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By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Identify your essay’s main point. (GEO 2; SLO 1)
- State your main idea as a thesis. (GEO 2; SLO 1)
- Position the thesis in your essay. (GEO 2; SLO 1)
The thesis (plural: theses) indicates the main point or main claim of the essay. The thesis should align with your designated topic, angle, audience, and purpose. The thesis guides readers by telling them the final destination they will reach by the end of the essay. Thesis statements should indicate the content of the rest of the essay. They should umbrella all the information that comes after. If anything you write in the body or the conclusion does not refer back to the thesis, either you are getting off-topic or your thesis is too narrow. Pay attention to the scope of the thesis – you don’t want it to be too narrow or too broad.
The thesis statement should answer your research question – the question you are trying to answer through your research and writing processes. Thesis statements should always be statements, never questions (remember that your thesis answers the research question). Thesis statements should be declarative sentences, never opinion-based (unless you are writing an opinion-based essay such as a commentary). Avoid first-person point of view in the thesis unless you are writing a personal essay.
Thesis statements appear as the last sentence of the introduction. Your thesis should always be a single, complete sentence (no more, no less).
Thesis of “Lives Not Worth the Money?”
The outbreak and spread of Ebola have brought new attention to equally-lethal diseases that are often forgotten. The idea of a forgotten disease is almost absurd. Think of it: a disease for which a cure available but not given; effective, but never given a chance to work. We are often of the belief that human life is invaluable. In reality, however, the cures that do not make money for the manufacturer are simply not made at all. One need only look at African sleeping sickness (Who). There is a cure, but the victims who would benefit from the drug are poor and considered “unprofitable” by the pharmaceutical industry. It remains, however, a pharmaceutical company’s ethical responsibility to care for the people that its products can save, even when helping them is not profitable.
A good thesis statement:
- tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
- is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
- directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
- makes a claim that others might dispute.
- is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.
An argumentative thesis states a claim that your readers can choose to agree or disagree with. This kind of thesis usually has two features, an assertion (yellow) and backing (blue):
Example
How To Write a Thesis
A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis,” a basic or main idea, that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way.
Whether you are writing a short essay or a doctoral dissertation, your thesis statement will arguably be the most difficult sentence to formulate. An effective thesis statement states the purpose of the paper and, therefore, functions to control, assert, and structure your entire argument. Without a sound thesis, your argument may sound weak, lacking in direction, and uninteresting to the reader.
Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement.
1. Start with a question — then make the answer your thesis.
Regardless of how complicated the subject is, almost any thesis can be constructed by answering a question.
Examples
Question: “What are the benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade classroom?”
Thesis: “Computers allow fourth graders an early advantage in technological and scientific education.”
Question: “Why is the Mississippi River so important in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn?”
Thesis: “The river comes to symbolize both division and progress, as it separates our characters and country while still providing the best chance for Huck and Jim to get to know one another.”
Question: “Why do people seem to get angry at vegans, feminists, and other ‘morally righteous’ subgroups?”
Thesis: “Through careful sociological study, we’ve found that people naturally assume that “morally righteous” people look down on them as “inferior,” causing anger and conflict where there generally is none.”
2. Tailor your thesis to the type of paper you’re writing.
Not all essays persuade, and not all essays teach. The goals of your paper will help you find the best thesis.
Examples
Analytical: Breaks down something to better examine and understand it.
Example: “This dynamic between different generations sparks much of the play’s tension, as age becomes a motive for the violence and unrest that rocks King Lear.”
Expository: Teaches or illuminates a point.
Example: “The explosion of 1800’s philosophies like Positivism, Marxism, and Darwinism undermined and refuted Christianity to instead focus on the real, tangible world.”
Argumentative: Makes a claim, or backs up an opinion, to change other peoples’ minds.
Example: “Without the steady hand and specific decisions of Barack Obama, America would never have recovered from the hole it entered in the early 2000s.”
3. Ensure your thesis is provable.
Do not come up with your thesis and then look it up later. The thesis is the endpoint of your research, not the beginning. You need to use a thesis you can actually back up with evidence.
Examples
Good Theses Examples:
“By owning up to the impossible contradictions, embracing them and questioning them, Blake forges his own faith, and is stronger for it. Ultimately, the only way for his poems to have faith is to temporarily lose it.”
“According to its well-documented beliefs and philosophies, an existential society with no notion of either past or future cannot help but become stagnant.”
“By reading “Ode to a Nightingale” through a modern deconstructionist lens, we can see how Keats viewed poetry as shifting and subjective, not some rigid form.”
Bad Theses Examples:
“The wrong people won the American Revolution.” (While striking and unique, who is “right” and who is “wrong” is exceptionally hard to prove and very subjective.)
“The theory of genetic inheritance is the binding theory of every human interaction.” (Thie one is too complicated and overzealous. The scope of “every human interaction” is just too big.)
“Paul Harding’s novel Tinkers is ultimately a cry for help from a clearly depressed author.” (Unless you interviewed Harding extensively or had a lot of real-life sources, you have no way of proving what is fact and what is fiction.)
4. Get the sound right.
You want your thesis statement to be identifiable as a thesis statement. You do this by taking a very particular tone and using specific kinds of phrasing and words. Use words like “because” and language that is firm and definitive.
Example thesis statements with good statement language include:
Examples
“Because of William the Conqueror’s campaign into England, that nation developed the strength and culture it would need to eventually build the British Empire.”
“Hemingway significantly changed literature by normalizing simplistic writing and frank tone.”
5. Know where to place a thesis statement.
Because of the role thesis statements play, they appear at the beginning of the paper, usually at the end of the first paragraph or somewhere in the introduction. Although most people look for the thesis at the end of the first paragraph, its location can depend on a number of factors such as how lengthy of an introduction you need before you can introduce your thesis or the length of your paper.
6. Limit a thesis statement to one sentence in length.
Thesis statements are clear and to the point, which helps the reader identify the topic and direction of the paper, as well as your position towards the subject.
Elements of a Strong Thesis
Specificity
A thesis statement must concentrate on a specific area of a general topic. As you may recall, the creation of a thesis statement begins when you choose a broad subject and then narrow down its parts until you pinpoint a specific aspect of that topic. For example, health care is a broad topic, but a proper thesis statement would focus on a specific area of that topic, such as options for individuals without health care coverage.
Precision
A strong thesis statement must be precise enough to allow for a coherent argument and to remain focused on the topic. If the specific topic is options for individuals without health care coverage, then your precise thesis statement must make an exact claim about it, such as that limited options exist for those who are uninsured by their employers. You must further pinpoint what you are going to discuss regarding these limited effects, such as whom they affect and what the cause is.
Ability to be Argued
A thesis statement must present a relevant and specific argument. A factual statement often is not considered arguable. Be sure your thesis statement contains a point of view that can be supported with evidence.
Ability to be Demonstrated
For any claim you make in your thesis, you must be able to provide reasons and examples for your opinion. You can rely on personal observations in order to do this, or you can consult outside sources to demonstrate that what you assert is valid. A worthy argument is backed by examples and details.
Forcefulness
A thesis statement that is forceful shows readers that you are, in fact, making an argument. The tone is assertive and takes a stance that others might oppose.
Confidence
In addition to using force in your thesis statement, you must also use confidence in your claim. Phrases such as I feel or I believe actually weaken the readers’ sense of your confidence because these phrases imply that you are the only person who feels the way you do. In other words, your stance has insufficient backing. Taking an authoritative stance on the matter persuades your readers to have faith in your argument and open their minds to what you have to say.
Strong Thesis Examples
- The societal and personal struggles of Troy Maxon in the play Fences symbolize the challenge of black males who lived through segregation and integration in the United States.
- Closing all American borders for a period of five years is one solution that will tackle illegal immigration.
- Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet spoils the outcome for the audience and weakens the plot.
- J. D. Salinger’s character in Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, is a confused rebel who voices his disgust with phonies, yet in an effort to protect himself, he acts like a phony on many occasions.
- Compared to an absolute divorce, no-fault divorce is less expensive, promotes fairer settlements, and reflects a more realistic view of the causes for marital breakdown.
- Exposing children from an early age to the dangers of drug abuse is a sure method of preventing future drug addicts.
- In today’s crumbling job market, a high school diploma is not significant enough education to land a stable, lucrative job.
Now that you have read about the contents of a good thesis statement and have seen examples, take a look at the pitfalls to avoid when composing your own thesis:
- A thesis is weak when it is simply a declaration of your subject or a description of what you will discuss in your essay.
- Weak thesis statement: My paper will explain why imagination is more important than knowledge.
- A thesis is weak when it makes an unreasonable or outrageous claim or insults the opposing side.
- Weak thesis statement: Religious radicals across America are trying to legislate their Puritanical beliefs by banning required high school books.
- A thesis is weak when it contains an obvious fact or something that no one can disagree with or provides a dead end.
- Weak thesis statement: Advertising companies use sex to sell their products.
- A thesis is weak when the statement is too broad.
- Weak thesis statement: The life of Abraham Lincoln was long and challenging.
Thesis Statement Revision
Your thesis will probably change as you write, so you will need to modify it to reflect exactly what you have discussed in your essay. Remember that your thesis statement begins as a working thesis statement, an indefinite statement that you make about your topic early in the writing process for the purpose of planning and guiding your writing.
Working thesis statements often become stronger as you gather information and form new opinions and reasons for those opinions. Revision helps you strengthen your thesis so that it matches what you have expressed in the body of the paper.
You can cut down on irrelevant aspects and revise your thesis by taking the following steps:
- Pinpoint and replace all nonspecific words, such as people, everything, society, or life, with more precise words in order to reduce any vagueness.
- Working thesis: Young people have to work hard to succeed in life.
- Revised thesis: Recent college graduates must have discipline and persistence in order to find and maintain a stable job in which they can use and be appreciated for their talents.
- The revised thesis makes a more specific statement about success and what it means to work hard. The original includes too broad a range of people and does not define exactly what success entails. By replacing those general words like people and work hard, the writer can better focus his or her research and gain more direction in his or her writing.
- Clarify ideas that need explanation by asking yourself questions that narrow your thesis.
- Working thesis: The welfare system is a joke.
- Revised thesis: The welfare system keeps a socioeconomic class from gaining employment by alluring members of that class with unearned income, instead of programs to improve their education and skill sets.
- A joke means many things to many people. Readers bring all sorts of backgrounds and perspectives to the reading process and would need clarification for a word so vague. This expression may also be too informal for the selected audience. By asking questions, the writer can devise a more precise and appropriate explanation for joke. The writer should ask himself or herself questions similar to heuristics (see Chapter 1: Getting Started for more information on heuristics). By incorporating the answers to these questions into a thesis statement, the writer more accurately defines his or her stance, which will better guide the writing of the essay.
- Replace any linking verbs with action verbs. Linking verbs are forms of the verb to be, a verb that simply states that a situation exists.
- Working thesis: Kansas City schoolteachers are not paid enough.
- Revised thesis: The Kansas City legislature cannot afford to pay its educators, resulting in job cuts and resignations in a district that sorely needs highly qualified and dedicated teachers.
- The linking verb in this working thesis statement is the word are. Linking verbs often make thesis statements weak because they do not express action. Rather, they connect words and phrases to the second half of the sentence. Readers might wonder, “Why are they not paid enough?” But this statement does not compel them to ask many more questions. The writer should ask himself or herself questions in order to replace the linking verb with an action verb, thus forming a stronger thesis statement, one that takes a more definitive stance on the issue:
- Who is not paying the teachers enough?
- What is considered “enough”?
- What is the problem?
- What are the results?
- Omit any general claims that are hard to support.
- Working thesis: Today’s teenage girls are too sexualized.
- Revised thesis: Teenage girls who are captivated by the sexual images on MTV are conditioned to believe that a woman’s worth depends on her sensuality, a feeling that harms their self-esteem and behavior.
- It is true that some young women in today’s society are more sexualized than in the past, but that is not true for all girls. Many girls have strict parents, dress appropriately, and do not engage in sexual activity while in middle school and high school. The writer of this thesis should ask the following questions:
- Which teenage girls?
- What constitutes “too” sexualized?
- Why are they behaving that way?
- Where does this behavior show up?
- What are the repercussions?
Key Takeaways
- Proper essays require a thesis statement to provide a specific focus and suggest how the essay will be organized.
- A thesis statement is your interpretation of the subject, not the topic itself.
- A strong thesis is specific, precise, forceful, confident, and is able to be demonstrated.
- A strong thesis challenges readers with a point of view that can be debated and can be supported with evidence.
- A weak thesis is simply a declaration of your topic or contains an obvious fact that cannot be argued.
- Depending on your topic, it may or may not be appropriate to use first-person point of view.
- Revise your thesis by ensuring all words are specific, all ideas are exact, and all verbs express action.
The main idea, point, or claim of a written work. Plural: theses.
The broad idea or issue that a message deals with.
The unique viewpoint, new information, or interesting take on a topic.
The groups of people (demographics) who receive a message.
The goal or objective that the creator of a message is trying to achieve by communicating that message.
A discovery tool that helps you ask insightful questions or follow a specific pattern of thinking.
