Writing Thesis

Statements

Adapted from Worth Weller (with a little help from the Purdue and Dartmouth OWL)

Teri L. Tosspon, M.A, M.A, TESL

Order these!

• In groups, put these thesis statements into order, best to worst.

• On what qualities did you judge them?

• You must first know what a Thesis Statement IS and what it DOES

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.

• It is generally a complex, compound sentence

The potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class are . . .”

What does it do?

• it should point toward the development or course of argument the reader can expect your argument to take

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.

What does it contain?

• The thesis sentence must contain an arguable point.

• A thesis sentence must not simply make an observation –– "Writer X seems in his novel Y to be obsessed with

lipstick." • Rather, it must assert a point that is arguable:

– “Writer X uses lipstick to point to his novel's larger theme: the masking and unmasking of the self."

What it determines

• Must control the entire argument.

• 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.

Is it fixed in concrete?• Imagine that as you are writing your paper you

stumble across the new idea that lipstick is used in Writer X's novel not only to mask the self, but also to signal when the self is in crisis.

• This observation is a good one: do you really want to throw it away? Or do you want to rewrite your thesis so that it accommodates this new idea?

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.

It provides structure for your paper• should provide a structure for your argument.

• directly or indirectly suggest the structure of your argument to your reader.

– "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.

Other Attributes• 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?”– Bad: “I’m going to tell you about…” – Better: “There are many considerations in choosing the

best hybrid car.”

More Attributes

• argues one main point • doesn't squeeze three different theses for

three different papers into one sentence;• passes The "So What?" Test.

An Equation

Your topic and a specific assertion about that topic, therefore:

• THESIS = TOPIC + SPECIFIC ASSERTION

Summary

The “shoulds” of a thesis statement:

• 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!

• 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?"

• 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."• 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.

• 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

Problems:The Non-Thesis• A thesis takes a position

on an issue. • is not neutral. • Announces the topic

and the argument• your own opinion that

you intend to back up• Your reason and

motivation for writing

Bad Thesis 1: In his article Stanley Fish shows that we don't really have the right to free speech.

Bad Thesis 2: This paper will consider the advantages and disadvantages of certain restrictions on free speech.

Better Thesis 1: Stanley Fish's argument that free speech exists more as a political prize than as a legal reality ignores the fact that even as a political prize it still serves the social end of creating a general cultural atmosphere of tolerance that may ultimately promote free speech in our nation just as effectively as any binding law.

Better Thesis 2: Even though there may be considerable advantages to restricting hate speech, the possibility of chilling open dialogue on crucial racial issues is too great and too high a price to pay.

Overly Broad Thesis

• be as specific as possible

• be tailored to reflect the scope of the paper.

• Can specify a method or perspective or delineating certain limits.

Bad Thesis 1: There should be no restrictions on the 1st amendment.

Bad Thesis 2: The government has the right to limit free speech.

Better Thesis 1: There should be no restrictions on the 1st amendment if those restrictions are intended merely to protect individuals from unspecified or otherwise unquantifiable or unverifiable "emotional distress."

Better Thesis 2: The government has the right to limit free speech in cases of overtly racist or sexist language because our failure to address such abuses would effectively suggest that our society condones such ignorant and hateful views.

Uncontestable

• be arguable. • present a view that

someone might reasonably contest.

• not so universally accepted that there is no need to prove the point.

Bad Thesis 1: Although we have the right to say what we want, we should avoid hurting other people's feelings.

Bad Thesis 2: There are always alternatives to using racist speech.

Better Thesis 1: If we can accept that emotional injuries can be just as painful as physical ones we should limit speech that may hurt people's feelings in ways similar to the way we limit speech that may lead directly to bodily harm.

Better Thesis 2: The "fighting words" exception to free speech is not legitimate because it wrongly considers speech as an action.

“List” Thesis

• suggest the structure of the paper.

• allow the reader to imagine and anticipate the flow of the paper

• lists appear arbitrary with no logical connection to one another.

Bad Thesis 1: There are many reasons we need to limit hate speech.

Bad Thesis 2: None of the arguments in favor of regulating pornography are persuasive.

Better Thesis 1: Among the many reasons we need to limit hate speech the most compelling ones all refer to our history of discrimination and prejudice, and it is, ultimately, for the purpose of trying to repair our troubled racial society that we need hate speech legislation.

Better Thesis 2: None of the arguments in favor of regulating pornography are persuasive because they all base their points on the unverifiable and questionable assumption that the producers of pornography necessarily harbor ill will specifically to women.

Evaluate thesis statements:Does the thesis:• Take a stand• Propose a solution• Evaluate something• State its position clearly

and exactly

Is the thesis:• Arguable• Stated positively, i.e. is

it a statement rather than a question

• Sufficiently limited for a 4-6 page paper

Write a Thesis

• Choose any topic – if you need to write a paper for school, this would

be a great practice round

• What do you plan on telling readers about it?

• Formulate that into a sentence. • Evaluate based on our rules.

Now What?

• Now use that thesis to help you organize your paper.

Gather Ideas

Child care

Should be free!

Child care should be free

Russia provides it, why can’t we?

Free care would prevent abuse and neglect

Planning Paragraphs

• Take each one of your “Reasons” from the topic starter

• Develop each onemore fully into a paragraphwith 2 examples

Free care would prevent abuse and neglect

A 2007 survey of 1,000 children who were left at home unattended found that their parents could not afford child care.

Parents who neglect their kids do so because care not affordable

If childcare was free, it would prevent abuse and neglect

My neighbors leave their 4yr old unattended

Because it is unaffordable, they don’t seek childcare

Resources

• Writing help:• http://ttosspon.wikispaces.com/Writing_Research

• Thesis statement checklist• Quiz