Is patience and virtue a theme or a topic?

Question

Is patience and virtue a theme or a topic?

Answer 1

Hi there.

Both?

Patience and virtue are universal themes often found in literature, but depending on the task you've been asked to do, they could simply be considered topics. It sounds like you are being asked to differentiate between topics and thematic statements, but without the details, I'm guessing? Anyhoo, just in case--a thematic statement is an argument or claim that you develop about a universal theme's role within a text. For example: Patience often requires sacrifice. This is a thematic statement about the topic of patience.

I hope this helps.

Dawn

Answer 2

Theme and topic really depend on what you're talking about. If these are present in a novel, for instance, they will be a theme. If you're asked to write an essay about something, they're asking you to consider the topic of it. Patience and virtue works the same way. If it's from a book, it's probably a theme. If they're asking "write about the topic of patience and virtue" in a book, they usually mean the theme. If someone just asks you to discuss the topic of patience and virtue, they mean for you to talk about your opinions, not necessarily in literature. I hoped that helped!