Emily Dickinson This multi-source essay must include an arguable thesis about a clearly defined topic, a compelling reason for making the argument (stakes), and ample evidence from both the work you have chosen and a set of selected primary and secondary readings, which you have discovered in the course of your research. The stakes of your multi-source essay should be abundantly clear, as you assess some interpretations of a work of literature and find a way to engage with and invigorate them with a new argument.