How to Craft a Winning Thesis

Statement

Why create a thesis statement

Most years, the AP prompts will include the phrase “in a well-

organized essay.”

Organization begins with a thesis statement.

What is a thesis statement

1. A thesis is an expression of opinion that is both arguable and provable.

2. It is an assertion, a central argument around which the essay revolves.

3. A thesis provides an enduring understanding and serves as the essay’s guiding force.

4. The thesis is a summing up of one main idea or argument that a critical essay will embody.

NOT EVERYONE WRITES A THESIS STATEMENT IN THE SAME WAY

Method 1Start generating a thesis with the dramatic situation connected to analysis that addresses the prompt (i.e. this novel is about_________).

EXAMPLES (good and bad – circle the good):O Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about

hypocrisy.O Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about one

person’s ethical stand against hypocritical practices of Southern society.

O Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is about Janie’s three marriages.

O Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is about what Janie learns about life from her three marriages.

****Because you don’t need an elaborate introductory paragraph for timed AP Lit essays, notice the author and title are always mentioned in the thesis****

Method 2

Create a complex sentence for a

complex thought

ExamplesO Although the escalation of violence in John

Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men eventually results in two deaths, it is through violence that compassion is revealed when George, in a violent but merciful act, saves his friend Lenny from cruel, vigilante mob justice.

O Although Huckleberry may not realize it, the Mississippi River serves as a symbol of freedom between the lands of chaos, hypocrisy and destruction in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

****Because you don’t need an elaborate introductory paragraph for timed AP Lit essays, notice the author and title are always mentioned in the thesis****

Method 3TPR Approach

O T= topic What is my main subject?O P= position What is my claim, my opinion, my interpretation?O R=rationale What is my reasoning, my warrant, my evidence?

(This approach tends to assist in the creation of not only the thesis, but the introduction as well )

ExampleO In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Linda

is a level headed woman who tries desperately to stabilize her husband Willy’s life. Her enduring patience and undying love enable her to make a conscious decision to withhold truth from Willy; she tries to protect him from harsh reality. Ironically, Linda’s reluctance to give Willy the hard truth does not prevent Willy from committing suicide due to his false pride and delusions. Miller is suggesting that love and success require truth and struggle.

EffectivenessIn order for a thesis to be effective, it must adhere to the following criteria:

O Thoughtful organization of ideasO Appropriate word choiceO Proper syntaxO A mature writing styleO Coherent developmentO Correct mechanics (grammar, spelling,

punctuation)

Practice 1Evaluate the following thesis statements on a scale of 1-10.

Effective or not effective?O Twain uses humor in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for

many reasons.O Twain uses humor in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to

lampoon Southern society in order to reevaluate society’s beliefs.O William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” is about a boy who is in the

process of self discovery.O In “Barn Burning” young Sarty has to choose between showing

loyalty to his father who is breaking the law and doing what is just in the eyes of the law. The conflict between Sarty’s conscience and his loyalty to his father suggests that society’s laws are more important than remaining loyal to family.

O “The Story of an Hour” by Chopin suggests that marriage is dull companionship at best and a form of suffocating bondage at worst.

O In “The Story of an Hour” Chopin suggests that marriage is not the romantic, idealized union of a man and a woman about which people dream and fantasize; instead it is a bland lack of freedom to explore self-fulfillment.

Practice 2Discuss and evaluate the following thesis statements

O In All the Pretty Horses, John Grady’s brutal knife fight with the cuchillero in prison demonstrates that violence is not only inevitable and a natural process in life, but when it is used to uphold honor and nobility, violence can be seen as beautiful and noble.

O Although the Invisible Man longs to please the white leader despite the obvious malevolent intent of those present at the violent Battle Royal, Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man attempts to show the deceptive nature of a white society’s ideological stronghold on blacks through violence and aggression.

O While the scene in which Sethe murders her baby in Beloved shocks and horrifies, it effectively illuminates Morrison’s view that dehumanization can be a fate worse than death.

O The murder in Albert Camus’ The Stranger is precipitated by no more than the main character’s aversion to the hot sun; by introducing this violent act as a chance occurrence, Camus demonstrates his existential vision of a morally indifferent universe.

Practice 3Generate a thesis statement for the following prompt

In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake.

Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audience

with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain

how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete

work. Avoid plot summary.