WEEK 6: THESIS STATEMENTS
ENGL 1301
MRS. EDLIN
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• Can you define “thesis statement?”
• The thesis statement is a single sentence in
the opening paragraph that sums up what the
essay is about.
• Every essay should have a thesis statement
that functions like a road sign, telling the
reader where the essay intends to go.
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• A thesis statement has three practical aims:
• It tells in a single sentence what your essay
is about
• It helps you organize your essay
• It reflects your understanding of the topic or
text and the argument you intend to make
about it
• What does the text say?
• What does the text do?
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• There are several faults in writing thesis
statements, but the four most common are:
• Too narrow – leaves you with little or
nothing to discuss.
• Too narrow: I had my cat declawed to
protect my furniture.
• Discussible: A declawed cat makes a good
indoor pet.
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• Too broad – commits you to a topic too big to
cover in a brief essay.
• Too broad: The detective story is an
important type of world literature.
• Narrowed: Sherlock Holmes was one of the
first popular detectives in the detective story.
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• Uncommitted or Indefinite – does not plainly
state the writer’s opinion on the subject but
instead tries to wriggle out of taking a stand.
• Uncommitted or indefinite: People love
chess.
• Better: People love chess because it is cheap
and engrossing and can be played almost
anywhere.
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• Unclear – badly written; wordy, fuzzy, or
pompous.
• Unclear: Walking is an ideal exercise of
which old and young make no difference as
far as being able to improve a physical
condition that is not particularly good.
• Clear: Walking is an ideal exercise for both
young and old people who are not in top
physical condition.
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• The thesis statement determines how good
your whole essay will be. So, keep these things
in mind when seeking to construct a good
thesis statement:
• If your thesis statement is too narrow, your
essay will be boring because it lacks a
discussible edge.
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• If your thesis statement is too broad, your
essay will either be superficial because you
didn’t deliver what you promised or too long
because you did.
• If your thesis statement is uncommitted,
your essay will drift, not clearly making a
point (because you don’t have one).
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• If your thesis statement is unclear because
of bad writing, the point of your essay will
be fuzzy; if your thesis statement is unclear
because of pompous writing, your reader
may not even bother to continue reading.
WRITING THESIS
STATEMENTS
• In short, a good thesis statement:
•
•
•
•
Has a discussible edge
Presents a manageable topic
Gives the writer’s committed opinion
Is clearly written
THESIS STATEMENT
PRACTICE
• Get with a partner. Mark the good thesis
statement in each pair and explain why it is
good.
• _____ Stephen King writes readable books
• _____ Stephen King’s books are so good
because they are about normal people who get
into supernatural situations.
• Reason:
________________________________
THESIS STATEMENT
PRACTICE
• _____ Recharging the cartridges of laser
printers saves money, recycles a useful part,
and helps the environment.
• _____ Recharging the cartridges of laser
printers is worthwhile.
• Reason:
________________________________
THESIS STATEMENT
PRACTICE
• _____ Consumer Reports magazine helps buyers
make decisions, brings them up to date, and
informs them of product recalls.
• _____ Consumer Reports magazine helps
people.
• Reason:
________________________________
Summary of thesis
statements
• “Musts” in developing a thesis statement:
• Identify the title of the essay or article you
are using as a primary text
• Identify the author of the primary text
• Identify rhetorical choices that aid in
understanding the purpose/audience of the
text
• Exemplify that you have an understanding of
the text’s purpose, audience, context, etc.
Summary of thesis
statements
• Remember, the thesis statement you begin with
may not be the thesis statement that you end
with.
• Thesis statements are always considered
“working” thesis statements because more than
likely, the will require revision.
• You should be prepared to draft, revise, and
redraft thesis statements until they are clear and
in alignment with your argument.
THESIS STATEMENT
Workshop
• With a partner, look at each others’ thesis
homework (“Laughing All the Way to the
Darwinian Bank”) and evaluate:
• What is their thesis? (Is it interesting? Specific?
Manageable?)
• What evidence do they use from the text to
support their thesis?
• Work to come up with a revised working thesis
statement.
Homework: BA4
• Objective: To develop new strategies for
writing a thesis statement.
• Purpose: One key to writing a successful
essay is to develop a focused thesis statement.
This assignment will enable you to do so.
• Description: For your draft 1.1, you will write
a rhetorical analysis. See the description of
Draft 1.1 for a discussion of what a rhetorical
analysis is and what you will be expected to
do.
Homework: BA4
• In this assignment, you will continue your
preparation for writing your rhetorical
analysis by writing thesis statements suitable
for it. Using three texts specified by your
classroom instructor, or the three texts listed
below, you will 1) identify the audience and
purpose of each text and explain what those
are in about 75- 100 words, and 2) create a
thesis statement for a rhetorical analysis of
each text.
Homework: BA4
• Remember that to successfully create your thesis
statements, you will need to read these texts carefully
(and, usually, several times) so that you thoroughly
understand the audience, purpose, and content of the
texts.
• Texts for your thesis statements:
• “The New Sovereignty,” Shelby Steele 450
• “My Pedagogic Creed,” John Dewey 460
• “The American Scholar,” Ralph Waldo Emerson 468
Other Homework
• St. Martin's Handbook: Chapter 3f-g, "Planning,"
"Drafting,"
• First-Year Writing: Ch. 11, 221-231
• “The New Sovereignty,” Shelby Steele 450
• “My Pedagogic Creed,” John Dewey 460
• “The American Scholar,” Ralph Waldo Emerson
468
• Create an outline of each text (Steele, Dewey,
Emerson) and bring them to class with you next
week.
Why and how to create
a useful outline
• It may be helpful to create an outline when you want to
show the hierarchical relationship or logical ordering of
information.
• For research papers, an outline may help you keep track
of large amounts of information.
• For creative writing, an outline may help organize the
various plot threads and help keep track of character
traits.
• Many people find that organizing an oral report or
presentation in outline form helps them speak more
effectively in front of a crowd.
Why and how to create
a useful outline
• Below are the primary reasons for creating an
outline:
• Aids in the process of writing
• Helps you organize your ideas
• Presents your material in a logical form
• Shows the relationships among ideas in your
writing
• Constructs an ordered overview of your writing
• Defines boundaries and groups
Why and how to create
a useful outline
• How do I create an outline?
• Determine the purpose of the essay paper.
• Determine the audience the essay was written
for.
• Develop a working thesis for the essay.
• Answer the question “What does the text say?”
• Answer the question “What does the text do?”