[_eunsole_]

I'm doing a research paper (10 page) for my AP Literature and Composition class. All seniors have to do it to graduate.
I'm doing mine on Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.

My thesis so far is:

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll have many different interpretations of how the story came to be such as Freudian, mathematic, political, drug, and coming of age influences.

Is this even a thesis because it's not really proving anything. If anyone can please help me make this better it would be so great.

[INFATUATEDDINO]

Are you planning to write paragraphs on Freudian, mathematic, poltical, drug, &coming of age influences? If you aren't, then i don't understand why it's there. Thesis's are kind of like the BAM in an introduction, telling what the reader's going to be reading about in the essay. It looks okay, it's not that long not that short and i have a field of what i'll be reading about. So yes, that is a thesis.

Thesis's don't prove, they introduce. (=.

[_eunsole_]

^Thanks =]

I still don't know if I should use this because I'm afraid that I'm just going to be compiling what a bunch of other people said about Lewis Carroll and his books instead of what my point is.

[wonderfullness]

Your thesis should be a statement about what you want to prove in your paper--it shouldn't be something factual that is already known.
I'm a little confused by the wording. Do you mean to say that there are many interpretations of the 2 books and that these interpretations are influenced by those 5 things? Or are the books' purposes/ways of being interpreted Freudian, mathematical, political, drug-based, and coming of age theme-influenced?
I think I understand the gist your thesis--it definitely has a good direction. I think it just needs to be reworded to make sure you're clarifying exactly what you're trying to prove.

I still don't know if I should use this because I'm afraid that I'm just going to be compiling what a bunch of other people said about Lewis Carroll and his books instead of what my point is.

That is partially what a research paper is--so you don't need to worry about that. I'm not sure what your teacher is looking for, but usually a research paper paragraph is your own analysis and using other research information to back up your ideas.

Good luck!

[Lie]

Is this even a thesis because it's not really proving anything. If anyone can please help me make this better it would be so great.

Hmm. You are making a point, though I agree that it's a bit obtuse. Are there are any general thematic points that these schools of thought provide as insight into the story? If so, jump on those themes and consider using them to establish an argument rather than the sort of vaguely conceptual survey you currently have (i.e. your current thesis essentially says, "there are a lot of ways people think about this story" which in my opinion isn't specific enough. Though "drug-based" and "coming of age" are more thematic elements than schools of thought).

[josebiwasabi]

thesis statements are very easy if you follow this formula:

IDEA + TECHNIQUE + EFFECT = THESIS

I: what is the author trying to say?
T: how is the author doing this? (usually some sort of literary device: metaphors? symbolism? etc etc etc)
E: how does it effect the reader/you?


and no, your OP is not a thesis statement.

[_eunsole_]

Okay, so I finally have a "thesis". Haha this paper is due like tomorrow...I'm crazy.

Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass were both written by Carroll through deliberate story telling with ideas from his everyday setting, and instinctive additions of math, puns, and satire of the Victorian era.

Thanks for all the help guys. Totally saved me =]