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Essays on Oppression

What makes a good oppression essay topics.

When it comes to writing an oppression essay, choosing the right topic is crucial. A good essay topic should be thought-provoking, relevant, and provide ample opportunity for critical analysis. Here are some recommendations on how to brainstorm and choose an essay topic, what to consider, and What Makes a Good essay topic.

When brainstorming for essay topics, consider current events, historical events, literature, and social issues. Think about what interests you and what you feel passionate about. Consider topics that are not only relevant but also have enough research material available to support your arguments.

A good essay topic should be specific and focused. It should not be too broad or too narrow, allowing for in-depth analysis and discussion. It should also be thought-provoking and challenging, encouraging the reader to think critically about the subject matter.

Consider the target audience when choosing an essay topic. Think about what would engage and interest them. Additionally, consider the purpose of the essay and what you hope to achieve with it. Are you looking to inform, persuade, or provoke critical thinking? Your essay topic should align with your goals.

A good essay topic should also be relevant and timely. It should address current issues and provoke discussion and debate. It should also be unique and original, offering a fresh perspective on the subject matter.

Best Oppression Essay Topics

When it comes to oppression essay topics, it's important to choose topics that stand out and provoke critical thinking. Here are some creative and thought-provoking essay topics that go beyond the ordinary:

  • The psychological effects of systemic oppression on marginalized communities
  • The role of language in perpetuating oppression
  • The impact of colonialism on indigenous communities
  • Oppression and resistance in dystopian literature
  • The intersectionality of oppression and identity
  • The role of media in perpetuating stereotypes and oppression
  • Oppression and the criminal justice system
  • The impact of economic oppression on mental health
  • Oppression and the LGBTQ+ community
  • The effects of oppression on mental health and well-being
  • Oppression and the education system
  • The role of religion in perpetuating oppression
  • Oppression and environmental justice
  • The impact of oppression on access to healthcare
  • The role of privilege in perpetuating oppression
  • Oppression and the refugee crisis
  • The impact of oppression on freedom of expression
  • Oppression and the arts
  • The role of technology in perpetuating oppression
  • The impact of oppression on access to basic needs

Oppression essay topics Prompts

If you're looking for some creative prompts to inspire your oppression essay, here are five thought-provoking ideas to get you started:

  • Imagine a world without oppression. What would it look like, and how can we work towards achieving it?
  • Write about a personal experience with oppression and how it has shaped your perspective on social justice.
  • Choose a work of literature or film that addresses oppression and analyze its themes, characters, and message.
  • Research a historical event or movement that sought to challenge oppression and discuss its impact on society.
  • Consider the role of privilege in perpetuating oppression and how we can work towards creating a more equitable society.

Choosing a good oppression essay topic is essential for creating a thought-provoking and engaging essay. By considering relevance, specificity, and creativity, you can choose a topic that will inspire critical thinking and meaningful discussion. Whether it's addressing current issues, analyzing historical events, or exploring the intersectionality of oppression, there are plenty of unique and creative essay topics to choose from.

Oppression in America: then and Now

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Oppression, Its Brutality and Its Inescapability, is a Dominant Theme in Literature

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Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power, often under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium.

Authoritarian oppression, socioeconomic, political, legal, cultural, and institutional oppression. Social oppression includes privilege, racial oppression, class oppression, gender oppression, religious persecution, domination, institutionalized oppression, economic oppression, etc.

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March 2005, updated in June 2017, and again in July 2020.  


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Oppression is at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world today. Racial and religious conflicts; conflicts between dictatorial governments and their citizens; the battle between the sexes; conflicts between management and labor; between heterosexuals and homosexuals, between liberals and conservatives,  all stem, in whole or in part, to oppression or perceived oppression.

In 2017, conflicts between religion and races seemed to be on the significant increase, both in the U.S. and abroad. Many (on both sides) were talking about a serious conflict between "the West" (mostly Christian) and Islam. The conflict between Jews (mostly in Israel) and Muslims has a long, extremely intractable, history.  The conflict in Syria is one of oppression based on religion (among other things), and the migration that has caused has spawned oppression of minorities in many other countries as well. In the United States, race, immigration, and resentment of elites were big factors in the 2016 Presidential election, as working-class whites, long feeling oppressed by the liberal elite, lashed back by electing a President, who, though extremely rich, they still viewed as "one of their own," or at least one who wouldn't oppress whites, as they believed President Obama and other liberals before him had done.

Now in the summer of 2020, racial conflict has boiled over again with the high-profile police killing of an unarmed Black man in Minnesota.  This event and the worldwide response to it has put the oppression of Blacks (in the U.S.) and other minorities around the world on center stage once again.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, we need to quit complaining about oppression and actually do something about it. And, in order to do that, we need to understand the multi-faceted nature of the problem and the strategies for addressing it that are most likely to be successful. 


Additional insights into are offered by Beyond Intractability project participants.

This section of the knowledge base explores oppression: what causes it, and what can be done to address it. Most of the essays in this section are drawn from a larger essay originally entitled "Oppression and Conflict[1]" Since that essay was too long to stand alone in Beyond Intractability, here it is divided up into six essays, which together make up the "oppression" section of the website. BI is lucky to be able to include these essays from Mort Deutsch—they provide a comprehensive, succinct, and understandable introduction to this critically important topic.

In addition to this short introduction, the essays in this section currently include:

1. The Nature and Origins of Oppression

2. The Forms of Oppression

3. What Keeps Oppression in Place?

4. Awakening the Sense of Injustice

5. Overcoming Oppression Through Persuasion

6.   Overcoming Oppression with Power

[1] The original paper was delivered as a plenary address at the annual meetings of the International Society of Justice Research in Skovde, Sweden on June 17, 2002.

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Use the following to cite this article: Deutsch, Morton. "Oppression and Conflict: Introduction." Beyond Intractability . Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: March 2005 < http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/oppression-introduction >.

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  • How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

  • Start with a question
  • Write your initial answer
  • Develop your answer
  • Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

  • Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
  • Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
  • Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

  • Why you hold this position
  • What they’ll learn from your essay
  • The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

  • In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
  • In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

  • It gives your writing direction and focus.
  • It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

  • Ask a question about your topic .
  • Write your initial answer.
  • Develop your answer by including reasons.
  • Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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Women’s Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being Essay

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
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Introduction

Women’s equality and oppression.

In a society that is dedicated to creating equality for girls and women, there is no space for gender oppression. This means that women would have the opportunity to attain high leadership positions and not have a wage gap with their male counterparts, violence would be reduced, while in general, females would be valued and respected. These improvements have the potential to contribute to women’s overall well-being. From the perspective of natural and applied sciences, women’s equality and oppression are relevant to the issue of establishing gender equality in the sciences, which is a research-based challenge that has not been addressed yet.

Gender diversity in science can help bring professionals with unique backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives to facilitate discoveries. In natural and applied sciences, the issue of gender equality and oppression can provide social commentary on the barriers that women researchers face in their respective fields (Tobin, 2017). The lack of equality can decrease the opportunities for self-development and financial prosperity, which are essential contributors to overall well-being (Baciu et al., 2017). Science can help resolve the issue by shedding light on significant gaps that women researchers experience in their fields using real-world data gathered from participants.

The problem can be resolved when more women are allowed to participate in scientific research, when institutions and their policies support diverse research fields, and when the knowledge is fixed by integrating gender and sex analysis into research. In various science fields, more attention must be focused on boosting the opportunities for women when they want to pursue professions in areas such as STEM. Moreover, different programs, policies, and investments in applied sciences are needed to facilitate the integration of women into research fields.

Dismantling the oppressive and unequal social structures is detrimental to improved overall wellness, which is synonymous with good physical and mental health, equal educational and professional opportunities, as well as the potential for personal development. Women’s oppression and inequality have been major social problems, which is why they can be explored through the lens of social sciences. Historically, societies have developed in such a way that it has been accepting of gender violence, the limitations of sociopolitical rights of women, and the understatement of women’s role in society.

Through social sciences, which range from physiology to social anthropology, it is possible to look at the problem from various angles. Notably, the perspective of the social sciences will be instrumental in studying the relationships between female and male genders within societies (McKenzie et al., 2018). A deeper understanding of the social issue can be achieved by looking at the details of relationships, such as career choices and outcomes, roles in raising children, domestic roles, and others (Friebel et al., 2021). Social sciences can also derive methods from natural sciences, which also allows using data from real-life participants who have diverse perspectives and experiences.

To conclude, the issue of women’s oppression and inequality is a natural problem to be explored in the social sciences because it is diverse and can include a range of aspects that pertains to their social lives. It is expected to achieve wellness among women when they are highly valued in society and have opportunities to establish themselves as valuable members who can give value through their experiences.

Friebel, G., Lalanne, M., Richter, B., Schwardmann, P., & Seabright, P. (2021). Gender differences in social interactions. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 186 , 33-45. Web.

McKenzie, S. K., Collings, S., Jenkin, G., & River, J. (2018). Masculinity, social connectedness, and mental health: Men’s diverse patterns of practice. American Journal of Men’s Health, 2018 , 1247-1261. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2023, March 18). Women’s Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being. https://ivypanda.com/essays/womens-inequality-oppression-and-well-being/

"Women’s Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being." IvyPanda , 18 Mar. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/womens-inequality-oppression-and-well-being/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Women’s Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being'. 18 March.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Women’s Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being." March 18, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/womens-inequality-oppression-and-well-being/.

1. IvyPanda . "Women’s Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being." March 18, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/womens-inequality-oppression-and-well-being/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Women’s Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being." March 18, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/womens-inequality-oppression-and-well-being/.

Developing a Thesis Statement

Many papers you write require developing a thesis statement. In this section you’ll learn what a thesis statement is and how to write one.

Keep in mind that not all papers require thesis statements . If in doubt, please consult your instructor for assistance.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement . . .

  • Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic.
  • Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.
  • Is focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
  • Is generally located near the end of the introduction ; sometimes, in a long paper, the thesis will be expressed in several sentences or in an entire paragraph.
  • Identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument.

Not all papers require thesis statements! Ask your instructor if you’re in doubt whether you need one.

Identify a topic

Your topic is the subject about which you will write. Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic; or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper.

Consider what your assignment asks you to do

Inform yourself about your topic, focus on one aspect of your topic, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts, generate a topic from an assignment.

Below are some possible topics based on sample assignments.

Sample assignment 1

Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II.

Identified topic

Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis

This topic avoids generalities such as “Spain” and “World War II,” addressing instead on Franco’s role (a specific aspect of “Spain”) and the diplomatic relations between the Allies and Axis (a specific aspect of World War II).

Sample assignment 2

Analyze one of Homer’s epic similes in the Iliad.

The relationship between the portrayal of warfare and the epic simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64.

This topic focuses on a single simile and relates it to a single aspect of the Iliad ( warfare being a major theme in that work).

Developing a Thesis Statement–Additional information

Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic, or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper. You’ll want to read your assignment carefully, looking for key terms that you can use to focus your topic.

Sample assignment: Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II Key terms: analyze, Spain’s neutrality, World War II

After you’ve identified the key words in your topic, the next step is to read about them in several sources, or generate as much information as possible through an analysis of your topic. Obviously, the more material or knowledge you have, the more possibilities will be available for a strong argument. For the sample assignment above, you’ll want to look at books and articles on World War II in general, and Spain’s neutrality in particular.

As you consider your options, you must decide to focus on one aspect of your topic. This means that you cannot include everything you’ve learned about your topic, nor should you go off in several directions. If you end up covering too many different aspects of a topic, your paper will sprawl and be unconvincing in its argument, and it most likely will not fulfull the assignment requirements.

For the sample assignment above, both Spain’s neutrality and World War II are topics far too broad to explore in a paper. You may instead decide to focus on Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis , which narrows down what aspects of Spain’s neutrality and World War II you want to discuss, as well as establishes a specific link between those two aspects.

Before you go too far, however, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts. Try to avoid topics that already have too much written about them (i.e., “eating disorders and body image among adolescent women”) or that simply are not important (i.e. “why I like ice cream”). These topics may lead to a thesis that is either dry fact or a weird claim that cannot be supported. A good thesis falls somewhere between the two extremes. To arrive at this point, ask yourself what is new, interesting, contestable, or controversial about your topic.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times . Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Derive a main point from topic

Once you have a topic, you will have to decide what the main point of your paper will be. This point, the “controlling idea,” becomes the core of your argument (thesis statement) and it is the unifying idea to which you will relate all your sub-theses. You can then turn this “controlling idea” into a purpose statement about what you intend to do in your paper.

Look for patterns in your evidence

Compose a purpose statement.

Consult the examples below for suggestions on how to look for patterns in your evidence and construct a purpose statement.

  • Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis
  • Franco turned to the Allies when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from the Axis

Possible conclusion:

Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: Franco’s desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power.

Purpose statement

This paper will analyze Franco’s diplomacy during World War II to see how it contributed to Spain’s neutrality.
  • The simile compares Simoisius to a tree, which is a peaceful, natural image.
  • The tree in the simile is chopped down to make wheels for a chariot, which is an object used in warfare.

At first, the simile seems to take the reader away from the world of warfare, but we end up back in that world by the end.

This paper will analyze the way the simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64 moves in and out of the world of warfare.

Derive purpose statement from topic

To find out what your “controlling idea” is, you have to examine and evaluate your evidence . As you consider your evidence, you may notice patterns emerging, data repeated in more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. These patterns or data may then lead you to some conclusions about your topic and suggest that you can successfully argue for one idea better than another.

For instance, you might find out that Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis, but when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from them, he turned to the Allies. As you read more about Franco’s decisions, you may conclude that Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: his desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power. Based on this conclusion, you can then write a trial thesis statement to help you decide what material belongs in your paper.

Sometimes you won’t be able to find a focus or identify your “spin” or specific argument immediately. Like some writers, you might begin with a purpose statement just to get yourself going. A purpose statement is one or more sentences that announce your topic and indicate the structure of the paper but do not state the conclusions you have drawn . Thus, you might begin with something like this:

  • This paper will look at modern language to see if it reflects male dominance or female oppression.
  • I plan to analyze anger and derision in offensive language to see if they represent a challenge of society’s authority.

At some point, you can turn a purpose statement into a thesis statement. As you think and write about your topic, you can restrict, clarify, and refine your argument, crafting your thesis statement to reflect your thinking.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Compose a draft thesis statement

If you are writing a paper that will have an argumentative thesis and are having trouble getting started, the techniques in the table below may help you develop a temporary or “working” thesis statement.

Begin with a purpose statement that you will later turn into a thesis statement.

Assignment: Discuss the history of the Reform Party and explain its influence on the 1990 presidential and Congressional election.

Purpose Statement: This paper briefly sketches the history of the grassroots, conservative, Perot-led Reform Party and analyzes how it influenced the economic and social ideologies of the two mainstream parties.

Question-to-Assertion

If your assignment asks a specific question(s), turn the question(s) into an assertion and give reasons why it is true or reasons for your opinion.

Assignment : What do Aylmer and Rappaccini have to be proud of? Why aren’t they satisfied with these things? How does pride, as demonstrated in “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” lead to unexpected problems?

Beginning thesis statement: Alymer and Rappaccinni are proud of their great knowledge; however, they are also very greedy and are driven to use their knowledge to alter some aspect of nature as a test of their ability. Evil results when they try to “play God.”

Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write.

Main idea: The reason some toys succeed in the market is that they appeal to the consumers’ sense of the ridiculous and their basic desire to laugh at themselves.

Make a list of the ideas that you want to include; consider the ideas and try to group them.

  • nature = peaceful
  • war matériel = violent (competes with 1?)
  • need for time and space to mourn the dead
  • war is inescapable (competes with 3?)

Use a formula to arrive at a working thesis statement (you will revise this later).

  • although most readers of _______ have argued that _______, closer examination shows that _______.
  • _______ uses _______ and _____ to prove that ________.
  • phenomenon x is a result of the combination of __________, __________, and _________.

What to keep in mind as you draft an initial thesis statement

Beginning statements obtained through the methods illustrated above can serve as a framework for planning or drafting your paper, but remember they’re not yet the specific, argumentative thesis you want for the final version of your paper. In fact, in its first stages, a thesis statement usually is ill-formed or rough and serves only as a planning tool.

As you write, you may discover evidence that does not fit your temporary or “working” thesis. Or you may reach deeper insights about your topic as you do more research, and you will find that your thesis statement has to be more complicated to match the evidence that you want to use.

You must be willing to reject or omit some evidence in order to keep your paper cohesive and your reader focused. Or you may have to revise your thesis to match the evidence and insights that you want to discuss. Read your draft carefully, noting the conclusions you have drawn and the major ideas which support or prove those conclusions. These will be the elements of your final thesis statement.

Sometimes you will not be able to identify these elements in your early drafts, but as you consider how your argument is developing and how your evidence supports your main idea, ask yourself, “ What is the main point that I want to prove/discuss? ” and “ How will I convince the reader that this is true? ” When you can answer these questions, then you can begin to refine the thesis statement.

Refine and polish the thesis statement

To get to your final thesis, you’ll need to refine your draft thesis so that it’s specific and arguable.

  • Ask if your draft thesis addresses the assignment
  • Question each part of your draft thesis
  • Clarify vague phrases and assertions
  • Investigate alternatives to your draft thesis

Consult the example below for suggestions on how to refine your draft thesis statement.

Sample Assignment

Choose an activity and define it as a symbol of American culture. Your essay should cause the reader to think critically about the society which produces and enjoys that activity.

  • Ask The phenomenon of drive-in facilities is an interesting symbol of american culture, and these facilities demonstrate significant characteristics of our society.This statement does not fulfill the assignment because it does not require the reader to think critically about society.
Drive-ins are an interesting symbol of American culture because they represent Americans’ significant creativity and business ingenuity.
Among the types of drive-in facilities familiar during the twentieth century, drive-in movie theaters best represent American creativity, not merely because they were the forerunner of later drive-ins and drive-throughs, but because of their impact on our culture: they changed our relationship to the automobile, changed the way people experienced movies, and changed movie-going into a family activity.
While drive-in facilities such as those at fast-food establishments, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize America’s economic ingenuity, they also have affected our personal standards.
While drive-in facilities such as those at fast- food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize (1) Americans’ business ingenuity, they also have contributed (2) to an increasing homogenization of our culture, (3) a willingness to depersonalize relationships with others, and (4) a tendency to sacrifice quality for convenience.

This statement is now specific and fulfills all parts of the assignment. This version, like any good thesis, is not self-evident; its points, 1-4, will have to be proven with evidence in the body of the paper. The numbers in this statement indicate the order in which the points will be presented. Depending on the length of the paper, there could be one paragraph for each numbered item or there could be blocks of paragraph for even pages for each one.

Complete the final thesis statement

The bottom line.

As you move through the process of crafting a thesis, you’ll need to remember four things:

  • Context matters! Think about your course materials and lectures. Try to relate your thesis to the ideas your instructor is discussing.
  • As you go through the process described in this section, always keep your assignment in mind . You will be more successful when your thesis (and paper) responds to the assignment than if it argues a semi-related idea.
  • Your thesis statement should be precise, focused, and contestable ; it should predict the sub-theses or blocks of information that you will use to prove your argument.
  • Make sure that you keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Change your thesis as your paper evolves, because you do not want your thesis to promise more than your paper actually delivers.

In the beginning, the thesis statement was a tool to help you sharpen your focus, limit material and establish the paper’s purpose. When your paper is finished, however, the thesis statement becomes a tool for your reader. It tells the reader what you have learned about your topic and what evidence led you to your conclusion. It keeps the reader on track–well able to understand and appreciate your argument.

thesis statement on oppression

Writing Process and Structure

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Getting Started with Your Paper

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

Generating Ideas for

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Collaboratively

Collaborative and Group Writing

The oppression and deliverance of women in Sandra Cisneros' “The House on Mango Street”

Journal title, journal issn, volume title.

Sandra Cisneros is a poignant voice to all women. Her work The House on Mango Street portrays the somber reality of women who have been oppressed by the limitations that are imposed on them by the patriarchy within their culture. The House on Mango Street defines various types of bondage and reveals the harsh realities of women who due to the effects of abuse, promiscuity, depression, low expectations, and marginalization have found themselves oppressed.

In the midst of an oppressive setting, Cisneros introduces the voice of hope in the narrator-Esperanza. As a narrator Esperanza voices each woman's experience, provides a release to those who have been silent, brings awareness to her community concerning issues that have remained unaddressed, and discovers her own self-worth and purpose as a writer.

The introductory portion of the thesis acknowledges Cisneros' works, awards and honors, and acclaimed reputation among the Hispanic community as a hopeful voice to all women. The following chapters address the women from The House on Mango Street and define their oppressive lifestyle due to the effects of male domination, introduce the narrator Esperanza and illustrate her personal journey to freedom and self-discovery, and reveal how Esperanza is the epitome of what Sandra Cisneros is providing for the women in various ethnic communities.

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CMC Senior Theses

The traumatizing effects of oppression on black women: a proposed trauma informed intervention program for predominantly white undergraduate institutions.

Precious Hutton Follow

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Date of submission, document type.

Campus Only Senior Thesis

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Bachelor of Arts

Wei Chin Hwang

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Considerable research indicates that Black undergraduate women’s college experiences are greatly compounded with psychological stressors such as gender and racial oppression, negatively impacting their psychosocial adjustment. Consequently, this dissertation aims to explore the traumatizing effects of oppression on Black undergraduate women’s college experiences. This thesis discusses the dynamic relationship between trauma and oppression, highlighting the general components of trauma and oppression. This thesis also considerably discusses the impact of this relationship on Black women’s undergraduate experiences. Moreover, a multi tiered trauma informed intervention program is proposed for Predominantly White Undergraduate Institutions. The goal of this intervention program is provide higher education institutions with the proper tools and professional development skills to prevent its Black female students from experiencing further trauma while also aiding previously trauma affected students with the proper mental health care treatment.

Recommended Citation

Hutton, Precious, "The Traumatizing Effects of Oppression on Black Women: A Proposed Trauma Informed Intervention Program for Predominantly White Undergraduate Institutions" (2020). CMC Senior Theses . 2371. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2371

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Since June 18, 2020

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Patriarchal Oppression and Women Empowerment in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus

Profile image of Tifanny Astrick

Vivid Journal of Language and Literature

This study examines how Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie&#39;s Purple Hibiscus interrogates the oppressions of women in the Nigerian patriarchal society and how women empower each other lead them to women empowerment. The study shows how the oppressions of women is represented through female characters which perpetually put women in disadvantaged positions as portrayed in Purple Hibiscus. One of the most despicable oppression among the so well-known cultural practices in Nigeria is the patriarchal oppression. However, as the events unfold, efforts will be made in order to reveal of how African women are rated based on the good and real women as represented by Beatrice and Ifeoma. I argue that Adichie&#39;s approach to subvert patriarchal oppression describes that despite the struggle and pain, women assert themselves in the world of patriarchy through education and sisterhood. Adichie’s novel suggests women empowerment through social transformation confronted by women. The title of the nove...

Related Papers

The Journal of Commonwealth Literature

Sandra Nwokocha

Focusing on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's critically acclaimed Purple Hibiscus (2003), this article argues that subversion, an aggressive performance that aimed at overthrowing and displacing patriarchal institutions which initially impact on the choices and activities of the oppressed, is the hallmark of the fictional figures' responses to oppression. The essay contends that such forceful reactions to repression expand our understanding of twenty-first century Nigerian female-authored narratives. This argument I contrast with earlier critical readings, observing that while critics are eager to expose and endorse a female presence in the text, the readings often undermine its revolutionary suggestions. Through a radical feminist approach, my analysis of the novel highlights the heroines in order to demonstrate subversive behaviours in their drive to establish female agency, and notes such defiance to be necessary considering their repressive milieu. In doing so, I conclude with the notion that dissidence is a remarkable feature of the novel and that the radical feminist paradigm is useful in widening awareness of this groundbreaking tenor.

thesis statement on oppression

GEDRAG & ORGANISATIE REVIEW

Desiree Ann

Kambili's Journey to Dignity, and Self-empowerment: A Womanist Approach to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus

Nicky Lindecrantz

Using womanist theory as a theoretical framework, this study has analyzed identity formation and self-empowerment. Adichie is considered a feminist writer, but her ideals and ideas are very different from Western ideals and aim to survive and challenge patriarchal culture. In her debut novel, Purple Hibiscus, Adichie argues for a change in society's attitude toward the oppression of women and children. Adichie articulates a womanist ideology that relates to universal human suffering. This study considers the postcolonial background of the main characters, who confront the hybridity that occurs with identities that encounter a postcolonial culture. The domination of women is the most basic form of female subjugation in postcolonial Nigerian society. This is largely due to the cultural influences of patriarchal culture inherent in African society, which promotes prejudice against women and accepts violence against women and children as normal. Patriarchal violence is analyzed to explain how surveillance and punishment imprison the characters in the novel and isolate them from others. This analysis aims to show that liberation from oppression is only possible through unity with others, courage, and the achievement of dignity. Keywords: change, Christianity, dignity, identity, Igbo tradition, interaction, liberal- and radical feminism, mimicry, Nigeria, patriarchal violence, postcolonialism, self-empowerment, womanism

nadia aissou

JRSP-ELT - Journal for Research Scholars and Professionals of English Language Teaching

The present article deals with African Feminism and explores the role of domestic violence in patriarchy with special reference to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus and account the responses of the major characters of the novel and that of the African women towards violence in domestic realms. Theorists from Africa like Gwendolyn Mikell blame colonization for worsening the condition of women. This perspective has also been explored her apart from the role of tradition of African society in maintaining male dominance. Reasons for women's subjugation to domestic violence have also been explored. This study includes the view of the author also which shall throw light upon the gravity of the issue.

Nwancha Cordelia

Galaxy: International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

DR N A D I Y A H KHUSHBOO

Woman's rights have not gotten consistent acknowledgment in Africa and ladies that partner themselves with this development are viewed as radicals and conflicting with African standards and conventions. The examination has firmly inspected the misuse and concealment of ladies, uncovering the oppressing conditions that occasionally lessen ladies to mental wrecks. The examination has additionally made mindfulness on the requirement for the entrenchment of cultural changes so as to improve the parcel of ladies in man centric social orders. Adichie's Purple Hibiscus is a women's activist work that challenges the dehumanizing propensities of the men society as obvious in the character of Mama (Beatrice Achike) who in the end uncovered the African origination of a perfect lady who keeps imbecilic even despite mortification, exploitation, and severity in order to be seen as a decent lady. We will present a resonating defense to depict that Achike has a place with the classification of liberal women's liberation. Be that as it may, as situations develops, she was constrained by circumstances outside her ability to control to react and go radical so as to squash whatever hinders her to satisfaction. Endeavors will be made to show how African ladies are evaluated dependent on the genuine and great ladies as spoke to by Ifeoma and Beatrice Achike individually.

Ruth Nzegenuka

ABSTRACT This study examines how Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus interrogates the problem of violence on women. The study shows how violence is represented through characters who due to violence condoned by male characters they are affected. It establishes how the novel portrays religion and patriarchy as two ideologies that men exploit to enforce violence on women and subject them to submission. In the portrait, family is represented as the focal point where violence is nurtured before it largely extends to a wider society. Generally, violence on female characters is manifested in men’s viciousness which in turn causes much suffering whose domino effects have far-reaching implications for both individual characters and the society as a whole. Male characters perpetuating violence on female characters find themselves trapped in the process while the wrath of female characters, triggered by silence, ultimately threatens to destabilize the society. This study thus demonstrates violence on women a serious problem that affect the entire society.

European Scientific Journal ESJ

Social imbalances between men and women are the bedrock of injustices women encounter in the world, particularly in African societies. Patriarchy is identified by womanist and feminist scholars as one of the social practices that give men more privilege and maintain women in peripheral roles. This article examines how female characters in African patriarchal settings of two Ghanaian male and female novels, Asare Adei's A Beautiful Daughter (2012) and Amma Darko's The Housemaid (1998) have been able to face/cope with men's oppressions through womanist and radical feminist theories. The findings have revealed that majority of the female characters are empowered economically and socially in the male and female fictional texts, and this has enabled them to combat men's patriarchal oppressions. The female characters' reactions vary from one another. Some of them made use of pacific ways such as dialogue, feminine solidarity or sisterhood in their attempts to address men's patriarchal oppressions, while others have made use of violence against men and children in their quest for justice and equality.

Georgiads Kivai

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Oppression Theses Samples For Students

4 samples of this type

Do you feel the need to examine some previously written Theses on Oppression before you begin writing an own piece? In this free collection of Oppression Thesis examples, you are provided with a fascinating opportunity to discover meaningful topics, content structuring techniques, text flow, formatting styles, and other academically acclaimed writing practices. Using them while composing your own Oppression Thesis will surely allow you to finalize the piece faster.

Presenting high-quality samples isn't the only way our free essays service can aid students in their writing endeavors – our experts can also compose from scratch a fully customized Thesis on Oppression that would make a genuine foundation for your own academic work.

Good Example Of Thesis On Name

‘instructor’s name’, effects of empowerment on police officers in the singapore police force thesis examples, acknowledgments.

I am especially grateful for the support and guidance of my dissertation advisor, Dr. A. P., provided all through the progression and development on this research study.

My thanks also go to the men and women in blue of Singapore Police Force whom had provided their valuable time to participate in the survey and their willingness to share. I also would like to thank DSP (NS) Azrin Abdul Rahim and SSI Selamat Bustaman for their valuable guidance and insights towards this study.

Singapore Police Force Empowerment Thesis Example

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Book Bans Are Targeting the History of Oppression

The possibility of a more just future is at stake when young people are denied access to knowledge of the past.

A black and white image of four 'Maus' books on a shelf. The cover depicts two mice huddled together under a swastika that bears the image of a cat drawn to look like Hitler

The instinct to ban books in schools seems to come from a desire to protect children from things that the adults doing the banning find upsetting or offensive. These adults often seem unable to see beyond harsh language or gruesome imagery to the books’ educational and artistic value, or to recognize that language and imagery may be integral to showing the harsh, gruesome truths of the books’ subjects. That appears to be what’s happening with Art Spiegelman’s Maus —a Pulitzer Prize–winning graphic-novel series about the author’s father’s experience of the Holocaust that a Tennessee school board recently pulled from an eighth-grade language-arts curriculum, citing the books’ inappropriate language and nudity.

The Maus case is one of the latest in a series of school book bans targeting books that teach the history of oppression. So far during this school year alone, districts across the U.S. have banned many anti-racist instructional materials as well as best-selling and award-winning books that tackle themes of racism and imperialism. For example, Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race was pulled by a Pennsylvania school board, along with other resources intended to teach students about diversity, for being “too divisive,” according to the York Dispatch . (The decision was later reversed.) Nobel Prize–winning author Toni Morrison’s book The Bluest Eye, about the effects of racism on a young Black girl’s self-image, has recently been removed from shelves in school districts in Missouri and Florida (the latter of which also banned her book Beloved ). What these bans are doing is censoring young people’s ability to learn about historical and ongoing injustices.

Read: How banning books marginalizes children

For decades, U.S. classrooms and education policy have incorporated the teaching of Holocaust literature and survivor testimonies, the goal being to “never forget.” Maus is not the only book about the Holocaust to get caught up in recent debates on curriculum materials. In October, a Texas school-district administrator invoked a law that requires teachers to present opposing viewpoints to “widely debated and currently controversial issues,” instructing teachers to present opposing views about the Holocaust in their classrooms. Books such as Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars , a Newbery Medal winner about a young Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis to avoid being taken to a concentration camp, and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl have been flagged as inappropriate in the past, for language and sexual content . But perhaps no one foresaw a day when it would be suggested that there could be a valid opposing view of the Holocaust.

In the Tennessee debate over Maus , one school-board member was quoted as saying, “It shows people hanging, it shows them killing kids, why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff? It is not wise or healthy .” This is a familiar argument from those who seek to keep young people from reading about history’s horrors. But children, especially children of color and those who are members of ethnic minorities, were not sheltered or spared from these horrors when they happened. What’s more, the sanitization of history in the name of shielding children assumes, incorrectly, that today’s students are untouched by oppression, imprisonment, death, or racial and ethnic profiling. (For example, Tennessee has been a site of controversy in recent years for incarcerating children as young as 7 and disrupting the lives of undocumented youth .)

The possibility of a more just future is at stake when book bans deny young people access to knowledge of the past. For example, Texas legislators recently argued that coursework and even extracurriculars must remain separate from “political activism” or “public policy advocacy.” They seem to think the purpose of public education is so-called neutrality—rather than cultivating informed participants in democracy.

Maus and many other banned books that grapple with the history of oppression show readers how personal prejudice can become the law. The irony is that in banning books that make them uncomfortable, adults are wielding their own prejudices as a weapon, and students will suffer for it.

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COMMENTS

  1. Essays on Oppression

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    Oppression is at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world today. Racial and religious conflicts; conflicts between dictatorial governments and their citizens; the battle between the sexes; conflicts between management and labor; between heterosexuals and homosexuals, between liberals and conservatives, all stem, in whole or in part, to oppression or perceived ...

  3. "The Most Disrespected Person in America is the Black Woman"- A

    The goal of the paper was to compare the forms of oppression against Black women in the past and present. The Combahee River Collective Statement was used as the representation of Black women's oppression in the past while Hood Feminism and Eloquent Rage were used as a representation of Black women's oppression within society currently.

  4. PDF Thesis Statements

    Thesis Statements What this handout is about This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, ... While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

  5. PDF Understanding Oppression: a Critical Evaluation of Key Concepts and

    UNDERSTANDING OPPRESSION: A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF KEY CONCEPTS AND MAJOR AUTHORS By STEFANIE S. GONZALEZ Undergraduate Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Sociology University of Florida Gainesville, FL May 2018 Approved by: Dr. Charles Gattone

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    The economic theory of capitalism states that people are free to exchange goods freely. Yet, whenever this has happens throughout history, it has created different classes of people: wealthy and poor. Karl Marx, the father of socialism, said that capitalism creates "haves" (those that have wealth) and "have-nots" (those that do not have ...

  7. CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND THE IMPACT OF OPPRESSION NARRATIVES by

    of the thesis submitted by GerDonna J. Ellis Thesis Title: Critical Race Theory and the Impact of Oppression Narratives on the Identity, Resilience, and Wellness of Students of Color Date of Final Oral Examination: 19 March 2020 The following individuals read and discussed the thesis submitted by GerDonna J. Ellis,

  8. How to Write a Thesis Statement

    Step 2: Write your initial answer. After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process. The internet has had more of a positive than a negative effect on education.

  9. 105 Oppression Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Psychological oppression is to have a harsh dominion exercised over your self-esteem and make the victims their own oppressors. Different Examples of Oppression. Oppression is not a new term in the country. This paper serves as an informant, showing that oppression is prevalent in many parts of the world.

  10. Women's Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being Essay

    Conclusion. To conclude, the issue of women's oppression and inequality is a natural problem to be explored in the social sciences because it is diverse and can include a range of aspects that pertains to their social lives. It is expected to achieve wellness among women when they are highly valued in society and have opportunities to ...

  11. PDF Owens Black Wall Street Thesis

    THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF THE UNITED STATES TO GRANT REPARATIONS TO GREENWOOD, OKLAHOMA FOLLOWING THE 1921 DESTRUCTION OF BLACK WALL STREET. A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Conflict Resolution.

  12. Silence: a Woman S Eloquent Assertion Against Oppressive Patriarchy

    The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how literature provides a platform for women to reject patriarchal constructions via manifestations of ... as a way of claiming autonomy in the face of direct oppression. The Woman Warrior and An Untamed State provide moments of women's disdain for patriarchal discourse and its limitations. The ...

  13. Developing a Thesis Statement

    A thesis statement . . . Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic. Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper. Is focused and specific enough to be "proven" within the boundaries of your paper. Is generally located near the end ...

  14. The oppression and deliverance of women in Sandra Cisneros' "The House

    The introductory portion of the thesis acknowledges Cisneros' works, awards and honors, and acclaimed reputation among the Hispanic community as a hopeful voice to all women. The following chapters address the women from The House on Mango Street and define their oppressive lifestyle due to the effects of male domination, introduce the narrator ...

  15. Determining the Differences of Racial Microaggressions Faced by

    A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements ... oppression that targets individuals who do not fit into monoracial categories, groups, or ... 2010, p. 13). Statements such as 'you have the best of both worlds' or 'everyone will be multiracial one day' objectifies multiracial individuals from a different social

  16. Honors College Thesis

    Clark, Dean Allen. Abstract. Institutionalized oppression is a large multifaceted system that is regularly unrecognized and misunderstood. Marilyn Frye's birdcage analogy of oppression (1983) demonstrates why this complex system is often invisible, yet always immobilizing. In this analogy, Frye relates the various manifestations of ...

  17. The Traumatizing Effects of Oppression on Black Women: A Proposed

    Considerable research indicates that Black undergraduate women's college experiences are greatly compounded with psychological stressors such as gender and racial oppression, negatively impacting their psychosocial adjustment. Consequently, this dissertation aims to explore the traumatizing effects of oppression on Black undergraduate women's college experiences. This thesis discusses the ...

  18. Patriarchal Oppression and Women Empowerment in Chimamanda Ngozi

    This statement leads to the fact that literature is a mirror of the society we live in and it is draw from human experiences in order to depict the true imitation of life in society. ... articles, literary book, thesis, and critical essays in line with the study's primary purpose. The collected data are analyzed by using the feminist literary ...

  19. Dissertations / Theses: 'Women and oppression'

    The thesis hopes to augment this focus by exploring the multitude of discourses women make in terms of oppression, resilience being one such possible response. It is proposed that the research may expand on existing literature, offering an alternative perspective as to why women often remain in abusive relationships.

  20. (PDF) Patriarchal Oppression and Gender Discrimination in Selected

    Racial discrimination, patriarchal oppression, gender violence, the Civil Right Movement and slavery, these subjects shape the core of walker's works. Walker was the first female who coined ...

  21. Oppression Thesis Examples That Really Inspire

    In this free collection of Oppression Thesis examples, you are provided with a fascinating opportunity to discover meaningful topics, content structuring techniques, text flow, formatting styles, and other academically acclaimed writing practices. Using them while composing your own Oppression Thesis will surely allow you to finalize the piece ...

  22. Womens Oppression Thesis Statement

    Womens Oppression Thesis Statement - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site.

  23. What Schools Are Banning When They Ban Books

    The Maus case is one of the latest in a series of school book bans targeting books that teach the history of oppression. So far during this school year alone, districts across the U.S. have banned ...

  24. Ophelia has written this thesis statement for her informative speech

    Ophelia has written this thesis statement for her informative speech: While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government. Which outline for the rest of her speech is probably the most effective ...