Thesis statements and Topic Sentences
A good thesis sentence focuses clearly on its topic, stating a thoughtful, provable opinion about it. The best thesis statements do this in a refined way, which draws subtle distinctions. The same is true for good topic sentences.
- Focused: it addresses the right question
- Clear: clear writing helps readers understand what you are trying to say. You can become clear by boiling your writing to the simplest possible form. This is very important!
- Unified : one idea, not a hodgepodge of unrelated parts.
- Thoughtful: looks deeper into the question, making a refined and subtle distinction
- Provable: the proof you need is available in the text, and you know how to analyze it to support your opinion.
Rate these samples from A to D. A is best, D is worst. Remember that the question was,“Is Jessep the man he think he is?”
- Jessep is a morally corrupt, selfish man who is the head of Guantanamo Bay naval base.
- Jessep protects the country and the marine code, but his manner of protecting it violates that very code.
- Nathan Roy Jessep, a selfish man, protects America and has high standards for his marines and he is doing things that hurt the Marine Corps, but he thinks he is a good person.
- Jessep does everything to protect the country and he has high moral values, but he does bad things to Santiago and Dawson.
- Although Jessep sees himself as the embodiment of the Marine Corps code, his power blinds him to the reality that he actually embodies the exact opposite.
Dividing Up Your Opinion/Thesis
Dividing your opinion/thesis into parts makes it much easier to tackle in the body of the paper. This is because you only have to handle one little part of the thesis in each paragraph, instead of trying to do everything all at once. And, if you arrange those parts in a sensible order, it gives your paragraphs a sense of flow that makes the paper feel like it’s really going somewhere. So, how do you do this?
- The easiest way is if you already have a refined thesis statement because then all you have to do is break up the paragraphs according to the parts of the thesis.
- But, if your thesis is still a little wonky, you have another choice, you can always go back to the topic and your notes about it, figure out how to divide those notes up into separate, related parts, and organize your paragraphs that way. Then go back and revise the thesis