{"id":5894,"date":"2025-11-28T09:55:57","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/examples-of-themes\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T09:55:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:55:57","slug":"examples-of-themes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/examples-of-themes\/","title":{"rendered":"Examples of Themes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me tell you about the time I accidentally became a theme detective during my Thursday night book club \u2014 armed with cheap Trader Joe\u2019s wine and a stubborn belief that Moby Dick<\/em> was \u201cjust about a fish.\u201d (Spoiler: It wasn\u2019t. At all.)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned through cringey moments and \u201caha\u201d breakthroughs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u201cOh, That\u2019s<\/em> What Themes Are\u201d Phase<\/h3>\n

I used to think themes were dusty academic terms teachers invented to torture students. Then my friend Jess pointed out that the rivalry in our kids\u2019 Little League (looking at you, overly competitive dads with Bluetooth headsets) mirrored the \u201cus vs. them\u201d tension in The Hunger Games<\/em>. Lightbulb moment: Themes aren\u2019t hidden \u2014 they\u2019re patterns buzzing in everyday life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My rookie mistake:<\/strong> Confusing plot and theme. Example: Thinking The Lorax<\/em> was \u201cabout trees\u201d instead of corporate greed vs. environmental care. My 9-year-old niece roasted me for that one.<\/p>\n

\n

Themes That Keep Showing Up (Like That One Neighbor)<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. \u201cHome isn\u2019t a place, it\u2019s people\u201d<\/strong>: Hit me during a cross-country move. My \u201chome\u201d became my dog\u2019s wagging tail and group texts with my sisters \u2014 same vibe as The Wizard of Oz<\/em> (\u201cThere\u2019s no place like home\u201d).<\/li>\n
  2. \u201cGrowth requires discomfort\u201d<\/strong>: Learned this rewiring my 1970s lamp (RIP, YouTube tutorial). Also, Encanto\u2019s<\/em> Mirabel refusing to stay the \u201cweird cousin\u201d forever.<\/li>\n
  3. \u201cPower corrupts\u201d<\/strong>: Saw this play out when our HOA president tried to ban pink flamingo yard decor. Macbeth<\/em> would\u2019ve nodded solemnly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    How to Spot Themes Without Overcomplicating It<\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Listen to character rants<\/strong>: If someone\u2019s monologuing about \u201clife\u2019s unfairness\u201d at 2 AM (looking at you, Breakfast Club<\/em>), that\u2019s a clue.<\/li>\n
    • Notice repeated symbols<\/strong>: In Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/em>, David\u2019s ridiculous sweaters mirror his journey from hiding his quirks to flaunting them.<\/li>\n
    • Ask: \u201cWhat\u2019s the story really<\/em> wrestling with?\u201d<\/strong> Toy Story<\/em> isn\u2019t about toys \u2014 it\u2019s about obsolescence and finding purpose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      My hack<\/strong>: Describe the story in 3 words to someone who\u2019s never seen\/heard it. If you say \u201cpride, revenge, obsession\u201d for Moby Dick<\/em>, you\u2019ve nailed its themes.<\/p>\n

      \n

      Why This Matters Off the Page<\/h3>\n

      Themes shape how we process life. When my brother lost his job, we kept referencing Rocky<\/em> montages (persistence) and Ted Lasso<\/em> (kindness as strength). They became shorthand for hope.<\/p>\n

      Surprising twist<\/strong>: Brands use themes too! Nike\u2019s \u201cJust Do It\u201d taps into overcoming adversity. My local coffee shop\u2019s \u201cCommunity First\u201d motto? Straight out of Parks and Rec<\/em>.<\/p>\n

      \n

      Your Turn (No English Degree Required)<\/h3>\n

      Next time you binge Stranger Things<\/em> or argue about Barbie<\/em>, ask: What\u2019s this story trying to say about being human?<\/strong> Themes are everywhere \u2014 PTA meetings, TikTok dramas, even your GroupChat meltdowns.<\/p>\n

      And if you\u2019re still stuck? Do what I do: text your most dramatic friend. They\u2019ll instinctively rant about the \u201cdeeper meaning\u201d of why Karen took the last gluten-free muffin. Trust me.<\/p>\n

      (Now go forth and overanalyze everything. I\u2019ll be here, side-eyeing my HOA\u2019s anti-flamingo policy.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Let me tell you about the time I accidentally became a theme detective during my Thursday night book club \u2014 armed with cheap Trader Joe\u2019s wine and a stubborn belief that Moby Dick was \u201cjust about a fish.\u201d (Spoiler: It wasn\u2019t. At all.) Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned through cringey moments and \u201caha\u201d breakthroughs: The \u201cOh,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}