Draft a working thesis in the following space. The working thesis should focus your analysis. Remember that your thesis is not the same as the author’s thesis. Your thesis presents your judgment of the text.
Click Submit after each text box to submit your answers to your instructor’s gradebook. You may review your answers by returning to this activity at any time. (An activity reports to the gradebook only if your instructor has assigned it.)
You can often begin to draft by breaking your thesis—your main claim—into two, three, or four subclaims. Doing so allows you to plan the parts of your analysis, which often roughly translate into the paragraphs of your paper. See an example.
Backing up the thesis with lines of argument
Write a first draft of your analysis essay in your word processing program. Because it is often helpful to get some feedback on an early draft (Is my main idea clear? Is there a better way to organize my thoughts?), exchange papers with a classmate or two for peer review.