THE THESIS STATEMENT
When I teach the thesis statement in a face-to-face class, I always ask my students to imagine
their bodies without a spine. Could you function or even live if you had no spinal column? Well,
you could not sit or stand; that is for sure. In addition, since all our nerves run inside our spinal
columns, we could not even actually live… (All you nursing students out there know what I am
talking about, right?)
A thesis statement to an essay is like the spine to vertebrates (animals—including humans—with
spinal columns). If there is no thesis, there is no essay! This is why knowing what a thesis is,
how to format it, and where to place it is extremely important for us to know.
What is the thesis? It is the statement of the central idea in any piece of writing.
I. The purpose of the thesis:
a. It indicates the specific topic:
b. Imposes a manageable limit on the topic.
c. Shows organization of ideas.
Look at the following sample thesis statement: Animal rights should receive careful
consideration because animals help us survive, they are our companions, and
societies are often judged on how they treat animals.
i. Can you detect the specific topic (a)? Yes, it is animal rights.
ii. Can you detect the manageable limit on my topic (b)? Yes, the manageable
size is expressed by the three ideas I listed in the thesis.
iii. Can you find the indication as to how my essay will be organized? Yes, I will
discuss the three ideas I listed in the thesis in a separate body paragraph in the
order in which I put them in the thesis. In the first body paragraph, I will
discuss how animals sustain us. In the second body paragraph, I will discuss
the fact that they are our companions. Finally, in the third body paragraph, I
will discuss how animal rights determine the value of a whole society.
II. The format of the thesis statement:
a. Once single sentence with three reasons for the argued side of the issue.
b. Succinct reasons—short but clear ideas.
c. Parallel language structure: all three ideas must be in the same grammatical format
III.
The placement of the thesis statement:
a. Even though some writers put the thesis at the beginning or in the middle of the
introduction, I will ask you to put the thesis ALWAYS as the very last sentence of the
introduction. There is where I will look for it. When you put it somewhere else, the
reader might get confused as to what the central point of your paper is. The clear
thesis and its clear placement will allow the reader to be clear on what he or she can
expect to read about.
IV.
What do you think of the following thesis statements?
a. Georgia is visited by more than a million people each year.
b. This essay will discuss why I like to travel.
c. Computers are great.
d. Young college students are way too immature.
V.
Here is what NOT to do with thesis statements:
a. The example above (a) is what we call a “too factual” thesis. If you make a fact your
thesis, you will have very little space to argue anything. Therefore, do not use facts as
your thesis statement. Try this instead: “Hampton Roads is a fine tourist destination
because it offers a variety of enterainment, great restaurants, and sites of American
history.”
b. Example (b) is an “announcement” of your thesis. Instead of doing so, create a thesis
that says, “I like to travel because I love to discover new places, I like to experiement
with new foods, and I like to immerse myself in different cultures.”
c. Example (c) is way too broad. What is great about computers? Once thesis could read
like this: “Computers are very useful because they speed up processes, they connect
people, and they offer entertainement.”
d. Example (d) is outright insulting. Imagine if young college students read that thesis.
Wouldn’t they be offended? Not all young college students are immature, right?
Instead of an insult, try this: “Some young college students might not understand the
value of education, they might not study as much as they should, and they might focus
on their grade instead of learning the material.”
VI.
Some examples on topics (both pro and con of the issues):
TOPIC
The war in Iraq
The war in Iraq
THESIS
The US should pull out of Iraq in order to
save American lives, to give Iraqi people
back their independence, and to better guard
the homeland.
The US should stay in Iraq in order to ensure
there is no terrorist risk, to help Iraq control
its oil reserves, and to provide stability to its
people.
Gay marriage
Gay marriage
Reading books
Reading books
VII.
People of the same sex should not be allowed
to marry because a marriage is between a man
and a woman, because same sex couples set
bad examples to children, and because they
cannot produce offspring.
People of the same sex should be allowed to
marry because they are loving partners just
like a man and a woman, they are tax-paying
citizens, and they also have human rights.
Reading books is not important in our society
because the same information is now
available on the Internet, because it take too
long, and because books are expensive.
Reading books should still be encouraged in
schools because books develop language
skills, broadens readers’ horizon, and help
develop focus.
Specific vs. nonspecific thesis:
When you include the three specific ideas in the thesis, these ideas provide a roadmap for
you and the readers to follow. Sometimes, however, you might decide to leave out the
three ideas and create a so-called nonspecific thesis statement. That is fine. However,
students often make the mistake of creating a nonspecific thesis and then losing sight of
what they are trying to discuss in each body paragraph. Chose the nonspecific format
ONLY if you are absolutely clear about the content of your paper.