more intrigue. 

Your facial expressions play a significant role in how the audience receives your speech. Whether it is a sad or happy story, make sure that your face conveys it. It can be addictive to have the audience’s attention like this, but don’t get too greedy. Remember to end on your highest note, leaving a lasting impression. 

There are many types of speeches out there. For instance: you might think that a humorous speech is just that: humorous. But think again. All the best speeches have at least one key takeaway.

A takeaway message is quite similar to an inspirational conclusion. The question you have to ask yourself is this: What is the purpose of my speech? Even if you’ve got a fantastic anecdotal story to share, you have to remember that the audience will always wonder what they are getting from the speech. That will be your takeaway.

For an effective conclusion, you have to step back and overview your speech. From your introduction to the body, what is the message you are trying to convey? Make sure your conclusion reflects it. For example: if your speech is about a drowning story, you can probably try to include what you could’ve done and how the audience can avoid being in a similar situation.

A call-back is a fun twist to add to your conclusion. There is a reason why a circle is one of the most pleasing shapes; it gives you a sense of completion. Even if you aren’t aware of it, it works on your mind subliminally. An effective way to conduct this method is to find a way to tie your ending to your introduction.

You can understand a call-back as a reference. It doesn’t have to be limited to just the introduction; you can reference the body of your speech as well. This not only makes for a great repetition tool but also adds a feeling of completion into your presentation.

However, you should pick something that the audience can connect to. This helps create a special and unique bond as if it were an inside joke just between you two. 

• Signal your audience when you’re drawing to your conclusion.
• Add trigger transitions like “In conclusion,” “In summary,” “That brings us towards the end,” and so on.
• Try to end on a high note with something memorable.
• Write your conclusion last so that it complements your introduction.
• Try to paraphrase your words without repeating the same words over and over.
• Your audience is more likely to remember your speech if you end with something useful to them or with a call to action.
• Leave on an attention-grabbing note. 

Wrapping Up:

A speech typically has one of four purposes: to inform, to entertain, to instruct, or to persuade. To deliver an effective speech, you need to first make sure you understand what your objective is. Then, you can follow our guidelines to construct a solid structure and deliver a well-rounded and impactful presentation. Now that you know how to create an effective speech structure, you are ready to dominate the stage!  

The best speech structures are invisible and effective. Learn the tips and tricks to deliver the perfect opening, body, and conclusion and wow the stage.

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A Proclamation on Older Americans Month,   2024

            Older Americans have worked their whole lives to achieve the American Dream for their families and communities, making our Nation stronger and building a future of possibilities for new generations.  This month, we celebrate their immense contributions to our country and stand firm in our efforts to ensure that every American can age with the dignity and financial security that they deserve.

     Sixty years ago, a third of older Americans still lived in poverty, and close to half had no health insurance.  Over the years, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid helped to change that.  Today, they are lifelines for tens of millions of Americans and proof of what government can do to transform lives for the better.  I will always fight to protect and strengthen these programs.  Folks have paid into Social Security and Medicare from their very first paychecks; the benefits of these programs belong to the American people.  It is a sacred trust that people rely on.  That is why I have proposed strengthening Social Security — not cutting it as others have suggested — by asking the highest-income Americans to pay their fair share.  My new Budget would also extend the life of the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund indefinitely to protect the crucial health insurance that nearly 67 million Americans today rely on.  At the same time, we are cracking down on so-called junk fees on retirement savings to ensure financial advisors give advice that is in your best interest rather than theirs, protecting the savings you have worked for your whole life. 

     Across the board, we are also working to cut the cost of health insurance and prescription drugs to give folks a little more breathing room.  After years of others trying, we finally beat Big Pharma, giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices as the Department of Veterans Affairs has done for years.  Our Inflation Reduction Act also caps the cost of insulin for people on Medicare at $35 per month, down from as much as $400 per month.  Next year, it will cap out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare at $2,000 per year, even for expensive drugs that cost many times that.  We have also expanded the range of services that people on Medicare have access to, including dental, mental health, and nutritional health services.  Additionally, following an Executive Order I signed, hearing aids are now available over the counter, so millions of people with hearing loss can now buy them at a store or online without a prescription, saving up to $3,000 per pair. 

     Folks who have spent their whole lives building a community deserve to live, work, and participate in that community as long as they would like.  That is why my Administration is also making historic investments in home care.  The American Rescue Plan delivered $37 billion to help States strengthen their Medicaid home care programs by recruiting, training, and paying more home care workers and providing counseling, training, and support to family caregivers.  Last year, I signed the Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, the most comprehensive set of executive actions in history for improving care for hardworking families.  My new Budget would significantly expand Medicaid home care services to reduce the long waiting list and empower more folks to continue full lives in their communities.  We made sure home care workers are getting a bigger share of Medicaid payments and nursing homes have enough staff to guarantee every resident the safe, healthy, caring environment they deserve.  Further, we’re making groundbreaking investments in the fight to end cancer and other deadly diseases as we know it, reminding us that our country can do big things when we work together.

     There is still so much we can do to support our seniors.  I have also called to strengthen the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-paid workers who are not raising children in their homes — saving Americans, including our Nation’s older workers, an average of $800 on their taxes.  My new Budget requests funding to extend my Administration’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which has made internet more affordable for 4 million seniors.  

     Older Americans are the backbone of our Nation.  They have built the foundation that we all stand upon today, guided by the core values that define America — freedom, equality, decency, and opportunity.  Their work has helped prove that our Nation can do big things when we come together.  Now, it is up to all of us to build a future on those same values — a future where we defend democracy instead of diminish it, safeguard our freedoms, invest in communities that have too often been left behind, and deliver for older Americans while ensuring the people they love will be taken care of for generations to come.   

     This month, we celebrate older Americans’ contributions by recommitting to those ideals and defending everyone’s right to live full lives with dignity and respect.  We will always have their backs.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2024 as Older Americans Month.  This month and beyond, I call upon all Americans to celebrate older adults for their contributions, support their independence, and recognize their unparalleled value to our Nation.

    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

                        JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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Speech Sounds

Octavia e. butler, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Miscommunication and Violence

In the world of “Speech Sounds,” a mysterious illness has spread around the globe and left most of its survivors unable to speak, read, write, or understand spoken language. Because of this, society has broken down: the government and police no longer exist, armed bandits roam the streets sowing chaos, and when communicating by gesture fails—as it often does—violence erupts between civilians. By narrating a day in the life of Rye , a resident of…

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World Press Freedom Day 2024: Inspiring quotes, images, and wishes to champion freedom of speech

As we celebrate world press freedom day today, here are some inspirational quotes, powerful images, and heartfelt wishes to share to encourage and support journalists and media professionals advocating for free and independent media and speech..

World Press Freedom Day , observed annually on May 3rd , is a significant day honouring and upholding the fundamental principles of press freedom. It is a call to action, urging us to advocate for the independence of the media and the protection of journalists. It recognises the vital role that a free and independent press plays in upholding the public’s right to information and holding those in power accountable.

This year, the Government of Chile and UNESCO will host the 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference in Santiago, with the theme for 2024 being “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis.”

As we commemorate World Press Freedom Day today, let us reflect on the importance of free and independent media and recommit ourselves to the protection and promotion of this fundamental human right as together, we can ensure that journalists can continue to fulfil their vital role in informing and empowering the public without fear of reprisal or censorship.

Here are some World Freedom Press Day quotes, wishes, images, and more below:

1. Celebrating the voices that bring us the truth. Happy World Press Freedom Day!

2. To all journalists worldwide: your courage in telling the truth makes a difference. Wish you a safe and free Press Freedom Day.

3. In honour of World Press Freedom Day, let’s remember the importance of a free press in keeping societies informed and accountable.

4. May the press always be free, and the truth never be a casualty. Wishing everyone a reflective World Press Freedom Day.

5. Here’s to defending and celebrating the journalists who face challenges every day to report the truth. Happy World Press Freedom Day!

6. Wishing all journalists and media professionals a very Happy Press Freedom Day 2024! May your courage and dedication continue to illuminate the truth and foster transparency in our society.

7. On World Press Freedom Day, let’s celebrate the essential role of the free press in upholding democracy and safeguarding human rights. Here’s to fearless journalism and informed citizens in 2024!

8. Happy Press Freedom Day 2024! May this day remind us of the importance of protecting press freedom as a pillar of democracy and a watchdog of justice and equality.

9. As we celebrate Press Freedom Day 2024, let us commit to supporting and defending the rights of journalists around the world to report freely and without fear. Your voices are vital.

10. This Press Freedom Day, let’s honour those who bring us the news with integrity and bravery. Wishing a safe and free journalistic environment for all media professionals in 2024!

11. On World Press Freedom Day, we recognise the essential work of journalists who strive to keep the public informed. May 2024 bring you greater freedom and protection as you continue your vital role in society.

12. Wishing everyone a thoughtful World Press Freedom Day 2024! May we all appreciate and uphold the freedom of the press, recognizing its critical role in our democracy and our lives.

13. Wishing a courageous Press Freedom Day to all journalists who tackle the environmental crisis through their reporting. May your efforts lead to greater awareness and prompt global action to safeguard our environment.

14. This Press Freedom Day, we celebrate the fearless and dedicated journalists who bring critical environmental stories to light. Thank you for being the voice of our planet during these critical times. Keep inspiring change!

15. Happy World Press Freedom Day! Today, we celebrate the strength and bravery of journalists everywhere. Your dedication to unveiling the truth makes the world a better place.

16. Wishing everyone a thoughtful World Press Freedom Day 2024! May we all appreciate and uphold the freedom of the press, recognizing its critical role in our democracy and our lives.

• World Press Freedom Day

The Canadian police has made arrests in connection with the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last year, a  CBC News report said. Nijjar, a 45-year-old Canadian citizen, was attacked and shot multiple times in a gangland-style incident while leaving a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, last year.

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