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It is the focus of the essay..
It tells the reader how you interpret the
significance of a subject matter.
It makes a claim that others might dispute
The thesis sentence is a clear, concise statement
of the position you will defend in your paper.
The thesis sentence should argue a position, not
summarize information.
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make sure your thesis reflects the full scope of
your argument.
avoid using a thesis that is too broad to be
defended in the your paper or too narrow to be a
full response to the assignment.
Ask yourself How? and Why? questions to deepen
your thesis.
make sure your reader can easily identify your
thesis sentence.
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The THESIS STATEMENT doesn’t always
come first in the writing process, but it is good
to develop it early so you can use it as a guide
for your paper.
Think about contrasts or opposing views.
In The Craft of Argument, Williams & Colomb
suggest the following ways of deepening the
thesis:
 add a reason, include a reason-clause
beginning with because, or if, or a phrase
beginning with by or in order to (84).
 acknowledge an alternative point-of-view or
reason, or to limit the scope of your claim, add
a concession-clause beginning with although,
while, or even though, or a phrase
A thesis statement is an assertion, not a
statement of fact or an observation.
 Fact or observation: People use many lawn
chemicals.
 Thesis: People are poisoning the environment
with chemicals merely to keep their lawns
clean.
A thesis takes a stand rather than announcing a subject.
Announcement: The thesis of this paper is the difficulty of solving our
environmental problems.
Thesis: Solving our environmental problems is more difficult than many
environmentalists believe.
A thesis statement is narrow, rather than broad.
If the thesis statement is sufficiently narrow, it
can be fully supported.
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Broad: The American steel industry has many
problems.
Narrow: The primary problem if the American
steel industry is the lack of funds to renovate
outdated plants and equipment.
A thesis statement is specific rather than vague
or general.
 Vague: Hemingway's war stories are very
good.
 Specific: Hemingway's stories helped create a
new prose style by employing extensive
dialogue, shorter sentences, and strong AngloSaxon words.
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A thesis statement has one main point rather
than several main points. More than one
point may be too difficult for the reader to
understand and the writer to support.
More than one main point: Stephen Hawking's
physical disability has not prevented him from
becoming a world-renowned physicist, and his
book is the subject of a movie.
One Main point: Stephen Hawking's physical
disability has not prevented him from
becoming a world renowned physicist.
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Thesis statements vary according to writing
genre
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).
Read each of the following statements and
evaluate whether it is a strong or weak thesis
statement.
1. Advertising companies often use attractive
models in their ads to sell their products and
television producers get paid millions to run these
ads.
There are many positive and negative aspects to
the use of oral medications to fight childhood
diseases.
The number of persons infected with AIDS in the
continent of Africa continues to grow due to the
inhabitant’s lack of education about the sexually
transmitted disease and its method of prevention.
The subject of this essay is the economic
implications of a global society.
Think of the main points of the essay as the
reasons you think your thesis statement is true.
Make sure that each point is directly related to
your thesis statement.
These main points should predict the paper’s plan
of development, usually by mentioning the
paper’s main subtopics in order of appearance.
Arguable: The thesis should express an idea that
can be doubted.
Clear : The thesis should use precise,
unambiguous language, and thus it should
contain no metaphors, similes, or other figures of
speech.
Unified: The thesis should make a unified
statement expressed as a single sentence.
Narrow: The thesis should be about a topic that
you can master thoroughly.
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Your teacher asks you to compare “Araby”
with “A Clean Well-lighted Place”.
Brainstorm common elements
Choose one element and write down
everything you know about it.
JOYCE
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Dark images associated
with environment
Light images associated
with Mangan’s sister
HEMMINGWAY
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Light images associated
with café
Dark images associated
with outside world
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1. Why are the contrasting images used?
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2. Why do the characters need the light?
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3. What do the images represent symbolically?
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4. How do these images contribute to the
story?
1. Why are the contrasting images used?
To emphasize the characters’ internal conflicts.
2. Why are the light images used?
The characters need the light to chase away the dark.
3. Why are the dark images used?
The dark images are used to highlight the need for escape.
4. What do the images represent symbolically?
The images represent hope and despair.
5. How do these images contribute to the story?
They enhance the philosophical message of the author.
1. Why are the contrasting images used?
To emphasize the characters’ internal conflicts.
As a thesis, this would read as follows:
In their short stories, “Araby” and “A Clean,
Well-lighted Place”, James Joyce and Ernest
Hemmingway, respectively, use contrasting
images of light and dark to emphasize the internal
conflicts of the main characters.