A Thesis Statement in an Essay Is a Sentence That Explicitly Identifies the Purpose Of

What’s in a Thesis?

A thesis statement in an essay is a sentence that explicitly identifies the purpose of the paper or previews its main ideas. A strong 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. For instance, the subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or the novel Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.  Makes a claim that others might dispute. This is very important. A strong thesis is arguable, not a statement of fact or an observation.  Is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, also known as the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

Please remember: A thesis statement is an assertion, not a statement of fact or an observation.

 Fact or observation: People use many lawn chemicals.

 Thesis: People are poisoning the environment with chemicals merely to keep their lawns clean.

A thesis takes a stand rather than announcing a subject.

 Announcement: The thesis of this paper is the difficulty of solving our environmental problems.

 Thesis: Solving our environmental problems is more difficult than many environmentalists believe.

A thesis is the main idea, not the title of your essay. It must be a complete sentence that explains in some detail what you expect to write about.

 Title: Social Security and Old Age.

 Thesis: Continuing changes in the Social Security System makes it almost impossible to plan intelligently for one's retirement.

A thesis statement is narrow, rather than broad. If the thesis statement is sufficiently narrow, it can be fully supported.

 Broad: The American steel industry has many problems.

 Narrow: The primary problem of the American steel industry is the lack of funds to renovate outdated plants and equipment. 1 What’s in a Thesis?

A thesis statement is specific rather than vague or general.

 Vague: Hemingway's war stories are very good.

 Specific: Hemingway's stories helped create a new prose style by employing extensive dialogue, shorter sentences, and strong Anglo-Saxon words.

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question.

Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.

Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?

Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is, “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.

Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s o.k. to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your essay!

Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader.

EXERCISE

Evaluate the following thesis statements using these categories: (a) statement of fact (b) conflicting ideas (c) too vague (d) does not take a stand (e) strong thesis!

1. Smoking can cause health problems.

2 What’s in a Thesis?

2. The amount of financial aid available to students should be proportionate to the earning potential of the career fields for which their majors prepare them.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio should have won the Best-Actor award for his masterful performance in

The Wolf of Wall Street.

4. Penalties for drinking and driving should be more severe.

5. Television networks air a lot of reality shows nowadays but sometimes they air a lot of old movies.

6. This essay will describe the effect abuse of alcohol can have on the human body.