THESIS STATEMENTS

English 10022 January 2009

Thesis Statements

A good thesis helps control your essay and lead your reader through your ideas

Without a good thesis, your essay is likely to feel unorganized and poorly developed

Think of your thesis as a sales pitch to your readers, trying to convince them to keep reading

Good Thesis Statements

A good thesis needs to be: Specific

Support broad claims with more focused ideas

Organized Suggest the organization of the

essay Assertive

Make a claim

Specific

Vague thesis: I enjoyed and agree with Robert

Ramirez’s essay. More specific thesis:

Robert Ramirez’s description of the barrio reminds me of the closeness and sense of community found in my North Valley neighborhood.

Organized

Unorganized thesis: Robin Henig’s essay was interesting,

but I have never had an experience like hers, and she writes a well-organized essay.

More organized thesis: In her essay Robin Henig relates her

personal experience eloquently, but her experience is very different from the time I lost sight in my left eye.

Assertive

Weak thesis: My experience is similar to

Klinkenborg’s essay. More assertive thesis:

Reading Klinkenborg’s descriptive essay reminded me of my grandfather’s farm and the summers that I spent there and how the natural world shaped my life.