Be Strong (1 of 2)

Thesis Writing (1 of 2)

Constructing a research presentation is a lot like building a house. You have all kinds of wonderful ideas about the perfect product, but it feels like getting those ideas from your head into reality is the challenge. All you have to do is break down the building process into small steps. The first step is to draw up a set of plans. In the world of writing, the plan is found in the thesis statement. This is where you are going to take that old worn out preliminary thesis you wrote and trade it in for a smarter, cleaner, better informed model.

By the end of this page, you will be thesis-ready! Answer each question below based on your own research. The sample answers displayed are based on research for an English Literature literary analysis of the play Hamlet. (Note: An English play is used as the sample so that the example does not replace any of your American Literature research options.)

What is your general topic?

Memento mori: the idea of mortality (in Hamlet)

Who is your audience? (answer this as specifically as possible)

Literature students who are familiar with the play Hamlet.

What is your rhetorical purpose(s)? (inform, persuade, entertain, or express the self)

To Inform

What is your main discovery question?

How is memento mori expressed in Hamlet?

Based on your question, what is the main organization structure of your presentation going to be?

Exemplification/Definition to show examples of what memento mori is and how memento mori is shown in Hamlet.

What is your tone?

Factual, informational (teacher tone)

What is the main thing (most general) you want to say about your topic?

One of the most overlooked themes of Hamlet is memento mori.

What are the three focused questions you want to answer about your topic?

What is memento mori? What examples of memento mori exist in the play? How is the character Hamlet affected by memento mori?

What are the answers to my three focused questions?

Memento mori is the remembrance of one’s own mortality. It is expressed in Hamlet through symbols and the deaths of significant characters. Hamlet the man is driven and alternatively frozen by this idea.

Using your answers to questions 7 and 9 above, what is your 3-pronged thesis (each prong is the answer to one of the focused questions)? Be sure to use active verbs and precise wording.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet revolves around the Latin concept of memento mori, or the remembrance of mortality, which is seen in the symbols and events of the play, as well as the motivations of the main character.

Look at the next page to see one more example to see how to formulate a thesis.