“The Sunrising” Before you write your explication essay, you will have already completed steps one through seven for our response, so that you have the raw materials to use in order to craft your essay. Of course, all of the elements of composition still apply. That means that explications need to be guided by a strong, clear thesis and supported with references to the text. The thesis should take the form of an assertion about the meaning and function of the poem which is your subject. It must be something which you can argue for and prove in your essay. Explications should be coherent and unified. 8. Your thesis. The final step in pre-writing is penning the working thesis. The thesis should take the form of an assertion about the meaning and purpose of the poem. It must be something which you can argue for and prove in your essay. Everything you say in support of the thesis must reference the text by quotations, paraphrases, or summary.
