1. Thesis Statements

2. Thesis vs. Theme
Theme is the main idea of the piece of literature, art, film, etc.-- whatever it is you are being asked to write about. It is the "lesson" that is being taught. For example, "greed" in an incomplete theme, but "greed is the root of all evil" would be a valid theme of a work.

3. Thesis vs. Theme
Thesis is the actual statement in your paper that expresses the idea behind your essay. It is what YOUR paper is about, which in turn, is a statement that also conveys what the work being discussed is about. Therefore, a "thesis" normally contains a "theme". An example might be: In "The Pardoner's Tale", Chaucer expresses through both the actions of the Pardoner as well as through the actions of the characters in his tale, the notion that greed is the root of all evil.

4. What is a Thesis Statement?
It tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
It is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.

5. What is a Thesis Statement?
It directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
It makes a claim that others might dispute.

6. What is a Thesis Statement?
Is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

7. In Sandra Cisneros’ poetic House on Mango Street, she crafts meaningful figurative language to criticize that cultural traditions and expectations often lead to confining gender roles.

8. In House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros utilizes metaphor, personification, and imagery to reveal that shame is often a motivating factor toward success.

9. In Sandra Cisneros’ House on Mango Street, she implements a condescending tone to portray women as bound by gender, cultural, and age roles.

10. In the vignette “My Name,” Sandra Cisneros uses metaphor and imagery to create a restrained but longing character in her narrator Esperanza.

11. Unless Esperanza, Sandra Cisneros’s narrator in House on Mango Street, “comes back” for the others still on Mango Street, she remains an introspective and reflective girl only instead of a resolved woman with a voice for change.

12. Sandra Cisneros narrates through the immature voice of Esperanza in House on Mango Street in order to make the reflections of her own life more authentic, more meaningful, and more effective for social criticism.