Thesis StatementsThesis Statements

What is a Thesis Statement

• The thesis controls the paper. It is the central idea upon which the whole paper depends. – Ask yourself, “What is it I want to

prove/say?”– What is the one idea my whole paper

is about?– Make sure that point is clearly stated

as your thesis.

Three Things to Remember

• A thesis must be assertive.• A thesis must set limits on a topic• A thesis indicates organization

A Thesis Must Be Assertive

• The thesis should be something you can argue, something on which there is not a consensus, but that you can defend with facts. – Child abuse is a terrible thing.– Child abuse laws are ineffective.– Current child abuse laws should be modified

to mandate stricter punishments, support better communication within the community, and define children’s rights more thoroughly.

– Which is an effective thesis?

A Thesis Must Be Assertive

• Anyone would agree with #1. • #2 is better, but too general to be

clearly supported or create much interest.

• #3 is assertive, clear, and defendable with facts.

A Thesis Sets Limits on a Topic

• Keep the assignment and the page length requirements in mind. You want to cover the assignment without filling the paper with unnecessary information.

• Consider the assignment to write 3-5 pages about your high school years. Which thesis is best?– High school was a great time in my life.– The team's great trial was that we only had one

football for the whole team to practice with.– Mrs. Palmer, my creative writing teacher, inspired

me to write well.

• You could write a book about #1, but only a paragraph on #2.

• Thesis #3 is narrow enough for a 3-5 page paper.

A Thesis Sets Limits on a Topic

The Thesis Indicates Organization

• The order of the items in your thesis should be the order they appear in your paper. Here is an example of a thesis statement that helps structure the paper:– Although the extreme weather of

Kansas is often unbearable, I enjoy the rural setting and friendly people of my hometown.

“Although the extreme weather of Kansas is often unbearable, I enjoy the rural setting and friendly

people of my hometown.”• The rest of the paper should follow the order

outlined in the thesis:– Kansas’ unbearable weather– Two positive aspects of life in Kansas

• Rural setting• Friendly people

• This organization creates a sense of continuity as the order of events in the thesis is echoed in the body of the paper.

The Thesis Indicates Organization

A Textual Analysis Thesis

What is the Author Trying to Say?

• Is the author trying to manipulate my feelings or make me act? In what way?

• Is the author simply writing to inform me about something?

• To whom is the author writing? • What is the author’s central point and

purpose (theme)?

• Examples:– In his Speech, “I Have a Dream,”

Martin Luther King, Jr., is trying to appeal to clergymen to help him fight racial discrimination.

– Everyday Use?

What is the Author Trying to Say?

What Techniques does the Author Use to Develop

his/her Point?• What techniques does the author

use to achieve the purpose that you stated in question #1?

• Tone• Figurative Language• Characterization• Irony• Point of View

• Examples:– In “Everyday Use” Alice walker uses

sympathetic characterization to intensify the conflict between mother and daughter.

– “Miss Brill?”

What Techniques does the Author Use to Develop

his/her Point?

How Does the Author Use Technique to Affect the

Reader• Students often forget to answer

this question in their papers and it makes your paper much stronger to include it.

• What affect does the passage have on me as the reader? What has the author done to get me to feel this way?

• Examples:– In “The Lottery” the tone of

ambivalence creates a feeling of horror in the reader.

– “Once Upon a Time?”

How Does the Author Use Technique to Affect the

Reader

Putting it All Together

• When you’ve answered the three questions, create a single statement to articulate all three answers.– In “Everyday Use” Alice Walker uses

sympathetic characterization to create feelings of compassion toward Momma and Maggie which helps develop the theme that understanding your heritage doesn’t always come with an education.

Putting It All Together

– In “Everyday Use” Alice Walker uses sympathetic characterization to create feelings of compassion toward Momma and Maggie which helps develop the theme that understanding your heritage doesn’t always come with an education.• Alice Walker uses sympathetic characterization

(2)• To create feelings of compassion toward Momma

and Maggie (3)• Develop the theme that understanding your

heritage doesn’t always come with an education (1)