Writing Thesis Statements
A thesis statement is a sentence that expresses the writer’s position on a certain topic. It is
reasonable for the reader of a thesis to assume that it will be supported with evidence.
A thesis expresses an idea that the writer intends to support or “prove”. It begins with an idea that he
or she believes is correct. The purpose of the essay may be to justify a thesis by using evidence. For
this reason, the thesis is the cornerstone of a piece of writing; because the essay is shaped according to
the author’s purpose.
Purposes for Writing:
Narration: When we narrate, we are telling a story. The main purpose is to relate a series of incidents
that add up to an observation about life.
Description: When the writer’s purpose is to describe.
Persuasion: When we write to persuade, our purpose is to convince the audience that a certain idea is
credible by presenting evidence that supports our position.
Exposition: When we write expository prose, we write to explain something to an audience. We may
compare and contrast, classify, define, or explain cause and effect. An expository thesis statement will
explain the writer’s ideas about the subject and will suggest how and/ or why these ideas are
reasonable and accurate.
All literary analysis (writing about literature) are expository because their purpose is to explain what
the writer thinks the text (book, poem, etc) contributes to an understanding of the world around us and
our own lives (why the text is important). A literary analysis will also examine the means by which the
writer conveys an idea through the use of language (how the author uses rhetorical (sentence structure
and form) and literary (figurative language, etc) to create meaning.) A literary analysis thesis statement
will address both the means the author uses and the meaning the author creates.
YIKES!!!!!!!!!
It’s really not that bad. You already do the steps necessary to create a thesis statement and just don’t
realize it. Now you will learn how to use them to your advantage.
There are several ways to begin writing a thesis:
1. Begin with a question that you want to answer. The answer to your question is your
point, and the information that supports that answer is your evidence.
2. Begin with quotes from the text that support your ideas. For instance, if you are writing about
prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird, you will find quotations and details that deal with prejudice in
some way. Based on the quotations found, what is Harper Lee telling us about prejudice?
3. After you have completed your reading, browse through your annotations and observations. Then
write a generalization about the text (thesis statement), using the following format.
Fill in the blanks!!!!!
In __(title of work)__ ,__(the author)__ uses _ (diction, imagery, detail, assonance,
metaphor, etc.) to (reveal, show, explore, portray, convey, emphasize, suggest) (tone,
theme, purpose).
Example:
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery, detail, and diction to portray
an unreliable narrator.
See---Just fill in the blanks. Here are a few other examples
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In “The Necklace,” Guy de Maupassant uses irony to reveal the unhappiness that
envy can bring to one’s life.
In “The Rights to the Streets of Memphis”, Richard Wright uses personification and
diction to emphasize the dire situation he faced as a young boy after his father
abandoned the family.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the symbol of the mockingbird through
the characters of Tom and ___________to illustrate the destructive nature of
prejudice in society.
1. In To Kill a Mockingbird_, Harper Lee uses Dolphus Raymond to show the
destructive nature of Prejudice.
2. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the black community’s lack of
opportunity to illustrate the destructive impact of prejudice.
3. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the reverse racial prejudice of Lula
and the acceptance of Scout and Jem by the congregation to show the
possibility of acceptance of people without prejudice because of race.
4. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Atticus’ speech to the jury to
illustrate the importance of equality in the judicial system without allowing
prejudice to interfere.