The Killer Introduction
Thematic Statement—key to an authoritative opening for the AP (Literary Analysis) Essay
Thematic Statement: A sentence that identifies the title, author (poet/playwright), and genre for a literary
analysis essay and reveals the subject matter (theme/Human Condition) that the author is addressing while
also describing the writer’s attitude (tone). The thesis statement can be tied in as well, making a direct
connection between thematic elements and the prompt, or the thesis statement can be a separate sentence
in the introduction paragraph.
The breakdown—A solid thematic statement should include all of the following:
T—title of the piece being analyzed
A—author, playwright, or poet
G—genre, category of the piece being analyzed (novel, short story, play, poem)
Theme/Subject:
What is the subject matter? Determine the underlying theme or central message of the piece, which
should connect to the “human condition”. Think in abstract terms: “Coming of age”; “Loss of Innocence”;
“The individual fight against conformity”; “Rite of Passage” ;“Search for Identity”; “Power of Unconditional
Love” (are just a few examples of themes).
Tone (voice):
How does the author/poet approach this subject? Consider addressing one or more of the following (define
in your own words):
ToneMood When utilizing the above approach to the thematic statement, brainstorm descriptive adjectives or adverbs
to modify the author’s writing, the piece itself, or the genre (See examples below).
Thematic Statement (examples):
In the foreboding poem Storm Warnings, Adrienne Rich solemnly reflects on the complex nature of
emotional distress.
Author, John Collier, whimsically elucidates the perilous path of infatuation in the insightful short story
“The Chaser.”
Mood
Mood is the atmosphere of a piece of writing; it’s the emotions a selection arouses in a reader.
Some common mood descriptors are:
POSITIVE MOOD WORDS
NEGATIVE MOOD WORDS
amused
awed
bouncy
calm
cheerful
chipper
confident
contemplative
content
determined
dignified
dreamy
ecstatic
empowered
energetic
enlightened
enthralled
excited
exhilarated
flirty
giddy
grateful
harmonious
hopeful
hyper
idyllic
joyous
aggravated
annoyed
anxious
apathetic
apprehensive
barren
brooding
cold
confining
confused
cranky
crushed
cynical
depressed
desolate
disappointed
discontented
distressed
drained
dreary
embarrassed
enraged
envious
exhausted
fatalistic
foreboding
frustrated
futile
gloomy
grumpy
haunting
heartbroken
hopeless
hostile
indifferent
infuriated
jubilant
liberating
light-hearted
loving
mellow
nostalgic
optimistic
passionate
peaceful
playful
pleased
refreshed
rejuvenated
relaxed
relieved
satiated
satisfied
sentimental
silly
surprised
sympathetic
thankful
thoughtful
touched
trustful
vivacious
warm
welcoming
insidious
intimidated
irate
irritated
jealous
lethargic
lonely
melancholic
merciless
moody
morose
nauseated
nervous
nightmarish
numb
overwhelmed
painful
pensive
pessimistic
predatory
rejected
restless
scared
serious
sick
somber
stressed
suspenseful
tense
terrifying
threatening
uncomfortable
vengeful
violent
worried
Tone
Tone is the author’s attitude toward a subject. While journalistic writing theoretically has a tone of distance and objectivity, all
other writing can have various tones.
If we were to read a description of a first date that included words and phrases like “dreaded” and “my buddies forced me to go
on the date”, we could assume that the individual didn’t really enjoy the date.
Some tone words include:
POSITIVE TONE WORDS
admiring
adoring
affectionate
appreciative
approving
bemused
benevolent
blithe
calm
casual
celebratory
cheerful
comforting
comic
compassionate
complimentary
conciliatory
confident
contented
delightful
earnest
ebullient
ecstatic
effusive
elated
empathetic
encouraging
euphoric
excited
exhilarated
expectant
facetious
fervent
flippant
forthright
friendly
funny
gleeful
gushy
happy
hilarious
hopeful
humorous
interested
introspective
jovial
joyful
laudatory
light
lively
mirthful
modest
nostalgic
optimistic
passionate
placid
playful
poignant
proud
reassuring
reflective
relaxed
respectful
reverent
romantic
sanguine
scholarly
self-assured sentimental
serene
silly
sprightly
straightforward
sympathetic
tender
tranquil
whimsical
wistful
worshipful
zealous
NEUTRAL
(+, –, or neutral)
NEGATIVE TONE WORDS
commanding
direct
impartial
indirect
meditative
objective
questioning
speculative
unambiguous
unconcerned
understated
abhorring
acerbic
ambiguous
ambivalent
angry
annoyed
antagonistic
anxious
apathetic
apprehensive
belligerent
bewildered
biting
bitter
blunt
bossy
cold
conceited
condescending
confused
contemptuous
curt
cynical
demanding
depressed
derisive
derogatory
desolate
despairing
desperate
detached
diabolic
disappointed
disliking
disrespectful
doubtful
embarrassed
enraged
evasive
fatalistic
fearful
forceful
foreboding
frantic
frightened
frustrated
furious
gloomy
grave
greedy
grim
harsh
haughty
holier-than-thou
hopeless