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EILAND'S ONLINE ENGLISH CLASSES

THESIS STATEMENT DEFINED

• The primary sentence of your paper -- the sentence that encapsulates the point of your essay.
• It is a direct statement.
• It should include the title and author's name.

WHAT A T.S. IS NOT

• Purpose Statements (e.g. I will... In this essay...)
• Questions -- (e.g. Is this story full of meaning?) it is the answer we want.
• Vague -- (e.g. Everyone sometimes does stuff that's really important) use specifics and concrete language.

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Be brief, concise, and direct.
• Include author's name and title of work.
• Incorporate the thematic approach (symbolism, theme, etc.) you will focus on in your essay.

EXAMPLES

• In "Prue," Alice Munro shows us how characters can be both sympathetic and frustrating at the same time.
• In "Prue," the author, Alice Munro, shows us the lives of modern people as lonely and depressing.
• Alice Munro's "Prue" is a good example of a plot-driven story with flat characters.

© Mr. Thomas T. Eiland