Question

Paolo is writing a personal narrative about how he overcame his fear of heights by riding a roller coaster. He is working on his thesis statement. Which of the following sentences would be the best thesis statement?

Riding a roller coaster was terrifying for me because I have an extreme fear of heights.
Riding a roller coaster to overcome my fear of heights showed me that I was brave and able to tackle any obstacle ahead of me.
I was nervous to ride my first roller coaster because I was scared of heights, but the experience changed me.
I’m happy I decided to ride the roller coaster even though I was nervous, because I learned a lot.

Answer 1

Riding a roller coaster to overcome my fear of heights showed me that I was brave and able to tackle any obstacle ahead of me.

A personal narrative should be written to show how the author has grown or changed because of an experience. The thesis statement needs to show this growth. The first option is not correct, because thesis statement only tells he has a fear or heights and he rode a roller coaster. It does not indicate what the author learned. Option C and D both say that the author changed or learned something, but it's not specific enough. Option B is the only option that shows how riding the roller coaster changed the author.

Answer 2

The best personal narrative about Paolo’s experience to overcome his fear of heights by riding the roller coaster is “Riding a roller coaster to overcome my fear of heights showed me that I was brave and able to tackle any obstacle ahead of me.” Personal narrative shows a story of one’s life by telling your experiences.