Writing a Strong Thesis Statement (Claim)

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1 Writing a Strong Thesis Statement (Claim) Marcinkus - AP Language and Composition Whenever you are asked to make an argument, you must begin with your thesis, or the claim that you are going to try to prove. This is your position on the subject. An argumentative or persuasive piece of writing MUST begin with a debatable thesis, or claim. In other words, the thesis must be something people could reasonably have differing opinions on. If your thesis is something generally agreed upon or accepted as fact, there is no reason to try to persuade people. What is an Argument? An argument takes a stand on an issue. It seeks to persuade an audience of a point of view in much the same way that a lawyer argues a case in court of law. It is NOT a description or a summary. Argument: The movie JFK is inaccurate in its portrayal of President Kennedy. NOT an argument: In this paper, I will describe the portrayal of President Kennedy as shown in the movie JFK. What is a Thesis? A thesis statement is a sentence in which you state an argument about a topic and then describe, briefly, how you will prove your argument. Argument, NOT yet a thesis: The movie JFK inaccurately portrays President Kennedy. THESIS: The movie JFK inaccurately portrays President Kennedy because of the way it ignores Kennedy s youth, his relationship with his father, and the finding of the Warren Commission. A thesis makes a specific statement to the reader about what you will be trying to argue. Your thesis can be a few sentences long, but should not be longer than a paragraph. Keeping it concise (to the point) is best. Do not begin to state evidence or use examples in your thesis paragraph. Debatable vs. Non-Debatable Thesis A non-debatable thesis statement: Pollution is bad for the environment. The word pollution means something that something is bad or negative in some way. Therefore, if makes the statement redundant. All studies agree that pollution is a problem. They only disagree on the impact it will have or the scope of the problem. No one could reasonably argue that pollution is good. A debatable thesis statement: At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution. This is a debatable thesis statement because reasonable people could disagree with it. Some people might think this is how we should spend the nation s money.

2 Some might feel that we should spend money on education instead. Others may argue that corporations, not the government, should be paying to limit pollution. A Thesis Helps You and Your Reader Your blueprint for writing: Helps you determine your focus and clarify your ideas. Provides a hook on which you can hang your topic sentences. Can (and should) be revised as you further refine your evidence and arguments. New evidence often requires you to change your thesis. Gives your paper a unified structure and point. Your reader s blueprint for reading: Serves as a map to follow through your paper. Keeps the reader focused on your argument. Signals to the reader your main points. Engages the reader in your argument. Narrow Your Thesis Although the scope of your paper may seem overwhelming at the start, generally the narrower the thesis the more effective your argument will be. Your thesis, or claim, must be supported by evidence. The broader your claim, the more evidence you will need to convince readers your position is right. Thesis that is too broad: Drug use is detrimental to society. What is included in the category of drugs? Is the author talking about illegal drug use, recreational drug use, or all uses of medication in general? In what ways are drugs detrimental? Is drug use causing deaths (overdoses and/or violence which leads to death)? Is drug use changing the moral climate or causing the economy to decline? What does the author mean by society? Only American or global? Does the author make any distinction between the effects on children versus adults? There are obviously too many questions this claim leaves open. The author could not cover all these topics; yet, the generality of the claim leaves all of these open to debate. Narrow/Focused Thesis: Illegal drug use is detrimental because it encourages gang violence. Topic of drugs is narrowed down to illegal drugs. The detriment has been narrowed down to gang violence. Makes the thesis more manageable and leaves little open to debate.

3 Types of Claims Claims typically fall into one of four categories. Thinking about how you want to approach your topic, or considering what type of claim you want to make, is one way to focus your thesis on a particular aspect of your broader topic. Claims of fact or definition: Argue about the definition of something or whether something is a settled fact. Example: What some people refer to as global warming is actually nothing more than normal, long-term cycles of climate change. Claims of cause and effect: Argue that one person, thing, or event caused another thing or event to occur. Example: The popularity of SUVs in America has caused pollution to increase. Claims about values: Claims made of what something is worth, whether we value it or not, how we would rate or categorize something. Example: Global warming is the most pressing challenge facing the world today. Claims about solutions or policies: Argue for or against a certain solution or policy approach to a problem. Example: Instead of drilling for oil in Alaska we should be focusing on ways to reduce oil consumption, such as researching renewable energy sources. Which type of claim is right for your argument? The type of claim you use depends on your position and knowledge of the topic, your audience, and the context of your paper. You want to think about where you imagine your audience to be on this topic and pinpoint where you think the biggest difference in viewpoints might be. Even if you start with one type of claim you probably will be using several within your paper. Regardless of the type of claim you choose to utilize, it is key to identify the controversy or debate you are addressing and to define your position early on in the paper. Tips for Writing a Strong Thesis 1. Find a focus: Choose a thesis that explores an aspect of your topic that is important to you, or that allows you to say something new about your topic. For example, if your paper topic asks you to analyze women s domestic labor during the early nineteenth century, you might decide to focus on the products they made from scratch at home. 2. Look for a pattern: After determining a general focus, go back and look more closely at your evidence. As you re-examine your evidence and identify patterns, you will develop your argument and some conclusions. For example, you might find that as industrialization increased, women made fewer textiles at home, but retained their butter and soap making tasks. Strategies for Developing a Thesis Statement IDEA #1 - If your paper assignment asks you to answer a specific question, turn the question into an assertion and give reasons for your opinion.

4 IDEA #2 - Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write. IDEA #3 - Spend time mulling over your topic. Make a list of the ideas you want to include in the essay, then think about how to group them under several different headings. Often, you will see an organizational plan emerge from the sorting process. IDEA #4 - Use a formula to develop a working thesis statement (which you will need to revise later). A few examples: 1. Although most readers of have argued, closer examination shows that. 2. uses and to prove. 3. Phenomenon X is a result of the combination of,, and. These formulas share two characteristics all thesis statements should have: they state an argument and reveal how you will make that argument. They are not specific enough, however, and require more work. These examples are just a starting point, a rough thesis, that will need to be revised later on. Refine Your Thesis (Making it Stronger) As you work on your essay, your ideas will change and so will your thesis. Below are a few examples of a weak thesis revised to be a strong thesis statement. Unspecific Thesis: Eleanor Roosevelt was a strong leader as First Lady. This thesis lacks an argument. Why was Eleanor Roosevelt a strong leader? Specific Thesis: Eleanor Roosevelt recreated the role of the First Lady by her active political leadership in the Democratic Party, by lobbying for national legislation, and by fostering women s leadership in the Democratic Party. The second thesis has an argument: Eleanor Roosevelt recreated the position of First Lady, and a three-part structure with which to demonstrate just how she remade the job. Unspecific Thesis: At the end of the nineteenth century French women lawyers experienced difficulty when they attempted to enter the legal profession. No one could argue with this general statement and uninteresting thesis. Specific Thesis: At the end of the nineteenth century French women lawyers experienced misogynist attacks from male lawyers when they attempted to enter the legal profession because male lawyers wanted to keep women out of judgeships. This thesis statement asserts that French male lawyers attached French woman lawyers because they feared women as judges, an intriguing and controversial point.

5 Making an Argument -- Every Thesis Deserves Its Day in Court You are the only advocate for your thesis. Your thesis is defenseless without you to prove that its argument holds up under scrutiny. The jury (i.e., your reader) will expect you, as a good lawyer, to provide evidence to prove your thesis. To prove thesis statements, what evidence can an able lawyer use? Primary Sources: letters, diaries, government documents, an organization s meeting minutes, newspapers Secondary Sources: articles and books from your class that explain and interpret what you are writing about, lecture notes, films, documentaries How can you use this evidence? Make sure the examples you select from your available evidence address your thesis. Use evidence that your reader will believe is credible. This means sifting and sorting your sources, looking for the clearest and fairest. Be sure to identify the biases and shortcomings of each piece of evidence for your reader. Use evidence to avoid generalizations. If you assert that all women have been oppressed, what evidence can you use to support this? Using evidence works to check over-general statements. Use evidence to address an opposing point of view. How do your sources give examples that refute another s interpretation of the claim?