Writing a Thesis! Help! AAAAAH!?

Question

I have to write a thesis relating "fear" in William Golding's novel "Lord of the Flies." Do I have to mention the topic and novel in the first line? I don't want my thesis to sound generic. My original thesis mentions LOF in the 3rd line of the first paragraph.

Help, please! Thanks.

Answer 1

Thesis should state exactly what your paper will be related to, and should be the last sentence of three in an opening paragraph. Focus your idea to "fear" as related to phobias, fear of the unknown, fear of change, or overcoming fear as it relates to Jack, Ralph and the boys.

Here's one you may steal:

Fear is nature's way of keeping human beings safe. It can boost human energy levels to either flee from a bad situation or fight an enemy. In Golding's Lord of the Flies, Jack, Ralph and the others learn to handle their fears in differnt ways to survive on an island without aid.

Fear is one of the few things the boys take with them to the island, and each of the characters deals with the fear in a different manner. Jack, for example, tries to hide his fear by several different means. In the beginning, when the boys meet up on the beach, he masks his fear of being stranded by mocking Piggy. "Shut up, Fatty" he tells Piggy, trying to exert his power and make the others believe he is brave. Not soon after, he shows his fear and lack of power by trying to make excuses for not killing the first pig he caught. Jack will continue to make fun of the others as they show fear of the "monster" on the island, but when he faces the man in the parachute, he goes screaming down to the beach. Eventually, he convinces the others that he was not scared, but will not be able to hadle his fear when Simon, whom he believes is the creature shows up on the beach.

Ralph handles his fear in a more rational sense. He tries to create structure and rules for everyone so the the island itself will feel more like "home" thus disarming the fear of the unknown for himself, and even more, for the littluns...

Answer 2

Introduce your topic in the first line, but don't make it generic--"Fear is a major theme is Golding's Lord of the Flies."

Your opening sentence should grab attention. Just because its a thesis doesnt mean it has to be boring.

Answer 3

Generally, do an introduction of a few sentences giving background to the book and the author or whatever you choose.
Your thesis statement is usually the last sentence in your introduction. It explains what you will cover in the paper.
It is important to mention the author and the title, and tie in what you are going to cover about fear.