Ways to construct a thesis WTH am I going to write about……

What is a thesis? A debatable opinion expressed by the writer of the essay An opinion open to dispute and must, therefore, be argued with evidence logically constructed from the text and other sources It is NOT a factual statement It is NOT a quote

Option 1: Ask and answer questions about the literature Theme: is there a moral or psychological struggle, an abstract idea about human life? Character: Does a character change, if so why and how? What is the function of a character? Is he/she the hero, tempter, trickster, sage, Christ figure, etc Plot: Is the work a comedy, tragedy, bildungsroman, allegory, etc? What are the primary conflicts, what plot devices are employed? Setting: What is important about the setting? What does it suggest about the themes or characters? Style: How does the author use imagery, diction, language, syntax? What is the mood, the tone? Symbol: What does it mean? What is its role in the story? Allusions: Does the plot or a character remind the reader of an event or figure from history, the Bible, or mythology? Point of view: What is the function of the narration? How does it affect the story?

Option 2: Aristotle’s Topics Definition: Assertion that the details of the work provide examples for the definition of a concept such as, justice, fatherhood, evil, love, friendship, etc. Example of definition thesis: In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingsworth mirrors various characteristics of evil

Classification Writers recognize that several examples-pieces of evidence- within a text have similar characteristics and, therefore, these examples belong to a distinct category. Classification thesis example: The government in the novel 1984 employs several methods for controlling its citizenry.

Comparison Similarity or difference or degree A comparison argument juxtaposes characters, images, symbols, settings, etc. The writer then reveals the similarities, differences, or degrees of distinction. Similarity thesis example: The imagery Coleridge creates in “Kubla Khan” corresponds with his philosophy concerning how poetry is conceived and written. Difference thesis example: Biddy and Estella in Dickens’ Great Expectations influence Pip’s maturation in contrasting ways. Degree thesis example: Although both are leaders, Odysseus more accurately exemplifies the ideal Greek hero than Agamemnon.

Contraries When a writer identifies polar opposites within a category. The writer examines two ideas, two characters, two choices, two values, etc that are polar opposites and incompatible. Contrary thesis example: In the play Twelve Angry Men, Juror Three and Juror Four spotlight the clash between the ethical and unethical conduct of jurors in the justice system.

Cause and Effect Arguing the presence of a clear correlation between two or more events with a connection so essential that one event would have been unlikely to occur without the existence of the other Cause and effect thesis example: Shakespeare’s Macbeth serves as a study in the effects of unbridled political ambition.

How to formulate a thesis Formula: Topic + debatable opinion Broad subject: A Christmas Carol Specific topic: Bob Cratchit Question about the topic: Why is he important to the story? Pattern in the evidence: Cratchit repeatedly supports his family. Thesis: Bob Cratchit represents the ideal father.

Bad examples Scrooge is forced to remember events of the past. Huck and Jim experience several conflicts during their travel down the river. There are many symbols in the book. Dickens repeats images of “hands” throughout the novel. Matthew Arnold uses a metaphor involving the sea in his poem. None of these are debatable!

Good examples Scrooge’s encounters with ghosts depict memory’s transformative power. Huck and Jim’s path toward friendship moves through three stages: the meeting, the challenge to survive, and love. The archetype of clothing mirrors Huck’s desire for individuality. In Great Expectations, the hands motif indicates Pip’s location in the journey toward maturity.