{"id":920,"date":"2015-07-20T21:07:34","date_gmt":"2015-07-20T21:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/vccsenglishcomp1x4xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=920"},"modified":"2015-07-20T21:07:34","modified_gmt":"2015-07-20T21:07:34","slug":"thesis-statements","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/atd-herkimer-enhancedwriting\/chapter\/thesis-statements\/","title":{"raw":"Thesis Statements","rendered":"Thesis Statements"},"content":{"raw":"<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>What this handout is about <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can discover or refine one for your draft. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Introduction <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion\u2014convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you\u2019ll make in the rest of your paper . <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>What is a thesis statement? <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>A thesis statement: <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">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 or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">makes a claim that others might dispute.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">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. <\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on <\/span><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/handouts\/understanding-assignments\/\" target=\"_blank\">understanding assignments<\/a> <\/span><span class=\"s1\">for more information.) <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>How do I get a thesis? <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a \u201cworking thesis,\u201d a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on <\/span><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/handouts\/brainstorming\/\" target=\"_blank\">brainstorming<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s1\">. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>How do I know if my thesis is strong? <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If there\u2019s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following: <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Do I answer the question? <\/i>Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?<\/i>If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it\u2019s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\">Is my thesis statement specific enough?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like \u201cgood\u201d or \u201csuccessful,\u201d see if you could be more specific: <i>why <\/i>is something \u201cgood\u201d; <i>what specifically <\/i>makes something \u201csuccessful\u201d? <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Does my thesis pass the \u201cSo what?\u201d test? <\/i>If a reader\u2019s first response is, \u201cSo what?\u201d then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? <\/i>If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It\u2019s o.k. to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\"><i>Does my thesis pass the \u201chow and why?\u201d test? <\/i>If a reader\u2019s first response is \u201chow?\u201d or \u201cwhy?\u201d your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Examples <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Suppose you are taking a course on 19th-century America, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: Compare and contrast the reasons why the North and South fought the Civil War. You turn on the computer and type out the following: <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This weak thesis restates the question without providing any additional information. You will expand on this new information in the body of the essay, but it is important that the reader know where you are heading. A reader of this weak thesis might think, \u201cWhat reasons? How are they the same? How are they different?\u201d Ask yourself these same questions and begin to compare Northern and Southern attitudes (perhaps you first think, \u201cThe South believed slavery was right, and the North thought slavery was wrong\u201d). Now, push your comparison toward an interpretation\u2014why did one side think slavery was right and the other side think it was wrong? You look again at the evidence, and you decide that you are going to argue that the North believed slavery was immoral while the South believed it upheld the Southern way of life. You write: <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Now you have a working thesis! Included in this working thesis is a reason for the war and some idea of how the two sides disagreed over this reason. As you write the essay, you will probably begin to characterize these differences more precisely, and your working thesis may start to seem too vague. Maybe you decide that both sides fought for moral reasons, and that they just focused on different moral issues. You end up revising the working thesis into a final thesis that really captures the argument in your paper: <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Compare this to the original weak thesis. This final thesis presents a way of <i>interpreting <\/i>evidence that illuminates the significance of the question. <i>Keep in mind that this is one of many possible interpretations of the Civil War\u2014it is not the one and only right answer to the question<\/i>. There isn\u2019t one right answer; there are only strong and weak thesis statements and strong and weak uses of evidence. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Let\u2019s look at another example. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain\u2019s novel Huckleberry Finn. \u201cThis will be easy,\u201d you think. \u201cI loved Huckleberry Finn!\u201d You grab a pad of paper and write: <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Mark Twain\u2019s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Why is this thesis weak? Think about what the reader would expect from the essay that follows: you will most likely provide a general, appreciative summary of Twain\u2019s novel. The question did not ask you to summarize; it asked you to analyze. Your professor is probably not interested in your opinion of the novel; instead, she wants you to think about <i>why<\/i>it\u2019s such a great novel\u2014 what do Huck\u2019s adventures tell us about life, about America, about coming of age, about race relations, etc.? First, the question asks you to pick an aspect of the novel that you think is important to its structure or meaning\u2014for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write: <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Here\u2019s a working thesis with potential: you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation; however, it\u2019s still not clear what your analysis will reveal. Your reader is intrigued, but is still thinking, \u201cSo what? What\u2019s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?\u201d Perhaps you are not sure yet, either. That\u2019s fine\u2014begin to work on comparing scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck\u2019s actions and reactions. Eventually you will be able to clarify for yourself, and then for the reader, why this contrast matters. After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write: <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain\u2019s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave \u201ccivilized\u201d society and go back to nature. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Works consulted <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">We consulted these works while writing the original version of this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout\u2019s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the <\/span><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www2.lib.unc.edu\/instruct\/citations\/\" target=\"_blank\">UNC Libraries citation tutorial<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s1\">. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Anson, Chris M. and Robert A. Schwegler. The Longman Handbook for Writers. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 2000.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hairston, Maxine and John J. Ruszkiewicz. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The St. Martin\u2019s Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin\u2019s, 1995. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Rosen, Leonard J. and Laurence Behrens. The Allyn &amp; Bacon Handbook. 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn &amp; Bacon, 1997. <\/span><\/p>","rendered":"<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>What this handout is about <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can discover or refine one for your draft. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Introduction <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion\u2014convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you\u2019ll make in the rest of your paper . <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>What is a thesis statement? <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>A thesis statement: <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">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 or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">makes a claim that others might dispute.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">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. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on <\/span><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/handouts\/understanding-assignments\/\" target=\"_blank\">understanding assignments<\/a> <\/span><span class=\"s1\">for more information.) <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>How do I get a thesis? <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a \u201cworking thesis,\u201d a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on <\/span><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/handouts\/brainstorming\/\" target=\"_blank\">brainstorming<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s1\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>How do I know if my thesis is strong? <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If there\u2019s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Do I answer the question? <\/i>Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?<\/i>If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it\u2019s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Is my thesis statement specific enough?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like \u201cgood\u201d or \u201csuccessful,\u201d see if you could be more specific: <i>why <\/i>is something \u201cgood\u201d; <i>what specifically <\/i>makes something \u201csuccessful\u201d? <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Does my thesis pass the \u201cSo what?\u201d test? <\/i>If a reader\u2019s first response is, \u201cSo what?\u201d then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? <\/i>If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It\u2019s o.k. to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><i>Does my thesis pass the \u201chow and why?\u201d test? <\/i>If a reader\u2019s first response is \u201chow?\u201d or \u201cwhy?\u201d your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Examples <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Suppose you are taking a course on 19th-century America, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: Compare and contrast the reasons why the North and South fought the Civil War. You turn on the computer and type out the following: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This weak thesis restates the question without providing any additional information. You will expand on this new information in the body of the essay, but it is important that the reader know where you are heading. A reader of this weak thesis might think, \u201cWhat reasons? How are they the same? How are they different?\u201d Ask yourself these same questions and begin to compare Northern and Southern attitudes (perhaps you first think, \u201cThe South believed slavery was right, and the North thought slavery was wrong\u201d). Now, push your comparison toward an interpretation\u2014why did one side think slavery was right and the other side think it was wrong? You look again at the evidence, and you decide that you are going to argue that the North believed slavery was immoral while the South believed it upheld the Southern way of life. You write: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Now you have a working thesis! Included in this working thesis is a reason for the war and some idea of how the two sides disagreed over this reason. As you write the essay, you will probably begin to characterize these differences more precisely, and your working thesis may start to seem too vague. Maybe you decide that both sides fought for moral reasons, and that they just focused on different moral issues. You end up revising the working thesis into a final thesis that really captures the argument in your paper: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Compare this to the original weak thesis. This final thesis presents a way of <i>interpreting <\/i>evidence that illuminates the significance of the question. <i>Keep in mind that this is one of many possible interpretations of the Civil War\u2014it is not the one and only right answer to the question<\/i>. There isn\u2019t one right answer; there are only strong and weak thesis statements and strong and weak uses of evidence. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Let\u2019s look at another example. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain\u2019s novel Huckleberry Finn. \u201cThis will be easy,\u201d you think. \u201cI loved Huckleberry Finn!\u201d You grab a pad of paper and write: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Mark Twain\u2019s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Why is this thesis weak? Think about what the reader would expect from the essay that follows: you will most likely provide a general, appreciative summary of Twain\u2019s novel. The question did not ask you to summarize; it asked you to analyze. Your professor is probably not interested in your opinion of the novel; instead, she wants you to think about <i>why<\/i>it\u2019s such a great novel\u2014 what do Huck\u2019s adventures tell us about life, about America, about coming of age, about race relations, etc.? First, the question asks you to pick an aspect of the novel that you think is important to its structure or meaning\u2014for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Here\u2019s a working thesis with potential: you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation; however, it\u2019s still not clear what your analysis will reveal. Your reader is intrigued, but is still thinking, \u201cSo what? What\u2019s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?\u201d Perhaps you are not sure yet, either. That\u2019s fine\u2014begin to work on comparing scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck\u2019s actions and reactions. Eventually you will be able to clarify for yourself, and then for the reader, why this contrast matters. After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain\u2019s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave \u201ccivilized\u201d society and go back to nature. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Works consulted <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">We consulted these works while writing the original version of this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout\u2019s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the <\/span><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www2.lib.unc.edu\/instruct\/citations\/\" target=\"_blank\">UNC Libraries citation tutorial<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s1\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Anson, Chris M. and Robert A. Schwegler. The Longman Handbook for Writers. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 2000.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hairston, Maxine and John J. Ruszkiewicz. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The St. Martin\u2019s Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin\u2019s, 1995. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Rosen, Leonard J. and Laurence Behrens. The Allyn &amp; Bacon Handbook. 3rd ed. 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