Making thesis statements

1. Understanding & Writing
THESIS STATEMENTS

2. What is a Thesis Statement?
A thesis is a sentence or statement that describes
what an essay is going to be about:
1. It tells the reader the essay’s topic.
2. It presents the writer’s ATTITUDE, OPINION, IDEA, OR POINT about
that topic. In other words, it takes a STANCE.
3. It gives the reasons why you will prove your point.
4. It usually comes at the end of the first paragraph of an essay.
Examples:
Topic + Stance (Opinion or feeling) + Reasons to Support Your Stance
=
Thesis
If you don’t have a solid thesis, your paper will fall apart. A thesis is a blueprint
or an outline for the rest of your paper. It tells the reader exactly what you are
going to write about.

3. Understanding Thesis Statements
Again, a good thesis statement does
three things in an essay:
1. It tells the reader the essay’s topic.
2. It presents the writer’s ATTITUDE, OPINION,
IDEA, OR POINT about that topic (STANCE).
3. Gives reasons how/why you’re going to prove
your points.
Examples:
– College life is very stressful for first year
students. (give 3 reasons why)
– Burger King is much better than McDonalds.
(give 3 reasons why)
– Celebrities are often poor role models. (Give 3
reasons why)
Each reason is
the topic of its
own paragraph!
Your essay is
done!

4. The Don’ts of Thesis Statements
1. Write statements, not Announcements!
Examples of what not to do when starting an essay:
– The subject of this paper will be…
– I want to talk about …
– In this essay I want to express…
– My opinion of fast food restaurants is…
– This essay is about…
– I want to explain the…
2. Avoid statements that are too BROAD!
Example – Men and women are very different.
3. Avoid statements that are too NARROW!
Example – In Canada, a person must be 18 yrs old in order to vote
in the federal elections.
4. Write statements that contain only ONE IDEA!
Example - Group work has many advantages, but at the same time it brings
many difficulties.
Don’t do this! Ever!
Bad…very bad!!

5. Writing a Good Thesis
Limit your topic until you can control it:
GENERAL TOPIC LIMITED TOPIC THESIS
Video Games Grand Theft
Auto
The GTA video game is too violent
for children.
Ways to limit your topic:
1. specific items (persons, aspects, things)
2. specific locations (place)
3. specific time periods (1970s, WWII, Roman Empire)
4. classifications and categories (newspapers, TV,
internet, swimming, soccer training—ball juggling)

6. STEP 2 Support Thesis with Specific Evidence
•The second basic step is to support the thesis with specific reasons or details.
•In a standard academic essay, you should advance (3) three main supporting
details.
Example
Thesis: Going to the movies is a real problem.
Support: 1. Inconvenience of going out
2. Tempting and expensive snacks
3. Behavior of other moviegoers
Thesis statement:
The hazards of going out, the expensive snacks, and
the behavior of other movie goers are some of the
problems of going to the movies.

7. Check out this essay about cats!
Paragraph 1
At one point in their lives, most people will own a pet. While it
can be very hard to choose a life-long companion, choosing between a
dog and a cat should be easy. Cats are way better pets than dogs
because they use a litter box, they are more independent, and they
require no walking!
•If you know that a thesis usually comes at the end of the first
paragraph, what do you think this essay is going to be about?
•What is my topic? My stance? My reasons?
•What do you thin my first paragraph will be about? What about my
second and third?
•Remember! Your thesis acts as a blueprint for the rest of your essay.

8. Cats are way better pets than dogs because they
use a litter box, they are more independent, and
they require no walking!
•Paragraph 2
When you have a dog, you constantly have
to take them outside to use the restroom. They
often have accidents and your house ends up
smelling like pee. Not so with a cat! A cat knows
how to use a litter box since birth! You don’t even
have to train it.

9. Cats are way better pets than dogs because they
use a litter box, they are more independent, and
they require no walking!
•Paragraph 3
Cats are also more independent in general.
They are great companions when YOU need them,
not when they need you. A cat doesn’t get
depressed when you are at work or school during
the day. They like to be with you, but they don’t
need you all the time.

10. Cats are way better pets than dogs because they
use a litter box, they are more independent, and
they require no walking!
Paragraph 4
Lastly, dogs have to be walked for their
health. It takes a lot of commitment to be able to
walk a dog every day no matter if it’s above 100
degrees or raining. Cats aren’t that high
maintenance. They take care of their own exercise
and are content to sleep up to 18 hours a day!

11. At one point in their lives, most people will own a pet. While it can be
very hard to choose a life-long companion, choosing between a dog and a cat
should be easy. Cats are way better pets than dogs because they use a litter
box, they are more independent, and they require no walking!
When you have a dog, you constantly have to take them outside to
use the restroom. They often have accidents and your house ends up smelling
like pee. Not so with a cat! A cat knows how to use a litter box since birth! You
don’t even have to train it.
Cats are also more independent in general. They are great
companions when YOU need them, not when they need you. A cat doesn’t get
depressed when you are at work or school during the day. They like to be with
you, but they don’t need you all the time.
Lastly, dogs have to be walked for their health. It takes a lot of
commitment to be able to walk a dog every day no matter if it’s above 100
degrees or raining. Cats aren’t that high maintenance. They take care of their
own exercise and are content to sleep up to 18 hours a day!
In conclusion, if you want be constantly tied down to taking care of a
pet, a dog might be the right choice for you. However, if you want
companionship, but the ability to still have a life, cats are definitely superior.
Choose wisely.

12. Check out a paper I wrote in college!
While modern critics are still at odds about whether or not the Merchant
of Venice is anti-Semitic, one could argue that because of the portrayal
of Jessica, Shakespeare might be suggesting that true humanity may
come from any person willing to experience it—regardless of race,
gender, or ethnicity. Jessica in the Merchant of Venice is the epitome
of this concept. She represents women, those of Jewish faith, and true
non-judgmental humanity.
•If you know that a thesis usually comes at the end of the first
paragraph, what do you think this essay is going to be about?

13. Check out a paper I wrote in college!
She represents women, those of Jewish faith, and true non-judgmental
humanity.
•What do you thin my first paragraph will be about? What about my
second and third?
•Remember! Your thesis acts as a blueprint for the rest of your essay.

14. She represents women, those of Jewish faith, and true non-judgmental
humanity.
.
•Paragraph 2
The Muted Group Theory of Cheris Kramarae “maintains that language is
literally a man-made construction” and because it men who control the meaning of
language and words, language can in turn aide in “defining, depreciating, and excluding
women” (Griffin 487). The exclusion of the choices of women can be clearly seen
throughout the entirety of the play. Portia’s future is at the mercy of her dead father
(1.2.12-26) and so is Jessica’s until she manages to escape (2.6.33-51). The characters
of Portia and Nerissa must dress up as men to be able to go to Venice (3.4.78-84) and if
these two were to have carried out their plan of out witting Shylock as women, they would
have never been taken seriously (4.1). Anti-Semitic feelings are clearly portrayed by
most of the characters throughout the play, thus putting Jessica in the worst position of
all. Not only must she deal with being marginalized because of her gender, but also her
religious background.

15. She represents women, those of Jewish faith, and true non-judgmental
humanity.
•Paragraph 3
Derogatory terms against Jewish people run rampant in this play, and
Shylock’s character is often ready to reciprocate, but Jessica’s character often displays
are more passive attitude and is well liked, even by Christians such as Lancelot. In fact,
Jessica is one of the many in the play that despises Shylock, her father, but she also
clearly states “Alack, what heinous sin is it in me/ To be ashamed to be my father’s child!/
But though I am a daughter to his blood,/I am not to his manners” (2.316-19). Instead of
judging upon stereotypes, like everyone else in the play seemingly does, Jessica, makes
decisions out of personal actions and individual thought.

16. She represents women, those of Jewish faith, and true non-judgmental
humanity.
•Paragraph 4
Shakespearean comedy is a kind of balancing act (Bamber 124) that Jessica is
able to perfect. According to the Standpoint Theory of Sandra Harding and Julia T.
Wood, the least powerful, such as Jessica, can actually provide “a more objective view
than the perspective from the lives of the more powerful” (Griffin 476). People in
situations like Jessica’s have little reason to defend the status quo that the over privileged
often choose to uphold because it is beneficial to them to succeed at the expense of
others (Griffin 482). Jessica’s circumstances in the Merchant of Venice puts her in a
position where she could easily be spiteful, yet she is uniquely able to move past those
dark experiences of humanity without a vengeful heart and treat everyone surrounding
her as simply a human being.