Writing Center
Thesis Statements
THESIS STATEMENT AND THE REASON INSTRUCTORS INSIST EVERY ESSAY
WRITTEN HAS ONE.
A thesis states the main idea of a paper. It tells the reader precisely what your
essay is about. It says, “Okay, pay attention now. Here is where I tell you what’s going
to happen in this paper.” Instructors like this. The thesis statement, which is usually in
the essay’s introduction, carries a big load. Write it with a firm, authoritative voice. A
thesis statement must perform four tasks:
1. Identify the subject.
2. State a cla
im, an approach, or an attitude.
3. Suggest the direction of the writing.
4. Set the tone (inform
ative, persuasive, entertaining, or a combination).
In this sample thesis statement, taken from Reading and Writing Well (p. 35), all
four tasks are accomplished.
Thesis: For the dedicated player, the challenge, the enjoyment, and
the camaraderie make softball a game worth playing.
Notice how the thesis stands alone. That’s because it is correctly constructed. In
a good thesis statement, there is no need to announce your presence with the word “I”
(the reader knows you are the author from your title page), or announce your intent (the
reader knows from your language whether you want to persuade, inform, entertain, etc.).
There is no need to say, “I want to tell you about how great softball is; it is a lot of fun.”
Refrain from this mind-numbing approach as well: “Some people think playing softball is
easy, and this paper will tell you all about the game.” A good, strong thesis gets right to
the job at hand:
Topic: Softball
Claim: For the dedicated player, softball is worth playing.
Direction: The focus is on three main points (reasons why the game is worth
playing): challenge, enjoyment, and camaraderie – in that order.
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Tone: Informative but not too formal. Positive. Effective.
Thesis statements must be precise. This is what I’m writing about, why I chose
this topic, and how I’m going to explain my point of view. For example, “The Matrix is
a good film,” doesn’t tell the reader much and the reader’s response might be, “Oh, yeah,
says who? Why is it so good?” BUT, if you wrote “The Matrix is a great movie because
it is intense and thought-provoking, full of ambiguities about reality and truth,” this gives
the reader a good idea of what you plan to say about the movie in your essay.
Does this thesis statement do the four jobs it is supposed to do? What is the topic
being written about? __________________________ What is the claim being made?
______________________ In what direction will this essay head? _________________
_____________ And, finally, what type of tone is the writer trying to set? ____________
Once you have your thesis statement, stick to its
direction. This means that, if
you wrote the above thesis statement, you would (1) introduce the film by saying when it
premiered, who stars in it, what is its rating, and any other background information
available; (2) end the introductory paragraph with your thesis statement; (3) use the next
several paragraphs explaining how the movie is:
1. Intense
2. Thought provoking
3. Full of ambiguities about reality and truth
Thesis statements do not have to be difficult to write. Take it slowly, stick to the
point. In the film, Philadelphia, Denzel Washington, playing an attorney, said to Tom
Hanks, “Pretend I’m a six-year-old; tell me what happened, one, two, three.” Remember
this advice when you are writing your thesis and provide support for it in your paper!
What is your essay about? One, two, three!
Copyright for this document is held y the Writing Center and Grammar Hotline of Tidewater Community College,
Virginia Beach Campus. It has been written, revised, and/or edited by staff paid to perform that work college; for the
therefore, the rights are retained by the college.
11/26/03
