Developing a Thesis and Writing an Intro

The American Women's College; Jessica Egan

Introduction

In order to begin writing a literary argument, you first need to have an opinion, that is, a point to make about the text. The principal argument you will make about the text is referred to as your thesis statement. It is important in analytical writing to distinguish between topic and thesis statement: a topic is the area to which you direct your attention, your thesis is an argument about that topic. The thesis statement gives the main idea of your essay, stating your interpretation or analysis of the text as a fact. You then will spend the rest of your essay supporting your thesis statement with evidence from the text.

Thesis statements, or arguments, often go at the end of your introduction paragraph, because they help your reader know what to expect from the rest of your essay. In addition to providing your thesis statement, introductory paragraphs accomplish two things: First, they give your reader a sense of your topic and how you will approach that topic. Second, they get your reader interested in your topic, making them compelled to hear what you have to say. Introductions also serve some practical functions, like identifying the name of the text and the author you will discuss. They also provide a very brief summary of the text you will deal with in your paper to help orient your reader.

Developing an Intro

Sample Theses for Literary Analysis Essays

In (title of work), (author) (illustrates, shows) (aspect) (adjective).
Example: In “Barn Burning,” William Faulkner shows the characters Sardie and Abner Snopes struggling for their identity.
In (title of work), (author) uses (one aspect) to (define, strengthen, illustrate) the (element of work).
Example: In “Youth,” Joseph Conrad uses foreshadowing to strengthen the plot.
In (title of work), (author) uses (an important part of work) as a unifying device for (one element), (another element), and (another element). NOTE: The number of elements can
vary from one to four.
Example: In “Youth,” Joseph Conrad uses the sea as a unifying device for setting, structure and theme.
(Author) develops the character of (character’s name) in (literary work) through what he/she does, what he/she says, what other people say to or about him/her.
Example: Langston Hughes develops the character of Semple in “Ways and Means”…
In (title of work), (author) uses (literary device) to (accomplish, develop, illustrate, strengthen) (element of work).
Example: In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe uses the symbolism of the stranger, the clock, and the seventh room to develop the theme of death.
(Author) (shows, develops, illustrates) the theme of __________ in the (play, poem, story).
Example: Flannery O’Connor illustrates the theme of the effect of the selfishness of the grandmother upon the family in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”
(Author) develops his character(s) in (title of work) through his/her use of language.
Example: John Updike develops his characters in “A & P” through his use of figurative language.

Perimeter College, Georgia State University: http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcltc/handouts/communications/literarythesis.pdf

Thesis Statements

Thesis Statement Basics

The following video offers a writing instructor’s perspective about how fundamental a thesis statement is to organizing an effective persuasive, researched essay. While he talks about many aspects of a thesis, it particularly stresses the flexibility you’re allowed while writing, revising, and revisiting a thesis many times as you build an essay.

Thesis Analysis

The Writing Center at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill offers these questions to consider as you examine the effectiveness of a thesis statement. It’s effective strategy to revisit these questions several times throughout the writing process, to measure how well your thesis serves your project as it continues to grow and evolve.

What is your general topic or what problem area are you interested in? How would you express it in a few words?
What central question are you trying to answer about your topic?
What do you think is the best answer to your central question? From your research so far, what have you concluded?
What is your main point about your topic?
In one sentence, how would you describe your findings to someone who asked you about your research?
How does your idea differ from other views you have read?
What do you have to say about your topic that is new?
Ask why? And how? Of what seems like a thesis statement when it begins to emerge. What relationship exists between the ideas you are describing? For example, are you suggesting that one idea causes another? Contradicts another? Subsumes another?

Introduction to Thesis Statement Basics. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution

Thesis Analysis. Provided by: The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. Located at: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/faculty-resources/classroom-handouts/thesis-analysis/. License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
Thesis Statement Basics. Authored by: mttje1999. Located at: https://youtu.be/SOCxXv7aqXw. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License

Summary

Introductions set the topic and argument for your entire paper. The goal in your introduction is to orient your reader to your topic by identifying essential information such as the title, author, and a brief summary. They also should compel your reader keep reading, by helping them connect with the text. Weak introductions tend to rely on generalities or on ideas that are only tangentially related to your paper. Strong introductions are specific and to the point.

Likewise, strong thesis statements make a specific and clear argument about the text, they do not summarize the text, instead, they state your interpretation or analysis of the text. Thesis statements firmly answer a question you have about the text, making an arguable claim. As you research and develop support for your thesis statement, it may change some to become more refined and succinct. The thesis statement is central to your essay since it functions as the main idea of your entire paper.

License

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