The Thesis Statement

A Brief IntroductionWriting often takes the form of persuasion.

What is persuasion? The use of language to convince someone that you’re right.

You need to convince others that you have an interesting and logical point of view.

You use persuasion everyday, whether you realize it or not

What is a thesis?After a brief introduction of your topic, you state

your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence.

A summary of the argument you'll make in the rest of your paper.

You can also think of the thesis statement as an umbrella claim, which covers your other smaller claims.

Mrs. Jones’ Thesis“Lord Capulet…is a man whose excessive pride

ruins his life and the lives of those around him.”

This is a thesis because it is a broad claim—a claim that says two things:Capulet is a man of excessive pride (has a point of

view)Capulet ruins lives (has a point of view)

A Thesis Should… tell the reader how you will interpret the significance of

the subject matter under discussion Lord Capulet’s excessive pride ruins lives

be a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper This paper is accusing Lord Capulet of ruining people’s

lives

make a claim that others might dispute Lord Capulet is a man of excessive pride Capulet’s excessive pride ruins lives

present your argument to the reader

Example Thesis