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Struggling to write a good thesis statement? Have a read!


ecieee

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Many students find it quite difficult to formulate a thesis statement for their language A essays.

So, I'd thought I'll help you guys out.

Firstly, what exactly is a thesis statement and what is its function?

A thesis statement:

  • tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
  • is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
  • directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
  • makes a claim that others might dispute.
  • is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.


Now, let's look at an example prose passage from a May 06 TZ0 Paper. While you are reading, have a think of what sort thesis statement you want to write.

So! Did my sisters hate me? This time I know happened only once. It was the weekend and the house was empty for the whole afternoon. I went into our parents' bedroom with the same two sisters, Eva and Maria. I sat on the bed, and they went to my mother's dressing-table and took out all her things. First they painted their fngernails and waved them in the air to dry. They put
creams and powders on their faces, they used lipstick, they pulled hairs from their eyebrows and brushed mascara on their lashes. They told me to shut my eyes while they took off their white socks and put on stockings from my mother's drawer. Then they stood, two very beautiful women, and looked at each other. And for an hour they walked about the house, looking over their shoulders into mirrors or windowpanes, turning round and round in the centre of the drawing-room, or sitting very carefully on the edge of the armchair arranging their hair. Everywhere they went I followed, looking at them all the time, just looking. "Are we not beautiful, Robert?" they would say. They knew I was shocked because these were not my sisters, these were American film stars. They were delighted with themselves. They laughed and kissed each other for now they were real women.


Later in the afternoon they went to the bathroom and washed everything off. In the bedroom
they put away all the pots and jars and opened the windows so Mama would not smell her own perfumes. They folded the silk stockings and suspender belts away, exactly the way they had seen her do it. They closed the windows and we went downstairs to wait for our mother to come home, and all the time I was very excited. Suddenly the beautiful women had become my sisters again, tall schoolgirls.

Then came dinner, and I was still excited. My sisters behaved as if nothing had happened.
I was aware that my father was staring at me. I glanced up and he looked straight through my eyes, deep into my mind. Very slowly he put down his knife and fork, chewed and swallowed everything in his mouth and said, "Tell me, Robert, what have you been doing this afternoon?" I believed he knew everything, like God. He was testing me to fnd out if I was worthy enough to tell the truth. So, there was no point in lying. I told him everything, the lipstick, the powders, the creams and the perfumes, the stockings from my mother's drawer, and I told him, as if this would excuse everything, how carefully these things had been put away. I even mentioned the window. At frst my sisters laughed and denied what I was saying. But as I went on and on, they became silent. When I had fnished my father simply said, "Thank you, Robert," and went on eating. No one spoke for the rest of the meal. I dared not look in the direction of my sisters.


There are various thesis statements that can be made from reading this prose passage. To include a few:
  • The excerpt from The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan explores the concept of authority through the narrator Robert's characterisation of his own family members as he reflects on a past event. He represents himself as a child who was submissive to those in his family who had more power and authority than he did.

  • This prose extract from what appears to be a novel, The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan, is about a young boy who is scared of his sisters and father. He shows that when his sisters 'dress up' in their mother's clothing, they appear to him to become 'beautiful women' whom he adores. Thus, the extract hints at an underlying illicit sexual desire.

  • The extract from Ian McEwan's The Comfort of Strangers focuses on the idea of 'the mask'. When the narrator's big sisters play 'dress ups' and put on make-up the author is symbolically highlighting the way humans can put on and take off 'masks' to try out, reveal or hide different identities or ways of being.

  • In the prose extract starting with "So! Did my sisters hate me?", the author is displaying to readers how excitement and fun can quickly turn to seriousness in the face of authority.

  • In this excerpt from The Comfort of Strangers, author Ian McEwan explores the ways in which sibling relationships can be affected by authority.

  • In this extract from The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan, the author focuses on childhood and the common everyday play activities of sisters. Through this subject matter, he highlights the fascination expressed by the male narrator and thus explores ideas about gender during childhood.

  • The excerpt from The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan focuses on secrets and revelations in the lives of growing siblings. It does this with the symbolic use of the motif of 'windows' which represent the opening-up of or the closing-up of windows on adolescent girls' 'secret business'.

  • The prose passage from The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan explores ideas about authority and assertiveness in the lives of the characters.

  • The passage beginning with, "So! Did my sisters hate me?" illustrates the naïve longing of a young boy who seeks approval from his domineering father and who holds a hidden fear of his elder sisters. In the extract the presence of male dominance and the suppression of the feminine suggest an imbalance of power and desire.

  • In this prose passage from The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan, the themes of male superiority and female inferiority are illustrated through the domineering, assertive and authoritarian male presence of the character of the father in contrast to the feminine superficiality and insecurity of the female characters. The passage suggests that females are powerless in the face of male authority.

  • In this excerpt from The Comfort of Strangers, author Ian McEwan uses the first person perspective of the child narrator, Robert, to illustrate the confusion that can arise in the mind of a child as he learns to navigate the complex, conflicting and sometimes dangerous nature of authority, secrecy and loyalty in his relationships with family members.

  • In this extract from The Comfort of Strangers, the author Ian McEwan expresses a contrast between masculine and feminine concepts by showing the family relationships between Robert (the narrator) and his two elder sisters and their father.

  • In this excerpt from The Comfort of Strangers, author Ian McEwan explores ideas around growing up, gender and the loss of innocence.

  • In this passage from The Comfort of Strangers, author Ian McEwan promotes the argument that having a dominating and authoritarian father figure in a family can perpetuate negative attitudes about the role of women and may lead to their degradation.

  • This segment of prose from The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan highlights gender stereotypes in family relationships. However, it represents the dynamics between the genders as being complex and it blurs the lines that separate the genders.

  • In this excerpt from The Comfort of Strangers, author Ian McEwan utilises the techniques of characterisation to represent females as superficial and submissive.

  • The passage from The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan is a recount of a past event in the childhood of the narrator. McEwan utilises techniques such as diction, imagery and irony to explore ideas about male dominance and adult authority.

  • The extract from The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan suggests that childhood can be a time of encountering the inexplicable and strange mysteries of the adult world where relationships are based on unspoken rules.

  • In this passage from The Comfort of Strangers, author Ian McEwan provides a glimpse into the mysterious world of sibling relationships. The event narrated in the passage shows how childhood innocence is slowly lost or eroded as the adult world is increasingly revealed to or encroaches upon the young.


After reading through all these thesis statements, are you ready to write a good one! Edited by ecieee
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