An assertion is a statement that is arguable and provable. In literary analysis, an assertion offers an insight about a text and makes a claim about why that insight matters.
Any assertion can also be called a claim or an argument.
A topic sentence is an assertion that appears at the beginning of a paragraph. It should be supported by the paragraph.
A thesis is an assertion that appears in the introduction paragraph of an essay. It should be supported by the essay as a whole.
See this page for lists of analytical verbs and their functions.
insight about the text + analytical verb + purpose statement
Examples
Rosaura’s intense negative reaction to getting paid highlights how fully she needed to reinterpret the party.
Rosaura’s misinterpretation of the party reveals that growing up involves learning hard truths about the world.
This is a more detailed version of the above formula. It includes the title and author. **In this example, the comma goes INSIDE the quotation marks**
In title of work , author's name analytical verb insight about the text to analytical verb purpose statement .
Examples
In "The Stolen Party,"_ Heker describes Rosaura’s intense negative reaction to getting paid to highlight how fully she needed to reinterpret the party .
In "The Stolen Party,"__ Heker depicts Rosaura’s misinterpretation of the party to reveal that growing up involves learning hard truths about the world .
You will always include the title and author somewhere in the introduction paragraph of a multi-paragraph essay. You can choose to do this in your thesis or earlier in the paragraph.
Your teacher may also ask you to include the title and author in the topic sentence of a single-paragraph assignment.
In [title of work], [author’s name] analytical verb …
In [title of work] by [author’s name], … **In this example, the comma appears after the author's name**
Examples
In “The Stolen Party” by Liliana Heker, Rosaura’s intense negative reaction to getting paid highlights how fully she needed to reinterpret the party.
In “The Stolen Party,” Liliana Heker uses Rosaura’s misinterpretation of the party to reveal that growing up involves learning hard truths about the world.