Select the correct answers. Which two sentences would be strong thesis statements for literary analysis essays? In “Barn Burning,” William Faulkner describes the lives of Sardie and Abner. John Updike develops his characters in “A & P” through his use of figurative language. In “Ways and Means,” Langston Hughes focuses on the character of Semple. In “Youth,” the image of the sea ties together the setting, structure, and theme of the story. In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe uses a lot of symbolism.