The Thesis Statement

and

SOME OPENING STRATEGIES

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THE THESIS STATEMENT

Many students make the mistake of thinking that having a subject is thesame as having a thesis for an essay or research paper. However, the thesis of your writing is much more definite than the general subject. A thesis statement is a specific declaration that summarizes the point of view you will express in your paper. It is the basic stand you take, the opinion you express and the point you make about your narrowed subject. Its your controlling idea, tying together and giving direction to all otherelements in your paper. Your primary purpose is to persuade the readerthat your thesis is a valid one.

A thesis statement is one of the greatest unifying aspects of a paper. It should act as mortar, holding together the various bricks of a paper, summarizing the main point of the paper "in a nutshell," and pointing toward the paper's development. The thesis statement can help "map" a paper as it suggests an order or direction for the paper's development. A thesis statement, for example, might read:

Judy Syfer's essay, "I Want a Wife," exaggerates the marital expectations facing women in our society today.

The following sentence could continue:

Those expectations include managing a household, maintaining a career, and having a good relationship with a spouse.

In this example, the thesis statement suggests an obvious path for development in "marital expectations." The writer develops the paragraph by exploring the term "marital expectations." Three following paragraphs, for example, would logically discuss 1) household responsibilities, 2) careers, and 3) marital relationships.

A good thesis statement often answers the questions "How?" and/or "Why?". You may encounter a thesis statement that reads:

The lifestyle of a teenager in the Middle Ages was very different from the lifestyle of most modern American teenagers.

How? In what ways are the lifestyles of the youngsters different? Better versions of this statement might be:

Because of the relative freedom enjoyed by youngsters today, the lifestyle of modern American teenagers is very different from the lifestyle of teens in the Middle Ages.

Teenagers in the Middle Ages, who were considered young but responsible adults by the age of sixteen, had very different lifestyles compared to modern American teenagers.

Both of the thesis statements above are improvements because they do not simply state the obvious; they give a reason why or how we can accept the thesis statement.

Now answer these questions:

What question is my assignment asking?
How can I answer that question AND focus on a small area of investigation?
Can I sum up the main idea of my paper in a nutshell? Try this: state or write down, in a sentence or two, the paper's main idea. If you can do that, you're close to having a workable thesis.
What "code words" (such as "relative freedom" or "lifestyles" above) does the draft of my thesis statement contain? Are these words adequately explained?
As I read my paper, have I supported the thesis, or digressed?

HOW TO TEST YOUR THESIS:

Ask, "Is it obvious?" "Having read my thesis, do I feel like reading more?"
Ask, "Is it trivial?" Think of an anti-thesis to your planned thesis statement. Is your anti-thesis ridiculous? If so your thesis has a good chance of being trivial. Choose worthy opponents when constructing a thesis.
Ask, "Does my thesis oversimplify a good argument?"

Weak thesis statements answer only "what?" A stronger thesis answers the question "how?" and "why?"

BUT THE STRONGEST THESIS STATEMENTS POSSIBLE GO ON TO ANSWER THE QUESTION "SO WHAT?"

That is, such thesis statement suggest why resolving the problem you present is crucial in understanding some issue.

SOME OPENING STRATEGIES

The beginning of an essay (which will direct the rest of your essay whether or not you have a thesis sentence) is particularly important. It determines how your audience will respond to what follows. Get us excited and we'll give your essay a chance; bore us and you've lost us; confuse and we'll never really follow you, for how well we understand you is largely determined by how well you prepare us

Begin by setting up a problem (and then solve it)
Begin with an unusual or surprising observation
Begin with a paradox (and then untangle it)
Begin by describing the genesis of your idea
Begin by setting forth an idea you will later refute
Begin with a pertinent quote, or juxtapose two quotes whose points you will then discuss.
Begin with a question
Begin by opening up various possibilities for interpretation, and end by choosing one from among them
begin with an anecdote -- a brief, engaging story

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