Essays: The Thesis Statement
Since the thesis statement should tell your reader exactly what the main argument of your essay is, the strength of your essay largely depends upon how well your thesis statement is written. Below are the characteristics of a good thesis statement:
►A good thesis statement is argumentative.
Bad: In this paper, I will discuss the effect that exposure to
violence on television has on the behaviour of young
children.
This is a statement describing what the author will discuss in his or her
paper; it is not an argument.
Better: Children who are exposed to violence on television do not
exhibit more violent behaviour than children who are not exposed to such programs.
This is an argument because it answers the question: ‘does violence on
television promote violent behaviour in young children?’ The author has
chosen to argue that television violence does not promote violent
behaviour in young children.
►A good thesis statement is controversial.
Bad: Even though he is the protagonist of J. M. Barrie’s novel,
Peter Pan is not an entirely good person.
Well, duh! Anyone who lures innocent children away from their homes is usually not considered to be an entirely good person. This thesis statement is not controversial because the reader, no matter how much he or she likes Peter Pan, will not have much difficulty agreeing with it.
Better: An examination of the narrator’s attitude in Peter Pan
reveals that it is Captain Hook, not Peter, who is the truly heroic figure in J. M. Barrie’s novel.
This thesis statement is controversial because it contradicts the reader’s pre-conceived notions of who the villain and the hero are in Barrie’s novel. The reader is less likely to agree with this statement initially.
►A good thesis statement is specific
Bad: Peter the Great attempted to modernize Russia.
This statement is too general. One could write a book about how Peter the Great tried to modernize his country.
Better: Peter the Great’s foreign and domestic policies reflected his
determination to westernize Russia by means of change
imposed from above.
This statement is more specific because it defines what modernization meant to Peter the Great (westernization), and it states the methods he used in his attempt to westernize Russia (change imposed from above via foreign and domestic policies).
►A good thesis statement is analytical.
Bad: Plato’s assertion that poetry is an imitative art is
unconvincing.
This thesis statement expresses the author’s position, but it does not
express why the author finds Plato’s assertion about poetry unconvincing. For all the reader knows, the author could be a poet who does not wish to find anything convincing about Plato’s position on poetry.
Better: The arguments that Plato presents to prove his claims about
poetry are unsound because they rely on faulty analogies, and ignore contradictory evidence.
This thesis statement tells the reader that the author has analyzed Plato’s
arguments, and has subsequently found them to be unsound.
Since the thesis statement should tell your reader exactly what the main argument of your essay is, the strength of your essay largely depends upon how well your thesis statement is written. Below are the characteristics of a good thesis statement:
►A good thesis statement is argumentative.
Bad: In this paper, I will discuss the effect that exposure to
violence on television has on the behaviour of young
children.
This is a statement describing what the author will discuss in his or her
paper; it is not an argument.
Better: Children who are exposed to violence on television do not
exhibit more violent behaviour than children who are not exposed to such programs.
This is an argument because it answers the question: ‘does violence on
television promote violent behaviour in young children?’ The author has
chosen to argue that television violence does not promote violent
behaviour in young children.
►A good thesis statement is controversial.
Bad: Even though he is the protagonist of J. M. Barrie’s novel,
Peter Pan is not an entirely good person.
Well, duh! Anyone who lures innocent children away from their homes is usually not considered to be an entirely good person. This thesis statement is not controversial because the reader, no matter how much he or she likes Peter Pan, will not have much difficulty agreeing with it.
Better: An examination of the narrator’s attitude in Peter Pan
reveals that it is Captain Hook, not Peter, who is the truly heroic figure in J. M. Barrie’s novel.
This thesis statement is controversial because it contradicts the reader’s pre-conceived notions of who the villain and the hero are in Barrie’s novel. The reader is less likely to agree with this statement initially.
►A good thesis statement is specific
Bad: Peter the Great attempted to modernize Russia.
This statement is too general. One could write a book about how Peter the Great tried to modernize his country.
Better: Peter the Great’s foreign and domestic policies reflected his
determination to westernize Russia by means of change
imposed from above.
This statement is more specific because it defines what modernization meant to Peter the Great (westernization), and it states the methods he used in his attempt to westernize Russia (change imposed from above via foreign and domestic policies).
►A good thesis statement is analytical.
Bad: Plato’s assertion that poetry is an imitative art is
unconvincing.
This thesis statement expresses the author’s position, but it does not
express why the author finds Plato’s assertion about poetry unconvincing. For all the reader knows, the author could be a poet who does not wish to find anything convincing about Plato’s position on poetry.
Better: The arguments that Plato presents to prove his claims about
poetry are unsound because they rely on faulty analogies, and ignore contradictory evidence.
This thesis statement tells the reader that the author has analyzed Plato’s
arguments, and has subsequently found them to be unsound.