Download The Thesis Statement

They can take our land.
They can take our LIVES!
But they CANNOT take….
OUR THESIS STATEMENTS!!
The Thesis
Statement
Defined: a thesis statement is a
one (rarely two) sentence
“announcement” of your topic and
what you want to say about it
WHAT does
A thesis statement
say?!
What do you THINK!?
It answers the question,
“What I am going to show you
in this paper!”
But don’t you dare use those
exact words, or (teacher’s name here)’s
head will blow up. Hey, that sounds
pretty cool. Let’s try it.
Steps in a Research Paper
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Select a topic
Conduct your research
Construct a thesis statement
Gather source card info
Compose list of Works
Consulted
Steps in a Research Paper
6.
7.
8.
Take notes, prepare note
cards
Outline your paper
Write rough draft
a)
b)
c)
9.
Edit & revise for content (spelling, etc.)
Edit & revise for format
At least 2-3 others read paper
Prep, format final paper
The Essay Structure
Part of Essay
It’s Function or Job
Intro & Thesis
Body
Conclusion
“What I am going
to show you.”
SHOW me!
“What I just
showed you.”
•Thesis is usually the last sentence of the introduction
Your thesis
statement is
the
foundation
of your
essay
Thesis Statement
What it will be
built upon
Every paragraph
in the essay
Every sentence in
the essay
SUPPORTS the
THESIS and is
BUILT on it
If not, the thesis,
and the paper,
(building) falls
Your Job With Thesis?
Decide what your final product should look like
House = Your Essay / Your MESSAGE
Thesis = Foundation of the House
Some thesis statements simply
state the topic
(This is what you did in elementary school)
“Vinnie Ream was
commissioned by Congress in
1866 to sculpt a memorial
statue of Abraham Lincoln.”
This is the big leagues!
YOUR thesis statement must do MORE!
Oh wow, I crushed that one.
The thesis statement
must provide not just the
topic of the paper, but
what you are going to
SHOW THE READER
about that topic.
“Congress’ 1866 decision to
award 18-year-old Vinnie
Ream the commission for a
marble statue memorializing
Abraham Lincoln propelled
the young artist to a
successful career as one of
America’s most
accomplished sculptors.”
This
thesis
statement
gives us
the topic
AND the
main idea
of this
essay
“What I
am going
to show
you!”
Good Thesis Statement
Five Attributes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Tackles a subject on which reasonable people
could disagree
Deals with a subject that can be researched
Expresses one main “umbrella” idea
Asserts the author’s conclusions about the
subject…it is declarative and takes a stand
Is clear and specific
Five Attributes - #1
Tackles a subject on which reasonable
people could disagree
“Congress’ 1866 decision to award 18-year-old Vinnie Ream the
commission for a marble statue memorializing Abraham Lincoln
propelled the young artist to a successful career as one of
America’s most accomplished sculptors.”


Reasonable people COULD disagree about this thesis.
Art historians could easily disagree about the role of this statue in
the career of Vinnie Ream.
Five Attributes - #2
Deals with a subject that can be researched
“Congress’ 1866 decision to award 18-year-old Vinnie Ream the
commission for a marble statue memorializing Abraham Lincoln
propelled the young artist to a successful career as one of
America’s most accomplished sculptors.”



This thesis can definitely be researched
Good librarians in libraries can definitely help researchers find art
history sources covering Vinnie Ream and his career
Maybe not a good high school topic, but college level research
could be done on this thesis
Five Attributes - #3
Deals with one main umbrella idea
“Congress’ 1866 decision to award 18-year-old Vinnie Ream the
commission for a marble statue memorializing Abraham Lincoln
propelled the young artist to a successful career as one of
America’s most accomplished sculptors.”


On first glance, a LOT going on in this thesis…but…
The central idea of this thesis is Ream’s sculpture of Lincoln and
its impact on his career
Five Attributes - #4
Asserts the author’s conclusions about the
topic; it is declarative and takes a stand
“Congress’ 1866 decision to award 18-year-old Vinnie Ream the
commission for a marble statue memorializing Abraham Lincoln
propelled the young artist to a successful career as one of
America’s most accomplished sculptors.”


This writer’s stand is clear…Ream’s Lincoln statue made him one
of America’s most accomplished sculptors
This writer has taken a stand, said “This is true”
Five Attributes - #5
Is clear and specific
“Congress’ 1866 decision to award 18-year-old Vinnie Ream the
commission for a marble statue memorializing Abraham Lincoln
propelled the young artist to a successful career as one of
America’s most accomplished sculptors.”


This thesis is long, but definitely clear and easy to understand
It is specific…”which decision by Congress?”…”which
statue?”….”what specifically was the impact of that statue?”
Strong or Weak Thesis
How to Tell?
Reasonable People Could Disagree
WOULD WE DISAGREE? - “Abortion is a
controversial topic.”
OH YEAH! - “While America remains divided
on the controversial topic of abortion, the
extreme emotions exhibited by proponents on
the pro-life side of the issue hamper
constructive debate and prevent the country
from finding workable solutions.”
Is Researchable
CANNOT RESEARCH - “The Los Angeles
Lakers will win the NBA title this year.”
CAN RESEARCH - “The Los Angeles Lakers
have benefited from strategic use of free
agency and a willingness to spend money to
sign top free agents, making them one of the
elite organizations in the National Basketball
Association.”
Expresses ONE Main Idea
ONE IDEA? - “Companies need to exploit
the marketing potential of the Internet,
and web pages are great sources of
advertising and customer support.”
Is this thesis about marketing on the Internet,
about web pages, advertising or customer
support? Confusion……the enemy of the
thesis.
Expresses ONE Main Idea
ONE IDEA - “Companies should exploit
the marketing potential of the Internet by
using web pages that offer both
advertising and customer support.”
This thesis is about ONE idea (marketing power of
the Internet for companies), and it shows HOW
two aspects of that one idea (advertising and
customer support) are related
Takes a Stand
NO STAND - “There are some positive
and negative aspects to the Banana Herb
Tea Supplement.”
STRONG STAND - “Because Banana
Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid
weight loss that results in a significant
decrease of muscle and lean body mass, it
poses a potential danger to customers.”
Reminder…
Avoid calling someone
or something “the
greatest” in a
thesis
You cannot take THAT
stand…
How do you prove it?
Oh, really?!
The greatest!?
PROVE IT!!
Is Specific and Clear
SPECIFIC? - “Hunger in
America has many
causes and effects.”
Can “hunger in America” be discussed
thoroughly in five or ten pages?
“many causes and effects” is vague
Is Specific and Clear
SPECIFIC - “Hunger persists in
Appalachia because jobs are
scarce and farming in the infertile
soil is rarely profitable.”
Here the subject is narrowed to a more specific
and manageable topic, hunger in Appalachia
It also identifies the specific causes of the hunger
Unclear and Vague
“If you want to be a lifelong bicyclist,
you need to take care of a lot of things.”
Clear and Specific
“If you take precautions with clothing,
equipment, and safety, you can enjoy
bicycling throughout your life.”
Aaaauuugggghhhhh!!
The thesis statement!
It’s coming! Save me!
How to Write a
Good Thesis
Statement
One of the mysteries of
essay writing
As you think about what your thesis will
be, it helps to start with a question




Why was Beethoven so successful despite
being deaf?
Why was Osama bin Laden so angry at the
West and America?
Why is nuclear energy so good/bad for energy
development at this point in time?
What did the Red Sox have to overcome as an
organization in 2004 to win the World Series?
Then answer the question
Beethoven’s bold reaction to his
deafness and his deep love of
music were the pivotal factors
in his development as a
successful and famous
composer.
The answer to the question helps lead you to your
thesis
Now…You’re Ready for the Steps
Step One

State the topic in
one or two words
Spongebob
Squarepants
Step Two

Narrow the topic



Get specific using your research and readings
Focus on specific direction you want to take the essay
This is making a decision
Spongebob
and his
relationship
to Squidward
in the series
Step Three

Take a position on the topic
Spongebob and Squidward are
important to the show,
“Spongebob Squarepants”.
Thesis is becoming specific, and it asserts the
author’s position….but there are still vague terms in
it…important HOW, WHY are they important?
Step Four

Add specific language to help make it detailed
and clear
The difficult relationship of Spongebob
and Squidward is central to the show
“Spongebob Squarepants” because
their constant confrontations are the
focus for the cartoon’s unique,
slapstick humor.
Step Five

Make sure you have made an assertion you
can SHOW, PROVE through your research

Can you SHOW, PROVE, SUPPORT the underlined assertions with
research?
The relationship of Spongebob and Squidward
is central to the show “Spongebob
Squarepants” because their constant
confrontations are the focus for the
cartoon’s unique, slapstick humor.
Helpful Hint…
Start your thesis with a
subordinate clause
(which begin with subordinate
conjunctions….remember?)
“because”
“since”
“so”
“although”
“unless”
Another hint you inferior humans.
Now come here so I can zap you
with my double jaws.
Helpful Hint #2
NO QUESTIONS in thesis
statements!!
Huh??
“The question of whether
Stalin or Hitler was the
more brutal dictator is an
interesting one. Which
one was it?”
Helpful Hint #3
#!#%%#@!#
What a lousy thesis!
Start over…grrrrr
You can CHANGE your thesis,
so don’t panic!



Write a preliminary thesis
statement to get the first draft
started
Think about it…change it if
you want to, need to
Thesis statements are
adaptable, under YOUR
control!
Preliminary and Revised Thesis
Preliminary
Revised for Final Draft
It seldom rains in the
Sonoran Desert, but
when it does, there
are radical changes
that occur
throughout the
desert that impact all
life.”
“Although rain seldom
comes to the Sonoran
Desert, flash flooding
that occurs during
heavy rains create
major changes in the
lives of animals,
plants, and the
landscape of the
region.”
One Final Sample
Which is better?
The Gettysburg
Address was a
great speech and
made America
recognize Lincoln.
Which is better?
The Gettysburg Address
was the best speech
ever given by Lincoln,
and helped contribute to
his legacy as a great
statesman.
Which is better?
“Because it focused the North on
the cause of winning the Civil War
at a vulnerable moment, the
Gettysburg Address was Lincoln’s
defining moment and saved the
country.