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    Guide To Writing Thesis Statements

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    Paul Rodriguez
    Guide to Writing Thesis Statements

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    Guide To Writing Thesis Statements

    Uploaded by

    Paul Rodriguez
    13 views2 pages
    Guide to Writing Thesis Statements

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    - Guide to Writing Thesis Statements

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    Guide to Writing Thesis Statements

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    13 views2 pages

    Guide To Writing Thesis Statements

    Uploaded by

    Paul Rodriguez
    Guide to Writing Thesis Statements

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Guide to Writing Thesis Statements1

    Your thesis statement is the central argument of your essay. It must be concise and
    well-written.

     Your thesis goes in the introductory paragraph. Don't hide it; make it clearly
    asserted at the beginning of your paper.
     Your thesis must make an argument. It is the road map to the argument you will
    subsequently develop in your paper.

    The key difference between an opinion statement and thesis statement is that a
    thesis conveys to the reader that the claim being offered has been thoroughly
    explored and is defendable by evidence. It answers the "what" question (what is
    the argument?) and it gives the reader a clue as to the "why" question (why is
    this argument the most persuasive?).

    Examples of good thesis statements:

     "The ability to purchase television advertising is essential for any candidate's bid
    for election to the Senate because television reaches millions of people and thus
    has the ability to dramatically increase name recognition."
     The organizational structure of the United Nations, namely consensus voting in
    the security council, makes it incapable of preventing war between major
    powers."

    1. Thesis statements must make a claim or argument. They are not statements of
    fact.

    Statement of fact: "A candidates ability to afford television advertising can have an
    impact on the outcome of Congressional elections." This is essentially an indisputable
    point and therefore, not a thesis statement.

    Similarly, the claim "The United Nations was established to promote diplomacy between
    major powers." is not likely to inspire much debate.

    2. Thesis statements are not merely opinion statements.

    Statement of opinion:"Congressional elections are simply the result of who has the most
    money." This statement does make a claim, but in this format it is too much of an
    opinion and not enough of an argument.

    1
    https://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/thesisstmt.html
    Similarly, "The United Nations is incapable of preventing war" is closer to a thesis
    statement than the factual statement above because it raises a point that is debatable.
    But in this format, it doesn't offer the reader much information; it sounds like the author
    is simply stating a viewpoint that may or may not be substantiated by evidence.

    In conclusion, your thesis should make clear what your argument is; it should
    also provide the reader with some indication of why your argument is persuasive.

    For example: In the congressional elections example, why is money important (and
    whose money? The candidates'? Corporations'? Special interests'?), are other factors
    irrelevant (the candidates' views on the issues?) and for which types of elections is this
    true (is your argument equally true for Senatorial elections and elections for the House
    of Representatives? Why or why not?)?

    In the other example, you will need to think about why the United Nations is not capable
    of preventing war. Your thesis should indicate that you have an understanding of the
    relevant historical circumstances and that you are aware of alternative explanations.

    Of course, one can re-work a thesis statement indefinitely and one can almost always
    find something at fault with it. The point is that you must be sure that your thesis
    statement is indicating to your reader that you have an argument to make.

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