What is a Thesis Statement?

  • A thesis statement tells a reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. Such a statement is also called an “argument,” a “main idea,” or a “controlling idea.”

  • A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should “telegraph” how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay
  • A standard place for your thesis is at the end of the introductory paragraph.

  • A thesis is an interpretation of a 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 that others might dispute.

  • A strong thesis not only grabs the interest of your reader, who now wants to see you support your unique interpretation, it also provides a focus for your argument, one to which every part of your paper refers in the development of your position.

  • A thesis keeps the writer centered on the matter at hand and reduces the risk of intellectual wandering. Likewise, a thesis provides the reader with a “road map,” clearly laying out the intellectual route ahead.

  • A thesis statement avoids the first person (“I believe,” “In my opinion”).

A simple equation for what a thesis might look like:

What you plan to argue + How you plan to argue it = Thesis

Specific Topic+ Attitude/Angle/Argument=Thesis

Steps To Write Effective Thesis Statement

· Choose a prompt or, if appropriate, select a topic: television violence and children

· Read the prompt carefully or, if appropriate, ask an interesting question:

o What are the effects of television violence on children?

· Revise the prompt or question into a preliminary or “working” thesis:

o Violence on television increases aggressive behavior in children.

· Avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping words such as “all” or “none” or “every”.

· Lead the reader toward the topic sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis).

· Anticipate the counter-arguments. Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you’ll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counter-argument. If yours doesn’t, then it’s not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)

o Violence on television increases aggressive behavior in children.

· This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counter- arguments. For example, an observer of societal trends may believe that parenting or easy access to weapons are important factors in youth violence. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counter-argument, you’ll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below.

o While poor parenting and easy access to weapons may act as contributory factors, in fact when children are exposed to television violence they become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, are more fearful of the world around them, and are more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others.

The Components of an Effective Thesis Statement

  • You can’t just pluck a thesis out of thin air. Even if you have a terrific insight concerning a topic, it won’t be worth much unless you can logically and persuasively support it in the body of your essay. A thesis is the evolutionary result of a thinking process, not a miraculous creation. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment.
  • An effective thesis statement fulfills the following criteria
    • Substantial– Your thesis should be a claim for which it is easy to answer every reader’s question: “So what?”
    • Supportable – A thesis must be a claim that you can prove with the evidence at hand (e.g., evidence from your texts or from your research). Your claim should not be outlandish, nor should it be mere personal opinion or preference (e.g., “Frederick Douglass is my favorite historical figure.”) It tackles a subject that could be adequately covered in the format of the project assigned.
    • Precise – It is focused and specific. A strong thesis proves a point without discussing everything. It clearly asserts your own conclusion based on evidence. Note: Be flexible. It is perfectly okay to change your thesis!
    • Arguable – It should be contestable, proposing an arguable point with which people could reasonably disagree.
    • Relevant – If you are responding to an assignment, the thesis should answer the question your teacher has posed. In order to stay focused, pay attention to the task words in the assignment: summarize, argue, compare/contrast, etc.
    • Aware of Counters– It anticipates and refutes the counter-arguments.

The best thesis statement is a balance of specific details and concise language. Your goal is to articulate an argument in detail without burdening the reader with too much information.

Questions To Review Your Thesis

  • “Do I answer the question?” This might seem obvious, but it’s worth asking. No matter how intriguing or dazzling, a thesis that doesn’t answer the question is not a good thesis!
  • “Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?” If not, then you probably do not have a strong argument. Theses that are too vague often have this problem. If your thesis contains vague words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what makes something “successful”?
  • Would anyone possible care about this thesis? So What? Does your thesis present a position or an interpretation worth pursuing? 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?” Just as a thesis that doesn’t answer the question ultimately fails, so does a thesis that isn’t properly supported with evidence and reasoning.
  • Does my thesis statement adequately address the direction words of the prompt: summarize, argue, compare/contrast, analyze, discuss, etc.?

Myths about Thesis Statements

  • Every paper requires one. Assignments that ask you to write personal responses or to explore a subject don’t want you to seem to pre-judge the issues. Essays of literary interpretation often want you to be aware of many effects rather than seeming to box yourself into one view of the text.
  • A thesis statement must come at the end of the first paragraph. This is a natural position for a statement of focus, but it’s not the only one. Some theses can be stated in the opening sentences of an essay; others need a paragraph or two of introduction; others can’t be fully formulated until the end.
  • A thesis statement must be one sentence in length, no matter how many clauses it contains. Clear writing is more important than rules like these. Use two or three sentences if you need them. A complex argument may require a whole tightly-knit paragraph to make its initial statement of position.
  • You can’t start writing an essay until you have a perfect thesis statement. It may be advisable to draft a hypothesis or tentative thesis statement near the start of a big project, but changing and refining a thesis is a main task of thinking your way through your ideas as you write a paper. And some essay projects need to explore the question in depth without being locked in before they can provide even a tentative answer.
  • A thesis statement must give three points of support. It should indicate that the essay will explain and give evidence for its assertion, but points don’t need to come in any specific number.

Progressively Complex Thesis Statements

Thesis Statement Evaluation
The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different. The worst thesis imaginable (other than non-existent). You’ve said nothing of value.
While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions. A good pre-draft thesis. Not a bad start at all. Here’s the catch, and the time consuming part of the process. As you write, your argument may become more refined or changed. When it does, so should the thesis.
While there were many underlying causes of the Civil War, three factors converged to make conflict inevitable: the issue of slavery, the idea of states’ rights, and the fight to control the future of the West. A solid preview of your argument and the main points you intend to make. This would be a strong approach for a persuasive or exemplification essay.
While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own rights to property and self-government. Bien! The thesis statement is nuanced, recognizing the existence of an opposing point of view, while strongly defending your point. It is relatively specific, yet concise—and doesn’t make the reader want to stop reading.

Correction Symbols

start a new paragraph
r-o run-on (two complete thoughts run together)
/ insert a word or a letter
c-s comma splice (two sentences connected by a comma)
sp check spelling
frag fragment
a /b transpose these letters
|| parallelism
agr agreement
pv passive voice
P check for punctuation
w-c word choice
h capitalize this letter
inc incomplete
/ make lower case
—- wordy — delete text
check mark– something well-done

Cautions

Do Not
conclude your papers with The End
use you in place of 1st or 3rd person
use get in place of become, receive, obtain
use a lot in place of often, many, several, frequently
use should of in place of should have
use like in place of just as, as, as if, as though
use thing or stuff in place of the specific object or concept
use all of the sudden in place of all of a sudden or suddenly
use this without placing a noun directly after This _ belongs to me.

Avoid
clichés, dangling or misplaced modifiers
slang, redundancy
passive verbs, vagueness, and sweeping generalities
wordiness, shifts in construction (number, tense, person, voice)
intensifiers such as very, totally, really – these vampire words suck the life from your writing

Be careful with
affect/effect, real/really, accept/except
among/between, that/which, your/you’re
imply/infer, then/than, quotation/quote
its/it’s, there/their/they’re, lie/lay
to/too/two

The Twenty Most Common Errors

1. Missing comma after an introductory element
2. Vague pronoun reference
3. Missing comma in a compound sentence
4. Wrong word
5. Missing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive element
6. Wrong or missing verb ending
7. Wrong or missing preposition
8. Comma splice
9. Missing or misplaced possessive apostrophe
10. Unnecessary shift in tense
11. Unnecessary shift in pronoun
12. Sentence fragment
13. Wrong tense or verb form
14. Lack of subject-verb agreement
15. Missing comma in a series
16. Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent
17. Unnecessary comma(s) with a restrictive element
18. Fused sentence
19. Misplaced or dangling modifier
20. Its/It’s confusion
Link to the Bedford St. Martin Handbook site for specific help with The Twenty Most Common Errors 

STATEMENT ABOUT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The faculty of the Helena High School English Department is committed to the development of students who are both capable writers and ethical users of information. Concerned about the increased rate of plagiarism in our school and nationally, our first objective is working with students to develop effective research and citation strategies. Our most important objective remains our core educational mission, and we are committed to providing students with the information and skills necessary to avoid plagiarism in their work. At the same time, we are committed to instilling a sense of academic integrity and personal responsibility.

Students looking for more information about plagiarism (and how to avoid it) are encouraged to discuss the issue with their teacher or visit the English Department’s Plagiarism resource page at http://www.bengalenglish.org.

PLAGIARISM DEFINED

Wake Forest’s English Department defines plagiarism as:

“To put your name on a piece of work is to say that it is yours, that the praise or criticism due to it is due to you. To put your name on a piece of work any part of which is not yours is plagiarism, unless that piece is clearly marked and the work from which you have borrowed is fully identified. Plagiarism is a form of theft. Taking words, phrasing, sentence structure, or any other element of the expression of another person’s ideas, and using them as if they were yours, is like taking from that person a material possession, something he or she has worked for and earned. Even worse is the appropriation of someone else’s ideas.
… If you paraphrase, you merely translate from his or her language to yours; another person’s ideas in your language are still not your ideas. Paraphrase, therefore, without proper documentation, is theft, perhaps of the worst kind. Plagiarism is a serious violation of another person’s rights, whether the material stolen is great or small; it is not a matter of degree or intent … Your responsibility, when you put your name on a piece of work, is simply to distinguish between what is yours and what is not, and to credit those who have in any way contributed.”

Specifically, we define plagiarism as any of the following:

  • Directly copying a paper or portion of one without proper attribution.
  • Taking the ideas of another person without proper attribution. Changing the wording of another document does not avoid the problem of plagiarism. Plagiarism is as much about the theft of ideas as it is words.
  • Turning in someone else’s work as your own.
  • Citation of works that the student did not consult in the writing of the paper

The source of the original material is irrelevant in cases of plagiarism. Whether the original source is a book, a web site, a song, or another student, failure to cite properly can lead to serious academic and disciplinary consequences.

POLICY

  1. Each classroom teacher will work to educate students about proper citation of sources and how to avoid plagiarism in writing. In turn, students will be expected to act ethically in their work. Claims of ignorance about plagiarism will not be accepted as an excuse. Each student will be provided a copy of the Department’s Research Guidebook, which contains information about proper citation and tips for avoiding plagiarism. Students may also download/consult the Research Guidebook at http://www.bengalenglish.org or http://www.helena.k12.mt.us/teacherlinks/oconnorj/researchguidebook.pdf
  1. Each incident of suspected plagiarism is subject to review and consideration by the classroom teacher, and is subject to the penalties outlined in that class. The initial contact should be between the student(s) and classroom teacher, to determine the nature of the plagiarism.
  1. Once the classroom teacher has determined that plagiarism has occurred, we recommend the following actions be taken:
    1. Notification of parent(s)/guardian(s)
    2. Notification of the appropriate administrative contact
    3. Loss of credit for the assignment
    4. Notation by the principal in the student’s disciplinary record
    5. Notification of the National Honor Society advisor
  1. Students who are repeat offenders should face more serious consequences. These may include:
    1. Suspension
    2. Failure of the class for the academic quarter

Writing for Development

The easiest way to distinguish effective writing from ineffective work is its development. According to Donald Murray, “Fine writing make the writer’s vision of an idea, a place, a person, an event clear to the reader with a rich blend of revealing, specific details, observations, references, patterns of thought.” (The Craft of Revision). Undeveloped writing happens when the writer doesn’t take the time to translate the rich ideas of their mind to paper, leaving the reader a shadow of the original effective thought. Fully developed writing encourages the reader to go on, to read more, in the expectation that they will gain something from the experience, and that their questions will be answered.

Develop with Information

Don’t leave the reader to guess about specific elements in your writing. Either your meaning will be lost on the reader, or he/she will lose interest as you fail to paint a picture for them. Never ask the reader to fill in the blanks with loaded words. “It was terrible” is only terrible as writing—tell the reader what was terrible, how it was terrible, and why.

Technique

Explanation

Example

Reveal with Specifics

Effective writers write with information, revealing specific, accurate, interesting information. Words have no value unless they are loaded with information.

She was beautiful.

Provide an example of your own here.

Write with Abundance

While it is possible to over-write any sentence or idea, most emerging writers under develop their ideas. Writing an essay is not an Instant Message—where rapid conveyance of the idea is the critical element of the communication, but a medium that rewards full development of thought.

The environment should be saved.

Wetlands are a vital resource, providing benefits to both human and animal populations. It is critical that we protect them in the present, and for the future.

Develop with Authority

Most writing is argument. We want to persuade the audience that our vision of the world is the correct one. To persuade the reader, the writer must deliver evidence that will resonate with the reader and be believed.

Technique

Explanation

Example

Objective Documentation

A writer should build her case with an abundance of information from credible sources. Any factual claims that are outside the realm of “common knowledge” should be researched and attributed in a credible essay. Failing to include such citation is plagiarism, and failing to include it means a paper that will not be taken seriously.

Most people who vote for Republicans are not terribly bright.

Most people who vote for Republicans are not very bright. Professor I. M. Right studied the relative IQ of voters and found that “on average, consistent Republican voters had an IQ of 78 (54-55).

Personal Documentation

Personal documentation can be a powerful addition to a paper. A friend, relative, yourself, or other person close to the author can provide specific insight, but is generally not as credible as an outside authority.

Most people who vote for Republicans are not terribly bright.

Most people who vote for Republicans are not terribly bright. My experience as a campaign worker showed that they tended to be less informed and prepared.

Develop with Clarity

Description is the mother of all writing. With words we describe our worlds, physical, intellectual, and emotional. Effective use of words means that each is employed with meaning and that each helps the reader understand better than before.

Technique

Explanation

Dominant Impression

Each paragraph should have a dominant idea or central concept that is supported by the text in the paragraph. If an idea diverts the reader’s attention from this central idea, no matter how interesting the fact is, it needs to go—perhaps to its own paragraph or the place where unlinked ideas go to die.

Natural Order

The reader should receive the essay in natural order—a story built on chronology, time passing, an argument that progresses from one side to another or from weaker arguments to stronger.

Choose an order for your essay that has more meaning than “this was the order I thought of my three points.”

Put Meaning in Context

Many writers deliver information—facts, opinions, quotations, and more in their writing without taking the next step, answering “So what?” Make sure that your writing always answers the critical questions—How? Why? So What?

SOAPS Model

rhetorical_triangle.jpg

What is the SUBJECT(S)?
The general topic, content, and ideas contained in the text. You should
be able to state the main subjects in a few words or less.

What is the OCCASION? (or CONTEXT)
The time, place, context or current situation of the piece. It is
particularly important that you understand the context that encouraged
the writing to happen, but don’t confuse occasion with purpose. Also
think of it as the “genesis” of the writing, or what possibly got it
started. Why did the author sit down and write this piece? How did
events encourage the writing?

Who is the AUDIENCE?
The group of readers to whom this piece is directed (target audience).
The audience may be one person, a small group, or a large group. Try to
be as specific as possible in your description. Authors do not just
write and hope someone will read, they write for a specific audience
and hope for a possible broader audience than intended. Imagine the
author having a conversation. Who is he sitting across from? Who is the
hoped-for audience?

What is the PURPOSE?
The reason behind the text. This is especially important for examining
rhetoric. You can not examine the logic or argument of a piece until
you know the reason for the piece, or what the author is trying to tell
you. What does the author hope the reader will take from the piece?
(OCCASION is the beginning, PURPOSE is the end)

Who is the SPEAKER? (with literature it could be the persona or narrator)
-What is his/her ATTITUDE? (context + opinion or bias) Look for manipulation of reader by the author
-What is their TONE? (occasion + purpose)
The voice which tells the story. When you approach a piece of fiction,
you often believe that the author and the speaker of the piece are one
and the same. They fail to realize that in fiction the author may
choose to tell the story from any number of different points of view,
or through different methods of narration and characterization. You
need to be able to differentiate between the author and the narrator,
understanding that what the narrator believes may not be true for the
author. In nonfiction it is important that the student not just
identify the author, but also analyze the author’s attitude toward the
subject and audience and the “tone of voice” that is used in the
selection.

NOTE
The speaker’s purpose and subject can be entirely different things,
either for purposes of satire or manipulation. Be careful to analyze
for the author’s intended message.