You need to make some kind a claim and then prove it. Your secondary sources serve to support your claim. However, you may find a secondary source that you disagree with. In that case, show me why you’re right and the source it totally asinine and foolish. This can be a surprisingly fun thing to do.

Your thesis can’t be too vague or broad. For example, “Beowulf is super awesome.” If your thesis elicits a response of “So what?” or “No duh!” then it is not a proper thesis. A better thesis might look like “The depiction of the wilderness in Beowulf is a reflection of the Anglo-Saxon’s fear of the unknown after death.” Just be sure you can prove your thesis.

You have a lot of freedom with this assignment. If you need some suggestions, here are a few:

Follow the progression of a theme or idea that is present in a few different works (like vengeance, melancholy, seduction)

Compare and contrast a similar theme or idea in two different works; a work and its film adaptation; female characters in two different works; male characters in two different works; a hero in a work of literature with a contemporary hero, for example, a comic book, movie, or book character; a villain in a work of literature with a contemporary villain; an antihero in a work of literature with a contemporary antihero