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In what ways does a thesis statement reflect the American emphasis on individualism?

Since this question was listed under "Literature," I am going to assume that we are considering a thesis statement for a literary analysis, although I can see a basis for arguing that support for this contention can be generalized to other forms of essays.  In short, a thesis statement reflects the opinion of an individual and in the United States, it is an easy leap to say this represents American individualism. 


A thesis statement for a literary analysis is the writer's opinion on a literary text, along with the writer's support for that opinion.  Thus, a literary analysis of a particular text is one shake of the kaleidoscope, with an almost infinite number of combinations of opinion and support that other writers might write.  Each person's reading experience is truly ineffable, since each of us, while reading the very same words, brings to the reading a different mind, an individual take on a text.   


However, while I am by no means an expert on thesis statements from students who are not American, I can say I have seen quite a few, and for those that I have seen, I am aware of no difference in this matter.  Those thesis statements (and essays) I have seen from people from other countries and cultures reflect individualism as well. 


Having said that, though, I would also like to add that I can see that educational institutions in other cultures could approach literary analysis differently, perhaps with a greater focus on how the society has interpreted the text, with students being discouraged from wandering off to other interpretations. I can see a classroom in which a teacher tells the students, "This is what this book means," disallowing individualistic takes on a story. Not quite as repressively, I can see that other cultures might assign a thesis to a student, requiring him or her to support it in an essay. 


There is no question that individualism permeates American society, including within the education system, in ways good and bad.  The thesis statement, stating an individual opinion, certainly does reflect that.  But I would be reluctant to say that, as a general proposition, most other countries do not approach the writing of essays in the same or similar ways. 

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