The Thesis Statement
What is a thesis statement?
• A thesis statement is the most important sentence in
your paper – it’s the idea(s) that everything else in the
paper springs from.
• A thesis statement makes an arguable claim; it’s not a
fact.
• A thesis statement tells your readers what your essay
will be about.
• In other words, a thesis statement provides a forecast for
the entire essay.
Where is a thesis statement?
• For this class, your thesis statement
should appear at the end of your
introduction.
But what about the last paper?
Did it have a thesis?
• Not really. Although narratives have a
main idea, which might be implicit or
explicit, they don’t always follow the
structure of a typical academic paper.
• We are moving from narrative to analysis
– a whole new way of writing. Most of your
college writing will be analysis.
An analytical thesis…
… usually answers the
question
• “How?”
And often also answers
the question
• “Why?”
What does this mean?
• In analyzing texts, the “How” question
refers to how the author of a text goes
about presenting information or stylistic
choices to his readers.
• When you analyze a text, you write about
one aspect or element of the text.
• You ask yourself, “How does this author
fulfill his purpose in this text?”
For this assignment
• One option is to analyze an ad.
 So you ask yourself:
o What is the advertiser’s purpose? Why does the
advertiser do X [whatever you’re writing about in
your paper]?
o Then, how does the advertiser fulfill its
purpose?
o Then you find specific examples within
the ad to prove your point.
For example:
• In the FILA ad on p. 179
 What is FILA’s purpose in creating this ad?
 To sell shoes
This is analysis!
 How does FILA (try to) sell shoes?
• By featuring an attractive, sophisticated, “Continentallooking” male model in the ad
• By making the male model stylish yet masculine (well
developed pecs and abs are part of the picture)
• By using a picture of the FILA-wearing model that is several
times larger than the “regular” people
• By placing the picture of the model above the “regular”
people, as if it’s something they can aspire to
• By including “regular” people in the ad so that consumers can
relate
• NOTE: Whether you believe FILA is successful or not is a
different part of the essay. This part is objective analysis of
the ad.
Your working thesis* might be
something like:
• In this ad, FILA attempts to entice buyers by
•
showing them an ideal that they can aspire to.
OR
FILA makes a direct connection between
sophistication and their new style of basketball
shoes in order to attract a wider range of
customers.
*a working thesis is like a first draft. It has the general idea, but the wording may
and probably will change before the final draft.
For this assignment
• Your second option is to analyze an
experience. This one is slightly different.
 Ask yourself:
o Have I ever been a celebrity? (this is your claim)
OR
o Has someone I know well ever been/become a
celebrity?
o Then, how can I support this fact?
o To support the idea that you were a celebrity, you
need to find specific examples within the
experience to prove your point.
For example:
• Several years ago, I participated in a 100mile bike ride to raise money for a cause.
During that process, I felt like a celebrity –
especially on the day of the ride.
• So, my claim (that I need to prove) is that
for one period of my life/one day/etc, I was
a celebrity.
• I need to illustrate for my readers how I
was a celebrity.
This is analysis!
 How was I a celebrity?
• I sent out a letter, like a newsletter to tell my family and friends what
I was doing and to ask for donations. I got lots of “fan mail” and lots
of donations.
• I was “famous” within my family because I was training for
something extraordinary. They talked about me a lot!
• I was riding for a famous “team.”
• The morning of the race, we were on the news (thousands of
riders!) and many, many people took our pictures.
• My sister, nieces, and friends came to the ride. They met me at
several different stops, with signs and balloons and whistles. They
were my fan club.
• I was in the newspaper and am probably still on the Internet as a
result of the ride.
So, I might start simple with
my thesis:
• For one day in 2001, I was a celebrity.
OR
• There was one time in my life when I truly
felt like a celebrity, and the experience
changed my life.
For this assignment
• Your third option is to analyze a celebrity’s
image that is supported/created by the
media. This celebrity should somehow
represent an aspect of you (culture,
nationality, etc.)
First, think of a celebrity who “represents”
you in a good or bad way.
 For this assignment, I’m going to choose
• Kate Gosselin
• American, reality TV “celebrity”
• I don’t know anything about her except what the media has
told me
• To me, she (and women like her) represents reality TV stars
who are celebrities for no valid reason - the media made her
a “star,” not her actions or talent
• As a theater person, that irritates me
• As an American woman, I find it embarrassing that she
represents me to the rest of the world!
So, I ask myself:
• How has the media represented her?
 I will need to do some digging to see how the
media has represented her since she became
a celebrity.
•
•
•
•
Good mom? Overwhelmed mom? Divorced mom?
Victim? Dancer? Thinker? Not?
Irritating, constant presence (like a buzzing insect)
Author (who knew?!)
Then I ask myself:
• Why does the media represent her in this
way?
 Who benefits?
I might say something like:
• Despite attempts at establishing credibility,
Kate Gosselin is a damaging
representation of the “average American
woman.”
OR
• Despite highly publicized failures, Kate
Gosselin provides an exemplary example
of the modern American woman.
Additionally, your thesis statement should meet
the following requirements:
1. It should be interesting to your readers.
Your brain works differently than anyone
else’s. Show us a point of view or a
perspective we might not have considered
before.
… and …
• 2. It should have precise and specific
wording. Try not to use the same words
everyone else will use (good, well, bad,
etc.). When you’re writing your working
thesis, put vague words in parentheses.
Once you have settled on your idea, go
back and refine.
Last but not least
• Understand that your thesis statement
might, and probably will, change as you
draft and revise. Oftentimes when we are
writing, our ideas becomes clearer or
sometimes even shift to a slightly different
interpretation. THIS IS OKAY.
Any questions?