Thesis Statements
(Or as I like to say,
“What’s your point?”)
Analytical Thesis Statement

An analytical paper breaks down a text(s)
into its component parts, evaluates the data,
and presents this breakdown and evaluation
to the audience as an argument. In other
words, “I believe this text is saying … and
here’s how I know and here’s why you
should believe it too.”
Analytical Thesis Statement


Briefly introduce your topic.
State your point of view on the topic directly
and often in one sentence. This sentence is
the thesis statement, and it serves as a
summary of the argument you'll make in the
rest of your paper.
A thesis statement…

tells the reader how you will
interpret the significance of the
subject matter under discussion.
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 or
analysis of a question or subject, not
the subject itself. The subject, or topic,
of an essay might be “The Fresh
Prince” or Moby Dick; a thesis must
then offer a way to understand the TV
show or the novel.
A thesis statement…


makes a claim that others might dispute.
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.
How do I arrive at my thesis?



A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process.
Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after
reading an essay assignment.
Before you develop an argument on any topic, you
have to collect and organize evidence, look for
possible relationships between known facts (such as
surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about
the significance of these relationships.
How do I arrive at a thesis?

Once you do this thinking, you will
probably have a "working thesis," a
basic or main idea, an argument that
you think you can support with
evidence but that may need adjustment
along the way.
How do I know if
my thesis is strong?

Do I answer the question? In this case, the
question is “what do YOU think your text(s) is
saying and how is it saying it?”
How do I know if
my thesis is strong?

Have I taken a position that others might
challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply
states facts that no one would, or even could,
disagree with, it's possible that you are
simply providing a summary, rather than
making an argument.
How do I know if
my thesis is strong?

Is my thesis statement specific enough?
Thesis statements that are too vague often
do not have a strong argument. If your thesis
contains words like "good" or "successful,"
see if you could be more specific: why is
something "good"; what specifically makes
something "successful"?
How do I know if
my thesis is strong?

Does my thesis pass the “so what?" test? 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.
How do I know if
my thesis is strong?

Does my essay support my thesis specifically
and without wandering? If your thesis and
the body of your essay do not seem to go
together, one of them has to change. It's OK
to change your working thesis to reflect
things you have figured out in the course of
writing your paper. Remember, always
reassess and revise your writing as
necessary.
How do I know if
my thesis is strong?

Does my thesis pass the "how and why?"
test? If a reader's first response is "how?" or
"why?" your thesis may be too open-ended
and lack guidance for the reader. See what
you can add to give the reader a better take
on your position right from the beginning.
Critical Literary Analysis

For a critical literary analysis, your thesis
statement will typically include the title(s) of
the work(s) you will discuss in your paper
and the author(s) of those works, as well as
what it is that you will argue about those
works.
Sample literary thesis statement

In the characters of Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby
himself, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
depicts a corrupted version of the traditional
American Dream.
Sample literary thesis statement

Sinclair Lewis’ 1922 novel Babbitt relies upon
the author’s use of satire to critique the
ignorance, mediocrity and conformity of the
American middle class.
Sample literary thesis statement

Walt Whitman creates a body of democratic
poetry through his simple depiction of the
diverse American proletariat using vernacular
language.
Writing a Thesis Statement
I am writing about
______________________,
and I am going to argue,
show or prove
______________________.
Here is an example of a poor
thesis


"Holden Caulfield, of J.D Salinger’s Catcher
in the Rye, is depressed."
Actually, that is not a thesis, but rather a
statement of fact. Anyone who spent a few
minutes reading Catcher in the Rye would
agree that Holden is depressed, so there is
no debatable point or claim here.
Here is an example of a stronger
thesis:


"Holden Caulfield, of J.D Salinger’s Catcher
in the Rye, is depressed because he fears
the transition from childhood into adulthood."
This claim requires some proof—some
supporting evidence or explanation, and that
is what makes this a debatable point.
Here is an even stronger thesis:


"With the suicide of James Castle as
seeming proof, Holden Caulfield, of J.D
Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, fears that he
will not survive the transition from childhood
into adulthood only to find that in by being a
responsible adult figure for Phoebe he is able
to live honestly in a corrupt world."
This thesis lays out your essay into three
sections (problem, response to problem,
ultimate outcome)
Sometimes it helps to get the
basic outline of your paper into
the thesis itself:




As a result of _______ a character realizes _______ and (does
/ becomes / changes / learns) _______ .
The author (creates/writes/uses) _______
(character/metaphor/analogy/motif/image) to illustrate _______
about the (theme/message) of the novel.
The (character) struggles with _______ to illustrate/highlight
_______ .
The characters begin the novel as _______ and become
_______ to illustrate the author’s message that _______ .

Holden Caulfield, the main character of The Catcher in The
Rye struggles with several realms throughout the novel- from
alcohol and drug use to his dropping out of school, he cannot
seem to find a way to make sense of the world around him.
Events in the novel lead one to believe that apart from all these
struggles, one of the biggest challenges Holden cannot seem to
overcome is time. He is unsuccessful in his adolescence- as he
acts more so like a child, however also finds it hard to begin
transitioning into the life of an adult. He is haunted by the idea of
everything and everyone in the world around him changing with
time, whereas Holden is stuck in a state of discomfort and
reluctance to grow up. He is stuck on the threshold between the
two, and seems to struggle with the concept of 'moving on'. In
order to overcome the barrier of time, which Holden fails
to do in The Catcher in the Rye, one must have the ability
to learn from their mistakes, rather than dwelling on the
past.