Thesis Statement

A thesis statement, or thesis claim, is what answers the question, “What is this essay about and what will it prove?” If the essay fails to answer this question within the first paragraph — or within the first few paragraphs for a long paper or dissertation — the reader will have no reason to continue reading.

The thesis statement is a one or two sentence encapsulation of your paper’s main point, main idea,
or main message. Your paper’s thesis statement will be addressed and defended in the body paragraphs and the conclusion.

In the beginning stages of the planning process, your thesis statement may be referred to as the working thesis. A working thesis is like a rough draft thesis. It is a work in progress, and not quite in its most perfect version yet.

In addition to explaining what your essay will be about, a good introduction should answer the question, “How will the essay prove this claim?” Giving the reader an idea of the organization of what you’ll be discussing is like handing a map to a driver headed someplace new: It makes the journey clearer and more enjoyable.

A thesis statement is the main point you want your readers to accept.  It expresses an arguable point and supplies good reasons why readers should accept it. After learning about making an arguable point and supplying good reasons, go to planning the thesis-driven essay.

Your introduction provides necessary background information on the topic. Your thesis presents a strong stance you’re going to take on a particular topic. It’s like the final word of a debate. You want it to be strong, and you want it to engage the reader.

The conclusion’s primary role is to convince the reader that your argument is valid. Whereas the introduction paragraph says, “Here’s what I’ll prove and how,” the conclusion paragraph says, “Here’s what I proved and how.” In that sense, these two paragraphs should closely mirror each other, with the conclusion restating the thesis introduced at the beginning of the essay.

So a good thesis statement requires an arguable point and good reasons.  But how do you know if your thesis will work for the assignment?  If it’s challenging, grounded, and properly narrow, it will have promise.

One of the main reasons students struggle with their thesis statements is a lack of technical understanding. It can be hard to grasp the fact that the thesis is, single-handedly, the most important sentence in the entire text. The rest of the paper is made up of supporting points to support the thesis statement.

Example: Stress in the fast-food workplace can lead to serious physical, psychological, and emotional problems for employees.Topic: stressClaim: can lead to serious problemsMajor points: physical, psychological and emotional problems. In your thesis you should provide an interpretation of a subject, not the subject itself. Here are examples of good and bad thesis statements: Example 1:A: The death penalty should …

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