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Thesis Statements
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Review
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What did we say last week a thesis statement was?

What is our past experience with thesis statements?
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Thesis Statements are…
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A Thesis Statement is the roadmap of your essay.
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It tells the reader what you are going to argue.
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The thesis statement can change/evolve while you are
writing your paper.
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Without a thesis statement…
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Your paper is directionless. Your reader will very likely get
lost.
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You must tell us your argument.
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How does it form?
1. Rhetorical choice of personal stories, friendly tone
2. Personal stories, friendly tone make effective argument
3. Thompson uses personal stories and a friendly tone in
his argument.
(between 3 and 4, your thesis should narrow)
4. Thompson uses personal stories and tells of his
extensive research in the area to make his readers
believe in his credibility. This rhetorical choice,
combined with his friendly tone, creates an effective
argument for ----.
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Where in your essay should a
thesis appear?
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For a rhetorical analysis, the best place for a thesis is the end
of your Introduction paragraph (your first paragraph).
 Opening
sentence.
 Background
on author/topic
 Brief
overarching summary of the article (includes
purpose and audience)
 Your
argument about the essay (thesis)
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How long is a thesis statement?
 1-2
sentences usually
 Can
be more, but more than likely
unnecessary for this rhetorical analysis
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What does a strong thesis
statement look like?
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Although Myers includes many convincing logical
arguments through the use of historical facts, her readers
may doubt her objectivity because of her sarcastic tone.
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Roberts employs the rhetorical appeals of anecdotes and
testimony effectively. However, his use of unsupported
reasoning causes his readers to doubt his claim that ---is supported by research.
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Mitchell’s attempt to convince the audience that ----- is
unsuccessful because of his insensitive word choice and
angry tone.
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How many rhetorical choices
should I list in my thesis?
No
2
4
less than 3.
is often not enough to fill 1200 words.
is possible, but may not leave you the room to
elaborate effectively on each choice within the
word count.
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What is a weak thesis statement?
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A topic
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An opinion
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A question
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A statement
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A surprise at the end of your paper
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No Qualifiers
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A good thesis statement is a declarative sentence with no
qualifiers (might, maybe, perhaps, etc.):
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Good example: Lebron James' ability to score, pass, and
rebound make him the league's most valuable player.
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Bad example: Does Lebron James' ability to score, pass, and
rebound make him the league's most valuable player?
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Bad Example: Lebron James' ability to score, pass, and rebound
just might make him the league's most valuable player.
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What does a weak thesis statement
look like?
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The death penalty is a big issue in the United States.
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The author claims the death penalty is a big issue in
the United States.
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I’m going to examine how this author uses pathos,
ethos, and logos to convince his audience.
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The author uses pathos, ethos and logos.
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Five Types of Weak Thesis
Statements
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Don’t bother make a claim.
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This paper will address the characteristics of a good
corporate manager.
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So? What’s your point?
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Five Types of Weak Thesis
Statements
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The thesis is obviously true or simply a statement of fact.
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The jeans industry targets its advertisements to appeal to
young adults.
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The flight from teaching to research and publishing in higher
education is a controversial issue in the academic world. I
will show different views and aspects concerning this
problem.
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So? What’s your point?
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Five Types of Weak Thesis
Statements
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Thesis statement repeats conventional wisdom.
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An important part of one’s college education is learning to
better understand others’ points of view.
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From cartoons in the morning to adventure shows at night,
there is too much violence on television.
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So? What’s your point?
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Five Types of Weak Thesis
Statements
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Thesis statement offers personal conviction as basis of claim
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Although I agree with Jeane Kirkpatrick’s argument that
environmentalists and businesses should work together to
ensure the ecological future of the world, and that this
cooperation is beneficial for both sides, the indisputable fact
is that environmental considerations should always be a part
of any decision that is made. Any individual, if he looks
deeply enough into his soul, knows what is right and what is
wrong. The environment should be protected because it is
the right thing to do, not because someone is forcing you to
do it.
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So? What’s your point?
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Five Types of Weak Thesis
Statements
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Make an overly broad claim.
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Violent revolutions have had both positive and negative
results for man.
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There are many similarities and differences between the
Carolingian and the Burgundian Renaissances.
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Othello is a play about love and jealousy.
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So? What’s your point?
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Easy way to test your thesis
Your
thesis should make a claim with
which it would be possible for readers
to disagree.
If
not, revise.
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Let’s workshop our thesis
statements
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Anyone want to share their thesis statements?
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Get into groups based on essay you wrote a thesis for.
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Work together to create a solid thesis statement.
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Let’s go over them.