Thesis statements: What they are, what they arent and how to fix them.

The first step in finding a thesis is to recognize that one will not appear to you, ready-made, in the material you are analyzing. The process of finding a thesis begins when you start to ask questions about the material, deliberately looking for a place where you can detect some kind of problem to be solved From Writing Analytically. One function of the thesis is to provide the connective tissue, so to speak, that holds together a papers three main partsbeginning, middle, and end. Periodic reminders of your papers thesis, its unifying idea, are essential for keeping both you and your readers on track (115). The relationship between the thesis and the subject is reciprocal. In good analytical writing, especially in the early, investigatory phases of writing and thinking, not only does the thesis direct the readers way of looking at the evidence; but also the analysis of the evidence should direct and redirect (bring revision of) the thesis.

What thesis statements are and what they have: Always something we can argue about. Contain the title of the work, the author, or a character name, but not necessarily all three. Offer us wisdom that is not immediately obvious when we think about the book. Must contain strong verbs and descriptors. Should shy away from being formulaic: Salinger makes use of symbolism, foreshadowing and humor to reveal his coming of age story. (Now, we might suppose that the writer is going to include one paragraph about symbolism, foreshadowing, and then a final one about humor.) Take a simple observation and then answer why something is happening in the text? o Rabbits and animals seem to be symbolic in the text. Why? What do the animals represent? o The landscape seems to be important in the text? How? How does Steinbeck use the landscape in his narrative? o How are women portrayed in this text? Six Kinds of Weak Theses (plural of thesis) and How to Fix Them: A strong thesis makes a claim that (1) requires analysis to support and evolve it and (2) offers some point about the significance of your evidence that would not have been immediately obvious to your readers. By contrast, a weak thesis either makes no claim or makes a claim that does not need proving (Rosenwasser & Stephen).

1. Makes no claim (This paper will examine the pros and cons of passion in Romeo and 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Juliet, or I will explore whether or not George was justified in killing Lennie.) Obviously true or a statement of fact (The orange is a citrus and the apple is not). Restate conventional wisdom (Friendship is important) Offers personal conviction as a basis for the claim (People who like apples are foolish). Makes an overly broad claim (Passion can lead to terrible outcomes). In a compare and contrast situation, it is not comparing two things. (An orange is better than no orange at all.) Observation: Cell phone use is popular on high school campuses. Cell phone use in high school seems to be hotly debated. Observation: I notice that everyone is carrying around oranges in their lunches as of late. Oranges are ubiquitious

1) Makes no claim: a. I will examine the pros and cons of cell phone use in the high school
classroom.

b. I will discuss the ways in which the orange is a superior fruit to the apple. Solution: Raise specific issues for the essay to explore. Narrow your scope. Write your own sample thesis from the above topic: 2) Obviously true or a statement of fact: a. Cell phones are a convenient way for parents and students to communicate today. b. Oranges are fairly round and orange in color. Solution: Find some avenue of inquirya question about the facts or an issue raised by them. Make an assertion with which it would be possible for readers to disagree. Write your own sample thesis from the above topic:

b. Oranges are healthful. Solution: Seek to complicatesee more than one point of view onyour subject. Avoid conventional wisdom unless you can qualify it or introduce a fresh perspective on it. Write your own sample thesis from the above topic: 4) Offers personal conviction as a basis for the claim: a. Teachers are ridiculous who support banning of cell phones in high school classrooms. b. In the world of fruits, I hate the orange. Solution: Try on other points of view honestly and dispassionately; treat your ideas as hypotheses to be tested rather than obvious truths. In the following solution examples, we have replaced opinions (in the form of self- evident truths) with ideastheories about the meaning and significance of the subjects that could be supported and qualified with evidence. Write your own sample thesis from the above topic: 5) The thesis makes an overly broad claim: a. Cell phones are problematic in the context of high school. b. Oranges are preferred over apples throughout the world. Solution: Specify. Find ways to bring out the complexity of your subject. Write your own sample thesis from the above topic: 6) The thesis in a compare/contrast essay makes no real comparison: a. Having a cell phone is better than not having a cell phone. b. An orange is better than no orange at all. Solution: Find an interesting point of comparison. Find something to compare your concept to that will lead to an interesting discussion. Write your own sample thesis from the above topic: Last items to consider: Does it have a strong, assertive verb? Does your topic require exploration to prove? My first thesis: The orange is a superior fruit to the apple. My second thesis: In the fruit family, oranges prove more versatile and travel friendly than the all American apple.

3) Restate conventional wisdom: a. Parent/child communication is important.