Developing a Strong Thesis Statement

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement:

  • tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
  • is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
  • directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War I or Macbeth; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the play.
  • makes a claim that others might dispute.
  • is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

Source:

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

1. A strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand.

Weak: There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.

Strong: Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.

2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.

Weak: My family is an extended family.

Strong: While most American families would view consanguineal marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.

3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.

Weak: Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.

Strong: Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.

4. A strong thesis statement is specific.

Weak: World hunger has many causes and effects.

Strong: Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.

Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, IndianaUniversity, Bloomington, IN

Common thesis mistakes—All Quiet on the Western Front Essay

1. Too vague:

The war causes people to question authority. (What war? What people? What authority? Why?)

War changes the people who fight in it. (How does it change them? Why?)

People back home have different views of the war than those fighting in it.(How are they different?)

2. Too specific:

After seeing what war is really like, Paul rejects the authority of Kantoreck, his father, and even the Kaiser. (This is too specific because the prompt is asking about how the novel works as an anti-war statement)

A good thesis statement should respond to prompt:

“How does the novel work as an anti-war statement?” Phrase your thesis statement as a complete sentence that directly answers the question of the prompt.

Note: In the part of your introduction preceding the thesis statement, you should have already identified the author, title, and war. Therefore, your thesis statement doesn’t necessarily have to mention them in detail if it would seem too redundant.

Examples of better thesis statements:

A. In his anti-war novel, Remarque describes how the brutality of war causes the soldiers to question and ultimately reject figures and institutions of authority.

B. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque expresses an anti-war sentiment by showing how experiencing the atrocities of World War One caused the soldiers involved to question and reject the authority figures who willingly sent them to war.

C. By showing how the soldiers distrust all authority figures and institutions after participating in the war, Remarque makes a powerful antiwar statement that …

Revise your thesis statement until it meets all of the following criteria:

□directly answers the question (responds to the prompt).

□tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.

□tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.

□makes a claim that others might dispute.

□expresses one main idea.

□is a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader.

□is not too vague.

□is not too specific.

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