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ESSAY WRITING PART 1: THESIS STATEMENTS
What is a thesis statement?
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A thesis statement is the controlling idea of a paper. It expresses briefly and clearly the
idea that the body of the paper will prove.
When writing about a work of literature the thesis needs to make a debatable claim.
The thesis will always appear at the end of your introduction paragraph, write before your
concluding sentence.
Why does a paper need a strong thesis statement? So that it can make a strong argument.
Weak thesis statements can result in papers with no clear direction or in papers that rely on plot
summary to fill their pages. A good thesis statement notifies your reader about the scope of the
paper, telling him or her exactly what your paper will cover and in what order.
How do I write a thesis statement?
It consists of 4 parts:
a) Central argument (that directly answers the essay question with an idea that is NOT
obvious or directly known already from the work of literature). It should be debatable,
meaning that someone could argue against it because it is a possibility that it is may not
be ‘true’. This is why you have to PROVE to your reader that your idea is ‘right’
b) Supporting argument #1, that helps you to prove your central argument
c) Supporting argument #2, that helps you to prove your central argument
d) Supporting argument #3, that helps you to prove your central argument
Examples:
Example of a weak thesis statement in relation to this essay question – What does the reader
learn about the nature of love from Romeo and Juliet?
Romeo and Juliet is a great love story and tells us that love will always be there. This is proven by
how Romeo and Juliet are so in love, how their love lasts even though their parents don’t like it and
because they can’t live without each other.
→ This is a weak thesis statement because the central argument is really general and not very
specific to the play itself. Also, the supporting arguments are not very strong (they are all very
plot based and supporting argument #1 and 3 are quite similar). PLUS you should not be proving
that the play is a ‘great’ love story.
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Example of a thesis statement that is somewhat stronger:
Romeo and Juliet teaches the reader that love is a powerful force that can cause lots of
trouble. This is demonstrated by the way that the couple has to hide their love, because
they cannot be together openly and because it led to violence.
→The central argument of this thesis statement is stronger, as it says love is a powerful force but
it is not specific in how it can ‘cause trouble’. This is still too vague. Plus, the question asks
what we learn about the nature of love through the play, but not every love will be exactly like
Romeo and Juliet’s situation, THEREFORE the student should not really using the fact that they
cannot be together openly and that it led to violence as supporting arguments because this is not
likely to apply to MOST/ALL couples in love.
Example of the better thesis statement:
Romeo and Juliet teaches the reader that love is a very strong force that can lead people to think
very irrationally. This is demonstrated by the way everything is ‘rushed’ in the relationship,
because it led to suicidal thoughts and due to the fact that it caused a lot of extreme emotions.
Frequently Asked Question: Can a thesis statement be more than one sentence?
Yes. Often the best thesis statements are complex enough to require two or even three sentences.
If you need several sentences to express your idea, use them!
Now let’s use this example…
Imagine a student was given an essay question about Disney’s Snow White – What does this
story tell us about the role of females in society?
Thesis statement:
Snow White tells its audience that the role of females is to be subservient and vulnerable and that
this will help a woman to ensure her safety and love. This is demonstrated by the huntsman’s
inability to kill Snow White, the willing ‘servant’ type role Snow White took on for the dwarves,
and her naivety when taking the poison apple.
NOW…how would we write an introduction paragraph, including this thesis statement?