"But just as man is mysteriously ashamed of the skeletons of the trees in winter, so he is mysteriously ashamed of the skeleton
of himself in death."
If the writer were to rewrite this sentence, which rewrite would be faulty for including a dangling modifier?
A)
Mysteriously ashamed of the skeleton of himself in death, man is also
mysteriously ashamed of the skeletons of the trees in winter.
B)
Ashamed as he is of the skeletons of trees in winter, man is also
mysteriously ashamed of the skeleton of himself in death.
Mysteriously ashamed, the skeleton of himself in death is also man's
shame of the skeletons of trees in winter.
D)
Man is both mysteriously ashamed of the skeletons of trees in winter and
of the skeleton of himself in death.
The correct answer is Mysteriously ashamed, the skeleton of himself in death is also man’s shame of skeletons of trees in winter. This awkwardly worded sentence contains a misplaced modifier, which confuses “skeleton” and “man.”
A thesis statement for an interpretive essay is there for about the same reason a thesis statement would be for any other essay. It helps to further explore a question and prepare the reader(s) for what you're about to discuss. Like a house needs a solid foundation, an interpretive essay needs a proper thesis to present your main focus.
