1. Writing Effective Thesis Statements

2. Things to Consider
What literary devices are being used to establish tone and express theme?
How are these literary devices being used to establish tone and express theme?
Thesis Patter: Topic (Title and Author) + “Sexy” Adjective + Literary Device (2 or 3) + Strong Action Verb + Shifts in Tone + Theme.

3. Examples (Pick the best one!)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy begins with a human head on a stake in the middle of the road; later in the novel, a father and son swim together beneath a waterfall.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy illustrates extremely graphic violence juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy uses extremely graphic violence juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy uses extremely graphic violence juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness to illustrate humanity’s constant struggle with the “devil inside.”
The Road by Cormac McCarthy uses extremely graphic violence juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness to illustrate humanity’s constant struggle with the “devil inside,” emphasizing that we are more than mere animals struggling to survive.

4. More Examples (Pick the best one!)
Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” illustrates the speaker’s realization of an overlooked expression of his father’s love—building fires on cold Sunday mornings in winter.
Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” uses perceptive diction, evocative imagery, and a regretful tone to illustrate the speaker’s realization of an overlooked expression of his father’s love—building fires on cold Sunday mornings in winter.
Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” uses perceptive diction, evocative imagery, and a regretful tone to illustrate the speaker’s realization of an overlooked expression of his father’s love—building fires on cold Sunday mornings in winter, suggesting that a father’s love is often taken for granted.

5. More Examples (Pick the best one!)
Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” illustrates the speaker’s paradoxical childhood relationship with his father.
Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem in which the speaker reflects upon his childhood relationship with his father, focusing on a specific incident that occurred one night when his father returned home from work.
Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” uses robust imagery and a profoundly ironic tone to illustrate the paradoxical nature of the speaker’s childhood relationship with his father, suggesting that a father’s love is not always expressed through a gentle caress.

6. Examples: The Best Ones!
The Road by Cormac McCarthy uses extremely graphic violence juxtaposed with astonishing acts of kindness to illustrate humanity’s constant struggle with the “devil inside,” emphasizing that we are more than mere animals struggling to survive.
Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” juxtaposes imagery of playfulness and violence to evoke an ambiguous tone of reverence mixed with fear, illustrating the speaker’s attempt to reconcile his paradoxical childhood relationship with his father.
Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” uses perceptive diction, evocative imagery, and a regretful tone to illustrate the speaker’s realization of an overlooked expression of his father’s love—building fires on cold Sunday mornings in winter, suggesting that a father’s love is often taken for granted.