As you read a book, you naturally make inferences about the characters and draw conclusions about their actions. Along the way, you probably develop some opinions about how the characters react to events and situations. All of these skills will help you create an analytical claim, a sentence that states what you think is true about a work of literature, based on the evidence you see in the text.
Recall what you know about these literary works of fiction, and see if you can think of a claim that might shed light on the meaning, purpose, or theme of each book. Click each title to see an example of an analytical claim.
The events in The Outsiders suggest that social class conflicts are pointless: the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and everyone is more alike than you may realize.
The purpose of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is to shed light on what life really was like for African Americans living in the South in the 1930s, a time when they were supposedly "free."
In Wonder, true friendship involves sacrifice, doing what is right, and always having each other's back.
Throughout Hunger Games, the Capitol symbolizes some of humanity's darkest impulses, including materialism, greed, and a desire for absolute power.
Question
If you're writing about a work of nonfiction, such as Anne Frank's diary, what aspects of the book could be the topic of your claim?
