What is a Thematic Essay?

Written by

Marilyn Pryle

August 14, 2023

6 min read

A thematic essay is based on a specific question or theme. A writer will develop a main idea or a theme around which the whole essay will revolve. The writer answers certain questions related to the opted idea and explain using certain literary devices. These devices could be:

• Metaphor.
• Personification.
• Comparison.
• Foreshadowing.
• Imagery.

A writer will reveal the primary subject and explain all the literary devices used in the text, and express the significance of the theme. For example, this article is itself a thematic essay as the basic purpose or the idea behind this article is to help you write an essay.

How do you write a Theme Essay?

To write a theme essay, you should follow the following tips:

1. Paragraphs should be five or more depending upon the theme. A minimum requirement is five paragraphs.
2. Brainstorm ideas at first.
3. It must include a thesis statement or the topic sentence.
4. Introduction must elaborate the thesis statement.
5. Main body must discuss the literary devices used.
6. Add relevant supporting details to the main body that defend your theme.
7. Conclusion should be precise and finishes off the essay stating the overall significance.
8. Be relevant and precise.
9. Add necessary examples where needed.
10. Refer to the author and avoid giving your personal opinion.

Thematic Essay Outline

The outline of a thematic essay is similar to the general essay writing. It includes an introduction, main body, and the conclusion.

How do you introduce a Thematic Essay?

Introduction is the heart of every essay. It should not involve any stories but must be relevant, precise, and interesting for the reader. An introduction will decide that the reader would further go through the essay or not. A weak introduction might not get the attention of a reader but a strong introduction will definitely get the interest of the reader. These are some basic tips that will help you in developing a strong introduction:

• Select a relevant topic.
• First sentence should be a hook statement. A good hook statement will grab the reader’s attention instantly.
• Provide necessary background information after the hook statement. This will help the readers to better understand your claims in the rest of the text.
• Now add a thesis statement. The statement should summarize the main idea or theme of the essay.
• The thesis statement should be well researched and related to the theme.

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The body paragraphs of a thematic essay follow strict formatting.

• Every paragraph must represent a literary device.
• Every sentence should have author’s name and his connection to the claim you are making along with a literary device.
• The easiest way to strengthen your claims is to insert examples from book.
• You can add quotations or actions relevant to the theme of the essay.
• Literary devices are necessary to use as they reduce the risk of losing the focus of the essay.
• Be precise and do not give your own opinion as this is an expository essay.

For the conclusion:

• Never add new information to the conclusion even if it is related to the topic.
• The conclusion must summarize what you have explained in the body paragraphs.
• Use you thesis statement at first with a transition like “in a nutshell”
• Summarize the three most important claims and briefly discuss how these claims influence the thesis statement.
• Lastly, add an overall concluding sentence that gives a wide analysis of the discussion.

Animal farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is a political allegory inspired by the rise of Soviet communism. The farm animals create a political philosophy called Animalism. It is idyllic at first, but is twisted and abused until it becomes a force of oppression used by the ruling class (the pigs).

One of the most important themes in Animal Farm is that of class conflict. Old Major encourages the animals (the working class) to rebel against the humans (the upper class leaders). Their initial attempts to create a utopian society are foiled by the power-hungry Napoleon, who declares that “some animals are more equal than others” and becomes indistinguishable from a human.

Truth becomes an important theme in the novel, particularly when Napoleon relies on the eloquent pig Squealer to spread lies in the form of propaganda. Squealer’s lies manipulate the animals and consolidate Napoleon’s power.

Animal Farm perhaps works best not as a specific allegory of the Russian Revolution but rather as a fable about the basic nature of human beings, both in isolation and in groups, which militates against any utopian ideal. What Orwellhas seized upon is precisely those qualities of animals that humans share which make such an ideal impossible—qualities such as sloth, stupidity, fear, and greed. The central irony of the fable is that although the animals initially rebel against the humans because of behavior which humans usually call “beastly,” the animals themselves, as the work progresses, become more and more like humans—that is, more and more base and beastly.

This is not the complete essay but just an extract for your guidance. This essay is based upon a novel regarding the Russian Revolution. Other topics that can be chosen are:

1. Belief systems.
2. Global reagents.
3. History related topics.

Bottom Line

From the above example you might be clear about thematic essay. We have tried to be as clear as possible and hope that this would help you in writing a theme essay. Being a student, you must remember the above stated rules and do not forget to add at least five paragraphs in your essay. Be precise and relevant as much as you can. Do not vague as the reader would lose interest. Avoid giving your personal opinion and add the author’s name and elaborate the literary devices used. For the introduction, a hook statement would give you bonus points.