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Writing Thesis Sentences

 

            A thesis sentence is a declarative sentence which states the central opinion or thought which the research paper will develop, analyze, and support. The thesis sentence answers the Essential Question posed by the paper. It should appear in the development of the outline per your instructor’s instructions. The thesis sentence may be the first sentence in the research paper, or it may be the last sentence in the introduction. In a literary analysis paper, the first draft of the thesis sentence should contain both the title and author of the work being analyzed. In later drafts of the paper, the title and author may appear elsewhere in the introduction.

            Thesis sentences may vary in style. What follows is a brief explanation of 2 types that will be useful in many literary analysis papers:

 

The Preview Thesis Sentence:  In a preview thesis sentence, the wording of the sentence reflects both the ideas to be analyzed in the paper and the order in which those ideas will be discussed.  The order of the ideas should correspond to the order established in the research outline. Example:

 

In Chronicle of a Traitor, Michelle Bennett condemns the values of Heratica, praises Ryan Wiley as a hero, and proclaims the nobility of resistance to oppression.

 

The Thematic Thesis Sentence: A thematic thesis sentence is most appropriate for a thematic analysis paper.  It clearly states the specific theme that you have identified for the work you are discussing and foreshadows a systematic discussion of how that theme is developed in the literature. Example:

 

Through her portrayal of Ryan Wiley in Chronicle of a Traitor, Michelle Bennett demonstrates that an individual has a moral obligation to define morality for himself and to resist suppression of that morality at all costs.

 

Writing the Introduction

 

            There are numerous approaches to writing an introduction to a research paper, but one that can be adapted to most situations is a funnel introduction. In a funnel introduction, the first sentence introduces an important generalization about the paper’s topic, and the following few sentences become more specific, leading progressively into the thesis sentence. 

            In composing an introduction to a literary paper, the original thesis may be split so that the title and author of the work discussed appear in the first sentence of the paper while the thesis itself becomes the last sentence of the introduction. Example:

 

                                Michelle Bennett’s Chronicle of a Traitor examines the response of an individual to the moral code determined by a society.  Bennett’s novel focuses on Heratica, a futuristic world which rejects the values of religious belief and honesty, portraying the proponents of those values as criminals.  Ryan Wiley, the central character in the novel, gladly accepts that label, following a moral code rooted in individualism and promoting the very values which his society condemns. Tracing the persecution and eventual victory of her protagonist, Bennett condemns the values of Heratica, praises Wiley as a hero, and proclaims the nobility of resistance to oppression.

 

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