What is a thesis statement?
A ONE SENTENCE ARGUMENT ABOUT A TOPIC (this should guide your papers!) It
is the main idea of your essay, and everything you write needs to
What makes my thesis statement strong?
It is aggressive, articulate, intelligent, critical, not incredibly short, and wellthought out!
Why do we need them?
Because this is something you should be proving throughout your whole paper! It
helps you stay focused and tells the reader what the point of your paper is in a
simple, direct manner.
Example of a boring thesis statement:
Tybalt is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Example of a great thesis statement:
Tybalt’s mercurial and poorly planned revenge plot ultimately causes the deaths
of his beloved cousin and her husband, Romeo in William Shakespeare’s Romeo
and Juliet.
Notice a few things about a strong thesis—
1. Name the book, play or poem’s title
2. Use strong word choices and complex sentence structure
3. I keep my argument open in case I want to add or delete topics (body
paragraphs)
4. I do not have quotes in my thesis—EVER! Think of it like a main idea.
5. I do not use I think or I believe, or anything like that. “I” IS FORBIDDEN!!!!
Now, it is your turn.
Names of Group Members: _________________________________________
Draft five possible thesis statements for your paper. Use different phrasing and
style, and then turn into me so I can tell you which one works best and approve
your for the next step of your essay!
Who will you blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet (PICK ONE CHARACTER
ONLY!)
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