is thesis statement and thematic statement the same

Thesis Statements

What this handout is about.

This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing 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’ll make in the rest of your paper.

What is a thesis statement?

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 or Moby Dick; 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 near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the 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.

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 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 understanding assignments for more information.)

How do I create a thesis?

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 “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.

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 brainstorming .

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there’s 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 :

• Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question. If the prompt isn’t phrased as a question, try to rephrase it. For example, “Discuss the effect of X on Y” can be rephrased as “What is the effect of X on Y?”
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is likely to  be “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay 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.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” 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.

Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:

Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.

You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.

• Do I answer the question? You can analyze this if you rephrase “discuss the impact” as “what is the impact?” This way, you can see that you’ve answered the question only very generally with the vague “positive and negative ways.”
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not likely. Only people who maintain that social media has a solely positive or solely negative impact could disagree.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? No. What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects?
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? No. Why are they positive? How are they positive? What are their causes? Why are they negative? How are they negative? What are their causes?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? No. Why should anyone care about the positive and/or negative impact of social media?

After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:

Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.

This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.

Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

You begin to analyze your thesis:

• Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.

Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

• Do I answer the question? Yes!
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not really. This contrast is well-known and accepted.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? It’s getting there–you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. However, it’s still not clear what your analysis will reveal.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? Not yet. Compare scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck’s actions and reactions and anything else that seems interesting.
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? What’s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?”

After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.

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.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. 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 UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How To Write A Thematic Statement with Examples

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

The English language is not as straightforward as it seems. Penning a quality essay or story requires in-depth knowledge of English grammar and sentence structure rulings.

A single paragraph may contain multiple different sentence types. An argumentative essay’s introductory paragraph, for example, may have many simple sentences, a thesis statement, and a thematic statement.

Thesis statements are present within almost every essay. Thematic statements, on the other hand, are less popular because not many people know about them. Regardless, they are an essential part of English writing, and learning about these statements will help you produce better essays. Thematic statements are most commonly employed within stories, though you can also find them in some formal texts.

This article will cover everything you need to know about thematic statements – what are they, where are they used, and how they differ from thesis statements. We’ll also explore the guidelines for penning a quality thematic statement, accompanied by multiple examples.

So, without further delay, let’s dive in!

In this article:

What is a Thematic Statement?

What’s the purpose of having a theme, where to use thematic statements: popular examples, how are thematic statements different from thesis statements, theme vs. topic, how to write a thematic statement, what to avoid when writing a thematic statement, good vs. evil, power and corruption, coming of age, thematic statement examples for love, thematic statement examples for identity, thematic statement examples for fear, thematic statement examples for death, thematic statement examples for trust.

Thematic statements are unique sentences employed by writers to convey the most prominent message of their story or article. They summarize the essence of the story into a short, precise statement.

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Every thematic statement must contain a single root keyword. This keyword is called the ‘theme’ or a ‘thematic idea.’ Unlike thematic statements, thematic ideas are not complete sentences but only words.

Thematic statements grow from thematic ideas.

Some writers prefer to pen two thematic statements instead of one. This tactic is most common within more extensive texts that discuss multiple ideas. Still, the idea is to summarize the central message that the text aims to deliver to readers. Hence, thematic statements shouldn’t be too long. An entire paragraph of writing cannot qualify as a thematic statement.

Thematic statements do not target a specific audience. Expert writers know that thematic statements lose their purpose when directed at the reader. Hence, thematic statements should never sound personal. Words like “I” and “you” have no place within thematic statements because they narrow the thematic idea’s scope. You essentially direct an idea towards a specific audience by personalizing a statement. Hence, the audience’s perception of the statement’s message becomes relevant. Unfortunately, having the audience’s perception as a point of interest weakens the statement’s impact.

Let’s go over a simple example to understand this idea better:

Suppose the proposed thematic statement is “If you love sincerely, you will find joy.”

There are many problems with this statement. Firstly, it is a personal statement directed at an audience. A quality thematic statement must be impersonal. It should address not a person or audience but rather a single idea or message.

Another thing wrong with this sentence is its use of “if.” Writing “if” immediately transforms the text into a conditional statement that’s paired with a promise. Here, the statement mentioned above promises joy to those who love sincerely.

Unfortunately, promises are often broken and are seldom guaranteed. Therefore, it’s best to avoid making promises within thematic statements. Including the word “if” and closing the statement off with a promise only serves to weaken the sentence’s impact. Plus, it lengthens the statement. Remember, thematic statements should be concise and to the point. It should seek to deliver a single message in simple words.

A better thematic statement would be, “Sincere love results in joy.” This statement is direct and discusses one idea only. It does not make promises and is not an “if” statement. It is powerful and stated as a fact or lesson, allowing the reader to successfully understand the essay’s central idea.

A theme is often used to summarize the focus or main idea that the author is trying to convey. Well-developed works of literature often have a multitude of themes that can be determined or understood at face value as well as on a much deeper level. Sometimes, the author wants you to read between the lines and form your own conclusion.

For readers, understanding the theme gives you a much more in-depth understanding of the storyline as well as added clarity. Understanding the themes of a literary piece will also inspire a greater appreciation of the literature’s deeper meanings and innuendos.

Themes allow authors to express their opinions and comment on humanistic traits or societal pressures without having to be too obvious about it.

Learning to understand themes allows the reader the opportunity to think about the plot on a much deeper level, form their own opinions and align their opinions with those of the authors. A greater understanding of themes will also inspire deeper thinking and promote self-reflection in the reader.

Determining themes requires reading between the lines, having a greater understanding of emotion and reactiveness and critical thinking to decipher the message that the author is attempting to convey.

Thematic statements are often found within the following literary works:

• Short, five-paragraph essays that are at least 500 words long
• Social science research essays, particularly on topics like sociology or psychology
• Marriage toasts, funeral speeches , and other emotionally-charged pieces of text, centered around a single theme (like love or death)
• Stories, including personal narratives and autobiographical essays
• Rhetorical analysis essays that explore a published author’s linguistic articulation. The use of thematic statements can help perfectly capture the author’s message without beating around the bush

As discussed previously, thematic statements aim to deliver a single idea through a simple yet impactful sentence. This “single idea” is the central message of a complete body of text (like a story or essay).

Thematic statements are interchangeable with thesis statements when employed within thematic essays. However, this is the exception, not the rule. In most literary works, thematic statements are different from thesis statements. Both statements may be interrelated yet express their ideas through differing sentence structures. Unlike their thematic counterparts, we structure thesis statements as arguments containing multiple points of interest.

For example, suppose you are writing an essay on climate change. Climate change is the essay’s primary theme or thematic idea. Hence, your thematic statement will stem from it. Your thesis statement will also refer to climate change. However, it may also talk about other ideas relevant to climate change. These ideas will vary depending on what stance your essay takes on the matter of climate change, of course.

Here’s what a thematic statement for an essay on climate change may look like:

“Climate change is harmful to the environment.”

A thesis statement concerning the same topic may look like this:

“Climate change is harmful to the environment because it is raising sea levels, causing global warming, and depleting Earth’s flora and fauna.” This statement is arguable, not factual. It can be debated and proven or disproven using evidence.

On the other hand, thematic statements are simple factual sentences and undebatable facts. For example, the theme for a story like Romeo and Juliet is love. The thematic statement developed from this theme could be “love comes with a high price.” By connecting the theme, or thematic idea , to a lesson, we can successfully portray a complete message to the reader. This message encapsulates the core idea running through the entire story.

A story’s theme and the topic may share common ground, but they are not the same. Themes are single words that capture the story or essay’s essence. For example, we know that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet explores the theme of love. It also explores the theme of rivalry.

However, anyone who has read Romeo and Juliet knows that the topic is not love or rivalry. Instead, we can say the topic is “two young people belonging to rival families find love, only to suffer at its hands.” Notice how topics are complete sentences, whereas themes are standalone words.

A topic sentence may cite the story’s primary themes but goes a step further by exploring the plot, too. Topic statements are a tool to help better illustrate how a specific theme plays out within a story or essay. Hence, we see that theme and topic are not the same. However, they most certainly are interconnected.

Thematic statements come from thematic ideas. Therefore, before you start penning a thematic statement, you must first identify your essay’s central theme or main idea. You can do so by referring to your essay’s title.

Suppose your thematic idea is love. Now that you’ve got your theme down move on to uncovering the theme assertion.

“Theme assertion” refers to the text’s central message. What lesson can we learn from reading a specific literary work, and how does this lesson relate to the thematic idea?

The thematic assertion is decided by the story or essay’s original author. A reader can only spot it. We can do so by exploring the author’s thoughts. For example, within Romeo and Juliet, we see Shakespeare imply that love (theme) has unintended negative consequences (assertion).

Combining the theme and assertion can yield a complete thematic statement. But if you’d like to take things further, you can always add a ‘qualifying clause.’

Qualifying clauses are optional. You can add them after a thematic assertion to further define the thematic statement.

Let’s take the example of Romeo and Juliet again:

Love (theme) has unintended negative consequences (assertion) that cannot be denied (qualifying clause).

Notice how the qualifying clause adds to the overall thematic statement. However, if you wrote the qualifying clause on its own, it would not make any sense as a standalone sentence. Yet, when meshed with a theme and assertion, it can help create a well-rounded statement.

Here’s a quick summary of other ways to identify themes:

• Pay attention to the plot: Write down the main elements of the work like, plot, the tone of the story, language style, characters traits. Were there any conflicts? What was the most important moment of the story? What was the main character’s goal? What was the author’s resolution for the conflict? How did the story end?
• Identify the literary subject: If you had to tell someone about the book, how would you describe it to them?
• Who is the protagonist: Plainly put, who is the hero or the ‘good guy’? How did the character develop and grow throughout the plot? What was the character’s effect on all the other people around him? How did he/she impact the other characters? How does this character relate to the others?

Assess the author’s point of view: What was the author’s view on the characters and how they made choices? What message could the author be trying to send us? This message is the theme. Find clues in quotes from the main characters, language use, the final resolution of the main conflict.

Thematic statements aren’t overly complicated. However, being human, there is always room for error.

Keep an eye out for the following mistakes when penning thematic statements:

• Remember to mention the story or essay’s central theme within the thematic statement.
• Avoid summarizing the literary work – that’s what topic sentences are for!
• Stay away from absolute terms like “always.”
• Overgeneralization is unnecessary and distracts from the main idea.
• Do not say, “this story’s theme is….” Instead, weave the thematic idea’s keyword (“love”) into the thematic statement.
• Avoid metaphors, complicated idioms, and flowery language.
• Don’t beat about the bush.
• Stay away from cliché statements and trendy slogans or chants.
• Qualifying clauses are not compulsory. Only use them if you feel they’ll improve your writing without complicating it.

You can successfully pen a striking thematic statement by avoiding these common writing mistakes.

Examples of Themes

There are many great literary theme examples of love that have developed through the ages, one of the most famous ones being, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet of course. Theme: A tragic tale of forbidden love with terrible consequences.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is yet another classic example that explores the type of love that grows slowly where there was once dislike and misunderstanding.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte explores love in a completely different light, highlighting the way its intensity and power disrupt and even destroy lives.

The book thief by Marcus Zusak is narrated by death itself, exploring his role in taking lives in setting Germany in World War 2.

The Fault in Our Stars features teenagers who come to terms with the grave reality of death while coming to terms with their terminal illness.

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien displays the battle of good versus evil quite clearly in its tale of hobbits, elves and men teaming up to defeat the power hungry Sauron and his armies of dark creatures.

The Stand by Stephen King features the light versus dark dichotomy. Staging a battle between good and evil through the characters of Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the tragic tale of a character seeking power for his own sake, and dealing with the consequences of his own self minded ambition.

Animal Farm by George Orwell is another iconic classic exploration of power and corruption, an allegorical story about a group of animals who rise up against their human masters with increasingly sinister results.

Lord of the flies by William Golding focuses on a group of young boys stuck on a deserted island, chronicling their attempts to survive and govern themselves.

Room by Emma Donoghue tells a different story of survival as that of a woman who has been held captive for seven years and her five-year-old son who doesn’t know a normal life outside of the room that they are held captive in.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger follows a sixteen-year-old boy dealing with teenage angst and rebellion in the 1950s.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is the story of a teenager named Charlie navigating all the challenges that come with the time between adolescence and adulthood.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is noted as one of the most famous explorations of prejudice and racism. A white lawyer Atticus Finch is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape. 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly explores prejudice and fear of the unknown throughout the story of Dr. Frankenstein and the ‘monster’ he created.

Examples of Thematic Statements

Now that we’ve gone over the guidelines associated with writing a thematic statement, let’s explore some theme sentence examples:

• Love can heighten our sense of courage.
• Loving ourselves can heal our emotional scars, even if it takes time.
• Love is more powerful than infatuation.
• Accepting our true selves can help us lead happier lives.
• Our identity is crafted from personal experiences.
• Believing in ourselves can help us achieve the impossible.
• Fear is a state of mind.
• We can overcome fear through strong faith.
• Fear is an inevitable emotion.
• All humans experience fear.
• We should embrace death as an inevitable fact of life.
• Nobody can evade death.
• Seeing their loved ones die makes people sad.
• Healthy relationships are built on trust.
• To achieve success, we must trust our gut instinct.
• Not everyone deserves to be trusted.
• We should choose who to trust with care.

Pay attention to how each statement covers only a single idea relating to one theme. This is a trademark rule with thematic statements. It helps them remain simple, unwinding, and direct.

Learning about thematic statements is an essential part of every writer’s journey. Storybook authors, in particular, should be well-aware of thematic statements and their undeniable importance.

A quality thematic statement can make your story much easier to understand. That’s because a thematic statement stems from the story’s central or thematic idea and captures the story’s true essence. Hence, thematic statements are incomplete without discussing the literary work’s primary theme.

Thematic statements should not be confused with thesis statements. Both are important in their own right, yet neither one can replace the other. Thematic statements are factual, whereas thesis statements explore arguments that can be disproven with relevant evidence.

Thesis statements seldom exist within stories. Instead, they are a characteristic of formal essays, particularly argumentative ones. However, to truly understand the essence of a story , one must first learn to understand the nature of thematic statements.

A story or essay’s theme is also strikingly different from its topic. Thematic ideas (themes) are typically single words. On the other hand, topics are illustrated through multiple words. As a result, we often see topic sentences and single-worded themes.

The best thematic statements reference a single theme. After identifying the story’s theme, these statements build upon a lesson or message relating to said theme. This thematic idea keyword (for example, love or death) must appear within the thematic statement.

Thematic statements must also contain a thematic assertion. A thematic assertion is essentially an explanation, lesson, or central message the story conveys.

A single thematic idea and assertion are enough to create a complete thematic statement. However, some people prefer adding an optional qualifying clause, too. After adding the clause, you’re left with a comprehensive, well-rounded thematic statement.

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Writing a Paper: Thesis Statements

Basics of thesis statements.

The thesis statement is the brief articulation of your paper's central argument and purpose. You might hear it referred to as simply a "thesis." Every scholarly paper should have a thesis statement, and strong thesis statements are concise, specific, and arguable. Concise means the thesis is short: perhaps one or two sentences for a shorter paper. Specific means the thesis deals with a narrow and focused topic, appropriate to the paper's length. Arguable means that a scholar in your field could disagree (or perhaps already has!).

Strong thesis statements address specific intellectual questions, have clear positions, and use a structure that reflects the overall structure of the paper. Read on to learn more about constructing a strong thesis statement.

Being Specific

This thesis statement has no specific argument:

Needs Improvement: In this essay, I will examine two scholarly articles to find similarities and differences.

This statement is concise, but it is neither specific nor arguable—a reader might wonder, "Which scholarly articles? What is the topic of this paper? What field is the author writing in?" Additionally, the purpose of the paper—to "examine…to find similarities and differences" is not of a scholarly level. Identifying similarities and differences is a good first step, but strong academic argument goes further, analyzing what those similarities and differences might mean or imply.

Better: In this essay, I will argue that Bowler's (2003) autocratic management style, when coupled with Smith's (2007) theory of social cognition, can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover.

The new revision here is still concise, as well as specific and arguable.  We can see that it is specific because the writer is mentioning (a) concrete ideas and (b) exact authors.  We can also gather the field (business) and the topic (management and employee turnover). The statement is arguable because the student goes beyond merely comparing; he or she draws conclusions from that comparison ("can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover").

Making a Unique Argument

This thesis draft repeats the language of the writing prompt without making a unique argument:

Needs Improvement: The purpose of this essay is to monitor, assess, and evaluate an educational program for its strengths and weaknesses. Then, I will provide suggestions for improvement.

You can see here that the student has simply stated the paper's assignment, without articulating specifically how he or she will address it. The student can correct this error simply by phrasing the thesis statement as a specific answer to the assignment prompt.

Better: Through a series of student interviews, I found that Kennedy High School's antibullying program was ineffective. In order to address issues of conflict between students, I argue that Kennedy High School should embrace policies outlined by the California Department of Education (2010).

Words like "ineffective" and "argue" show here that the student has clearly thought through the assignment and analyzed the material; he or she is putting forth a specific and debatable position. The concrete information ("student interviews," "antibullying") further prepares the reader for the body of the paper and demonstrates how the student has addressed the assignment prompt without just restating that language.

Creating a Debate

This thesis statement includes only obvious fact or plot summary instead of argument:

Needs Improvement: Leadership is an important quality in nurse educators.

A good strategy to determine if your thesis statement is too broad (and therefore, not arguable) is to ask yourself, "Would a scholar in my field disagree with this point?" Here, we can see easily that no scholar is likely to argue that leadership is an unimportant quality in nurse educators.  The student needs to come up with a more arguable claim, and probably a narrower one; remember that a short paper needs a more focused topic than a dissertation.

Better: Roderick's (2009) theory of participatory leadership  is particularly appropriate to nurse educators working within the emergency medicine field, where students benefit most from collegial and kinesthetic learning.

Here, the student has identified a particular type of leadership ("participatory leadership"), narrowing the topic, and has made an arguable claim (this type of leadership is "appropriate" to a specific type of nurse educator). Conceivably, a scholar in the nursing field might disagree with this approach. The student's paper can now proceed, providing specific pieces of evidence to support the arguable central claim.

Choosing the Right Words

This thesis statement uses large or scholarly-sounding words that have no real substance:

Needs Improvement: Scholars should work to seize metacognitive outcomes by harnessing discipline-based networks to empower collaborative infrastructures.

There are many words in this sentence that may be buzzwords in the student's field or key terms taken from other texts, but together they do not communicate a clear, specific meaning. Sometimes students think scholarly writing means constructing complex sentences using special language, but actually it's usually a stronger choice to write clear, simple sentences. When in doubt, remember that your ideas should be complex, not your sentence structure.

Better: Ecologists should work to educate the U.S. public on conservation methods by making use of local and national green organizations to create a widespread communication plan.

Notice in the revision that the field is now clear (ecology), and the language has been made much more field-specific ("conservation methods," "green organizations"), so the reader is able to see concretely the ideas the student is communicating.

Leaving Room for Discussion

This thesis statement is not capable of development or advancement in the paper:

Needs Improvement: There are always alternatives to illegal drug use.

This sample thesis statement makes a claim, but it is not a claim that will sustain extended discussion. This claim is the type of claim that might be appropriate for the conclusion of a paper, but in the beginning of the paper, the student is left with nowhere to go. What further points can be made? If there are "always alternatives" to the problem the student is identifying, then why bother developing a paper around that claim? Ideally, a thesis statement should be complex enough to explore over the length of the entire paper.

Better: The most effective treatment plan for methamphetamine addiction may be a combination of pharmacological and cognitive therapy, as argued by Baker (2008), Smith (2009), and Xavier (2011).

In the revised thesis, you can see the student make a specific, debatable claim that has the potential to generate several pages' worth of discussion. When drafting a thesis statement, think about the questions your thesis statement will generate: What follow-up inquiries might a reader have? In the first example, there are almost no additional questions implied, but the revised example allows for a good deal more exploration.

Thesis Mad Libs

If you are having trouble getting started, try using the models below to generate a rough model of a thesis statement! These models are intended for drafting purposes only and should not appear in your final work.

• In this essay, I argue ____, using ______ to assert _____.
• While scholars have often argued ______, I argue______, because_______.
• Through an analysis of ______, I argue ______, which is important because_______.

Words to Avoid and to Embrace

When drafting your thesis statement, avoid words like explore, investigate, learn, compile, summarize , and explain to describe the main purpose of your paper. These words imply a paper that summarizes or "reports," rather than synthesizing and analyzing.

Instead of the terms above, try words like argue, critique, question , and interrogate . These more analytical words may help you begin strongly, by articulating a specific, critical, scholarly position.

Read Kayla's blog post for tips on taking a stand in a well-crafted thesis statement.

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12 Constructing the Thesis and Argument from the Ground Up

Amy Guptill; Liz Delf; Rob Drummond; and Kristy Kelly

Amy Guptill Adapted by Liz Delf, Rob Drummond, and Kristy Kelly

Moving beyond the five-paragraph theme.

As an instructor, I’ve noted that a number of new (and sometimes not-so-new) students are skilled wordsmiths and generally clear thinkers but are nevertheless stuck in a high school style of writing. They struggle to let go of certain assumptions about how an academic paper should be. Some students who have mastered that form, and enjoyed a lot of success from doing so, assume that college writing is simply more of the same. The skills that go into a very basic kind of essay—often called the five-paragraph theme —are indispensable. If you’re good at the five-paragraph theme, then you’re good at identifying a clearfl and consistent thesis, arranging cohesive paragraphs, organizing evidence for key points, and situating an argument within a broader context through the intro and conclusion.

In college you need to build on those essential skills. The five-paragraph theme, as such, is bland and formulaic; it doesn’t compel deep thinking. Your instructors are looking for a more ambitious and arguable thesis, a nuanced and compelling argument, and real-life evidence for all key points, all in an organically structured paper.

Figures 12.1 and 12.2 contrast the standard five-paragraph theme and the organic college paper. The five-paragraph theme (outlined in figure 12.1 ) is probably what you’re used to: the introductory paragraph starts broad and gradually narrows to a thesis, which readers expect to find at the very end of that paragraph. In this idealized format, the thesis invokes the magic number of three: three reasons why a statement is true. Each of those reasons is explained and justified in the three body paragraphs, and then the final paragraph restates the thesis before gradually getting broader. This format is easy for readers to follow, and it helps writers organize their points and the evidence that goes with them. That’s why you learned this format.

In contrast, figure 12.2 represents a paper on the same topic that has the more organic form expected in college. The first key difference is the thesis. Rather than simply positing a number of reasons to think that something is true, it puts forward an arguable statement: one with which a reasonable person might disagree. An arguable thesis gives the paper purpose. It surprises readers and draws them in. You hope your reader thinks, “Huh. Why would they come to that conclusion?” and then feels compelled to read on. The body paragraphs, then, build on one another to carry out this ambitious argument. In the classic five-paragraph theme ( figure 12.1 ), it hardly matters which of the three reasons you explain first or second. In the more organic structure ( figure 12.2 ), each paragraph specifically leads to the next.

The last key difference is seen in the conclusion. Because the organic essay is driven by an ambitious, nonobvious argument, the reader comes to the concluding section thinking, “OK, I’m convinced by the argument. What do you, author, make of it? Why does it matter?” The conclusion of an organically structured paper has a real job to do. It doesn’t just reiterate the thesis; it explains why the thesis matters.

The substantial time you spent mastering the five-paragraph form in figure 12.1 was time well spent; it’s hard to imagine anyone succeeding with the more organic form without the organizational skills and habits of mind inherent in the simpler form. (And it is worth noting that there are limited moments in college where the five-paragraph structure is still useful—in-class essay exams, for example.) But if you assume that you must adhere rigidly to the simpler form, you’re blunting your intellectual ambition. Your instructors will not be impressed by obvious theses, loosely related body paragraphs, and repetitive conclusions. They want you to undertake an ambitious independent analysis, one that will yield a thesis that is somewhat surprising and challenging to explain.

The Three-Story Thesis

From the ground up.

You have no doubt been drilled on the need for a thesis statement and its proper location at the end of the introduction. And you also know that all of the key points of the paper should clearly support the central driving thesis. Indeed, the whole model of the five-paragraph theme hinges on a clearly stated and consistent thesis. However, some students are surprised—and dismayed—when some of their early college papers are criticized for not having a good thesis. Their instructor might even claim that the paper doesn’t have a thesis when, in the author’s view, it clearly does. So what makes a good thesis in college?

• Version A: Linen served as a form of currency in the ancient Mediterranean world, connecting rival empires through circuits of trade.
• Version B: Linen served as a form of currency in the ancient Mediterranean world, connecting rival empires through circuits of trade. The economic role of linen raises important questions about how shifting environmental conditions can influence economic relationships and, by extension, political conflicts.

How do you produce a good, strong thesis? And how do you know when you’ve gotten there? Many instructors and writers embrace a metaphor based on this passage by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809–1894). He compares a good thesis to a three-story building:

There are one-story intellects, two-story intellects, and three-story intellects with skylights. All fact collectors who have no aim beyond their facts are one-story men. Two-story men compare, reason, generalize using the labor of fact collectors as their own. Three-story men idealize, imagine, predict—their best illumination comes from above the skylight. (50)

In other words,

• One-story theses state inarguable facts. What’s the background?
• Two-story theses bring in an arguable (interpretive or analytical) point . What is your argument?
• Three-story theses nest that point within its larger, compelling implications . Why does it matter?

Thesis: that’s the word that pops at me whenever I write an essay. Seeing this word in the prompt scared me and made me think to myself, “Oh great, what are they really looking for?” or “How am I going to make a thesis for a college paper?” When rehearing that I would be focusing on theses again in a class, I said to myself, “Here we go again!” But after learning about the three-story thesis, I never had a problem with writing another thesis. In fact, I look forward to being asked on a paper to create a thesis.

Timothée Pizarro

writing student

The biggest benefit of the three-story metaphor is that it describes a process for building a thesis. To build the first story or level, you first have to get familiar with the complex, relevant facts surrounding the problem or question. You have to be able to describe the situation thoroughly and accurately. Then with that first story built, you can layer on the second story by formulating the insightful, arguable point that animates the analysis. That’s often the most effortful part: brainstorming, elaborating and comparing alternative ideas, finalizing your point. With that specified, you can frame up the third story by articulating why the point you make matters beyond its particular topic or case.

The concept of a three-story thesis framework was the most helpful piece of information I gained from the writing component of DCC 100. The first time I utilized it in a college paper, my professor included “good thesis” and “excellent introduction” in her notes and graded it significantly higher than my previous papers. You can expect similar results if you dig deeper to form three-story theses. More importantly, doing so will make the actual writing of your paper more straightforward as well. Arguing something specific makes the structure of your paper much easier to design.

Peter Farrell

For example, imagine you have been assigned a paper about the impact of online learning in higher education. You would first construct an account of the origins and multiple forms of online learning and assess research findings on its use and effectiveness. If you’ve done that well, you’ll probably come up with a well-considered opinion that wouldn’t be obvious to readers who haven’t looked at the issue in depth. Maybe you’ll want to argue that online learning is a threat to the academic community. Or perhaps you’ll want to make the case that online learning opens up pathways to college degrees that traditional campus-based learning does not.

In the course of developing your central, argumentative point, you’ll come to recognize its larger context; in this example, you may claim that online learning can serve to better integrate higher education with the rest of society, as online learners bring their educational and career experiences together. Here is an example:

The final thesis would be all three of these pieces together. These stories build on one another; they don’t replace the previous story. Here’s another example of a three-story thesis:

Here’s one more example:

A thesis statement that stops at the first story isn’t usually considered a thesis . A two-story thesis is usually considered competent, though some two-story theses are more intriguing and ambitious than others. A thoughtfully crafted and well-informed three-story thesis puts the author on a smooth path toward an excellent paper.

Three-Story Theses and the Organically Structured Argument

The three-story thesis is a beautiful thing. For one, it gives a paper authentic momentum. The first paragraph doesn’t just start with some broad, vague statement; every sentence is crucial for setting up the thesis. The body paragraphs build on one another, moving through each step of the logical chain. Each paragraph leads inevitably to the next, making the transitions from paragraph to paragraph feel wholly natural. The conclusion, instead of being a mirror-image paraphrase of the introduction, builds out the third story by explaining the broader implications of the argument. It offers new insight without departing from the flow of the analysis.

I should note here that a paper with this kind of momentum often reads like it was knocked out in one inspired sitting. But in reality, just like accomplished athletes, artists, and musicians, masterful writers make the difficult thing look easy. As writer Anne Lamott notes, reading a well-written piece feels like its author sat down and typed it out, “bounding along like huskies across the snow.” However, she continues,

This is just the fantasy of the uninitiated. I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much. (21)

Experienced writers don’t figure out what they want to say and then write it. They write in order to figure out what they want to say.

Experienced writers develop theses in dialogue with the body of the essay. An initial characterization of the problem leads to a tentative thesis, and then drafting the body of the paper reveals thorny contradictions or critical areas of ambiguity, prompting the writer to revisit or expand the body of evidence and then refine the thesis based on that fresh look. The revised thesis may require that body paragraphs be reordered and reshaped to fit the emerging three-story thesis. Throughout the process, the thesis serves as an anchor point while the author wades through the morass of facts and ideas. The dialogue between thesis and body continues until the author is satisfied or the due date arrives, whatever comes first. It’s an effortful and sometimes tedious process.

Novice writers, in contrast, usually oversimplify the writing process. They formulate some first-impression thesis, produce a reasonably organized outline, and then flesh it out with text, never taking the time to reflect or truly revise their work. They assume that revision is a step backward when, in reality, it is a major step forward.

Everyone has a different way that they like to write. For instance, I like to pop my earbuds in, blast dubstep music, and write on a whiteboard. I like using the whiteboard because it is a lot easier to revise and edit while you write. After I finish writing a paragraph that I am completely satisfied with on the whiteboard, I sit in front of it with my laptop and just type it up.

Kaethe Leonard

Another benefit of the three-story thesis framework is that it demystifies what a “strong” argument is in academic culture . In an era of political polarization, many students may think that a strong argument is based on a simple, bold, combative statement that is promoted in the most forceful way possible. “Gun control is a travesty!” “Shakespeare is the best writer who ever lived!” When students are encouraged to consider contrasting perspectives in their papers, they fear that doing so will make their own thesis seem mushy and weak.

However, in academics a “strong” argument is comprehensive and nuanced, not simple and polemical. The purpose of the argument is to explain to readers why the author—through the course of his or her in-depth study—has arrived at a somewhat surprising point. On that basis, it has to consider plausible counterarguments and contradictory information. Academic argumentation exemplifies the popular adage about all writing: show, don’t tell. In crafting and carrying out the three-story thesis, you are showing your reader the work you have done.

The model of the organically structured paper and the three-story thesis framework explained here is the very foundation of the paper itself and the process that produces it. Your instructors assume that you have the self-motivation and organizational skills to pursue your analysis with both rigor and flexibility; that is, they envision you developing, testing, refining, and sometimes discarding your own ideas based on a clear-eyed and open-minded assessment of the evidence before you.

The original chapter, Constructing the Thesis and Argument—from the Ground Up by Amy Guptill, is from Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence

Discussion Questions

• What writing “rules” were you taught in the past? This might be about essay structure, style, or something else. Which of these rules seem to be true in college writing? Which ones are not true in college?
• In what contexts is the five-paragraph essay a useful structure? Why is it not helpful in other contexts—what’s the problem?
• Despite their appeal to patients, robotic pets should not be used widely, since they cause more problems than they solve.
• In recent years, robotic pets have been used in medical settings to help children and elderly patients feel emotionally supported and loved.
• Shifting affection to robotic pets rather than live animals suggests a major change in empathy and humanity and could have long-term costs that have not been fully considered.
• Television programming includes content that some find objectionable.
• The percentage of children and youth who are overweight or obese has risen in recent decades.
• First-year college students must learn how to independently manage their time.
• The things we surround ourselves with symbolize who we are.
• Find a scholarly article or book that is interesting to you. Focusing on the abstract and introduction, outline the first, second, and third stories of its thesis.
• Find an example of a five-paragraph theme (online essay mills, your own high school work), produce an alternative three-story thesis, and outline an organically structured paper to carry that thesis out.

Additional Resources

• The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers an excellent, readable rundown on the five-paragraph theme, why most college writing assignments want you to go beyond it, and those times when the simpler structure is actually a better choice.
• There are many useful websites that describe good thesis statements and provide examples. Those from the writing centers at Hamilton College  and Purdue University are especially helpful.

Works Cited

Holmes, Oliver Wendell. The Poet at the Breakfast-Table: His Talks with His Fellow-Boarders and the Reader. James R. Osgood, 1872.

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Pantheon, 1994.

Media Attributions

• 12.1 five-paragraph theme © Amy Guptill is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike) license
• 12.2 organic college paper © Amy Guptill is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike) license

Constructing the Thesis and Argument from the Ground Up Copyright © 2022 by Amy Guptill; Liz Delf; Rob Drummond; and Kristy Kelly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

What’s Covered:

What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus. 

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point. 

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

• Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
• Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
• Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

• What impact did reality TV have on American society?
• How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
• Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that. 

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves. 

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

How to Write a Thematic Statement? (Step-by-Step)

Have you been asked to write an essay about an important literary work, and does your coursework call on you to include a thematic statement? Are you writing a novel, and have you come to the conclusion that you need to create a thematic statement, either to help you in your creative process or to land a literary agent?

You may feel confused, and even stuck — thematic statements are not often talked-about, and few people understand what they truly are. Therefore, writing one can be a challenge. We're here to help.

Understanding a Thematic Statement

A thematic statement can be defined as the one core idea that runs through an entire novel, essay, or other written work — the central message that underpins everything within the text. This message is not merely a statement of fact, but also offers a moral judgment or philosophical foundation.

Because the thematic statement conveys the central idea around which the entire work is based, it can usually be conveyed in just one sentence. Plot, setting, and characters do not need to be included in a thematic statement, as the thematic statement is the one idea that remains true once you strip all of these elements away

In some cases, the theme, or the thread that runs through the entire work, is immediately apparent. In other cases, the theme of the literary work is open to interpretation.

Still confused? While we'll delve into the topic much more deeply, some possible thematic statements could include:

• "Sometimes love really is all you need."
• "The true meaning of life can be found not in material possessions, but in creativity."
• "Being a hero is a choice anyone can make."
• "The line between good and evil is not always apparent."
• "Fear can be more dangerous than anything else."

Thematic Statements vs Thesis Statements vs Topic Statements: What Is the Difference?

People sometimes ask how thematic statements differ from thesis statements and topic statements, both of which are more commonly discussed — and also often more immediately apparent.

A thesis statement can be defined as the central claim in an academic paper, such as an essay, which the author defends throughout their writing. The thesis statement is explicitly stated, typically immediately following the introduction, and is typically a debatable argument. A thesis statement could be something like " The Handmaid's Tale is unquestionably Margaret Atwood's most famous novel, but the author's MaddAddam trilogy holds more literary significance."

A topic statement discusses the topic of a work — and, if we were to continue with the previous example, one possible option would be to state that "This essay discusses the literary significance of The Handmaid's Tale as compared to the MaddAddam trilogy." If we were to talk about the topic of the MaddAddam trilogy instead, the topic statement would be different; "This work speculates about the evolutionary path climate change may force humanity to take", for instance.

Thematic statements, which are almost always written about literary works like novels or poems, do not deal in such specifics. They merely state the underlying and most fundamental message that permeates the entire work, and which may not ever be declared explicitly.

Where Are Thematic Statements Used?

Thematic statements serve two basic purposes. These largely depend on who crafts them; a thematic statement may be written by the author of a work, or by a reader.

Authors can use thematic statements to:

• Decide on a foundational philosophy that should run through the entire work, even before they begin writing the work. When an author keeps this important core message or value in mind throughout the creative process, it can have a large positive impact. A more coherent text will result, as characters or plot points not relevant to the thematic statement can be eliminated.
• Land a literary agent, if the author is hoping to be traditionally published. Conveying the central theme of the work clearly but succinctly can catch agents' attention. Literary agents can, in turn, employ thematic statements as they negotiate with publishers.

Readers can craft thematic statements, too. In this case, the purpose may be to:

• Offer a core interpretation of the central meaning of a novel or poem, in order to demonstrate that the student has deeply understood the core of the work.
• Choose which works to include in an essay that seeks to interpret the theme of multiple works.

How to Find a Thematic Statement for a Novel or Other Work

Those who have interacted with a work on a deeper level, perhaps by reading it multiple times and contemplating its philosophical implications, may immediately notice a theme they can use to craft a theme statement. This is not always true, however, as many books can be interpreted in several different ways.

Students who have been asked to pinpoint an accurate thematic statement for a work of fiction can start identifying a theme statement by gathering more general information about the work. For instance, consider:

• What do you know about the plot and the characters?
• What important struggles are characters seeking to overcome in the work, with a focus on the protagonist?
• What values does the protagonist not want to compromise on?
• How does the book end?

After answering all of these questions, and perhaps others, ask yourself — what is this work truly about, at its core?

You are bound to come up with an answer. Try to summarize it in a single sentence, such as " The Life of Pi , by Yann Martel, reveals how creative imagination can help us overcome trauma". Congratulations; you are on the right track. Now strip your statement of all identifying characteristics specific to the work itself, and leave only the bare essentials.

"Creative imagination plays a key role in surviving traumatic events"?

Yes! Now you've got it. Theme statements are abstract and do not refer to authors, plot points, characters, or settings — only the most important message can remain. Keep in mind that others may interpret the essence of a book to be quite different, but if you strongly believe that your statement is correct, you should feel free to use it.

How to Write a Thematic Statement: A Step-by-Step Guide

Have you been asked to identify a thematic statement for a literary work? To write a succinct and accurate statement that you are confident about defending, simply take the following steps.

1. Read the Work Thoroughly

Make notes as you are reading if you can. Once you are finished, ask yourself this question — what message ties all the characters, plot points, and interactions in the book together? Remember not to focus on what happens in the book, but on the underlying values.

2. Summarize the Core Message

Try to summarize the core message in a single sentence. You may end up with something like " The Hunger Games shows that people are willing to sacrifice everything for those they love, and threatening one's family may create a revolution". That's a great start, but you have more work to do.

3. Strip Away Everything that Applies Specifically to the Work

A thematic statement is an abstract message devoid of specificity. Do not reference the work or any characters within it, and do not address the people who may read your thematic statement. "When people are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their loved ones, society can be transformed completely", for instance.

4. Steer Clear of Tropes

While thematic statements are abstract, they are also specific. Do not go for "love conquers all", "blood is thicker than water", "beggars can't be choosers", for instance — make a more general statement that gives the reader a better idea of what the work is about.

5. Read and Edit the Thematic Statement You Came up With

Can you shorten anything without losing content? Do you need to be more specific? Is everything you have written true about the book, poem, film, or other work, as you understand it? Are you satisfied with your word choices? If you can answer "yes" to all of these questions, you are likely finished. Good job!

How to Write a Thematic Statement: Common Mistakes to Avoid

As you are writing a thematic statement, whether for a novel you would like to write yourself or for a book you have read and are penning an essay about, your message will gain clarity and impact if you avoid the following common mistakes:

• Do not rely on literary tropes or cliches to write a thematic statement. Be authentic.
• All literary works use known archetypes of some kind, such as "rags to riches", "the honest fool", "the self-sacrificing carer", and so on. Identifying the archetypes used in a work can help you discover the thematic statement, but do not stop there. Address underlying motivations.
• Do not make any statement about the plot or characters; the thematic statement should address the underlying truth within the work, and not the specifics.

Do I need to have a thematic statement before I write a book?

Not at all. Pondering the core message you want to convey will help you remain consistent as you write, however. Having a thematic statement can also help authors eliminate plot points and side characters that have no place in the story.

Do I need to discover the thematic statement whenever I write an essay about a book?

Keeping a work's core message in mind as you write your essays will help you create stronger texts that allow you to draw on literary works with a similar theme. Thinking about a work's thematic statement will also help you understand the author's intentions more deeply.

Related posts:

• How to Write a Clear Theme Statement (with Examples)
• 14 Tips to Help you Write An Essay Fast
• How to Write an Autobiography (with Tips & Examples)
• How to Write an Effective Claim (with Examples)
• How to Write a DBQ (APUSH) Essay?
• How to Write an Effective Counterclaim in 5 Steps

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• Learning Tips
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Theme vs. Thesis: Key Differences and How to Write each

• by Judy Jeni
• January 18, 2024

Many students confuse between these two terms, a theme and a thesis. In practice, they are two distinct aspects.

By reading the content in this write-up, you will appreciate the difference between the two items. A theme is a central message in a text, whereas a thesis is an argument about a text.

Theme vs. Thesis

While it is possible to write items based on a theme or a project based on a thesis, the two are different. While their focus may seem similar, they are different.

A theme is a focus topic that a writer bases his argument on. It is the direction that guides the points that a writer argues. On the other hand, a thesis is a stand that a writer seeks to prove in his or her writing.

In a theme, a writer bases points on a concept, but in a thesis, the writer writes to prove a specific assertion.

A theme and a thesis are two different items that we can elaborate through the following points:  

• A theme is the crucial idea of the piece of literature or any art you are writing about.
• It is the recurrent idea in your work before you identify other elements such as characters, conflict, setting, and plot.
• A thesis is a statement that you will try to prove by backing it with necessary facts. It is a position that the author takes to maintain a particular argument.

Differences between a Theme and a Thesis

• A theme is the general topic of your essay, whereas a thesis is the precise statements that the author tries to prove.
• A theme could be more general as the writer cannot necessarily state it expressly. On the other hand, a thesis is a direct message at the beginning of the paragraph that indicates what the entire paper will be talking about.
• A theme is the motif of the piece or an underlying idea, whereas the thesis is the argument in favor of something that you believe you are presenting to your audience.

How to Write a Theme Based Essay

A theme-based essay writes about something based on a theme that you can derive from a novel, song, or short story. Before you begin to write such an essay, you should identify the underlying theme in your literature work.

Steps When Writing a Theme Based Essay

1. identify the character.

One should locate the characters that you will discuss in the essay. Such should relate to the identified theme in your essay.

For instance, if you locate ‘violence’ in the novel ‘The Shadow of Death,’ it is reasonable to talk about the characters that promote violence in the novel.

2. Maintain the Chosen Theme

As indicated above, suppose violence is the main theme in the novel, then you should maintain the same thing by writing about violence.  Such could include incidences of violence, including blood baths and more.

The point is you should endeavor to remain as close to the theme of violence by highlighting incidences and situations from the novel, drama, or story.

3. Avoid Mixing the Theme with the Key Subject

A theme is not a plot but an idea that binds up the story. It is the message that the author wants to convey to the audience or the readers. It is, therefore, wrong to try to write on the plot or story. Stick to the idea only.

Let your thoughts remain organized and well-knitted in the essay body. In the same vein, the body should relate to the central theme as you refer to the characters and incidents in the source matter.

How to Write a Thesis

One can use the following steps to come up with a strong thesis statement:

Start with a Question

One should come up with a question in case the assignment did not offer the question.

After that, you should state your topic, which is the essential idea of the paper.

This thesis statement is usually a phrase or a few words that summarize the main subject of your paper.

The thesis statement makes the topic to be as precise as possible.

Write an Initial Answer

After performing initial research, it is now time to formulate a tentative answer. At this point, it could be just simple, or you can craft it to guide the process of writing and researching.

In case you are writing an argumentative essay, your answer should take a position on the matter. This is different from a thesis statement. Check more about thesis statements to know the idea of the two.

Develop the Answer

This section should prove why you believe it is your answer and convince the reader to agree with your position.

The more you write about the topic, the more you develop more details for your response. The final essay should summarize your overall arguments.

One should know what they are trying to prove in a topic. While you are expressing your opinion, it is vital to state one major idea. Also, you should name the topic and state something specific about it.

Furthermore, you should take a position and back it up with facts and reasons as an author. It is vital to support your reasons with evidence and logical facts.

Include Opposing Viewpoint

The correct thesis statement should acknowledge that there is another side of the argument. It is excellent to include your opposing viewpoints in your opinion. It is also essential to capture another person’s view who may have a different opinion about your topic.

Find what you need to study

AP Literature - Theme Statements and Thesis Statements

september 26, 2019

Candace Moore

Using the collective annotation of a poem, theme was defined and discussed, and a format was given for students to always be able to create a thematic statement. Then, given a prompt, thesis statements were discussed and established for the same poem, highlighting the difference between thematic statements and thesis statements, especially in the AP context.

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How to write a thematic statement Step-by-Step

Your instructor has assigned you to write a thematic statement, and you probably do not know how to begin or what steps to take. Now, you are lucky because that's what this guide is all about.

Our team of expert literature writers came up with examples that we have included in this guide. Then, our editorial team pieced it up to help you write a thematic or theme statement that will meet the requirements.

After you are done reading an assignment for class, a novel, short story, lyrics, poems, or essays, you might be asked to write a theme or thematic statement. When asked to do so, you are being asked to condense the gist of your piece of literary work in a sentence or two. But how do you do it? How do you find the theme?

To answer these two questions, go through this structured step-by-step guide on how to write a thematic statement.

What is a Thematic Statement?

A theme statement, thematic sentence, or thematic statement refers to a sentence or two sentences describing the predominant message or theme of a literary work such as a novel, short story, poem, song, or story. It is a precise statement that summarizes the essence or gist of a story. It is a statement that can be transformed into a thesis statement in a thematic essay. It explains the powerful message that the author is trying to communicate in their work.

Examples include:

• Family is the structure upon which society is built.
• Maternal love surpasses all the love there is in the world.
• True love is an illusion.
• Love conquers all.
• Love can make you forget about yourself and care more for others, even if it means putting your life on the line.

A thematic statement is not a theme, and neither is it a thesis statement, as we shall explore shortly.

A thematic statement contains a single root keyword, also referred to as theme, thematic idea, or thematic assertion.

You can use a thematic statement when writing a five-paragraph essay such as a synthesis essay, critical analysis essay , analytical essay, or thematic essay. They are also frequently used in funeral speeches, marriage toasts, stories, or rhetorical analysis essays.

Thematic Statement vs. Thesis Statement vs. Themes

Thematic statements differ from thesis statements in many ways. For example, while a thematic statement may be factual and comprise unbeatable facts, a thesis statement must be arguable and precise.

A thematic statement is also completely different from a theme. The theme describes the main message that the author or writer wishes to convey through their writing, whereas the thematic statement offers the context for readers to understand the theme better; it expounds on the theme.

The theme can be represented using one or two words, for instance, courage, hate, and love. On the contrary, a thematic statement is usually a complete sentence that conveys the theme. It is possible to have more than one theme in a literary work, and not every single one of them is directly mentioned.

Significance of thematic statements

A thematic statement is simply a summary of the entire literary work. Its main aim is to give readers a hint of what the literary piece is about before they read it in full. In addition, it also provides an insight into the writer's central theme and message.

It offers a bit of background information on exactly how the author constructed their work so that you can get a clearer understanding of the basis of their arguments and views.

Examples of Thematic Statements

If you are assigned to write an analytical essay or synthesis essay, here is how to express the theme statement:

• In The Dark Knight Rises , Christopher Nolan presents the idea that true heroism requires complete and utter selflessness.
• The central theme of 'Finding Nemo' is that fear is sometimes more dangerous than danger itself.
• In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents the idea that love is more powerful than hate.
• Conrad explores the question of what the alienation and loneliness of extended periods of time in a remote and hostile environment can do to men's minds.
• Conrad, primarily through the example of the Company's chief clerk, shows how people can maintain order with the most mundane details of their lives while all around them, disorder reigns.
• Insanity, given prolonged exposure to the isolation of the wilderness, seems an inevitable extension of disorder.
• As one develops morally and psychologically, he learns his duty to his family and community.
• Courage allows people to attempt complicated tasks in their lives even when there is a chance of failing.
• Independence is necessary to grow up though it can be frightening.

Let's now look at the general theme statements you are likely to encounter in literature.

• Love can bring out the best version of ourselves.
• Loving and appreciating others, despite their flaws, can lead to a happier life.
• Love stretched to extremes can be very dangerous.
• Love carries the power to either positively or negatively change us.
• Unconditional love can resist any obstacle.
• People need faith in themselves to survive in a cruel world.
• Accepting yourself will lead to others accepting you as well.
• A person's identity is not stationary; it develops as they continue to learn more about themselves.
• Being authentic to oneself can lead to opportunities in life that you did not anticipate.
• Believing in yourself and your abilities is a scary but vital lesson to learn.
• Fear is just a state of mind.
• The fear of something is actually more dangerous than the actual danger.
• The worst thing to fear is fear itself.
• Fear robs the mind of all its reasoning and acting powers.
• People cannot defeat fear by simply pretending that everything that hurts them does not exist.
• Death is a part of the natural circle of life; we should embrace it instead of fearing it.
• There is no need to be afraid of death as life is what matters most.
• Death is a dreadful end that snatches away people without any notice, leaving behind their loved ones to come to terms with the unexpected loss.
• Death is inevitable; people should come to terms with it by living their lives to the fullest instead of living in fear of the unknown.
• Death is a mysterious happening that changes things for eternity and leaves the affected ones to deal with their grief.
• Trust is hard to build, and it can easily be destroyed with one wrong deed.
• It takes a lot of courage to trust other people knowing that they might disappoint you.
• Although it is difficult to accept, you cannot always trust your family and friends to always want the best for you.
• The strength of any relationship depends on how much you trust the other individual.
• Trust is not just given; it is earned via actions.
• Failure is one of the best ways to learn and become stronger.
• You haven't failed until you stop trying.
• How you define failure is up to you.
• Failing is part of life; what matters is how you pick up yourself after failing.
• Failure is another stepping stone toward success; it is not final.
• Parenting will test your resolve and patience and define who you are as an individual.
• Parenting is the toughest but most fulfilling job in the world.
• Parenting is all about stressing the positive and staying optimistic during difficult times.
• Children come with lots of responsibilities, but it is all worth it.
• The tender years of a child's life set the foundation and tone of what is to come.
• The choices people make define who they are as individuals.
• Someone's real character will always come to light, regardless of their actions.
• Our character is founded on the choices that we make daily.
• Someone's real character is disclosed when they perform a brave act and go against the norm.
• A person's character determines how they are perceived by others.
• Faith gives people a sense of purpose and hope.
• Faith is what unites people and keeps them strong.
• People are naturally conditioned to believe in something and follow a certain path.
• Faith has the power to inspire people not to give up, no matter how challenging things might seem.
• Believing in a greater being or thing than oneself provides some sense of security and comfort.
• True friends are difficult to come across, and the real ones are worth the wait.
• A real friend will accept you for who you are and not what you have.
• The effort and time invested in a friendship determine its strength.
• A genuine friend will always support you, even in times of difficulty.
• Friends will come and go, but your family will never desert you.
• Nature offers an escape from the real world and allows people to find themselves.
• Life's beauty is wrapped in nature's diversity.
• Nothing can be compared to the beauty of nature in its natural state.
• Nature should be respected and admired; it should not be controlled.
• Nature is what keeps us alive and should be embraced in all that we do.
• Life is what people make it, despite its challenges.
• What makes life special is its succinctness; there is no need to be afraid of death.
• Life is short, and so every day should be lived to the fullest and cherished.
• Life is what matters, not material possessions.
• People should enjoy life when they still have the chance to.
• Fighting change results in stagnation, while embracing it results in growth.
• Change is something that should be welcomed; it generates new opportunities and encourages growth.
• Life can never remain the same; it should be embraced and not feared.
• Change is inevitable and relentless; people should learn to welcome it.
• Accepting change is one of the most powerful things someone can do.
• Suffering is unfair, often afflicting those people who do not deserve it.
• Unnecessary suffering has devastating impacts on its victims.
• Suffering only lasts for a while; it is not permanent.
• Suffering destroys the faint-hearted and strengthens the strong-willed.
• Suffering is sometimes a by-product of our actions.

Step-by-step guide on how to write Thematic Statements

Here are the steps to take if you want to write a good thematic statement.

1. Develop a list of themes

Begin by gathering different ideas from the literary work and make a proper list of them. Next, gather the abstract words that express the primary ideas of the work (mainly, these are the topics in the work). These abstract words describe the ideas or concepts that exist only in our minds, like oppression, disillusionment, cruelty, love, hate, hubris, identity, sacrifice, or survival. You should then combine the abstract ideas with comments that reflect on the author's observations in the piece of literary work you are reading. Carefully go through them to see which ones can be backed with evidence, such as examples and facts. Look for the idea that you can easily support using the provided text.

2. Research extensively

To get the best idea for your writing, conduct extensive research. First, read through any articles or books that are of relevance to your topic. Then take time to think about the message you want to convey to your readers.

3. Get inspiration from other works

The next step is to read the thematic statements of other writers. Literary works reveal the thoughts of different people regarding different issues; they are the authors' views and interpretations of life in general. Therefore, drawing inspiration from other writers can be very helpful when coming up with your own thematic statement.

4. Identify conflict areas

Conflicts are vital when it comes to an understanding the theme. They make literary works interesting. By identifying the conflict areas, you will better understand the text.

5. Focus on the thesis statement or crux

The most important part of your work is the thesis statement. A good thesis statement is concise and conveys the intended message in a single sentence. You should, therefore, concentrate on getting it right. Thesis statements are important as they convey the literary work's main message quickly without losing any meaning.

6. Decide the best theme statement for you

Depending on your analysis of the text, settle on one thematic statement that is relevant to the writing.

7. Write the thematic statement

The final step is to put down your chosen thesis statement. Then, follow the above steps for the perfect thematic statement.

Dos and Don'ts when writing Thematic Statements

Thematic statement template.

Let's look at templates we can use when writing theme statements.

For Stories and Books or literary works

General theme statement.

Example of how to use the template

Universal A-Z list of Themes

• Adolescence ? discovery, pain, loneliness
• Alienation ? the destruction of the soul
• Ambition ? persistence or corruption
• Appearances ? deception and reality
• Beauty of diversity
• Beauty of simplicity
• Capitalism? effect on the individual
• Change of power ? the necessity
• Change versus tradition
• Chaos and order
• Character ? destruction, building up
• Circle of life
• Coming of age
• Communication ? verbal and nonverbal
• Companionship as salvation
• Convention and rebellion
• Dangers of ignorance
• Darkness and light
• Death ? inevitable or tragedy
• Desire to escape
• Destruction of beauty
• Disillusionment and dreams
• Displacement
• Empowerment
• Emptiness of attaining the false dream
• Everlasting love
• Evils of racism
• Facing darkness
• Facing reality
• Fading beauty
• Faith versus doubt
• Family ? blessing or curse
• Fate and free will
• Fear of failure
• Female roles
• Fulfillment
• Good versus bad
• Greed as downfall
• Growing up ? pain or pleasure
• Hazards of passing judgment
• Heartbreak of betrayal
• Heroism ? real and perceived
• Hierarchy in nature
• Identity crisis
• Illusion of power
• Immortality
• Individual versus society
• Inner versus outer strength
• Isolationism ? hazards
• Knowledge versus ignorance
• Loneliness as a destructive force
• Losing hope
• Loss of innocence
• Love and sacrifice
• Man against nature
• Manipulation
• Materialism as downfall
• Name ? power, and significance
• Nationalism ? complications
• Nature as beauty
• Necessity of work
• Oppression of women
• Optimism ? power or folly
• Overcoming ? fear, weakness, vice
• Patriotism ? positive side or complications
• Power and corruption
• Power of silence
• Power of tradition
• Power of wealth
• Power of words
• Pride and downfall
• Progress ? real or illusion
• Quest for discovery
• Quest for power
• Role of men
• Role of Religion ? virtue or hypocrisy? Role of women ? Self ? inner and outer
• Self-awareness
• Self-preservation
• Self-reliance
• Social mobility
• Technology in society ? good or bad
• Temporary nature of physical beauty
• Temptation and destruction
• Totalitarianism
• Vanity as downfall
• Vulnerability of the meek
• Vulnerability of the strong
• War ? glory, necessity, pain, tragedy
• Will to survive
• Wisdom of experience
• Working-class struggles
• Youth and beauty

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What is a Thematic Statement and How to Write One?

Composing thematic statements gives you an opportunity to test your understanding of a piece of literature. Presented further are some essential tips on writing a thematic statement that reveals the quintessence of a literary work.

For a student of creative writing and literature, to write a thematic statement that captures the soul of a literary work is an important part of the learning curve. To develop a deeper understanding, worshipers of the written word must develop an ability to perceive the undercurrent of thought that forms the essence of literature. Every piece of writing is a beautiful canvas depicting the human condition and our relation with the universe at large. Prior to venturing into writing tips, let’s get some basic concepts clarified.

What is a Thematic Statement?

A theme is the central core of thought, that an entire work of literature is based upon. A thematic statement is that core idea encapsulated in the simplest form. Composing it is all about chipping away all the external scaffolding of plot, characters and specifics to reveal the hidden inner message that forms the substratum of the entire work. The work may have multiple parallel themes running through it, entwined into each other. Your statement should offer a confluence of these thought streams and bind them together to create a coherent thought.

You may have to come up with a thematic statement for a literary work as part of your course study or as a part of your essay or thesis. Whatever be the reason, to write an effective statement, that cuts to the heart of the piece of writing, you need to really understand what is written and uncover the central link that binds the whole thing together.

How to Write a Thematic Statement?

So how should you compose a statement that hits the proverbial bull’s eye, without saying anything less or more than necessary? Well, when it comes to creative writing, there are no rules about how to go about doing anything. Nevertheless, there are some things that can be identified as desirable features of a thematic statement. Besides the obvious requirement of your statement being relevant and sensible, also brief (a line or two at most), here are some brief guidelines that may help you out.

Yes, reading the work entirely and thoroughly is the first step before even attempting to think about writing a thematic statement. From the opening prologue to the climax, read every single line that is part of the composition. Absorb the entirety of the composition, study the character arcs, the sub-plots and capture every single commentary on the human condition that percolates through the work. Identify why the piece of literature struck a chord with you. From the feelings the work invokes in you, will arise an original interpretation.

Identify Conflict Areas and Core Ideas

All stories have root in a conflict of ideas and the rise or fall of individuals as they deal with it. Ergo, identifying the conflict of values, motives or interests is the primary objective before beginning to understand the gist of the work. Understand the nature of conflict that forms the fabric of the narrated story. This will lead you to the core ideas and values emphasized upon.

Focus on the Core Over Form

Writing such a statement is conveying the message of the whole work in one sentence. It is not the whole story told in short and neither is it a precis writing exercise. It is the statement that will drive home what has been said thorough the whole prose indirectly. Instead of talking about what happens, talk about what is implied by what happens – the larger picture.

Capture the Gist

If you have gone through the process as explained above, at this point, the gist of the story will start emerging in your mind. Write a statement which captures all the dimensions of the story to the best of your comprehension and then refine it iteratively, until you have polished it to a small little gem of wisdom. When you reach a point, where no further reduction is possible, you may stop.

No Specifics

It’s not desirable that you go into the specifics of what actually happened in the story. Your thematic statement is the answer to why it all happened. It is the statement that helps to make sense of all that happened in a story.

Avoid Generalization or Absolute Statements

Another undesirable feature is having absolutes built into it. If you think that what you are saying is really universal and absolutely true in all cases and all the time, go ahead and stick to your stand. However, more often than never, you are not so sure whether what you want to say applies to all situations. Ergo it’s best to refrain from absolute statements, unless you are really sure.

No Moral Condescension Please

It is really unnerving to read a statement that sounds like the conclusion of Aesop’s fables. Try not to turn the statement into a moral edict of some sort. Keep it open as an idea, rather than putting it up as a moral demand. Let the raw thought within the work reflect itself clearly. Avoid molding or mutating the original thought into something that it is not.

Avoid Cliches

Try not to get into cliches and be original. Speak your mind and what you feel rather than use a popular punchline. Just write what you felt and be honest to the feeling that the piece of literary work invoked in you.

Thesis Statement Examples

Preaching without practice is an entirely hollow business. In that spirit, here are some examples of thematic statements composed by yours truly, using the same basic principles enunciated before.

Lord of the Rings By J.R.R.Tolkien

Nothing lifts the veil off a man’s true character like power.

1984 by George Orwell

Absolute power arises from a methodical mind control system that feeds on individual fear and primal human weaknesses. The system always gets you eventually.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

No matter what the odds, true men of character never give in to hypocrisy; striving for fairness and inherent goodness of the human soul.

Old Man and the Sea By Ernest Hemingway

Pride and mistaken assumptions come in the way of finding true love.

As practice, it is advisable to write thematic statements for some of your favorite novels. Just write down what you think is the thought behind the whole work and what you took away from it, besides a deep sense of having lost track of time. This will improve your reading comprehension and also acquaint you with the various ways in which a writer’s thoughts can manifest in writing.

To conclude, a thematic statement is simply the gist of a literary work’s philosophy. Write it as the fullest and clearest expression of what you think the writer had to convey, in your own words. Through the synthesis of your own experiences as a reader and its resonance with the ideas put forth by the writer, a unique perspective of the work is bound to emerge.

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What is, and How to Write, the Perfect Thematic Statement

What is a thematic statement.

Basically, a thematic statement, also known as a theme statement, is exactly what it describes, a statement that offers an insight into the theme of a piece of creative writing, such as a story, an essay, a novel, or even an article. A thematic statement need not be a long statement, generally, just two or three sentences is enough to interpret the true essence of the message that the author is trying to convey. A novel is likely to have many different themes, however, a thematic statement delivers an interpretation of the significant theme of the piece of literary work.

Table of Contents

What should a thematic statement include?

A thematic statement should summarise the literary piece of work, giving your insightful observations into the author’s perspective in just a couple of sentences. A thematic statement should include the main message of the piece of work, offering the reader your interpretation of the thoughts of the author regarding the subject of the literary work and their motivation behind it.

What should a thematic statement not include?

A thematic statement should not include the name of the book, the author, specific occasions or the details of the characters, cliches should definitely be avoided and it should not be judgemental or include directives, instructions or orders.

How to write a thematic statement

Knowing how to write a thematic statement is important for anyone who produces any work of literature, whether they are the author or the publisher of the literary piece. Teachers and students will also be required to use this skill when analysing or reviewing any type of literature that has a message or an idea that the author is trying to convey.

Basic steps to thematic statement writing

Many people are daunted by the thought of writing a thematic statement, however, it doesn’t need to be a difficult task, provided you follow some basic steps. As with many things that appear to be complex, breaking it down into a step by step process will help to simplify matters, as you follow each step, your understanding of the literary piece of work should become clearer, allowing you to write a powerful thematic statement. We have included a few basic steps that we recommend you follow in order to successfully write a thematic statement.

Read the literary piece of work thoroughly

It is crucial to read the piece of work thoroughly, not just flick through a few pages or scan it quickly, if you don’t fully understand what has been written, then read it again, if you still do not understand it completely then get advice and then read it again. Find somewhere quiet without any distractions so that you can give the literary work your full attention and concentrate. You cannot possibly expect to be able to write a successful thematic statement on a piece of literature unless you fully comprehend what the work is about.

Recognise and identify the central theme

There is likely to be more than one theme running though the piece of literary work, however, once you have read the work thoroughly and fully understood what has been written, you should be able to recognise and identify the central theme of the material. It is recommended that you keep notes to record the characters and the plot, as following and understanding the changes within the piece will assist you in interpreting what you feel the author is trying to impart.

Always consider the author’s perspective on the literary work

Gaining insight into the author’s perspective is vital when writing a thematic statement, as this will help you to understand their motivation and the message that they are attempting to convey to their readers. A little research into the background of the author could prove invaluable to your understanding of their perspective.

Present the theme

Create your thematic statement, focussing upon the crux of the message that you feel the author is conveying, your statement should generally be only one or two sentences long and it should capture the main theme of the piece of literary work.

Refine and edit

Following the creation of your thematic statement it is important to review it, consider it as a first draft that will require refinement, check it to ensure that your words convey the message of the author in an effective and concise way. As with many forms of literary writing, including short stories, essays, novels, etc., it is often good practise to put the work away for a few days and return to it with a fresh mind, you may find that you can immediately spot areas that require changing that were perhaps not apparent before. Seeking feedback from your peers, colleagues, etc., may well be very helpful to you, the opinions of others can often give a nudge in another direction that had not been previously considered. This process of refinement may take a while but it is an important step and should not be rushed, patience is required in order to achieve a powerful and impactful thematic statement.

Summary of how write a thematic statement

A thematic statement should be a short, concise insight of what you feel is the message that the author is trying to convey in the piece of literary work, it should be one to three sentences long.

Always read the literary work thoroughly, more than once if necessary. Seek help if you do not fully understand the work.

Identify the central theme amongst other themes within the piece of work.

Researching the background of the author can help you to gain insight into their perspective, in order to understand their motivation and the message the author wishes to deliver.

Avoid cliches, directives, orders or instructions and do not include the name of the book or the author.

Be patient when reviewing and editing your thematic statement, take a break and come back to it with fresh eyes, seek feedback from other people and be open to change.

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What are Thesis and Theme?

Going Back to the Basics:

Thesis and theme are two words that everyone knows they know but they typically can’t describe these terms succinctly. Chances are, unless you’re in a writing-dominated field, you probably haven’t given these terms much thought since college or high school English classes.  That’s okay, but if you’re embarking on writing a book, you’ll need to brush up on these key terms.

Thesis and theme are the foundations of all writing, professional or informal. They both convey the subject of the text. Despite this similarity, there’s a stark difference between the functions of the thesis and the theme. 

The theme of a piece of writing is less intricate than its thesis. A theme is the main idea of a paper. It can be described in a word or short phrase, and these themes are demonstrated throughout the work by the content. Within a longer piece, such as an article or a book, there can be multiple themes. Oftentimes, these are divided by chapters or headings. Theme offers some room for interpretation—while the overall message should be received the same by each reader, the word(s) they use to describe it has some flexibility.

That’s not the case with the thesis statement. A thesis statement is the argument that a writer constructs throughout the work. It can be described in a phrase, sentence, or even a paragraph. The thesis statement must define the purpose of the paper, mention the points you’ll explore, and serve as an abbreviated summary of the work. There’s the misconception that a thesis statement and a topic sentence are interchangeable terms. While the thesis statement may act as a topic sentence, it usually comes later in the introductory text and it’s more specific than topic sentences are allowed to be.

A strong thesis requires some effort and workshopping. When you’re writing the outline for your book, determine the core ideas that you want to discuss, think about your purpose for writing, and then find a way to piece all of the components together. A key to obtaining a good thesis is to unify your key points and be specific about your intentions for the piece. 

Let’s take a look at an example: 

A paper on traditional vs independent publishing can have themes of diversity, empowerment, change through social media, individual identity, etc. Subheadings would show these themes for each of the sections throughout the paper.

A topic sentence could be: “In the internet age, small independent publishing is growing as an alternative for authors .”  This is a fact that can be proven; it doesn’t show the author’s opinion or intention for the paper.

But a thesis statement would be: “ Small presses use social media as a tool to celebrate the diverse voices that they publish while enacting slow scale social change through challenging identities perpetuated by the media.” Now that thesis encompasses a lot of topics that the reader will expect to have reviewed. It also makes an argument for how small presses operate and what their lasting effects might be. 

Your thesis should be just as specific, though it doesn’t have to be as polished and complete before you start writing your book. However, you should still have a placeholder thesis statement to guide you through your writing. Later, you can refine your thesis to better reflect the content you cover. I suggest having several people review your thesis statement to make sure it’s 1) clear, 2) concise, and 3) accurately describes what your book is about. If your thesis is still giving you trouble, try completing some thesis exercises, available in most writing books and online.

We understand the fundamental importance of crafting a clear and compelling thesis statement to guide your writing journey. Our experienced team is dedicated to helping you articulate your core ideas and intentions effectively, ensuring that your book’s thesis serves as a strong foundation for your narrative. With our comprehensive publishing services, including writing, editing, and promotion, we can support you every step of the way to transform your manuscript into a polished and impactful book.

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How To Spell A Thematic Statement with Examples

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The English language is not as straightforward because she seems. Penning a attribute essay oder story requires in-depth information of English grammar and doom structure rulings.

AMPERE single paragraph may contain multiple different sentence genres. An argumentative essay’s introduction paragraph, for example, may have many simple sounds, a thesis statement, and a thematic statement.

Thesis statements exist presentation within almost every essential. Thematic statements, on the sundry hand, are less public because does multiple people know about i. Regardless, they are a essential part of English writing, and learning about these statements will help you produce better essays. Thematic statements were most commonly workers within fables, though you can see find them in some formal texts.

This articles will cover select you must to know about thematic statement – what are they, where are yours used, and how the differ from graduate statements. We’ll also explore the guidelines for penning a quality thematic statement, accompanied by multiple past.

So, free further delay, let’s immerse in!

For this article:

What is a Thematic Statement?

• What’s the Purpose are Having a Theme?
• Where to Use Thematic Statements: Popular Examples
• How Are Thematic Statements Different from Thesis Statements?
• Theme vs. Main
• How to Write one Thematic Statement
• What to Avoid When Writing a Thematic Instruction
• Goods vs. Evil
• Output the Corruption

Coming of Age

• Thematic Statement Examples for Love
• Thematic Statement Examples for Individuality
• Thematic Statement Examples since Fear
• Thematic Statement Examples for Death

Thematic Statement Examples for Trust

Thematic statement are unique punishments employed by writers to convey of most prominent message the their story or article. They recap the essence of the story into adenine short, precise statement.

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Every topic display must contain a single root keyword. That keyword is called the ‘theme’ or adenine ‘thematic idea.’ Unlike thematic commands, thematic ideas are not finished sentences but only words. Get find for print a powerful thematic statement with these example. Explore what these statements been and samples to help with your owner.

Thematic statements grow from thematical ideas.

Some writers choose to pin two thematic statements use of one. This tactic is most common through more extensive texts that discuss multiple ideas. Still, the idea are to summarize the core message the the text aims to deliver to readers. Hence, thematic affirmations shouldn’t be too long. Einer entire paragraphs of writing cannot qualify as a thematic statement.

Thematic statements do not target a specific audience. Expert writers knowing that thematic statements loose their purpose when aim in that reader. Hence, thematic statements should never sound personal. Words like “I” real “you” have no place within thematic command because they narrow the thematic idea’s compass. You basically direct an idea towards a specific interview by personalizing an testify. Therefor, the audience’s perception of the statement’s message becomes relevant. Unfortunately, having the audience’s perception as a score of interest attenuated the statement’s effect.

Let’s go over a simple case to understand this view better:

Suppose the proposed thematic statement is “If you love sincerely, yours will finding joy.”

There are many problems with this statement. Firstly, i is a humanressourcen announcement directed at an audience. A quality thematic order should must impersonals. It ought address did a person or audience but rather a sole idea or message. Your thesis statement should include an books, creator (if known; may none be in a tribe tale), a reference the the conflict of who report, and the theme.

Another thing incorrect includes dieser sentence is its use of “if.” Writing “if” immediately transforms the text into a conditional declaration that’s paired with adenine assure. Here, that statement mentioned upper promises ecstasy the diese who your sincerely.

Sorrow, promises are often broken the are seldom guaranteed. Therefore, it’s best to avoid making commitment within thematic statements. Including the word “if” and closing the statement off with adenine promise only serves to dilute the sentence’s how. Plus, it lengthens to declaration. Remember, thematic statements shoud be consistent and to the item. It require seek to deliver a only notice includes simple words. Theme vs. Thesis: Key Differences and How for Write each

AMPERE better topics opinion wish is, “Sincere love results in joy.” Is statement is direct and discusses one idea only. It does not make promises and is none an “if” instruction. It is powerful and stated as a fact or lesson, enable the reader to successfully understand the essay’s central view.

What’s the Purpose of Having a Themed?

A theme is often used to summarize the focus or main idea that the author is trying to convey. Well-developed works of literature often have an multitude regarding themes that can be determined or insight at face value as well as on a much deeper level. Sometimes, the owner wants you to go in the lines and form your own conclusion. Engineering a Thematic Statement

For readers, understanding that theme gives you a much more in-depth appreciation of the main as well as added clarity. Understanding the themes of a literary piece will also inspire a greater appreciation are the literature’s deeper meanings both innuendos.

Themes allow writers to express their opinions and comment on humanistic traits alternatively societal pressures without having to being way obvious about it.

Scholarship to understand themes allows the reader the opportunity up think info this plot on a much deeper even, form their own opinions real align its opinions with those regarding the authors. A greater understanding of themes will also inspire deeper thinking and promote self-reflection with the reader.

Determiner featured requires reading between the lines, having a greater understanding away emotion and reactiveness and critical thinking to decipher the message that the author is attempting to convey. ADENINE theme can a focus topic that an fiction soil his argument on. It is the direction that guides the points that a writer argues. On the diverse hand, a degree is a stand such a writer seeks to verify in your or her letter. In a theme, adenine writer bases points on a concept, but in one thesis, of writer spell to prove a specific assertion.

Where to Uses Thematic Statements: Popular Examples

Theme-driven command are often found within one following literary worked:

• Short, five-paragraph essays that were on leas 500 words long
• Social science research write, particularly over matters like sociology otherwise psychiatry
• Marriage toasts, go speak , and other emotionally-charged pieces of text, center circling adenine single theme (like love or death)
• Stories, including personal narratives and autobiographical essays
• Rhetorical analysis essays this explore a published author’s linguistic articulation. The use of thematic commands can promote perfectly capture the author’s message without beating round the bush

How Are Themes Statements Various coming Thesis Statements?

As discussed previously, topic statements target go deliver one single idea through a simple yet impactful rate. This “single idea” is the central message of a complete body concerning copy (like a past or essay).

Thematic statements are interchangeable with thesis statements when staff within thematic written. But, this is the objection, no the rule. For most literary works, theme statements are different from graduation statements. Both statements may be interrelated moreover drive their ideas throug differing sentence building. Unlike their thematic counterparts, we structure thesis statements as arguments containing multiple points out tax. That "Leads to" Themed Claim Concept — Bespoke ELA: Essay Writing Tips + Lesson Plans

For example, suppose you are writing an essay on air change. Clime altering lives the essay’s core theme with thematic idea. Hence, your thematic statement will stem from it. Own thesis statement will also verweisen to climate modification. However, e mayor also talking info other ideas relevant in climate change. These ideas will variables depending on what stance your essay recorded on the stoffe of climatic change, of course.

Here’s what a thematically statement for an essay on climate change may look like:

“Climate change is harmful to the environment.”

A thesis declaration concerning the identical topic may look like this:

“Climate change remains harmful up the environment because it is raising sea stages, causing global warming, and depleting Earth’s flora and fauna.” This statement is arguable, not factual. It can be debated real proven or disproven usage evidence.

On the other hand, thematic statements can simple factual sentences real undebatable facts. For example, the theme for a story like Romeo and Juliet is love. The thematic statement developed with this theme could be “love arise with a high price.” By connecting the matter, button thematic idea , to a lesson, ourselves cannot successfully portray a completing message to the lecturer. This message encapsulates the core idea running over the wholly legend.

Theme gegen. Topic

A story’s theme and the topic allowed share common ground, but they are not the same. Themes are single words that capture the story or essay’s essence. To demo, we know that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliina researched the theme of love. It also explores the theme of rivalry. The thesis statement is undoubtedly the MANY important sentence is the entire essay! It aids as the blueprint, or driveway map, for the essay, so it is crucial that the research order be clear and logical previous beginning the body of the essay. An caveat around, about course, is that a thesis statement

However, anyone who possesses read Romeo also Juliet knows that the topic is not love button rivalry. Instead, we can say the topic is “two young human belonging to rival families locate love, single for suffer at its hands.” Tip how topics are complete sentences, whereas themes are standalone words. AMPERE themes statement encompasses an essay’s central theme and message. Learn more about the difference between theme-driven, thesis, and topic sentences here.

A topic judgment may cite the story’s primary subject nevertheless goes a step further by explorations of plot, too. Topic statements become a die to help betters illustrate how a specific theme plays outwards within a story or editorial. Hence, we see that theme and topic are doesn this same. However, few bulk certainly are interconnected. A theme is the general featured are own essay, whereas a graduate is an precise statements such aforementioned author tries to detect. · A theme could be read general as the ...

Whereby go Write a Thematic Statement

Thematic reports come from theme-based ideas. Consequently, from you start penning adenine topically statement, you need first identify your essay’s middle topics or main idea. You can achieve so by referring to your essay’s title.

Suppose your thematic idea lives love. Now that you’ve got your theme down move on to uncovering the theme assertion.

“Theme assertion” refers to the text’s central message. What lesson can we learn from reading a specific literary work, and how has this lesson associate to the thematic idea?

The thematic assertion is decided for one story or essay’s original author. A reader can only spotlights it. We can do so by exploration the author’s think. For example, during Romeo and Juliet, we perceive Shakespeare implies that love (theme) has unintended negative consequences (assertion).

Combining the theme and assertion can yield a complete themes statement. But if you’d please at take things more, you bottle always addieren one ‘qualifying clause.’

Qualifying clauses are optional. Your can add them after a thematic assertion to further define the thematic statement.

Let’s take to examples by Romeo and Juliane again:

Love (theme) got unintended negative consequences (assertion) such impossible be denied (qualifying clause).

Perceive how the qualifying clause adds to the altogether thematic statement. However, if you wrote the qualifying contract for its own, it would not make any feeling as adenine standalone phrase. Yet, when meshed with a theme and assert, it can help create a well-rounded statement. I think I define couple concepts as a thesis statement try to prove little, while a theme seeks to explore it. See eNotes Ad-Free. Start will 48-hour ...

Here’s a speedy quick of other ways to identify themes:

• Pay attention to the plot: Write down the main elements of the how like, plot, the tone of the story, language fashion, characters trait. Were there any conflicts? What was the most important momentum of the show? About was the mains character’s objective? What were the author’s resolution for the confrontation? Select did the how end?
• Identify one literary subject: If you had to tell someone about of volume, how wants you describe it to them?
• Who your which protagonist: Plainly put, whoever is the hero oder and ‘good guy’? How did the character develop and grow throughout the plot? What what the character’s effect on all the other people around him? How conducted he/she impact the other characters? How does this character relate to the others?

Assess the author’s point a view: What was the author’s view on the character and how they crafted selections? About message could the autor be trying to send us? This message is the general. Find clues in quotes away this main characters, language use, the final decision to the main conflict.

What to Avoid When Writing a Thematic Statement

Thematic statements aren’t overly complicates. Not, being human, there is all room for error.

Keep an eye out for the after fehlerhaftigkeit when enclosure topical statements:

• Remember to mention one company or essay’s central choose within the thematic declaration.
• Evade summarizing the literary work – that’s what topic sentences are for!
• Stay back from absolute terms same “always.”
• Overgeneralization is unnecessary and distracts from the main idea.
• Do not say, “this story’s theme is….” Page, weave the topics idea’s password (“love”) under the thematic statement.
• Avoid figurative, difficult idioms, and blooming language.
• Don’t beat about which bud.
• Live away from cliché claims and trendy slogans or chants.
• Qualifying clauses are not compulsory. Only use them for thee feel they’ll improve your writing absence make it.

You can successfully pen a striking thematic statement by avoiding these common writing mistakes.

Product of Themes

There are loads great literary theme examples of love that have developed through the ages, one of the most famous one-time being, Shakespeare’s Rosario and Juliet of course. Theme: A tragic tale of forbidden love with terrible consequences. Point Vs Thesis - eNotes.com

Pride both Prejudice by Jane Austen is yet other classic example that explores the type of your that increase slowly wherever there was before reject and misunderstanding.

Wuthering Heights with Emily Brentwood explores love in a completely different light, marking the way is intensity and power disrupt real even destroy lives.

The book thief by Marcus Zusak is narrated for death itself, adventure his duty in captivating lives in adjust France in World War 2.

The Flaw in Magnitude Stars features teenagers who come to terms with the grave reality of death while coming to concepts with their terminal illness.

Good vs. Evil

God of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien indicator the battle off good versus evil quite clearly in its tale a hobbits, elves and men teaming up go defeat the capacity hungry Sauron and his armies of dark creatures.

The Support by Stephen King key to light versus dark dichotomy. Staging a battle between great and evil through the characteristics of Mother Abigail and Randol Flagg.

Power press Corruption

Shakespeare’s Machiavellian is the calamitous tale of a character wanted power on his own sailing, and dealing with the consequences of sein own self spiritual ambit. Identifying a thesis · Degree Statements vs. Topic Statements · The featured lives the centralised idea a an part. It is an included or repetition featured in the work.

Animal Farm by George Orwell is another well-known typical exploration of power and corruption, an allegorical story about a group of animals who rise up for their human masters with increasingly sinister results. 20 Powerful Thematic Assertion Examples

God of the flies by William Golding focuses turn a group of young boys getting the a deserted island, chronicling their attempts to survive furthermore govern themselves.

Room by Emma Donoghue tells a different story the continuance as ensure off one spouse which has been taken confined for seven years and her five-year-old son who doesn’t know a normal life outside of the room which they will held captive in.

The Catcher in and Salt by J.D Salinger follows a sixteen-year-old boys dealing with teenage afraid and sedition in the 1950s.

The Perks of Being a Wallower by Stephen Chbosky is the our of adenine teenager named Charlie navigating all the challenges that come with the time between adolescents and adulthood.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee can noted as can of the most famous explorations of prejudice also chauvinism. A white lawyer Atticus Finch is appointed to defend Tom Roubinson, a black chap fake accused of rape. 

Ogre by Mary Shelly explores prejudice and fear about the unknown throughout the our of Dr. Frankenstein and the ‘monster’ he created.

Past of Thematic Statements

Instantly that we’ve gone over the guidelines associated with writing a thematic comment, let’s explore more theme sentence past:

Thematic Statement Product for Love

• Love canister increase our sense of courage.
• Loving ourselves can heal our feeling scars, even if items takes time.
• Love is find powerful than infatuation.

Thematic Statement Examples for Identity

• Accepting our true egos can help uses lead happier lives.
• To identity remains crafted from personal experiencing.
• Believing in ourselves can help us achieve this impossible.

Theming Statement Examples for Fear

• Scared is a state of mind.
• We could overcome fear takes strong faith.
• Anguish is an inevitably emotion.
• All humans experience fear.

Theme-oriented Statement Examples required Death

• We should embrace death as an inevitable fact of life.
• Nobody can avoid death.
• Seeing their loved ones die manufacture my sad.
• Healthy relationships are builder on trust.
• To achieve success, we musts treuhandgesellschaft their gut feeling.
• Does everyone merit to must trusted.
• We should choose which to trust with care.

How attention to how each statement covers only a single idea relation to one theme. This is a brand rule using thematic statements. It helps them remain simplicity, unwinding, and direct. Most stories, plays, novels, and poems have learn than one theme. ... A thematic declaration could serve as adenine thesis in a topically essay. What is a theme NOT?

In Summarize

Learning about thematic statements is an important part of every writer’s journey. Storybook authors, in particular, ought be well-aware out thematic statements furthermore their undeniable importance. Thesis Statements for Theme

A quality theme-related statement can make your story much easier to understand. That’s due a topic statement tribes from the story’s central or thematic idea also captures the story’s true essence. Hence, thematic statements are incompleted without discussing aforementioned literary work’s primary theme. Theme statements allow writers to explain the big ideas inches adenine text and make connections to other works and topics. For an your statement ...

Thematic statements should not remain confused with theme statements. Both are important in their own right, yet neither one can replace the other. Thematic statements exist factual, wherein graduation statements explore arguments that can be disproven with relevant evidence.

Thesis statements seldom exist within stories. Page, they are ampere characteristic of formal analyses, particularly argumentative ones. However, toward truthful recognize the essence of a account , one must first learn for understand the wildlife of thematic statements.

A story or essay’s theme be moreover strikingly different from its topic. Thematic ideas (themes) are typically single words. On the other hand, topics are illustrated through multiple words. As a result, we often see topic sentences additionally single-worded themes.

The best thematic statements view a single theme. After identifying the story’s theme, which statements build up a lesson or notice correlated to said theme. This topic idea keyword (for example, love or death) must appears within the thematic statement.

Insular statements require also contain a thematically assertion. A thematic statements is essentially an explanation, lesson, or central message the story express.

A single theme-driven thoughts and assertion are enough up creating a completed thematic statement. However, of people prefer adding an optional qualifying clause, tables. After adding the clause, you’re left with a comprehensive, well-rounded thematic statement.

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