Begin your thesis paragraph with an attention-grabbing opening that engages your reader and focuses your topic. Use a unique fact, humorous anecdote, insightful quotation or a simple statement of the truth that you intend to amplify in your paper. For instance, set the tone of a literary paper with an insightful quote from The Picture of Dorian Gray such as, "The world belongs to you for a season."
Define the parameters of your paper by stating the specific events, facts or texts that you intend to cover in your paper. For instance, tell your reader that you intend to cover The Picture of Dorian Gray throughout your paper, letting them know that everything in your paper will center around this book.
Explain the perspective you intend to use throughout your paper by citing the specific literary critique, time period or crucial definition that tells your reader how you arrived at your unique perspective. Define how your perspective is different from that of other writers on the topic, taking a gender critique as your unique view on The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Write your thesis statement, making sure it is direct and expresses the point of your paper. For a paper on the gender critique view of The Picture of Dorian Gray, write "The Picture of Dorian Gray addresses sexuality in an oppressive culture and its effects on the youth of that culture," identifying your two main points: sexuality in an oppressive culture and its effects on youth.
Reread your thesis paragraph after you complete the rest of your paper to ensure that the information throughout your paper fulfills your introductory or thesis paragraph. For instance, if you find that you were unable to effectively make your point about sexuality in an oppressive culture in your paper on The Picture of Dorian Gray, rewrite that section of the text, making sure to focus on the specific point that you wrote in your thesis.