What is a Thesis?





Persuades your reader to your point of view
It is a road map for the paper: a summary of
what your paper is about
A thesis is an answer to a question
Has opposing sides; is not a fact.
Is usually located in the beginning of your
paper
How do I know if my thesis is
strong?

Check with your teacher.
Think about the following questions:
 Did I answer a question?
 Have I taken a position that others might challenge or
oppose?
 Is my thesis statement specific enough?
 Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without
wandering?
 Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test?
So What? Are you teaching me
something new?
I hope to show why medieval teenagers lacked personal
freedom.
The lifestyle of a teenager in the Middle Ages was very
different from the lifestyle of most modern American
teenagers.
Young people in the Middle Ages, who were considered
young but responsible adults by the age of sixteen, had
fewer social choices when compared to modern
American teenagers and lived without personal privacy
or freedom.
Another Example
The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of
which were the same and some different.
A weak thesis. "What reasons? How are they the same? How are they
different?" Interpret it—why did one side think slavery was right and the
other side think it was wrong?

While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the
North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its
own institutions.
Now you have a working thesis! But it’s still a little vague and your thesis
probably wouldn’t be disputed among academics.


While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against
tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of
slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.
Thesis Statements
What NOT to do
1. Neutral Statement: no hint of
the writer’s position
There are unspoken standards of
beauty in the workplace.
Revised: Beautiful people get an
unfair advantage in the
workplace.
2. Too broad: only an
announcement
This paper is about violence on TV.
Revised: TV violence has to take
its share of blame for the violence
in our society.
3. A fact that is not arguable
Plessy v. Ferguson, a Supreme Court case
that supported racial segregation, was
overturned in 1954 by Brown v. Board of
Education.
Revised: The overturning of Plessy v.
Ferguson by Brown v. Board of Education
has still not led to equality in education.
4. A truism: obviously true
Bilingual education had advantages and
disadvantages.
Revised: Bilingual program is more effective
than an immersion program at helping
students grasp the basics of science and
math.
5. A religious conviction
Christianity is the only real religion.
Revised: The rise of Christianity
during the 1980’s has negatively
influenced politics in our country.
6. Opinion based only on feeling
Waterskiing is a dumb sport.
Revised: Water-skiing should be
banned from public beaches.
7. A sweeping generalization
Women understand how to do
housework.
Revised: A rise in the sales of
housekeeping books among men and
women suggest a new interest in the
domestic arts.