WRITING A THESIS

STATEMENT
(courtesy Jennifer Hollstein, CSW)
What is a thesis statement?
- A summary of the argument you'll make in
the rest of the paper
- The center and most important sentence of
your whole paper
Where does it go?
- Usually, your thesis is the next to last or last
sentence of your opening paragraph
Why do I need one?
- All of your paragraphs refer back to your
thesis, so it builds a cohesive paper
- It makes sure that you have a clear stance in
your paper
What should my thesis statement look like?
- Shock the reader!
- Choose a controversial topic

- Make an assertion
- Express only one idea
- Be specific
What should my thesis statement NOT do?
- Just restate the prompt
- Use phrases such as: "I think, I believe..."
- Only state a fact or statistic
How do I write a thesis statement?
- Don't start right away
- Think about the prompt and your evidence
- Create your thesis around your main idea
What if I still can't write one?
- Come up with a question for your paper
- Your thesis should answer this question and
provide the backbone for your paper
Is my thesis statement good enough?
- Does it answer the prompt/main question of
your essay?
- Could it be challenged?

- Is is specific?
- Does it answer the questions: "So what?
How? Why?"
- Does it match the rest of your essay?
Examples of weak theses (think about why
they are weak)
- It's important to learn how to write.
- The North and South fought the Civil War
for many reasons, some of which were the same
and some different.
- Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a great
American novel.
An example of a stronger, but still weak
thesis
- Writing must be taught in schools because
students cannot succeed without it.
Examples of strong theses
- Wealthy politicians cannot understand the
perspective of the poor, so they cannot provide
fair representation for all people.

- Revolutionaries are terrorists who won.

- Advances in telecommunication and the
rapid increase of idea sharing have replaced
creativity with mimicry.
- Progress complicates more than it
simplifies.
Sources for more thesis statement advice
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/
1/
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_s
tatement.shtml
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handoutsdemos/writing-the-paper/thesis-statements