Lesson Summary: Main Idea vs. Theme in Poetry
Poems have both a main idea and a theme.
Main idea:
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What the poem is mostly about.
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It is specific to that poem/text.
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It's not a summary because it doesn't contain many specific details.
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The main idea is the idea that all those little details go to support.
To find the main idea, it helps to use: RPM:
R - Read the poem.
P - Paraphrase (put the poem in your own words)
M - Main idea.
Ask yourself: What is the central idea that's supported by all those paraphrased statements?
Theme

The lesson about life or statement about human nature that the poem expresses.
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It is universal (applies to everyone)
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It is usually implied.
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There’s no simple method for approaching theme, but you can use the steps below to help.
1. Start by figuring out the main idea (see steps above).
2. Then keep looking around the poem for details such as the structure, sounds, word choice, and any
poetic devices, such as metaphors or symbols.
3. Consider the effect of these devices as you ask yourself about what lesson the poem might be
teaching about life.
4. While you're doing that, take the pressure off yourself. Sometimes poems have more than one
theme, but you have to make sure you are able to support the theme with plenty of evidence from
the poem.