Here is a writer’s rough-draft thesis statement for a paper analyzing a short story:

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is a very grotesque story.

Which response will be more helpful to the student as she revises her thesis?

What do you mean by grotesque? Maybe you should find a better word to describe the story’s effect.

Grotesque does seem to describe the story, but Dr. Walker wants us to interpret the story, not just describe its effect. If you focused on how the grotesque characters contribute to the story’s meaning, your thesis would present an interpretation.

The second answer reminds the writer to interpret, not just describe, and it even suggests one way the writer might accomplish that goal.