Download Thesis

Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask
What is the thesis of an essay?
•Controlling idea
•Main idea
•Point the writer is trying to make
•It can be expressed in a one or two sentence
statement.
What does a thesis do?
 Determines the content of the essay:
 Everything the writer says in an essay must be
logically related to the thesis
 When an essay is finished, sometimes the thesis
statement needs to be revised to fit with the
content. Writers do sometimes change their minds
or find out new information.
How can you develop a working
thesis?
 Start by asking a question that you would like to
answer. For Example:
How does Ralph in Lord of the Flies stand up for
something he believes in?
Try to answer the question:
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph
stands up for himself when he claims leadership.
But after a draft or two:
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Ralph is a character who stands up to his wouldbe enemies by proving on several occasions that
he is the better leader.
Another way to begin is:
Think about what you’re trying to prove and start
with:
What I’m trying to prove is that
Ralph had to stand up to his enemies
on the island to prove he was the
better leader.
Later, you can remove “What I’m trying to prove is”
and you are left with:
Ralph had to stand up to his
enemies on the island to prove he was
the better leader.
Test your thesis statement:
 Does my thesis have a clear point of view on my topic?
What is that point of view? Could someone disagree
with my point?
 Is my thesis too general? Are there too many issues to
cover in order to prove my point?
 Is my thesis too specific? Are there too few issues for
me to write about?
 Would someone besides me care about this thesis?
Who?
Source Used
 Eschholz, Paul & Rosa, Alfred. Models for Writers:
Short Essays for Composition. Boston:
Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2012