Subject matter and theme

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Reading through many sources both online and in print, you realize that drawing a line between theme and subject matter is difficult even to literary critics. Some definitions use many different words to differentiate these two terminologies but end up talking about the same thing. 

This article, therefore, comes in handy. It seeks to alleviate this problem by demarcating a clear line between theme and subject matter.


Theme

Theme is the central idea not only in poetry but in all types of works of literature.

 In the analysis of theme, literary critics must go deeper than merely looking and what the poem is about. They must look at the happenings in the poem and relate them to the society. 

This, therefore, means that theme has to do with the significance of the occurrences in the poem to the society. 

It should be noted that in K.C.S.E, the examiner expects the candidate to describe theme in one or several words (should not be too long) then illustrate it. For example, the theme of love--the persona confesses his love for the addressee. 

In the poem Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave? the deceased is surprised that his close relatives are already digging on his grave not long after his demise. Therefore, the main theme is whether those who claim to love us genuinely do. 

The poem seeks to show that such people are most of the time hypocritical. What they say in our presence is not necessarily true.

Subject matter 


On the other, the subject matter is what the poem is about. It is more superficial than theme. 

Whereas theme may go as deep as looking at the significance of the poem to the society, the subject matter is strictly what the poem is about at the face value.

The subject matter of the poem To An Athlete Dying Young is a young ambitious athlete who dies at the peak of his career.  He is brought home twice on the shoulders of fellow townsmen.

The first is his triumphant entry with a trophy for his town while the second is an entry to a stiller town. He is home to be buried. 

And the persona praises him for dying young because he won't witnesses the breaking of his record. 

That is the furthest the subject matter should go. It is simply the topic of the poem. In the context of K.C. S. E, the candidate should briefly talk about what the poem is about--paraphrase the poem. 


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