Writing the Thesis Statement

1. Writing the Thesis Statement Bacon Academy Civics

2. What is it? • for most student work, it's a one- or two- sentence statement that explicitly outlines the purpose or point of your paper.

3. What does it do? • it should point toward the development or course of argument the reader can expect your argument to take

4. Where does it go? • because the rest of the paper will support or back up your thesis, a thesis is normally placed at or near the end of the introductory paragraph.

5. What it determines • The thesis sentence must control the entire argument. • Your thesis sentence determines what you are required to say in a paper. • It also determines what you cannot say. • Every paragraph in your paper exists in order to support your thesis. • Accordingly, if one of your paragraphs seems irrelevant to your thesis you have two choices: get rid of the paragraph, or rewrite your thesis.

6. A contract • Understand that you don't have a third option: you can't simply stick the idea in without preparing the reader for it in your thesis. • The thesis is like a contract between you and your reader. • If you introduce ideas that the reader isn't prepared for, you've violated that contract.

7. It provides structure for your paper • The thesis sentence should provide a structure for your argument. • A good thesis not only signals to the reader what your argument is, but how your argument will be presented. • In other words, your thesis sentence should either directly or indirectly suggest the structure of your argument to your reader. • Say, for example, that you are going to argue that "Writer X explores the masking and unmasking of the self in three curious ways: A, B, and C.” • In this case, the reader understands that you are going to have three important points to cover, and that these points will appear in a certain order.

8. Other Attributes • it takes a side on a topic rather than simply announcing that the paper is about a topic (the title should have already told your reader your topic). Don't tell readers about something; tell them what about something. Answer the questions "how?" or "why?” • it is sufficiently narrow and specific that your supporting points are necessary and sufficient, not arbitrary; paper length and number of supporting points are good guides here.

9. More Attributes • it argues one main point and doesn't squeeze three different theses for three different papers into one sentence; • And most importantly, it passes The "So What?" Test.

10. An Equation • thesis statements are basically made up of your topic and a specific assertion about that topic, therefore, • THESIS = TOPIC + SPECIFIC ASSERTION

11. Summary The four “shoulds” of a thesis statement:

12. a good thesis statement should take a stand - don't be afraid to have an opinion; if after your research, your opinion changes, all the better - means you have been thinking; you can write a new thesis statement!

13. a good thesis statement should justify discussion - don't leave your readers saying to themselves "So what" or "duh?" or "like what's your point?"

14. a good thesis statement should express one main idea or a clear relationship between two specific ideas linked by words like "because," "since," "so," "although," "unless," or "however."

15. A good thesis statement should be restricted to a specific and manageable topic - readers are more likely to reward a paper that does a small task well than a paper that takes on an unrealistic task and fails

16. Example • Poor: Stephen King writes readable books. • Good: Stephen King’s books are so good because they are about normal people who get into supernatural situations.

17. Examples Poor: I learned to play many musical instruments when I was young. Good: Learning to play many musical instruments when I was young helped me to become a more intelligent and well-rounded person. This would not be considered a good thesis statement because it is only expressing a fact. It doesn’t give the writer’s opinion or attitude on playing musical instruments. This thesis statement doesn’t give the writer very much to explain or prove in his/her essay. This thesis statement is much better because it expresses how the writer feels about the experience of learning to play musical instruments. This thesis statement requires the writer to explain how and why playing a musical instrument made him/her a better person.

18. Examples Poor: Cancun is a popular vacation spot in Mexico. Good: Cancun is one of the best vacation spots in Mexico because of its comfortable climate and proximity to some well-known archeological sites. This would not be considered a good thesis statement, because it is only expressing a fact. It doesn’t reflect the writer’s opinion or attitude on Cancun. This thesis statement doesn’t give the writer very much to explain or prove in his/her essay. This thesis statement is much better because it expresses how the writer feels about Cancun. This thesis statement requires the writer to explain how and why going to Cancun is a good choice for visitors.

19. subtopic #2 subtopic #1 subtopic #3 Examples The large influx of people to Connecticut has had major effects on the state. No subtopics are named in this thesis statement. The large influx of people to Connecticut has had major effects on the ability of the state to provide housing, electricity, and jobs for all residents. This statement names three subtopics.

20. Thesis Development – Thesis Statement Rubric (Use these criteria to evaluate your work.) Criteria for a strong thesis statement: ___The thesis generates other thoughts. ___The thesis predicts, controls, and obligates (commits). ___The thesis could summarize the content of an essay on the topic. ___The thesis proposes a unifying claim that is debatable or needs to be proved. Thesis checklist: ___The thesis is a complete sentence. ___The thesis is a statement, not a question. ___The thesis avoids phrases such as “I think” and “I feel.” ___The thesis uses specific language. ___The thesis uses clear language. ___The thesis avoids overly figurative language.