Developing Strong

Thesis Statements
 Thesis Statements
• A thesis statement is a one-or-two sentence statement of your essay’s
main argument
• A thesis statement in this class should be:
• Interpretive (not something stated directly in the text)
• Argumentative (a reasonable, informed person could disagree with it)
• Complex (it should take several body paragraphs/minor points to fully
support it)
• Modest (you must be able to support it with the evidence/analysis you have)
• Focused on the text (not on the “real world” or on the reader)
• Focused on the rhetorical elements specified in the essay question/topic
• Stated firmly at the beginning of the essay (not, “this paper will explore…”)
 Thesis Statements
• In this class, a thesis statement is not:
• A personal evaluation of a text (praise or condemnation)
• A personal evaluation of an author (praise or condemnation)
• A speculation about reader response (we don’t have access to this
information)
• A comparison that declares one thing better than another
• A neutral statement that can’t be disagreed with
• A general observation about the world
• A personal response only (an argumentative essay is a different genre
than a journal entry)
• Delayed (placed at the end of the paper)
 Drafting a Thesis
1. Review the topic or essay question. Identify the key themes and concepts it is asking
you to analyze and in what text(s).
2. Refine the topic. For example, if it asks you to analyze theme, you should identify
what the theme is and interpret why it is significant.
3. Map out supporting evidence/minor arguments and create an essay outline. A thesis
statement is essentially a conclusion, so you should do a lot of brainstorming and
analysis before you try to write it.
4. After you have established your argument, begin writing your thesis statement.
Focus on turning the argument into a sentence (if you are still brainstorming to
determine the content, return to step 3).
5. Edit your thesis statement to ensure that it is written in the 3rd person p.o.v. and a
formal tone and that it uses the same key words as the essay question (or that you
refine them, as from “tone” to “sarcasm”).
 Drafting a Thesis: Example
Essay Question: How are polar bears represented in Markoosie’s
Harpoon of the Hunter?

Identify key concepts

• Polar bears

Refine key concepts

• Focus on hunting the polar bear that attacks the community
 Drafting a Thesis: Example
Map out evidence and supporting arguments:
• Rabid polar bear attacks the community after Kamik wishes to see a polar bear
in the next day’s hunt
• Hunting party sets out to kill the bear for the safety of all in the region
• They kill a bear, but not the bear; the bear that attacked their camp attacks
them and kills the hunting party. Kamik is the sole survivor
• In Kamik’s final showdown with the bear, the narrator shifts between Kamik
and the bear
• Pattern: The polar bear could be read symbolically at the beginning of the
story, but as more and more detail is added, he becomes more like a character
• Significance: The polar bear is consistent with Inuit hunting philosophy regarding polar
bears as sentient; the polar bear can’t be read only as a symbol, as essays about this
novella have argued.
 Drafting a Thesis: Example
Write the argument as a sentence:

Many of the essays I read about the novella argue that the polar bear is a symbol for nature and its
dangers, but I think that’s a western view of polar bears, whereas Markoosie is drawing on Inuit
knowledge about polar bears as sentient: the polar bear might be read symbolically early in the
story, but by the end, when he is included in the narrative perspective, he is a character.

Edit for key words, formal tone, 3rd person point-of-view, concision:
In Markoosie’s Harpoon of the Hunter, the polar bear is introduced as a dangerous obstacle but
becomes a thinking narrator and should therefore be read as a character rather than as a symbol.
 Weak Thesis Statements
Identify the Weaknesses
• In “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie forces the
audience to see why the single story is bad.
• This paper will explore how Adichie uses personal anecdotes to build a
rapport with her audience.
• Single stories are prominent in the world and even in our own lives, and if
we continue to tell them, we will create more division and conflict.
• “The Danger of a Single Story” demonstrates that the single story creates an
image of a people as one thing only.
• Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” uses humour more effectively than
Thomas King’s “‘You’ll Never Believe What Happened’ Is Always a Great Way
to Start”