Themes are often what make a story memorable. Long after reading a story, we may forget the characters’ names or the plot, but we will always remember what we learned from reading the story. That lesson is what we call the theme in literature. Living a simple life leads to greater personal freedom. Themes are built on the understanding that life experiences are common to all of us. Readers build connections to stories through universal themes. Appearances can be deceiving. True friends are hard to find.

the writer’s overall purpose determines the techniques he or she uses. The writer’s

reason for writing a particular article or book may be manipulative, as in propaganda

or advertising, or may be more straightforward, as in informative writing. In either

case, understanding the writer’s underlying purpose will help you interpret the context of the

writing. It will also help you see why writers make the decisions they do—from the largest

decisions about what information to present to the smallest details of what words to use. The

chapter concludes with instructions on how to write an analysis of purpose and technique. This

kind of rhetorical analysis will provide the perspective required to keep you from being pushed by

words in directions you don’t want to go.

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