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Thesis Statements

Page history last edited by Russell 15 years, 3 months ago

What type of essay are you writing?

 
  1. A research paper - (expository or descriptive essay)
  2. An argument paper - (literary analysis essay on a book, poem, or play)
 
The first section of this page covers writing a thesis for a research paper. Scroll down to find how to write a thesis for your literary analysis.
 

1. Research Paper Thesis Statements

 

Some material below retrieved Dec 3, 2008 from http://www.txstate.edu/SLAC/writing/documentation/Thesis_Statements.html

 

1. A thesis statement clarifies an essay's argument and direction.  It helps create a unified essay.  Typically, the thesis statement is positioned at the end of the introductory paragraph so that it will provide a forecast for the paper

 

Thesis statements contain a point or assertion (not just a statement of your topic).  A thesis statement needs to contain the core of your argument and make an assertion that your essay supports.  Even if you are writing an analytical or descriptive essay, your intent is to convince the reader of a point: your specific position on a topic.

 

2. THESIS = TOPIC + POSITION

  • Your topic may be a person, like Doc Holliday. A sentence that simply announces your topic is not a thesis: "Doc Holliday was a gunman of the Old West." This provides no POSITION on what you wish to say about Doc Holliday.
  • Your topic may be an event, like The Alamo. A sentence that simply tells us what the Alamo was is not a thesis: "The Alamo was the site of a battle between American and Mexican forces." This provides no POSITION on what you wish to say about the Alamo.

 

3. Read, then ask questions and make conclusions. After reading all your sources about your chosen topic, you must use the factual data from those sources to come to a conclusion which will help you take a position on the topic. Often, your conclusion can answer a question:

  • Why was Doc Holliday a notorious gunman?
  • What sort of person do I think Doc Holliday was based on what I've read? What was his personality?
  • What do events leading up to the Alamo tell me about the goals/aims of the two sides involved?
  • What characteristics make the Forty-Niners of the Gold Rush era unique?

 

4. Write to find out what you think.  Experienced writers often start with a working thesis and only come to their finished, refined thesis after writing a first draft of their essay.  What this then means is that they go back and revise their thesis based on what they discovered while they wrote and on the conclusion they arrived at in their final paragraph.  Their working thesis is often something as blunt and unrefined as In this paper, I am going to argue that . . . 

 

5. If it helps, you can use a formulaic template to get started.  Though you'll want to go back later and change the language so that it reflects your thoughts and ideas more exactly, when you're stuck, sometimes using a fill-in-the-blank template can help.  Try filling in the following:

 

        In this essay, I plan to argue for an audience of _________________ that ______________

        because/if/how _________________, __________________, ____________________.

 

Here is an example of such a template, filled in:

 

In this essay, I plan to argue for an audience of my teacher that Chinese railroad workers were invaluable in helping complete the trans-continental railroads because despite severe obstacles like discrimination and tough work conditions, their strong work ethic, ability to imitate, and history of blasting all pushed the railroad toward completion.

 

6. Consider your purpose for writing to help narrow your thesis options. Here are some examples of purposes for writing this research essay to get you started:

  • Analyzing to convince - Perhaps you analyze the events at the Alamo to understand then convince your reader why one side won and the other lost. Perhaps you analyze the actions and decisions made by Annie Oakley to understand then convince your reader why she should be considered a heroine of the Old West rather than an outlaw.
  • Comparing and/or contrasting to convince - Perhaps you compare and contrast the lives of two notorious gunfighters to understand then convince your reader who deserves more recognition.
  • Describing/analyzing the causes or consequences of your subject to convince - Perhaps you investigate the Cherokee "Trail of Tears" to understand then convince the reader that it was an unjust and unlawful action on the part of the US Government.
  • Describing or defining the significance of your subject (Interpretation/Exposition) - Perhaps you investigate the Gold Rush then propose how it permanently changed the landscape of the Old West because of mining practices. Perhaps you research a specific Native American leader, and after reading the facts you decide to explain what specific characteristics of leadership were displayed by his actions.
  • Describing how something happened or came to be (Narration) - Perhaps you describe the events leading up to The Alamo.
  • Describing/analyzing a person in order to convince (Characterization) - Perhaps you research Belle Star, then analyze what kind of person she was based on what she did and said.

(Adapted from Jacqueline Berke's Twenty Questions for the Writer)

 


 

2. Literary Analysis Paper Thesis Statements

 
Brainstorm the topic
Let's say that your class focuses upon the themes in Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. You find that you are interested in the issue of superstition, a belief in the significance of an object, idea, event, etc., not based on reason.
You start out with a thesis statement like this:
Superstition.
This fragment isn't a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn't know what you want to say about superstition.

 

Narrow the topic

Your readings about the topic, however, have led you to the conclusion that superstition affects not only the slaves in the book, but non-slaves as well. In addition, you have noticed that superstition can be used to take advantage of slaves.
You change your thesis to look like this:
Superstition and slaves in Huck Finn.
This fragment not only announces your subject, but it focuses on one main idea: superstition with regard to slavery. You should note that this fragment is not a thesis statement because your reader doesn't know your conclusions on the topic. In addition, the title of the novel is not complete, and your thesis should also mention the author.

 

Take a position on the topic

After reflecting on the topic a little while longer, you decide that what you really want to say about this topic is that superstitions allow slaves to explain the unexplainable.
You revise your thesis to look like this:
Superstition in Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” allows slaves to explain things.
This statement asserts your position, but the term “things” is vague. A positive is that now the author’s name and the full text title appear.

 

Use specific language

You decide to explain what you mean about "things," so you write:
In Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” the slaves use superstition to help them make sense of and explain the unexplainable.
This statement uses the author’s name, the text title, and makes a clear statement about how slavery functions in the novel. The thesis “promises” the reader that the body paragraphs will only talk about how slaves use superstition to explain what they cannot through reason. It does not include the issue of how superstition is used by whites.

 

Make an assertion based on clearly stated support

You finally revise your thesis statement one more time to look like this:
The theme of superstition arises multiple times in Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Superstition is used by the slaves to help them explain what seems otherwise unexplainable, and superstition is used by whites to exert influence over the slaves.
Notice how the thesis answers the question, "How does superstition function within Twain’s novel?" When you started thinking about the paper, you may not have had a specific question in mind, but as you became more involved in the topic, your ideas became more specific. Your thesis changed to reflect your new insights.
 
Make only one argument
 
Excellent thesis statements set a path for the paper with one clear argument. The above thesis statement includes TWO arguments, yet the best essays focus on one topic only. The thesis could be revised to say:
 
The theme of superstition arises multiple times in Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Superstition is used advantageously by all people, both slaves and free, to help explain what would otherwise be unexplainable.
 
In this thesis, the author claims that slaves and free people both use superstition to their advantage. It is in the body paragraphs that the author can define what is meant by “advantageously.” She can discuss how the slaves use superstition to explain away odd occurrences (as Jim and Nat both do) and she can explain how whites take advantage of superstition in order to exert influence over the slaves and get what they desire (as Tom and Huck both do).
 
Questions to consider:
  1. Who is the author?
  2. What is the title of the text?
  3. What is my topic?
  4. What can I say about my topic based on what I’ve read?
  5. Why is my topic relevant in the text?
  6. How does my topic function in the text?
  7. How are characters and/or events affected by my topic?
  8. What message does the author seem to send with this topic?
 
Reminders:
·        A one-word thesis is not a thesis. Ex: “Slavery”
·        Include the author’s full name (or just last name) and the full text title
·        Facts are not thesis statements. Ex: “Mockery of religion exists in Huck Finn”
 
 
 

 

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