A+Word+about+Thesis+Statements

OK, so this is more than a word. All these words will be helpful for you as you start formulating thesis statements this year.

 In this class, when writing a thesis statement, you will use "The List" method. The List includes: Title, Author, Method, Meaning. You must formulate this list in order to create a thesis statement.

**What is title?** It's the name of the work.

**How do I decide whether to //italicize// the title or put it in "quotation marks" ?** I call these "innies" and //outies//. If the work stands alone like an outie belly button (a book, movie, or album) then you italicize it. (Examples: //To Kill a Mockingbird//, //X-Men//, and Lady Gaga's album, //The Fame//.) If the work must sit inside something else, like an innie belly button, to be seen or purchased (a poem, song, short story, article, or television show) then you put it in quotes. (Examples: "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day," "Poker Face," "Everyday Use," "Phineas and Ferb".)

 **What is author?** The author is the person who created the work. The term author is interchangeable with the term poet depending on whether you are discussing a poem or fiction/nonfiction. The correct term for drama would be playwright.

 **What is method?** Refer to this video for assistance, then come right back here. What was Spongebob's method (or as he calls it, **technique**)? How did he use it? What did he accomplish? Authors and poets are exactly the same. They use various techniques, or methods, to help create meaning in their work. Your job is to find out what techniques, or methods, the author uses and why. Examples of methods can be (but are not limited to) figurative language and rhetorical strategies (like imagery, symbolism, ethos, pathos, logos).

 **What is meaning?** Meaning refers to the point. What is the author's intention? What is his purpose? Find out what it is and how he did it and you'll have meaning and method!

===**Combine the elements of title, author, method, and meaning to create one statement. A thesis statement! **===

** Facts about the thesis statement: ** · It expresses the main idea of your paper. · It has two parts: the __subject__ of your paper and your own __opinions or ideas__ about the subject. · It demonstrates the order in which the ideas will be discussed; you will hear me refer to a thesis statement as the paper’s “road map” because it outlines the paper’s content. ** How to recognize a weak or ineffective thesis statement: ** · It is very general or broad. · Most people would see your opinion as common sense (for example, “Dropping out of high school is a bad idea”). ** Tips for improving your thesis: ** <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">· The thesis can serve as a guide as you write, but you may find that your idea changes or develops as you work on your paper. If this happens, reword your thesis to fit your improved idea. <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">· As you revise, check the main point of each paragraph against the thesis to be sure each paragraph fits; make necessary changes to the thesis or the paper to be sure they match.

<span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Sample thesis statements:**

<span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__Comparison paper__**
 * <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Weak thesis** || <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> **Strong thesis** || <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Why?** ||
 * <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 11pt;">In Shakespeare’s play //Hamlet,// Hamlet and Claudius have both similarities and differences. || <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 11pt;">In Shakespeare’s //Hamlet//, both Hamlet and Claudius try to overpower each other; however, Hamlet is motivated by his determination to avenge his father—a noble action—while Claudius is motivated by his selfish desire to rule, whatever the cost. || <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 11pt;">The weak thesis simply states a fact; the strong thesis states both the subject (the power struggle in the play) and the writer’s opinion about the struggle. ||

__<span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Argumentative Paper** __
 * <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Weak thesis** || <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> **Strong thesis** || <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Why?** ||
 * <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 11pt;">Opponents of gun control say there shouldn’t be a waiting period before a person can buy a handgun, but there should be one. || <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 11pt;">Although opponents of gun control say that it will do nothing to prevent crime, a seven-day waiting period before handguns can be purchased will improve the present situation by preventing crimes of passion and by allowing for more in-depth background searches, and this will help to prevent those who cannot legally own a handgun from getting one. || <span style="color: #16a716; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 11pt;">The weak thesis identifies the subject but not the writer’s reasons for the stated opinion; the strong thesis states the opinion and also the order in which the reasons which support the idea will be presented in the paper. ||