THE AP
THESIS
Smarter than your average thesis.
ADVICE FROM SUSAN STRALE
(AP ENGLISH LITERATURE CHIEF READER):
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Close reading skills make the test easier.
Know the language of literary analysis.
AP readers look for a quality of
thoughtful attention to prompt and
passage, excellent, articulate, detailed
and organized writing, and an astute
literary sensibility. Diction, use of
language, and sophisticated word choice
will make your essay stand out.
WHAT IS A THESIS?
WHAT ROLE DOES IT SERVE IN AN ANALYTICAL ESSAY?
Most years, a free response prompt
will include the phrase “in a wellorganized essay.” Organization
begins with a thesis statement, the
controlling idea of the essay. An
effective thesis communicates the
main point you want to make in the
essay.
WHAT IS A THESIS?
WHAT ROLE DOES IT SERVE IN AN ANALYTICAL ESSAY?
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It is an expression of opinion that is
both arguable and provable.
It is an assertion, a central argument
around which the essay revolves.
A thesis provides an enduring
understanding and serves as the
essay’s guiding force.
AP READERS WANT TO SEE AN EXPLICIT
THESIS IN EACH ESSAY
Writing is extremely idiosyncratic. One
size simply does not fit all. Still, readers
want to see students assess the components
of the prompt and then frame an argument
and prove it with textual evidence. Implied
thesis statements can work, and are artful
in the context of a larger written piece.
However, implied theses are simply asking
too much work of the AP readers.
Let’s look at some
methods you may use
to generate a thesis!
1. SCRATCH THE SURFACE
Open with the dramatic situation
connected to analysis that addresses
the AP prompt.
This novel is about
___________.
1. SCRATCH THE SURFACE
- Mark Twain’s The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn is a book
about a boy rafting down the
Mississippi River with Jim, an
escaped slave.
- No. This is plot, not a thesis!
1. SCRATCH THE SURFACE
Mark Twain’s The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn is about
hypocrisy.
NO. This is an idea w/o any
point to make. Hypocrisy isn’t a
theme, it’s a word.
1. SCRATCH THE SURFACE
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn is a book about
one person’s ethical stand against
the hypocritical practices of
antebellum Southern society.
- Okay, so this shows me you get the main
idea of the book, but it still needs to be
connected to a prompt.
2. DIG DEEPER
Consider an observation the
author is making about
life/humanity in the
novel/play and then be sure to
apply it to the prompt!
3. STRIKE GOLD
Use a complex sentence to
communicate a complex
thought. Use a subordinate
clause and independent
clause.
3.
STRIKEDiscuss
GOLD
Prompt:
the role of violence and
how it contributes to the author’s
message.
-Although the escalation of violence
in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
eventually results in two deaths, it is
through violence that compassion is
revealed when George, in a violent
but merciful act, saves his friend
Lenny from cruel mob justice. These
actions reveal the idea that…
3. STRIKE GOLD
Prompt: discuss how setting functions
with the novel.
Although Huck may not realize
it, the Mississippi River serves as
a symbol of freedom between the
lands of chaos, hypocrisy, and
destruction in Mark Twain’s The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
NO MATTER WHICH APPROACH YOU
TAKE…
…a thesis should answer or
imply an answer two
important questions:
“How is meaning made?”
“So what?”
In William
Shakespeare’s Taming
of the Shrew, Petruchio
is far more successful
at manipulating people
than Lucentio.
SO WHAT?
In William Shakespeare’s Taming
of the Shrew, Petruchio, because
of his ability to use language with
precision, is far more successful
at manipulating people than
Lucentio, suggesting that
Shakespeare views language, not
money or social status, as the true
source of power.
Now let’s look at some poetry thesis
statements

The prompt:
How does the poet employ
literary devices to reveal the
overall meaning of his/her
poem?
These are yours…

In his poem “To an Athlete Dying Young,”
Houseman tries to convey the idea that
dying young, (for an athlete) whilst at the
epitome or apex of one’s glory or
achievement, is actually preferable to a
delayed and prolonged death in which the
athlete witnesses his or her own body
decay, records surpasses, and fame
forgotten. Through his emotional appeal
and optimistic tone, Houseman conveys his
belief in the notion that the athlete who
dies young is ironically better off.

In his poem “Death Be Not Proud,” poet John
Donne personifies Death as a weak bully (nice
oxymoron!) and employs an arrogant, disrespectful
tone to reveal his belief that Death is not allpowerful, although in reality, he is frightened by
the idea of death.

Ben Jonson, in his elegy “On My First Son,”
attempts to reveal to the reader of the great pain
of losing a loved one while also depicting the
strength of the bond between a parent and a
child, especially a father and the first son. He
attempts to do this through his many religious
allusions, along with his conflicted and stricken
tone which reveals the internal struggle residing
in the surviving family left behind.
End of part one!!!
MOWAW
AP open response prompts
frequently include a phrase
like “illuminates the meaning
of the work as a whole.” In
other words, what enduring
understanding about the text
can you offer through
analysis?
GROW YOUR THESIS INTO AN INTRO
USING FAMILIAR TOOLS:
TPR = Topic, Position,
Rationale
Identify your subject. Make
a claim. Elucidate your
reasoning with evidence.
But not necessarily in that
order.
In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman,
Linda is a levelheaded woman who tries
desperately to stabilize her husband Willy’s
life. Her enduring patience and undying
love enable her to make a conscious
decision to withhold truth from Willy; she
tries to protect him from harsh reality.
Ironically, Linda’s reluctance to give Willy
the hard truth does not prevent Willy from
committing suicide due to his false pride
and delusions. Miller is suggesting that
love and success require truth and struggle.
TASK:
Take a look at the essay
you wrote in class on
Friday. Find and highlight
your thesis statement.
Then, trade your paper with
a partner and have them fill
out the thesis evaluation