The Tempest: Themes and Motifs

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Most likely, the part of the song that will now be stuck in your head is the repeated chorus.

• "A B C, It's easy
• as 1 2 3, as simple as
• Do re mi, A B C, 1 2 3
• Baby you and me girl"

This is an example of a hook. In music, a hook is a short, catchy combination of lyrics, melody, and rhythm that catches the listener's ear.

The pattern of a hook is easy to identify, and it makes the song easy to remember whether you want to or not!

Before continuing, if you missed a lesson or want a refresher, go to the Related Lessons in the right-hand sidebar.

Writers use something similar to a hook to help readers remember the themes of their works. The theme of a work is the main idea or underlying meaning of the work.

Themes are sometimes directly stated. For example, in the novel Les Miserables, Victor Hugo tells readers in the preface that the novel will address the issue of the degradation of poverty.

Other times, themes are stated indirectly, so you must read to uncover them.

Some common examples of themes in literature include the importance of family, love conquers all, man's struggle against societal pressures, and appearance versus reality (something is not what it seems).

A motif is a word, character, object, image, metaphor, or idea that reoccurs in a work.

Just like a hook in music makes the song stay in the listener's head, the pattern created by a motif contributes to the meaning of one of the themes in the work to help the message stay with the reader.

For example, in Disney's 1998 film Mulan, one of the themes is the search for identity. The main character, Mulan, struggles between her family's wishes for her to become a wife and her desire to fight for her country.

One of the motifs in the film is reflection. Watch as Mulan sings the song "Reflection" early in the movie.

This introduces the motif. If you were to watch the film, you would notice a pattern of reflections.

The movie's final scene portrays Mulan arriving home after fighting to defend her country. As you watch the video below, look for the reflection in the water of father and daughter embracing.

This reflection shows that Mulan has found her identity and that her father is happy to see her and not just because of the honor she has earned for the family name.

Move on to the Got It? section to further examine motif.