What’s the Point? How to Write a Great Thesis Statement

Movie buffs know that great films grab the viewer with a compelling opening scene. Bookworms can tell a bestselling novel from a dud within the first few paragraphs. The same is true of any paper you write. You must provide a clear, insightful thesis statement in the introductory paragraph in order to engage the reader’s interest.

That sounds easy enough, but when you’re starting a topic that asks you to “Evaluate Thomas Carew’s depiction of John Donne as the monarch of wit” or “Compare and contrast two political historians’ views of the US Constitution,” crafting a complete, yet pointed response can feel daunting. Use the following guidelines and examples to help you narrow your focus and write an excellent thesis statement.

Write About Your Interests

If at all possible within the constraints of your topic, choose an avenue that offers you some enjoyment. For example, if you are free to write on any novels from the term, write on the ones you liked best (or hated the least). If the topic asks you to analyze a character, pick the one who angered you the most or seemed most like you. You’ll have more opinions if you have some attachment to the topic. In subjects where everything bores you to tears, choose the approach that offers the most pieces of evidence, e.g., the longest book, the topic your professor spent the most time on, et cetera.

Unearth Evidence

When you have a general idea of what you hope to discuss, start searching for facts to back up your case. Pour through the texts, your notes, and approved secondary sources for arguments that support your theory. Remember that all good papers are attempting to prove a point, and you’ll only do that successfully if you have evidence to back up your claims. A preliminary fact finding mission will help you determine the validity of your theory. It will also provide ideas to shape the thesis statement.

Be Specific

A poor thesis statement usually follows a pattern that includes one or more of these three things: 1) it merely restates the topic, 2) it offers superfluous information as padding for its lack of specificity, and 3) it is so generic that you could insert it into any paper. Read the theses below, one generic and one specific for each of the two topics mentioned above, and consider the differences.

English Literature Example:

Thomas Carew, a contemporary of the poet John Donne, said that Donne was the king of wit and that means he used his humor and intelligence to show his opinion of things in his time. (generic)

Thomas Carew’s depiction of Donne as a poet who "ruled as he thought fit / The universal monarchy of wit" declares Donne’s deserved supremacy in mastering conceits and metaphors. The description, however, ignores Donne’s failures and excludes consideration of his conversational method. (specific)

Social Science Example:

John Roche and Charles Beard had different views of the US Constitution because they had different backgrounds. (generic)

Both John P. Roche and Charles A. Beard claim to shed the encroaching beliefs of their respective times and present a clear view of the motives of the Constitution’s framers. An analysis of their arguments shows that Roche maintains the existence of an intelligent, dedicated spirit of reformation whereas Beard professes a scheming conscience determined to undermine America’s poor. (specific)

Revise When Necessary

After completing your paper, reread the thesis. Is it still a comprehensive roadmap of your ideas? Did you develop a new line of thinking that does not appear in your thesis? Good writers often find themselves exploring new avenues of thought along the way. If, for whatever reason, your thesis no longer matches the body of your paper, change the thesis. This is a completely acceptable proposition and one that is much simpler than rewriting entire sections of your paper.

Conclusion

You may be tempted to postpone the difficult work of honing your thesis until the end, but laboring over it now will make your life easier. Once you know where your paper is headed and what you are trying to prove, the writing process will flow much more smoothly than if you launched yourself into the labyrinth without a guide.