1. Unit 2 LS 526

2.  for most student work, it's a one- or two- sentence statement that explicitly outlines the purpose or point of your paper.  It is generally a complex, compound sentence

3.  it should point toward the development or course of argument the reader can expect your argument to take

4.  because the rest of the paper will support or back up your thesis, a thesis is normally placed at or near the end of the introductory paragraph.

5.  The thesis sentence must contain an arguable point.  A thesis sentence must not simply make an observation -- for example, "Writer X seems in his novel Y to be obsessed with lipstick."  Rather, it must assert a point that is arguable:  “Writer X uses lipstick to point to his novel's larger theme: the masking and unmasking of the self."

6.  The thesis sentence must control the entire argument.  Your thesis sentence determines what you are required to say in a paper.  It also determines what you cannot say.  Every paragraph in your paper exists in order to support your thesis.  Accordingly, if one of your paragraphs seems irrelevant to your thesis you have two choices: get rid of the paragraph, or rewrite your thesis.

7.  Imagine that as you are writing your paper you stumble across the new idea that lipstick is used in Writer X's novel not only to mask the self, but also to signal when the self is in crisis.  This observation is a good one; do you really want to throw it away? Or do you want to rewrite your thesis so that it accommodates this new idea?

8.  Understand that you don't have a third option: you can't simply stick the idea in without preparing the reader for it in your thesis.  The thesis is like a contract between you and your reader.  If you introduce ideas that the reader isn't prepared for, you've violated that contract.

9.  The thesis sentence should provide a structure for your argument.  A good thesis not only signals to the reader what your argument is, but how your argument will be presented.  In other words, your thesis sentence should either directly or indirectly suggest the structure of your argument to your reader.  Say, for example, that you are going to argue that "Writer X explores the masking and unmasking of the self in three curious ways: A, B, and C.”  In this case, the reader understands that you are going to have three important points to cover, and that these points will appear in a certain order.

10.  it takes a side on a topic rather than simply announcing that the paper is about a topic (the title should have already told your reader your topic). Don't tell readers about something; tell them what about something. Answer the questions "how?" or "why?”  it is sufficiently narrow and specific that your supporting points are necessary and sufficient, not arbitrary; paper length and number of supporting points are good guides here.

11.  it argues one main point and doesn't squeeze three different theses for three different papers into one sentence;  And most importantly, it passes The "So What?" Test.

12.  thesis statements are basically made up of your topic and a specific assertion about that topic, therefore,  THESIS = TOPIC + SPECIFIC ASSERTION

13. The four “shoulds” of a thesis statement:

14.  a good thesis statement should take a stand - don't be afraid to have an opinion; if after your research, your opinion changes, all the better - means you have been thinking; you can write a new thesis statement!

15.  a good thesis statement should justify discussion - don't leave your readers saying to themselves "So what" or "duh?" or "like what's your point?"

16.  a good thesis statement should express one main idea or a clear relationship between two specific ideas linked by words like "because," "since," "so," "although," "unless," or "however."

17.  Poor: Stephen King writes readable books.  Good: Stephen King’s books are so good because they are about normal people who get into supernatural situations.

18.  A good thesis statement should be restricted to a specific and manageable topic - readers are more likely to reward a paper that does a small task well than a paper that takes on an unrealistic task and fails

19.  Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it's possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.

20.  Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like "good" or "successful," see if you could be more specific: why is something "good"; what specifically makes something "successful"? Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a reader's first response is, "So what?" then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.

21. Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It's o.k. to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.

22. Does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test? If a reader's first response is "how?" or "why?" your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

23.  Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain's novel Huckleberry Finn.  Thesis idea:  Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.  Weak or strong?

24. Why is this thesis weak? Think about what the reader would expect from the essay that follows: you will most likely provide a general, appreciative summary of Twain's novel. The question did not ask you to summarize; it asked you to analyze. Think about why it's such a great novel—what do Huck's adventures tell us about life, about America, about coming of age, about race relations, etc.? First, the question asks you to pick an aspect of the novel that you think is important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children.

25. In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

26. An important aspect of the novel has been highlighted for investigation; however, it's still not clear what your analysis will reveal. Your reader is intrigued, but is still thinking, "So what? What's the point of this contrast? What does it signify?" Perhaps you are not sure yet, either. That's fine—begin to work on comparing scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck's actions and reactions. Eventually you will be able to clarify for yourself, and then for the reader, why this contrast matters. After examining the evidence and considering your own insights,

27. Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go back to nature.

28. This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

29.  Thoughts, concerns, or questions?