1. Thesis & Evidence Guidelines

2. Thesis Statements

3. The Thesis Statement
One sentence that tells readers the main points your paper covers and in what order they appear. A thesis statement includes:
Your distinct standpoint on the subject (without using 1st or 2nd person at all);
A brief summary of the main arguments;
A roadmap for the paper.

4. For Our Thesis Statements…
Think about how your ONE chosen theme (women’s role or suffering or…etc.) explains a central message Sophocles tried to get across to his readers.
Ex: In Oedipus Rex and Antigone, Sophocles presents the message of ___________ through the theme of ___________, which can be seen through __________, __________, and _____________ in both plays.

5. A Strong Thesis Statement is…
Disputable
Not obvious
Some readers can disagree
Focused
Not too broad
Your position is clear
Relevant
Not boring
Readers won’t say ‘so what’?

6. Formula of a Thesis Statement
Main claim (your specific standpoint) +
Argument 1 (to be provided in paragraph 1)
Argument 2 (to be provided in paragraph 2)
Argument 3 (to be provided in paragraph 3)
Notice that this formula follows your outline.

7. Helpful Steps in Writing a Thesis
Examples
1. Find a problem and think about it
Can boys and girls be friends? Hmm…
2. Take a firm position
I say yes!
3. Find arguments – research and brainstorm the problem
Umm… they can share common interests; and the gender roles are not that rigid today; and life views matter more than gender specifics for friendships…What else?
4. Express your position in a thesis statement
Boys and girls can be friends.
5. Add arguments and voila - your thesis statement is ready:
Due to the shift in the gender roles in today’s society, boys and girls can be friends, sharing common interests and life values.

8. Never Use These Words in the Thesis
Personal pronouns – I, you, we
Uncertainty qualifiers – might, maybe, perhaps
Extremism symptoms – everything, all, none, always, never
Vague formulations – some, kind of, somewhat
Obvious exaggerations – life-saving, best of the best

9. How the Thesis Relates to Rest of Paper
A thesis statement should:
answer the questions ‘how’ and/or ‘why’;
provide the logic of the paper;
cover the entire paper.
The rest of the paper should:
echo a thesis statement in every sentence;
prove that the thesis statement is correct;
repeat a rephrased thesis statement in the conclusion.

10. Thesis Final Checklist
Could somebody disagree with it?
Is your standpoint clear and precise?
Does it pass the ‘so what’ and ‘who cares’ questions?
Doesn’t it include any odd details?
Does it tell everything your paper will cover in brief?
Does it answer the question ‘how’ or ‘why’?
Check it for must-use and never-use words?
Wow! Now your thesis statement rocks!

11. Which sentence is too broad to be a good thesis statement?
One reason to live in Mountain City is access to many wonderful places to fish.
Mountain City is a great place to live.

12. Too Broad B. Mountain City is a great place to live.
This sentence has a general focus, but it needs some reasons to back it up.

13. Which one is too wordy?
A. Abe Lincoln was one of the best presidents the United States has ever known.
B. Abe Lincoln was an excellent speaker, the 16th President of the United States, a liberator of slaves, and united the North and South at the end of the American Civil War.

14. Too Wordy
B. Abe Lincoln was an excellent speaker, the 16th President of the United States, a liberator of slaves, and united the North and South at the end of the American Civil War.
This one gives a preview of the points, but each point is so different from one another and there is no overarching focus of the statement/paper.

15. Using Evidence

16. Integrating Evidence Smoothly
1. State your claim, and define any terms that may not be known to your reader
2. Provide evidence that supports your claim
3. Comment on how the evidence supports your claim

17. Structure for Your Paragraphs (Where Does Evidence Fit in?
P—Point: Topic Sentence
Q—Quote: Evidence
E—Explanation: Of your evidence/
argue using evidence you included
1-2 Sentences
No more than 3 lines of text
5-8 Sentences

18. Using Evidence Properly
Clearly explain the connection between your claim and the evidence
Do not assume the reader understands the connections between your ideas
You must explain them without over-summarizing.
Make sure your evidence is relevant to your argument

19. AVOID Plot/Drop Quotes & Use Citations
Always use your own words to lead in or out of a quotation so that it is not “plopped” into your paper
Ex: In the play, Oedipus states, “________________” (#-#).
Notice that the verb tense is kept in present tense—that is also how you should keep all of your verbs in a paper because literature is on-going
Make sure to include in-text citations that include the line number, but you don’t need to say “lines” or “L.” Just state the line numbers the quote was found on.

20. When Using your Evidence to Argue…
Sometimes it may seem like there’s nothing more to state than the obvious, but consider multiple points of view of the characters first
Next, think about the author’s purpose and social commentary? Why write this text? What does it show about society/what lesson can be learned?
Look at word choice and structure—What can these things imply about a character or a situation?