What is a Thesis Statement

What is a Thesis Statement ● A thesis statement presents your opinions or thoughts on a subject or an issue. You cannot write an essay without one. ● A thesis statement must contain a subject and an opinion. ● A thesis statement answers the topic question (the one you created or the one presented to you by the teacher). ● A thesis statement is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. ● A thesis statement directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or 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. ● A thesis statement makes a claim that others might dispute. ● A thesis statement is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation. TIPS: ● A thesis statement should never contain the following: in my opinion, I think, I believe, etc. ● You must begin with a topic question. If your teacher has assigned an essay question to answer, this step has been done for you. If you are doing a research paper, take time to come up with a good topic question. ● You must form an opinion and state it clearly. Do not be wishy-washy. ● Be sure you have approached your evidence fairly, without bias. ● Consider both sides of a controversial issue. ● Once you've established the topic question, a clear position, and objectivity, you're ready to write a thesis statement. Writing a Good Thesis Statement ● A good thesis statement is short and simple: it should be no longer than one sentence, regardless of essay length. o Good Example: Success is a result of doing the right things consistently. o Bad Example: In a world full of success gurus and books about success, it becomes ever so more important to delineate the one trait that ultimately determines success: doing the right things consistently. ● A good thesis statement is limited to one main idea. o Good example: The key to successful dieting is focusing on a specific goal. o Bad example: The key to successful dieting is focusing on a specific goal, which is also the key to successfully running a business and coaching a football team. ● A good thesis statement is a declarative sentence with no qualifiers (might, maybe, perhaps, etc.): o Good example: Lebron James' ability to score, pass, and rebound make him the league's most valuable player. o Bad example: Does Lebron James' ability to score, pass, and rebound make him the league's most valuable player? o Bad Example: Lebron James' ability to score, pass, and rebound just might make him the league's most valuable player.