Thesis Statement Construction

1. A good thesis statement is restricted/limited  It deals with restricted, “bite-size” issues rather than issues that would require a lifetime to discuss.  Restrict the thesis so that you may explore it fully in your paper.

 Sandra Cisneros wrote a chapter called “A House of My Own.” Poor Thesis Statement:

 In “A House of My Own,” Sandra Cisneros utilizes sentence structure and repetition to illustrate the theme that dreams have the ability to motivate and inspire. Better Thesis Statement:

2. A good thesis statement proves something or takes a stand on an issue.  A good thesis proves something, and the rest of the paper is a defense of that thesis.  Be sure there is another side to the thesis that someone else could prove.

Examples: Poor: Sandra Cisneros writes about bravery in “Girls and Boys.” Better: In “Girls and Boys,” Sandra Cisneros employs imagery and metaphors to illustrate the theme that bravery is necessary to overcome obstacles.

3. A good writer states his or her thesis in one carefully worded sentence.  Your thesis needs to be concise, yet also include all the necessary information.  Your thesis should never be longer than 1 sentence.

4. A good thesis statement contains a present or past main verb that is an action, not a linking verb.  Use “literary present” tense to discuss literature.  The tense of the thesis indicates the primary tense chosen for the rest of the paper.  Choose a strong verb.

Examples: Poor: In “The Monkey Garden,” Sandra Cisneros used hyperboles and allusions, which illustrated the theme that friendship must be earned. Better: In “The Monkey Garden,” Sandra Cisneros uses hyperboles and allusions to illustrate the theme that friendship must be earned.

A good thesis statement contains “so whatness.”  Read your thesis. Ask yourself, “So what?” Your thesis should answer that question.

6. Check your thesis for the following components:  Name of the chapter  Name of the author  Action verb  2 literary devices  Theme (“so whatness”)

Sample Thesis Statement  In “Those Who Don’t,” Sandra Cisneros utilizes hyperboles and imagery to illustrate the theme that people need to learn from their history so that they do not repeat it.

Thesis Format In _(chapter title)_, Sandra Cisneros utilizes _(literary term #1)_ and _(literary term #2)_ to illustrate the theme that _(theme)_.