How to Write the Thesis Statement

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How to Write the Thesis Statement

• AP English Literature

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The thesis statement in an essay of literary
analysis functions as follows

• It narrows your topic to a central ideaall topic
  sentences and body paragraphs will develop and
  support this idea.
• It asserts something specific and significant
  about the topic.
• It asserts an arguable claim.
• It conveys your expert opinion and analyses.
• It may preview how your ideas will be arranged
  within your essay (in other words, in what order
  your ideas appear within the body).
• It is logical, precise, and reasonable.
• It responds to how and why questions.

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The thesis is an arguable claim.

• The thesis must assert an argument that could be
  disputed.
• However, you as the writer, will prove your
  argument through logical supporting sub-points
  (topic sentences) and supporting evidence (text
  citation, or quotes).
• Think of yourself as a lawyer trying to convince
  your reader that your stand on the topic is
  logical, insightful, and complete.

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Here are some strategies for formulating a thesis
statement...
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1. Decode the writing prompt

• Pay close attention to the language of the
  prompt.
• Underline or highlight words in the prompt that
  indicate specific areas of focus.
• Use the language of the prompt while composing
  your thesis, without being repetitive.
• Remember to address ALL aspects of the prompt,
  not just the parts you are most interested in.

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2. Take inventory

• Determine which supporting details or passages
  you will use in the body of your essay and ask
  yourself if each example really proves what you
  claim in your thesis.
• Avoid selecting arbitrary quotes or choosing
  quotes whose accompanying analysis may undermine
  or contradict what you claim in the thesis.

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3. Identify relationships, distinctions,
categories

• Once you have a variety of supporting details,
  determine what aspects of the thesis statement
  each detail supports.
• These distinctions or categories will be used to
  determine what your topic sentences and body
  paragraphs will be made up of.

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4. Revise Draft

• Revise and rewrite the thesis as many times as
  needed to achieve satisfaction.
• Begin with a working thesis statement that you
  are not married to. Plan to make revisions as you
  work through your essay.
• Frequently refer back to the original prompt to
  be sure that you are responding to all of the
  requirements. You may find that after you have
  written the body paragraphs, your paper has taken
  a different direction than you initially started
  out with. In that case, you must revise your
  thesis statement to suit the rest of your essay.

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Consider the following checklist when composing a
thesis statement

1. Do not use first-person point of view unless you
   are writing an autobiographical or personal
   narrative. Formal literary analysis requires the
   use of third-person point of view.
2. The thesis statement should be limited to one or
   two sentences.
3. Refer to the writing prompt frequently and be
   sure that your thesis clearly responds to all
   aspects of the writing prompt.

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1. The thesis statement is located at the end of the
   introductory paragraph in a typical literary
   analysis essay.
2. The thesis can be a roadmap for the ideas
   presented in the essay it informs the reader
   what will be analyzed and in what order.
3. The thesis statement presents ideas in logical,
   clear, and specific language it avoids vague or
   abstract language, poor diction, and slang.
4. The thesis statement is analytical, not factual
   it conveys the writers expert opinion, or
   assertion, and avoids stating the obvious. It
   answers how and why questions.

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Sample Thesis Statements

• Consider the strengths and weaknesses of the
  following samples. Refer to the checklist in your
  evaluations.

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Sample 1

• The controlling theme of memory develops meaning
  throughout Morrisons Beloved as a narrative
  technique, weaving insight and emotion into the
  characters, plot, and symbols.

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Sample 2

• Ana Castillos short story Subtitles explores
  the problematic and contradictory nature of
  Chicana identity in a dominant Anglo-American
  society through the literary conventions of
  metaphor, point of view, figurative language, and
  symbolism.

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Sample 3

• In addition to their acts of bravery, the
  contrasting characteristics of pride and humility
  qualify Beowulf and Roland as heroic figures in
  the epic works Beowulf and The Song of Roland.

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Sample 4

• In Joyces most well-known novel, A Portrait of
  the Artist as a Young Man, he employs language as
  a powerful medium by which he chronicles and
  qualifies his heros internal journey and
  transformation. For each new phase of lifes
  journey, Stephen Dedalus embarks on a new phase
  of language that defines and details his
  physical, intellectual, and emotional development
  as an artist.

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Sample 5

• Chopins protagonist Edna Pontellier transforms
  within her roles as wife and mother, from outward
  conformity and submission to complete rebellion
  and defiance against societal expectations.

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Sample 6

• In Luis Rodriguezs autobiographical novel Always
  Running he depicts the impact of negotiating the
  barriers of the English and Spanish languages in
  his early adolescence on his identity as a
  Chicano-American.

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Examples of weak thesis statements

• The Vague Thesis Queen Gertrude is an
  interesting character.
• Interesting is an empty adjective.
• The Too-Obvious Thesis Polonius loves to talk.
• This thesis is a description more than an
  arguable claim.

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• The Too-Narrow Thesis All of Guildenstern lines
  could just as easily have been spoken by
  Rosencrantz.
• Aside from being speculative, this example is too
  limited to serve as the basis for an entire
  paper.
• The Too-Broad Thesis All of Shakespeares
  heroines are witty and brave. The Old Man and
  the Sea shows that heroism means not reckless
  physical courage but endurance.
• Either of these ideas would require a book to
  develop, and even then it would be
  over-generalized and unprovable.

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What to Avoid

• unqualified generalizations always, never,
  everyone, nobody. Such statements make the reader
  think of various exceptions.
• arguing matters of taste as though they were
  provable - Gone with the Wind is the most
  touching novel ever written.
• Like unqualified generalizations, this thesis
  creates a strong reaction, perhaps even
  resistance, in the reader. This thesis is also
  terribly cliché.

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• Avoid contradictions. - Macbeths actions make
  him seem like a bad king. He isnt really all bad
  but in many ways he is.
• Aside from terrible diction, this undermines the
  writers authority and comes across as confused
  thinking.
• Expressing contrast, however, can be effective in
  a thesis as part of an arguable claim - As a
  king, Macbeth is responsible for evil actions,
  but he also exhibits character strengths. Though
  he is a tyrant, he is also a decisive and
  competent ruler.
• Notice that though contrast is expressed here,
  the emphasis is effective because said contrast
  is part of an established arguable claim.