4.19.

11
DEVELOPING THE THESIS STATEMENT MODULE
What is a Thesis?
Arguably the most important sentence in the academic essay, the thesis statement is the central
argument that a writer explores and defends in his or her paper. It must do several important things:
o mae a focused claim that is debatable
o tae a ris by saying something uni!ue or even strange
o mae an argument based on evidence "including contradictory evidence#
o govern the entire paper
A thesis is $%&:
o A topic. A thesis maes an argument about the topic.
o A purpose statement. &he di'erence between a purpose statement and a thesis statement is the
di'erence between summary and argument: a purpose statement describes an event or conclusion
and details the way in which the essay will be organi(ed, whereas a thesis statement argues a point
and may include an element of organi(ation. $early all academic essays re!uire theses, but usually
only longer papers include both.
Practice: Identify each example below as either a purpose statement or a thesis statement. )xplain your
reasoning.
)*A+,-) A: +y essay will show that .arac %bama/s &ucson address to commemorate the victims of the
0anuary 1211 shooting is simultaneously an address to comfort a grieving nation and a call to reform our
political dialogue.
3rite here:
)*A+,-) .: 4espite the fact that isolationist policies have usually characteri(ed political relations between
5hina and America, increasing trade opportunities seem to signal a new age for 5hinese6American
interaction.
3rite here:
Starting fro Scratch: Disco!ering the Thesis
%ccasionally, a client will want to create a thesis statement for an assignment without having any other
written materials. In this case, brainstorming in order to help the client create a woring thesis may help
him or her move to the next stage in the writing process. 5onsider the following strategies:
7uestions, 7uestions, 7uestions
1. .egin by asing, 8what interests the writer, and why9: 3rite these ideas down.
1. &ransform these ideas into claims, for at its essence, a thesis maes a claim. +ost claims fall under
one of ;ve categories "a claim can include more than one of the following, since these categories
are interrelated#:
"ese#$ance% &his type of claim highlights the similarities between two "or more# elements or
texts while also detailing the di'erences. It then proves the signi;cance of these similarities or
di'erences, drawing conclusions without <udging or valuing one over the other.
4.19.11
E!a$&ation% An evaluation claim builds o' the idea of comparison, but maes a <udgment as to
which element is better. &his ind of claim might also tae shape by comparing and contrasting the
writer/s opinions with the opinions of another and explaining why the writer/s views are correct.
De'nition% &his type of claim uses evidence to argue the meaning of an abstract idea or sub<ect.
(a&sa$% A causal claim suggests that one element a'ects another or that a particular outcome is
the result of a speci;c cause.
Pro)osa$% &his ind of claim argues whether an action or solution should or should not be
implemented.
=. >elp the client hone in on his or her favorite or most uni!ue claim. 5ontinue posing 8how,: 8why,:
and 8so what9: !uestions to probe deeper into the topic and to develop a woring thesis.
4. -ist what must be discussed in the paper in order to prove this thesis. As !uestions to ensure the
thesis is rich and detailed.
)*A+,-): ?ince successful, new teachers are in@uential in reshaping stagnant educational policies,
the insuAcient number of new teachers in school systems across America could contribute to the
failure of worthwhile reform ideas.
o 4e;ne 8stagnant policies: that new teachers in@uence
o )xplain how such teachers in@uence policies
o 4etail why so few new teachers are entering the system
o 4iscuss examples of worthwhile reform ideas that might not come to fruition without
teacher support
3hile the answers to these !uestions could deepen or mae more powerful woring thesis
statements, they can also be used to develop di'erent parts of the essay. &his list can become an
outline, could provide the context necessary for the introduction, could develop the conclusion, or
could become topic sentences.
&ry outlining an introduction. &his is often helpful because it allows the client to explain bacground
information necessary to the topic, allowing for a thesis that is free from extra information.
Braphically display the thesis development if possible. &he following chart displays two ways to go
about creating a thesis, depending on what the client brings to the session. If the client has notes
and sources he or she plans on using as evidence, but has no clear idea of where to begin writing,
you might suggest using in*&cti!e reasoning+ If, on the other hand, the client has a sense of
what his or her argument might be, but needs to gather evidence to support this tentative claim,
*e*&cti!e reasoning might be more suited to the session.
Inductive Ceasoning vs. 4eductive Ceasoning
1. ?earch through the evidenceDtext for
patterns and details.
1. ?tart with an initial hypothesis, a woring
thesis that suggests connections between
di'ering ideas.
1. Isolate the details and evaluate their
initial meanings without maing <udgments,
hypotheses, or assumptions.
1. -oo through evidence with this thesis in
mind and continue to mae connections,
careful not to ignore evidence that doesn/t
;t.
4.19.11
=. )valuate their deeper meanings and
connotations until it becomes possible to
;nd connecting themes throughout the
evidence.
=. 5ontinue to revise the thesis with the
inclusion of new evidence that supports or
refutes the initial claim.
Eorm a thesis statement that incorporates your evidence into a cohesive
claim, recogni(ing that this statement is vulnerable and sub<ect to change.
5ompareD5ontrast 4iagrams are another way to graphically display the development of a thesis.
BeneralD+eD&he &ext
&his table forces the client to address general assumptions as well as the client/s own opinions and the
meaning of the text. Fse full sentences to encourage the formation of claims early on, and include page
numbers when applicable.
Beneral +e &he &ext
+ost people I/ve met tend to
lie dogs more than they lie
cats.
5ats are my favorite animal. Cecent polls show that G4H
of Americans say they lie
dogs a lot, while only 41H
say they lie cats a lot "12#.
Ienn 4iagram &he Ienn diagram is a classic tool for comparing and contrasting two ideas. It usually exists
in bullet6point form, but can be used to create more complex organi(ational tools.
Initial Claim: Early Conservation had negative efects.
&opic A ?imilarities &opic .
5onservation
removed land
use rights of
Appalachian
citi(ens, who
then set ;re to
government land
$ative Americans
were removed
from Jellowstone
and their
controlled ;res
could no longer
bene;t the land
66hurt
people
66harmed
ecosyste
m
66people
removed
from land
66;re
4.19.11
+odi;ed Ienn 4iagram &his modi;ed version allows for subcategories and for more detail. )ncouraging
the client to write similarities in complete sentences forces him or her to mae claims early on in the
writing process and produces possible claim statements for use in the body of the essay.
Assignment: Compare the searches for truth and faith in Miltons and Spensers respective tets.
+ilton ?imilarities ?penser
Eorm: ,ersuasive ?peech
o addressing a speci;c
audience: ,arliament
o straightforward
+ilton and ?penser use
di'erent rhetorical strategies
in depicting their !uests for
truth and faith.
Eorm: Allegory
o no speci;c audience
"literate people#
o hidden meanings
o layers and details
Celigion
o ,rotestant6 eep
!uestioning to ;nd
truth
o publish boos free
from censorship
o arguing a point: to
!uestion the church is
encouraged
If 5hristians do not
constantly !uestion their
religion, they will drift away
from both faith and truth.
Celigion
o ,rotestant6 obvious
o poes at 5atholicism
o Cedcrosse doesn/t
!uestion and he
screws up all the time
Appearance vs. ?ubstance
o should not be a forced
outward consensus
masing inner
divisions
0ust as ?penser critici(ed
Cedcrosse for his internal sin,
so too +ilton reproaches the
5hurch for masing its inner
divisions. .oth 5hurch and
Cedcrosse must redress
these discrepancies between
appearance and substance
to achieve their !uests.
Appearance vs. ?ubstance
o outward appearance
of virtue disguises sin
.egin with a sentence diagram in order to get the client started. 4rafting a larger claim that encompasses
these sub6claims can be a way to create a woring thesis. 4on/t forget to continue to as !uestions to help
the thesis evolve.
4.19.11
!edcrosse should "uestion !edcrosse represents the Church
7F)?&I%$I$B EAI&>DC)-IBI%$ I$$)CD%F&)C 5%$?I?&)$5J
Church should allo# "uestioning
3%CKI$B &>)?I?: +ilton and ?penser promote !uestioning of faith to realign the outward appearance and
inward substance. %nly then can the !uests for truth and faith be undertaen successfully.
%f what9 3hat !uests in particular9
Practice
Biven the following assignments, how would you help your client get to a point where he or she can draft a
thesis9 .e sure to use more than one strategy.
A??IB$+)$& 1: ?elect two abstract drawings that you can view in person L either at a local +useum or a
5hicago +useum. 4escribe each wor and then compare and contrast the two. 3hat concepts or sub<ects
does the artist wish to convey9 >ow does the artist convey the sub<ect through materials and techni!ue9
3rite here:
A??IB$+)$& 1: Assess the e'ectiveness of ,resident %bama/s healthcare plan. Fse materials from class
and articles from !uality sources to inform your decision.
3rite here:
Starting fro a Draft: ($arif,ing the Thesis Stateent
+ore often than not, clients will have drafts that lac clear thesis statements. 5lients may also come to the
5enter thining they have thesis statements when what they really have are summaries. In this case, your
<ob as a tutor is to help a client move from a sentence that describes something to a sentence that taes a
stand. In other cases, you may have to create a thesis from the points made in the existing draft.
&he &hree6story &hesis
%ne way to begin moving from summary to argument is to identify a thesis as falling into one of the
8&hree6story &hesis: categories. &he goal of this is to transform a thesis from explaining a surface6level
claim to a maing strong, in6depth argument. Jou learned this method in the 4iscussing )ssay ?tructure
module under the heading, 8A 4evelopmental Approach to the &hesis: %ne ?tep at a &ime.: Ceview it
below:
&he one%stor, thesis maes a statement that lacs analysis, answering 8what9: without interpreting
between elements. &his type of thesis simply shows the writer is familiar with the material.
)*A+,-): >ermione Branger is a stereotypical booworm.
&he t-o%stor, thesis analy(es facts and examines relationships and connections between elements,
answering both 8what9: and 8how9: without exploring tension or contradiction. &his type of thesis helps
the reader understand something he or she might have otherwise missed.
4.19.11
)*A+,-): .y contrasting booish and heroic !ualities, Cowling shows that >ermione Branger is not
<ust a booworm.
&he three%stor, thesis, or tension thesis, encompasses all angles of an issue, using tension or
contradicting elements to !ualify relationships and mae an argument that answers 8what9: and 8how:
while also exploring the 8why9: !uestion. &his type of thesis challenges assumptions and proves a
statement, usually explaining its signi;cance to the world at large.
)*A+,-): Although >ermione initially displays all the characteristics of a stereotypical booworm,
her subse!uent displays of courage, adventurousness, and loyal friendship prove that she is a round
character.
Progressing fro one .stor,/ to the ne0t:
o Cepeatedly as !uestions: 3hy is this interesting9 3hy does it matter9 >ow does this relate to the
assumptions of others9
o .e speci;c: If the client is interested in how di'erent authors view a particular issue, for example,
which texts or aspects of a larger issue will he or she explore9 >ow are these texts similar9 >ow do
they di'er, and why9 3hy do these di'erences or similarities matter9
o Cevisit the texts or evidence: >ave new patterns become visible9 >ow did this exploration of the
text di'er from the last9 Is the topic more complex that it seemed at ;rst9
o Eocus on relationships: >ow is each idea connected to the next9 4oes one contradict another9 Is
one a result of the previous idea9 4o two ideas coincide or re@ect each other9
o >ave the client write a brief summary of the essay, and then have him or her identify a sentence or
two within that summary that captures what the client is trying to say. Fse that to create a thesis
statement by adding argument and probing deeper with 8how,: 8why,: and 8so what9: !uestions.
)*)C5I?): 4etermine whether the following sentences are one6story, two6story, or three6story theses.
3hat !uestions might you as in order to move a lesser thesis to the third story9
)*A+,-): In ?haespeare/s sonnet 1M, the speaer compares his lover to a summer/s day in order to
praise his lover/s superior beauty.
3rite here:
)*A+,-): +arie de Erance treats adultery very inconsistently: some adulterous characters are rewarded,
while others are punished. &ypically, the author rewards those characters who enter into adulterous
relationships to escape from an unhappy marriage, and she punishes those who commit adultery simply
for lust or pro;t.
3rite here:
Fsing )xisting ,aragraphs
?ometimes it helps to thin of the thesis and its accompanying paragraphs as part of a symbiotic
relationship: while the thesis guides the meaning and order of these paragraphs, the paragraphs in turn
must support and prove the thesis. If the client has a thesis but lacs a draft, he or she must build this
relationship by creating paragraphs that support the thesis. If, however, the client has a draft but lacs a
thesis, he or she must then create a thesis that encompasses the argument made by the existing
paragraphs. 5onsider the following strategies:
4.19.11
o &he bacwards outline is your friendN 5reating an outline of the essay helps mae visible the claims
made in the existing paragraphs. &hese sub6claims can then be used in creating an all6
encompassing thesis statement.
o 5harts or diagrams that clarify connections between the existing claims often help draw out deeper
ideas about the topic. A thesis can then be drafted from the resulting connections.
o 5onsider the evidence. 3hat type of claim ;ts best "resemblance, evaluation, causal, de;nition, or
proposal#9 Fse the guidelines of this type of claim as a template for creating a thesis.
)xercise: Biven the following list of an essay/s topic sentences, how might you get the client to create a
woring thesis9
o &he contrast of ?iobhan/s androgynous appearance against the nude/s faceless femininity
emphasi(es the importance of ?iobhan/s inner character over the ob<ecti;ed female body.
o &his contrast pits the !ueer female against traditional feminine beauty, thus accentuating the
sub<ect/s 8otherness.:
o 3hen one loos beyond the <uxtaposition of !ueer female and classical nude, however, the ob<ects
at the sin beneath the mirror reveal the potential for transformation of identity and thus for the
forgetting of 8otherness.:
o 3hile Boldin/s photograph and the concepts underlying the image may have been striing at the
time, ?iobhan seems a stereotypical, two6dimensional representation of a lesbian by today/s
standards.
o Iisually, of course, the image remains appealing, and the ultimate ideas inherent in the wor raise
important !uestions.
3rite here:
Testing the Thesis
&he woring thesis must be tested many times for depth, strength, and clarity. .elow are several strategies
for assessing the status of a thesis and determining how to ;x it before continuing.
?ix ?teps for +aing a &hesis )volve
Cemember that the thesis will change drastically over the course of the writing process. %ne way to
understand this evolution is through 8&he ?ix ?teps for +aing a &hesis )volve::
1. .egin with a simple argument. 3hat is the initial claim about the topic9
1. Fse this thesis and apply it to the evidence as much as possible by drafting or outlining the essay.
=. Identify evidence that does not ;t the thesis.
4. )xplain how and why the evidence does not ;t the thesis "or the thesis does not ;t the evidence#.
O. 5hange the thesis to include this evidence by either resolving or explaining contradictions
"language such as 8although,: 8despite,: 8because,: and 8butDhowever: is often useful here#.
P. Cepeat the previous steps as necessary.
4.19.11
,rioriti(e
3hen analy(ing a thesis statement, you might ;nd yourself overwhelmed with too many issues in one
sentence. As yourself the following !uestions when reading through a thesis in order to help you
determine where to begin. If you come to a !uestion and the answer is 8no,: then address this issue before
moving on to the next.
1. 4oes the thesis answer the !uestion or assignment9
1. 4oes the thesis statement mae an argument that is debatable9
=. Is the argument speci;c, focused, and original9
4. 5an the argument be supported with evidence9
O. 4oes the thesis incorporate any counter6arguments or contradictory evidence9
P. 3ill the reader glean the organi(ation of the paper from the thesis9
G. 4oes the sentence follow the rules of grammar, syntax, and style9
Eill in the .lans
3hen the client comes up with an initial claim or thesis, try using one or both of the following templates to
test the strength of this statement. &hese templates draw attention to holes within the original statement
and force the client to dig deeper.
o &he +agic &hesis ?entence: this template loos at the 8how: and 8so what9: of the argument.
.y looing at QQQQQQ, we can seeQQQQQQ, which most readers don/t seeR this is important
becauseQQQQQQ.
o &he )nthymeme: this template addresses the 8how: and the 8why: of the argument.
?&A&)+)$& S .)5AF?)D?I$5) S C)A?%$?
)*A+,-): %riginal claim: 5hinese6American political relations are a main issue in world politics.
&he +agic &hesis ?entence: .y looing atQQQQQQQQQQQ, we can see that 5hinese6American political relations
are a main issue in world politics, which most readers don/t seeR this is important because QQQQQQQQQQQQ.
&his template points to the fact that the original claim does not analy(e any
piece of evidence. It also shows that the claim lacs originality and
signi;cance.
&he )nthymeme: 5hinese6American political relations are a main issue in world politics
becauseQQQQQQQQQQQQ.
&his template shows that the original claim lacs supportTthe writer has no
reason to be maing this claim.
%nce you have identi;ed the holes in the claim, you and the client can begin ;lling them in by answering
the 8how,: 8why,: and 8so what9: !uestions that are missing.
Practice
3hat is missing from the following theses9 >ow might you help the client understand the gaps, and how
would you help him or her ;ll them9
4.19.11
)*A+,-): In +arie de Erance/s poetry, some characters who indulge in adultery are rewarded for their
behavior, while others are punished.
3rite here:
)*A+,-): &he character of >ucleberry Einn is consistently depicted in a racist way, and >uc/s treatment
of him is fundamentally racist as well.
3rite here:
)*A+,-): &he purpose of this essay is to assess the development of >ermione Branger in $arry %otter and
the &eathly $allo#s.
3rite here:
4.19.11
3ors 5ited
85haracteristics of an e'ective thesis.: 'he (edford $andboo). 4iana >acer, 122M. 3eb.
84eveloping a &hesis ?tatement.: S#arthmore College *riting Center. ?warthmore 5ollege 3riting 5enter,
n.d. 3eb.
84eveloping Jour &hesis.:+esbitt,-ohnston *riting Center. >amilton 5ollege, n.d. 3eb.
8&eaching the &hesis ?entence.: &artmouth *riting %rogram. 4artmouth 3riting ,rogram, n.d. 3eb. 11
Apr. 1212.
8&hesis ?tatements.: 'he *riting Center. Fniversity of $orth 5arolina at 5hapel >ill, n.d. 3eb.
8&hesis ?tatements: 3hat, 3here, 3hy, and >ow.: .rinnell College *riting /ab. Brinnell 5ollege, n.d. 3eb.
.eld, 0o. 85haracteristics of 5ompelling &hesis ?tatements.: 3eb.
Bolubo', .en. ,ersonal interview. 1 +ar. 1211.
Bra', Berald, and 5athy .irenstein. 'hey Say0I Say.1
nd
ed. $ew Jor : 3.3. $orton U 5o., 1212. ,rint.
>arvey, Bordon. 8Appendix .: elements of Academic Argument.: 'he Academic Essay. ,rint.
>o'man, Bary, and Blynis >o'man. Adios1 Strun) and *hite. 4
th
ed. >untington .each: Ierve, 122G. ,rint.
Kolb, >arold >. A *riter2s .uide. $ew Jor: >arcourt .race 0ovanovich, 19M2. ,rint.
Cosenwasser, 4avid, and 0ill ?tephen. 8+aing a &hesis )volve.: *riting Analytically. O
th
ed. .oston:
&homson 3adsworth, 1229. ,rint.
Cui( 4acal, Irene. 8&hesis ?tatementsT&he .asics.:
?impson, )ri. 8Eive 3ays of -ooing at a &hesis.: 3eb.
3eida, ?tacy. 8)stablishing Arguments.: 3*/. %3- at ,urdue, 12 Eeb. 122G. 3eb.
3hidden, Cachel. ,ersonal interview. 9 +ar. 1211.