Thesis What is a thesis? The thesis statement communicates the central or controlling idea of the essay. It suggests the writer's view of the topic and usually answers the question: "What important or interesting things do I have to say?" The thesis statement helps determine what information you need to include in or exclude from your essay. A good thesis statement: • is not too broad • gives your opinion about the topic rather stating a fact or observation • is written as a complete statement • does not "announce" what you plan to do • is clear and written correctly • responds directly to the topic, if the topic is one that has been assigned A good thesis statement is not too broad: Weak Thesis: Eating junk food is bad for you. Good Thesis: Because obesity is on the rise, schools need to offer health classes that help students become more informed about what they are eating. Weak Thesis: Emily Dickinson wrote difficult poems. Good Thesis: Emily Dickinson wrote poems that illustrated the complexities of human nature. Her poems may appear simple at first glance, but they are as subtle and mysterious as the emotions and ideas with which they are concerned. A good thesis statement is not just a fact or an observation, but also gives the writer's opinion on the topic: Weak Thesis: Traveling is expensive. Good Thesis: Although travel is expensive, it is necessary as we strive to become global citizens. Weak Thesis: School is boring. Good Thesis: Making classes relevant and interesting should be an important part of reforming the educational system. A good thesis statement is written as a complete statement: Weak Thesis: Should something be done about the parking problem? Good Thesis: The lack of parking must be addressed because more and more students are arriving late to class. Weak Thesis: The benefit is that you can do it your whole life. Good Thesis: The benefit of individual sports such as swimming and running is that you can do them your whole life. A good thesis statement does not formally "announce" what the essay will be about: Weak Thesis: In my paper, I will write about the theme of revenge in Moby Dick. Good Thesis: Herman Melville's greatest novel, Moby Dick, is a brilliant portrait of a man who is obsessed with revenge. That obsession leads inexorably to the tragic conclusion. Weak Thesis: The subject of this essay is teenage curfews. Good Thesis: Curfews violate teenagers' rights and impinge upon the privacy of families. A good thesis statement is clear and written correctly: Weak Thesis: Because government has the most responsibility for and can have the biggest impact on the environment; individual people can't do as much. Good Thesis: Governments should take the lead in in protecting the environment. The actions of governments have a far greater effect than those of individuals. If the essay is about an assigned topic, the thesis should clearly respond to that topic. An assigned topic might be: "A leader is defined as a person who directs, commands, or guides a group or activity. Think about someone you know who has proven to be a great leader, either in leading a country or team or organization. Write an essay about this leader, explaining the characteristics they have that would encourage people to follow them. Be as specific as possible in illustrating the attributes that this leader has exhibited that would lead others to respect, admire, and follow him or her." For this assignment, a weak thesis would be one that does not have a clear relationship to the specified subject (what makes a particular person a great leader), even if it might be a good thesis for an essay on another topic. Weak Thesis: In most endeavors, success is achieved through the contributions of many people, not just one. Good Thesis: Shy and retiring by nature, he illustrates the truth that great leaders are made, not born. Weak Thesis: Class presidents are usually elected for their popularity, but they need other skills as well. Good Thesis: The quality that is crucial to her ability to lead others is her ability to understand their needs and wants. How do I make sure that my reader understands my thesis? Sometimes you might use a word in your introduction or thesis that you should define or explain. For example, if you are writing about a tragic character, you should first explain what you think the term tragic character means. Is a tragic character a person to whom tragedy happens? Is a tragic character a person who falls in stature through their own arrogance? People don't always have shared meanings of words. When you define the word, you help your reader better understand what you mean. Do you have enough main ideas to support your thesis? Your instructor can help you decide if you have enough main ideas. A main idea is a point that you believe provides good support for your thesis. In general, it's a good idea to include at least three main ideas in your essay. If you're having trouble coming up with three main ideas, you probably need to do some brainstorming. Here are five suggestions to generate more ideas about your subject. Ask yourself these questions to get you started again. • Who? Who do I know who plays video games? • What? What kinds of video games do they play? What kinds of video games do most of my friends play? • When? When did my friends first begin playing video games? When do they play video games? During the day? At night? • Where? Where do most of my friends play video games? Where do they get the money to buy video games? • Why? Why is playing video games a bad idea? Why is it a good idea? • How? How much? How many hours do my friends play video games per day? How much do video games interfere with their other activities? How do my friends feel about their playing habits? • What if? Why not? What if video games were more educational? Why not become wholly dependent upon technology? Talk to others about your topic. Take good notes because you may want to quote them in your essay. • Other students in your class probably have opinions. • An instructor who knows about the issue or subject could give you some opinions. • Other people who are experts may have valuable information or opinions. Get suggestions from your instructor or research your subject on the Internet or in a library. Don't be shy about sending email to someone who may be an expert; lots of people are happy to share what they know. Think about the kind of writing that you are doing. This will help you figure out which ideas you need to add, or how you should arrange those ideas. • Are you showing how things are alike (comparison) and different (contrast)? You can use this organizational strategy when you are describing something (such as how video games that simulate different sports compare to video games that depict war) or when you are analyzing different viewpoints (such as whether a rating system should be applied to video games so that parents have a better understanding of what their children are playing). • Are you putting your ideas in categories? You might be able to describe something in general and then describe its specific traits or qualities. For example, you might want to discuss the range of video games that your friends play, and then describe one in particular that you think is a good use of time or a poor use of time. • Are you giving reasons to show how a problem developed and what the effects of the problem are? For example, if you were discussing how much your friends play video games, you might want to explain what led them to play in the first place. Then you might discuss the consequences of their playing habits. • Are you trying to convince someone to think like you or to do something that will improve a situation in the way that you want it to be improved? For example, if you are trying to convince your friends to stop playing video games, you might want to start by explaining some of the things they could do if they stopped wasting all their time on video games. Start all over and see where you go this time in your writing! • Don't be afraid to start over. Lots of writers get new and better ideas when they do. Look at your previous draft and start at the point that interests you the most or at the point that you think is your best statement. • Try to write three more sentences from your best statement or most interesting point. • Look at the three new sentences, pick the best one, and write three more sentences that explain the most important idea in that sentence. . responds directly to the topic, if the topic is one that has been assigned A good thesis statement is not too broad: Weak Thesis: Eating junk food is bad for you. Good Thesis: Because obesity. want it to be improved? For example, if you are trying to convince your friends to stop playing video games, you might want to start by explaining some of the things they could do if they stopped. Thesis What is a thesis? The thesis statement communicates the central or controlling idea of the essay. It suggests the writer's view of the topic and usually answers