Writing Effective Thesis Statements
Things to Consider
• What literary devices are being used to
establish tone and express theme?
• How are these literary devices being used to
establish tone and express theme?
• Thesis Patter: Topic (Title and Author) +
“Sexy” Adjective + Literary Device (2 or 3) +
Strong Action Verb + Shifts in Tone + Theme.
Examples (Pick the best one!)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy begins with a human head on a
stake in the middle of the road; later in the novel, a father and son
swim together beneath a waterfall.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy illustrates extremely graphic
violence juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy uses extremely graphic violence
juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy uses extremely graphic violence
juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness to illustrate
humanity’s constant struggle with the “devil inside.”
The Road by Cormac McCarthy uses extremely graphic violence
juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness to illustrate
humanity’s constant struggle with the “devil inside,” emphasizing
that we are more than mere animals struggling to survive.
More Examples (Pick the best one!)
1. Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” illustrates the
speaker’s realization of an overlooked expression of his
father’s love—building fires on cold Sunday mornings in
winter.
2. Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” uses perceptive
diction, evocative imagery, and a regretful tone to
illustrate the speaker’s realization of an overlooked
expression of his father’s love—building fires on cold
Sunday mornings in winter.
3. Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” uses perceptive
diction, evocative imagery, and a regretful tone to
illustrate the speaker’s realization of an overlooked
expression of his father’s love—building fires on cold
Sunday mornings in winter, suggesting that a father’s
love is often taken for granted.
More Examples (Pick the best one!)
1. Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” illustrates the
speaker’s paradoxical childhood relationship with his
father.
2. Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem in
which the speaker reflects upon his childhood
relationship with his father, focusing on a specific
incident that occurred one night when his father
returned home from work.
3. Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” uses robust
imagery and a profoundly ironic tone to illustrate the
paradoxical nature of the speaker’s childhood
relationship with his father, suggesting that a father’s
love is not always expressed through a gentle caress.
Examples: The Best Ones!
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy uses extremely graphic
violence juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness to
illustrate humanity’s constant struggle with the “devil
inside,” emphasizing that we are more than mere
animals struggling to survive.
• Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” juxtaposes
imagery of playfulness and violence to evoke an
ambiguous tone of reverence mixed with fear, illustrating
the speaker’s attempt to reconcile his paradoxical
childhood relationship with his father.
• Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” uses perceptive
diction, evocative imagery, and a regretful tone to
illustrate the speaker’s realization of an overlooked
expression of his father’s love—building fires on cold
Sunday mornings in winter, suggesting that a father’s
love is often taken for granted.