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How do I write a thesis statement?
I quite
liked the answer on this topic posted on the UNC Chapel Hill
Writing Center website:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html
An interesting website will attempt to automatically create a thesis statement for you based on your answers to several questions. http://www.ozline.com/electraguide/thesis.html
Nonetheless, here's my attempt at an answer.
You must make know what you want to write about, so that you can sum it up in one sentence, right? Yet this task always strikes me as something along the lines of 'Which came first, the chicken or the egg?' Sometimes I need to develop the thesis sentence, so I can identify what arguments I should flesh out in the rest of the paper to support the thesis statement. Sometimes, I need to write on my topic for awhile, analyzing the book or the research and drawing some conclusions, before I can decide on one specific main point to include in the thesis.
Everyone has a different process, and sometimes it may depend on the complexity of the assignment.
However, if you are having a lot of trouble getting started, and want me to boss you around, why don't you try this...
Step one: Brainstorm a list of the main ideas or points you want to include in your paper.
- writing process
- effort
Mark Twain
wheeler dealer
success
failure
personal tragedies
the POWER process
Prepare? yes
Organize? yes
Work? yes
Evaluate? yes but
Rethink? yes
many revisions
money troubles
world traveler
Step two: Go through that list with a highlighter and pick out about five or six main words that seem important and likely to be in your thesis statement.
- success
failure
all five steps of the POWER process
effort
Mark Twain
Step three: Create a list of arguments you might make in your paper. Be creative, don't hold back--it's nice to have a number to choose from so you can get your best ideas in there.
Step four: Pick out the strongest arguments and consider ways to mention them in your thesis statement. You can specifically list them, as I did in this sample thesis statement:
By using a child narrator in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee is able to critique social mores and expectations, including parodying educational trends, questioning gender roles, and most of all, showcasing the tragedy of institutionalized racism.
- *My
main arguments are
a) she parodies educational trends
b) she questions gender roles and
c) she showcases the tragedy of institutionalized racism.
It may take me more than three paragraphs to elaborate and defend those arguments, but they will be my main points.
Or you can refer to them in a summarized way, as I did in this sample thesis statement
A comparison of Chu's Eat a Bowl of Tea and Okada's No-No Boy reveals insights into the internal and external conflicts faced by Asian Americans following World War II.
- *My
paper should include the following arguments or topics:
a comparison of these two books looking particularly at
a) the internal conflicts faced by the main characters
b) external conflicts they face
c) explanation of what the books reveal about life as an Asian American in the U.S. following WWII
I may or may not structure the paper in that order, but those concepts will be raised in my paper.
Step Five: Compose several versions of your thesis statement. Be prepared to change the thesis statement after you have written your paper to reflect the final product.
Good luck!
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