EmpoWord - A Student-Centered Anthology & Handbook for College Writers, 2018a

Part Two: Text Wrestling 195
and phrases, Capossere conveys the loneliness of his uncle leading up to his
death.
or
Although Chopin’s story was written over 100 years ago, it still provides insight to
gender dynamics in American marriages. “The Story of an Hour” reminds us that
marriage has historically meant a surrender of freedom for women.
Research Question and Embedded Thesis
There’s one more common style of thesis construction that’s worth noting, and that’s the
inquiry-based thesis. (Read more about inquiry-based research writing in Chapter Eight). For
this thesis, you’ll develop an incisive and focused question which you’ll explore throughout the
course of the essay. By the end of the essay, you will be able to offer an answer (perhaps a
complicated or incomplete answer, but still some kind of answer) to the question. This form is
also referred to as the “embedded thesis” or “delayed thesis” organization.
Although this model of thesis can be effectively applied in a text wrestling essay, it is often
more effective when combined with one of the other methods above.
Consider the following examples:
Bill Capossere’s essay “A Wind from the North” suggests that isolation results in
sorrow and loneliness; is this always the case? How does Capossere create
such a vision of his uncle’s life?
or
Many people would believe that Kate Chopin’s story reflects an outdated
perception of marriage—but can “The Story of an Hour” reveal power imbalances
in modern relationships, too?
You may note that these three thesis strategies can be
combined to create nuanced and attention-grabbing
thesis statements.
Synthesis: Using Evidence to Explore Your Thesis
Now that you’ve considered what your analytical insight might be (articulated in the
form of a
thesis), it’s time to bring evidence in to support your analysis—this is the
synthesis part of
Bloom’s Taxonomy earlier in this chapter. Synthesis refers to the creation of a new whole (an
interpretation) using smaller parts (evidence from the text you’ve analyzed).