What is a Thesis Statement?• A thesis statement presents your opinions or

thoughts on a subject or an issue. You cannot write an essay without one.

• A thesis statement must contain a subject and an opinion.

• A thesis statement answers the topic question (the one you created or the one presented to you by the instructor).

Writing a Thesis Statement• A thesis statement should never contain the

following: in my opinion, I think, I believe, etc. – However, it may be helpful to begin your thesis

statement rough draft with in my opinion, I believe, or I think to make you are expressing your thoughts or opinion on a specific subject or issue.

– When writing the final thesis statement, simply eliminate those phrases.

Thesis Statements• To begin writing a literary argument, you

must choose a position.– This means you must have a point.

• Your thesis must be:1. Concise2. Contestable3. Predictably Located

Thesis Statements• A concise thesis is one that is:

– specific & has one central idea• For example,

– Not concise: We should reform [vague] education [too broad] in the U.S. [too broad].

– Concise: Bolingbrook High School [specific] ought to create more academic extracurricular activities [specific].

– Too many ideas: To improve BHS, the administration should give less exams, have longer passing periods, and have more academic options.

– One central idea: BHS provides excellent course options to ready students for college.

Thesis Statements• A contestable thesis is one that is:

– debatable. • It must be an opinion, not a fact.

– The more contestable the thesis, the more engaged the reader will be.

• For example,– Not contestable: Shakespeare was a renaissance playwright. [FACT]– Barely contestable: Shakespeare was an excellent playwright.

[OPINION]– More Contestable: Shakespeare’s plays were actually written by

Queen Elizabeth.– Most Contestable: Shakespeare was an extraterrestrial.

Thesis Statements• When you do this it is important to realize that a topic is

different than a thesis.• For example,

– Topic: The Decline of Baseball– Thesis: Baseball, once a national pastime and even an

addiction, has lost its popularity because of the new interest in more violent sports.

– Topic: Homes and Schools– Thesis: If parents want better education for their children, they

must be willing to commit their time to working with the schools.

Good & Bad Thesis Statements

Bad: Crime must be stopped.Good: To stop the alarming rise in the number of violent crimes committed every year, our courts must hand out tougher sentences.

Find the Subject and the OpinionThesis Statements

Circle the subject and underline the opinion.1. The government should ban the use of

pesticides because they increase health risks.2. Detective stories appeal to the basic human

desire for thrills.3. Hemingway's war stories helped to create a

new prose style.4. The new Denver Art Museum is a monument

to human folly.