Your Thesis Statement:

1. Your Thesis Statement: The Only Sentence Worth More Than A Thousand Words

2. Thesis Statements Are Not As Hard As You May Think… First, let’s look at what a Thesis Statement is NOT!

3. What a Thesis Statement is Not: Your Thesis Statement is NOT Your Topic! • Your topic tells your reader what you are talking about. For Example: • I will talk about Elie Wiesel’s characters in Night. • This is not a thesis. It is only a Topic.

4. What a Thesis Statement is Not: Your Thesis Statement is NOT Your Topic! • Your thesis tells your reader your position on your topic. For Example: • Elie Wiesel keenly contrasts the characters in Night to their setting to point out humanity’s ability to hate. • This is a successful thesis statement.

5. What a Thesis Statement is Not: Your Thesis Statement is NOT AFact About Your Topic! • Surprisingly, your thesis should be an arguable OPINION - NOT A FACT! • WHY? • Because that is what makes your paper interesting to your reader! • Your thesis should always be a statement that demands PROOF! • If not, what will you do for the next 2-10 pages??? Your Thesis Should Take A STAND!

6. What a Thesis Statement is Not: You Thesis Statement is NOT AFact About Your Topic! • You spend the rest of your paper CONVINCING your reader of why YOUR OPINION is TRUE! • Your thesis prepares your reader for the facts that will prove your opinion about your topic to be true-it can not be a fact itself. Your Thesis Should Take A STAND!

7. What a Thesis Statement is Not: You Thesis Statement is NOT AFact About Your Topic! Because of the eagle's keen vision and ability to soar high above all other birds, it is the ideal symbol for America. Eagles have very keen eyesight in order to see their prey from high altitudes. Let’s Look At An Example That is a fact, not a strong thesis! Now, that is a strong thesis!

8. What a Thesis Statement is… What on Earth Is Your Point? It is the sentence that answers your reader’s biggest question: By telling your reader your point in the first paragraph, you set the tone and make sure they are not frustrated and confused for the rest of your essay.

9. What a Thesis Statement is… So Which of the following is TRUE about your THESIS STATEMENT? It Tells your Reader Your Topic It Tells the Reader a Fact About Your Topic It Tells the reader your Point

10. What a Thesis Statement is… Now That You Know What A Thesis Statement Is, Let’s Look At What Makes A Strong Thesis Statement.

11. Requirements For a Strong Thesis: Let’s look at each of these requirements a bit closer… There Are Three (3) Requirements For A Strong Thesis Statement. • It should not be TOO BROAD! • It should not be TOO NARROW! • It should not be TOO VAGUE!

12. Requirements For a Strong Thesis: A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Broad! If your point is too wide or too deep for you... You may find yourself drowning in information, unable to prove your point!

13. Requirements For a Strong Thesis: A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Broad! The death penalty in Georgia has been ineffective in deterring crime and should be replaced with more efforts to reform criminals instead of murdering them. The death penalty should be banned in the United States. Much Better! That definitely is an opinion narrow enough to be proven in a high school essay! Let’s Look At An Example That would definitely leave you drowning: TOO BROAD!

14. Requirements For a Strong Thesis: A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Narrow, Either! If your thesis is too specific for you... You may find yourself Trying to stretch the small amount of information that you find to fit your essay!

15. Requirements For a Strong Thesis: A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Narrow! Though this may be interesting, it would take some tugging to stretch it into an entire essay! In Lord of The Rings, the sword given to Frodo by his uncle represents the passing down of a legacy. Let’s Look At An Example In Lord of the Rings, the author carefully chose a weapon for each character that was symbolic, and revealed something about them to the reader. That looks like a thesis statement we wouldn’t have to stretch for!

16. Requirements For a Strong Thesis: A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Vague! If your claim is not specific or clear enough You may find your reader Dazed and Confused!

17. Requirements For a Strong Thesis: A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Vague To Fix It Define the term “horrible idea” for your reader. Outlining the major points of your essay would also help. The word HORRIBLE is hard to define! It makes this thesis Too VAGUE! Let’s Look At An Example If the United States were to get rid of welfare, it would aggravate an already severe homeless problem, cause a rise in crime, and remove the only safety net that our country has in place. Getting rid of welfare in the United States is a horrible idea.

18. Where To Start Start Off With Your Topic! Usually, your teacher will provide your topic: • It may be a general topic such as family. • Or something more specific like: • The role that biological age played in Romeo and Juliet or • The role of symbolism in Night.

19. Where To Start Before trying to decide on a thesis, gather all of the information available on your topic! Why? • How can you have an educated opinion about something that you know little about? • The more that you know about your topic, the easier it will be to form a provable opinion (thesis) about it.

20. Where To Start • It is easier to write a thesis statement that explains what you have found in your research, than to find research that explains what you have written in your thesis! • You want the opinion that your thesis states to be provable by facts that you have gathered. If you gather the facts first, you KNOW that it can be proven!

21. Where To Start REMEMBER: Your Thesis and Your Topic are NOT the same. You must choose your topic before beginning your research.

22. Where To Start Once you have gathered your information, Ask Yourself a Few Questions: What would my reader want to know about my topic? What will be the point of my paper? What is the most important thought that I have about my topic? What has my research shown me about my topic?

23. Before You Write Your Thesis… STOP! First Write AWORKING THESIS

24. A Working Thesis A Working Thesis is Made Up of Two Parts: AND Your Provable Opinion Your Topic For Example: Family may mean different things to different people, but it is an important part of every culture.

25. Refining Your Working Thesis To turn your Working Thesis into a Final Thesis Statement, compare it to the requirements for a strong thesis statement: • Is it TOO NARROW? • Is it TOO VAGUE? • Is it TOO BROAD? This Working Thesis needs to be made more specific. It is too BROAD! Family may mean different things to different people, but it is an important part of every culture.

26. Refining Your Working Thesis Family may mean different things to different people, but it is an important part of every culture. • Possible Revisions To Make The Broad Statement More Specific: • As in many countries, family has a huge impact on American culture. • This is more narrow because we have reduced it to one specific culture. • The strength of the family unit impacts each individual regardless of their society. • This is more narrow because family is reduced to the family’s strength and society is reduced to the individual. This can be more easily proven in a high school essay.

27. So…How Do You Write A Thesis Statement? • Start off with your TOPIC! • Before trying to decide on a thesis, gather all of the information available on your topic!

28. So…How Do You Write A Thesis Statement? • Once you have gathered your information, Ask Yourself a Few Questions: • What is the most important thought that I have about my topic? • What has my research shown me about my topic? • What would my reader want to know about my topic? • What will be the POINT of my paper?

29. So…How Do You Write A Thesis Statement? • Use your answers to write a Working Thesis. • Turn your Working Thesis into a Final Thesis Statement by comparing it to the requirements for a strong thesis statement: Is it too broad? Is it too narrow? Is it too vague?