Shaping the Essay: Part 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS LESSON 1: LESSON 2:

Generating Thesis Statements Writing Universal Thematic Sentences

LESSON 1

Generating Thesis Statements

What is a Thesis Statement?

� A thesis statement is the sentence that states the essay’s purpose.

�  It provides justification to read the essay and presents an assertion, an argumentative position that is supported with sustained textual evidence.

�  The thesis is the central argument around which the essay revolves.

The Thesis of an Analytical Essay

�  The purpose of the analytical essay is to argue a key point using textual support in order to share insight about and enhance the understanding of the literary piece.

�  If one could write only one sentence to encapsulate the entire essay, this would be the thesis statement.

Think of it this way…

Pretend the entire paper will be graded on this key sentence, since every other sentence you write in your essay will be supporting, validating, or explaining the assertion made in your thesis.

A good thesis statement performs the following 5 tasks:

1.  Expresses the essay’s main idea, the essay’s main purpose, the subject, the insightful assertion.

2.  Answers or implies or sets up the “So what?” question.

3.  Provides an enduring understanding. Says something meaningful and answers an interpretative question (e.g., William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning” suggests that society’s laws are more important than remaining loyal to family.); it is not a fact statement (e.g., William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” is about a boy who disagrees with his father.).

4.  Presents an arguable position that can be supported with sustained evidence (a

statement about the meaning or effect of the work, theme, character, social and economic conditions, historical period and background, or artistic qualities).

5.  Does not simply repeat what has been said in class, and does not simply restate an accepted point of view. The point of an essay is to create new knowledge, not to restate existing ideas; to advance the academic conversation begun in class discussions, not to recycle established opinions or interpretations.

The Basics of the Thesis Statement

A thesis statement: �  provides an enduring understanding; �  should be argumentative, detailed,

insightful, and innovative; �  and is the essay’s guiding force.

The TRAPT Formula:

Consider the TRAPT approach to generating a thesis and/or introduction.

T = Topic R = Rationale A = Author P = Position T = Title of work

An Example

Here is an example of a TRAPT thesis statement based on Kite Runner (2003):

In Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner, Amir reveals himself to be a coward and selfish in his motive to gain his father’s respect by abandoning his friend Hassan in the alley.

Let’s look at how the thesis statement on the previous slide has all of the TRAPT

components.

TRAPT Components In Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner, Amir reveals himself to be a coward and selfish in his motive to gain his father’s respect by abandoning his friend Hassan in the alley.

TOPIC: Amir RATIONALE: Amir is a coward and selfish because he abandons his friend Hassan in the alley AUTHOR: Khaled Hosseini POSITION: Amir is a coward and selfish in his motive to gain his father’s respect TITLE: Kite Runner

Some more examples of TRAPT statements

SAMPLE 1 In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman plants seeds in his yard that will not grow because he does not have the proper foundation nor the right environment and light in the hard city soil. The seeds serve as a metaphor for the way Willy brought up his two sons, Biff and Happy. The seeds need to take root in order to grow and gain nutrients. This process is similar to the proper way of raising children. Willy never provides the proper nutrient and roots for Biff and Happy because he feeds them false pride and misguided values. He does not provide the light and roots necessary for growth and success. SAMPLE 2 In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Linda is a levelheaded woman who tries desperately to stabilize her husband Willy’s life. Her ability to communicate with Willy and her endearing patience and undying love, enable her to make a conscious decision to withhold truth from Willy. She knows that Willy is not the success he thinks he is or wants to be and so she tries to protect him from that harsh reality. Ironically, Linda’s reluctance to give Willy the cold, hard truth does not prevent Willy from committing suicide due to his false pride and delusions. Perhaps Miller is suggesting that love and success require truth and struggle.

A work in progress As you become more sophisticated as a writer, you will want to expand a TRAPT

sentence into a more developed argument that may take the form of an entire paragraph.

Try to connect to or provide a thematic concept, an enduring understanding, a

broader concept. The TRAPT approach is a good way to get the pen flowing and to ensure that you have all the necessary

ingredients for developing a strong, clear, and complex argument for your essay.

The following lesson on universal thematic statements will help you connect your

thesis statements to broader concepts and enduring understandings.

LESSON 2

Developing Universal Thematic Statements

A useful way to begin your introductory paragraph in a way that anticipates your thesis statement is using a universal thematic statement.

What is a universal thematic statement?

A universal thematic statement: �  is a statement that can apply to just

about anyone. � describes a conflict, circumstance, or

topic that a general audience can relate to.

� does not include statements about literature (or other work of art).

The following is a list of common, universal themes: UNIVERSAL THEMATIC STATEMENTS

TOPIC MEANING Alienation Feeling alone or separate from the group. Pursuit of Goals Doing what you must to accomplish something. Hope and Disillusionment

Anticipating something only to discover what you want is impossible.

Reality and Illusion What is real versus what you wrongly think is real.

Tradition and Change Moving from usual, comfortable practice to new methods.

Relationships How individuals get along in all circumstances. Censorship Preventing the population from learning

information that may harm them. Human Interaction The importance of authentic contact with others.

SAMPLE UNIVERSAL THEMATIC STATEMENTS Long held beliefs and values rarely change unless stimulated by a dramatic event.

When torn between two separate worlds, each with its own set of values, individuals must work to find their own true beliefs.

A child’s sense of identity comes from interacting with others. If no positive role model is available, the child may never reach his/her true potential.

To compose a well-developed universal thematic statement, consider various aspects of a topic. Do this by asking your self several questions.

UNIVERSAL THEMATIC STATEMENTS

�  What is the topic? �  Why is the topic an important issue? �  Who does the topic involve? �  How does the topic affect the average

person? �  What problems or issues arise because of

this topic? �  How does the topic affect the way society

functions?

If your topic is the generation gap, you might ask yourself the following questions to gain an understanding of the topic and uncover some of its complexities.

UNIVERSAL THEMATIC STATEMENTS

�  What is the generation gap? �  Why is the generation gap an important issue? �  Who does the generation gap involve? �  How does it affect the average person? �  What problems or issues arise because of this

topic? �  How does it affect the way society functions? Answers to such questions will quickly uncover the complexity of

this topic.

After your question and answer exercise, you may be able to express the topic as an extended universal thematic statement, such as in the following example:

UNIVERSAL THEMATIC STATEMENT

�  When individuals of successive generations disagree about essential beliefs and values, the resulting gap in communication has a destructive effect on their relationship as well as how society functions.

The following chart has some helpful hints for writing universal thematic statements.

Do… Well-Written Statements express the theme as a general comment on a subject.

People with realistic goals tend to be more successful than those who put little thought into their future.

express the theme in your own words.

People who commit crimes may be punished in unexpected ways.

express the theme as an insight into life.

Gossip can cause serious damage to a person’s reputation.

use qualifying words in a universal thematic statement, such as sometimes, can, may, and often.

Poverty may transform honest people into criminals.

draw a general insight from a character’s behavior.

Friends are not always trustworthy.

More helpful hints on what not to do when writing a universal thesis statement:

Do not… Poorly-Written Statements express the theme as a subject or topic.

The theme is goals for the future.

express the theme as an adage, cliché, or familiar saying.

Crime doesn’t pay.

express the theme as a moral. It’s wrong to gossip about people. make a thematic statement too general. Avoid broad generalizations with words such as everyone, always, never, and all.

Poverty always causes crime.

refer to specific characters in a thematic statement.

Gregor Samsa learned not to trust people around him.

Now that you have a universal theme that establishes the general topic of

your paper, you can begin to develop your argument, which is articulated in

your thesis statement.

Thesis Statements

�  Thesis: a statement with a subject and an opinion on the subject

�  In a literary analysis essay, the thesis statement should include:

1.  Author 2.  Title of work(s) 3.  Subject 4.  Argument (opinion)

Examples of thesis statements In her poem “If You Were Coming in the Fall,” Emily Dickinson uses simile, diction, and syntax to describe how people wait, hoping to fall in love. Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature. The poems “i thank you God,” by e.e. cummings, and “The Swing,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, use visual and tactile imagery to create the sensation of movement. In Templars and Assassins, Brigid O’Neill proves that though Christians and Muslims were supposedly fighting for religious dominance in the medieval world, their motives were strongly affected by the desire for land and economic power.

How to write an introduction: �  Think of your intro ¶

as an inverted pyramid

�  You start broad and general at the top

�  Then narrow to a

specific focus at the bottom tip (sharp and precise)

universal thematic statement

bridge theme to novel

(development)

thesis statement

THE END