Student Question
What is a thesis statement?
Quick answer:
A thesis is a summary of the argument you plan to make in your paper. It is an opinion that the rest of your paper will strongly and specifically back up with evidence. It needs to be narrow enough to be defensible and must be supported by quotes and facts that are directly relevant to your point.
A thesis statement is the sentence that states what you are going to prove in your essay (no matter what kind of essay you are writing). It should be found at the very end of your introductory paragraph. Your thesis statement should be proved in your body paragraphs using examples from your primary source as well as quotations from your primary source.
When speaking about the form of any essay, we begin with the introduction. You can begin the introduction in any way you would like: with a general statement about your subject, a quotation, maybe a story, etc. After that, you filter your introduction down to its last sentence. As has already been indicated, your last sentence of the introduction should be your thesis.
The next part of any essay will be the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that relates directly back to...
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your thesis. The rest of the body paragraph should be used to prove that topic sentence. You should use direct examples from the literary work as well as quotations. Don't forget to EXPLAIN them as a part of your body paragraph!
The final part of your essay will be your conclusion which, of course, begins with a reworded thesis statement. This simply means that you take your original thesis statement and use different words to say the same thing. Then introduce your reader to a new idea, sum up your essay, and end with a neat clincher (something that the reader can remember).
A thesis sums up the argument you plan to make in a paper. Therefore, it should always state an opinion that is arguable. For example, saying the U.S. Civil War began in 1861 is not arguable; it is a fact. However, saying that Abraham Lincoln could have negotiated a peace settlement that preserved the union in 1861 is arguable.
A thesis statements starts with an arguable proposition. However, this proposition also has be narroweddown to be manageable. Saying, for instance, that Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is about the dark side of love is too big and vague. You would want to narrow that down and say that A Midsummer Night's Dream shows the dark side of love in Helena's pursuit of Demetrius and in Oberon's manipulation of Titania with a love potion.
Finally, a thesis statement has to be defensible and supportable. This means you must be able to gather quotes, facts, and information that support it clearly. Students often fall down here: they have a strong thesis statement that is arguable and narrow enough, but then the evidence they gather doesn't support the thesis. You will want to make sure that, for example, if you are arguing for the dark side of love, your examples are not supporting the bright and sparkling side of love.
Don't be afraid of the thesis statement. Argue boldly, but support your argument with relevant evidence.
What is a thesis?
A thesis statement tells the focus and purpose of your essay. The thesis clarifies the main argument of the essay and also usually provides insight into the organization of the essay by listing the main subpoints to be addressed. A good thesis statement makes a strong assertion--remember, you are trying to prove a point!
Usually, the thesis statement appears in the last sentence of the introduction paragraph; writers include it in the introduction paragraph, so the reader will understand the purpose of the essay before delving into the main crux of the writer's argument.