2. LESSON OBJECTIVES
• Demonstrate understanding of the social context of a literary
work
• Evaluate the impact of cultural experiences on literary
themes or topics
• Analyze the author’s use of a first-person narrator
• Write a synthesis essay utilizing more than one source
#GOALS
3. WHAT ARE SOCIAL THEMES?
• A theme is the underlying message of the story.
It is the central idea and varies depending on
the reader.
• Typical themes in literature deal with issues that are
common to most people, such as loss of innocence,
difficult family relationships, new love, etc.
• A social theme is an idea or message that
applies directly to society and societal issues.
• Deal with issues that concern a particular group of
people, such as those in a certain neighborhood,
geographical region, or religious community.
• Usually specific to a time and place, but they may echo
in other cultures and times as well.
4. EXAMPLES OF SOCIAL
ISSUES AND THEMES
• POVERTY
• RACISM
• CRIME
• DISCRIMINATION
• SEXISM
• CLIMATE CHANGE
• UNEMPLOYMENT
5. IDENTIFYING SOCIAL THEMES
• Often portray characters struggling against poverty,
prejudice, and other social obstacles
• Focus on people who have few, if any, rights and privileges
in society
• Look for characters who have little control over their fate,
and ask yourself: what social factors contribute to their
situation?
• Clarify the conflicts in the story and determine to what
extent they are caused by forces beyond a character’s role
• Examine direct statements of a character’s or narrator’s
opinions to see whether these provide clues to a theme
• Think about the author’s reason for writing the story. What
was he or she trying to achieve?
