All 3 Uses of
theme
in
The Secret Life of Bees
- I felt like I'd been traveling for weeks, like I'd been dodging lions and tigers on a safari through the jungle, trying to get to the Lost Diamond City buried in the Congo, which happened to be the theme of the last matinee I'd seen in Sylvan before leaving.
p. 78.4theme = basic idea
- "I bet you like to write themes," he said, rolling his eyes.
p. 120.5 *themes = essays written by students
- Rosaleen offered to bake the wedding cake layers, and Violet and Queenie were going to decorate it with a "rainbow theme."
p. 280.2 *theme = unifying ideaeditor's notes: Often such an idea is found in a literary or artistic work, but it could be for something as simple as a party or, in this case, a single cake.
Definitions:
-
(1)
(theme as in: theme of the novel) a basic idea that underlies what is being said or done -- especially in a literary or artistic work
-
(2)
(theme as in: musical theme) the initial or primary melody of a musical composition
or
(as in "theme song") music that is most repeated in a film, television series, or other theatrical production -
(3)
(theme as in: wrote a 2-page theme on my summer) an essay written by a student
(This sense of theme is much rarer in recent decades than in the past.) - (4) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)