Writing Your Thesis Paper

How to turn a theme into a thesis statement.

Let’s start with theme….

Theme - a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

In other words….the main point of a literary work (paper, book, movie, poem, etc)

You will be concentrating on the theme of a paper.

Examples of Themes

1. Love and Friendship1. Stories and Movies the this theme:

1. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespear2. Stand by Me by Steven King3. A Winter’s Tale by Akiva Goldsman

2. War1. The Odyssey by Homer2. Troy based on The Illiad by Homer

Suppose you are trying to find a theme for say…..The Crucible.

You can choose love, reputation, silence, fear, human nature vs. religion, the contradiction of Puritan values…and so on.

If you choose any of these themes….

1. First step, choose up to 3 or 4 characters that the theme connects to.

2. Next, describe how the character connects to that theme.

Thematic Map

Theme is Reputatio

n

John Proctor

Judge Danfort

h

Abigail Williams

A person’s name is the link to

their reputation.

Reputation is what stays with a person long after they are

dead.

People do not trust those with

a bad reputation.

The characters in The Crucible cherish their reputation.

Names and reputations are passed down

through generations.

What is a thesis statement?

It tells the reader how YOU will interpret the significance of the subject matter (theme) under discussion

It tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper

Is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader

Turning the theme into a thesis statement. What we have so far….. Theme: Reputation 3 Characters: John Procter, Abigail Williams, and Judge

Danforth 4 Statements connecting the characters to your theme

(you may use one of these or combine all of them to form your thesis)

Thesis Statement:According to the characters in The Crucible,

reputation is the direct link to one’s name, which is forever connected to a person long after they are gone.

And now it’s your turn!!

Theme: Fear Choose 3 Characters: Make a Map of the thesis with the

characters, and create 3-4 Statements connecting the characters to the theme.