A Foolproof Thesis Does One Thing Well
- By now, you should have a clear understanding of:
- The writer’s overall purpose
- The main ideas behind that purpose
- And the language techniques used to express them
- But before you begin your essay, you need to summarize all of this thinking into one powerful sentence. That sentence is called the thesis.
Definition
Thesis
One sentence, usually at the end of your introduction, that captures the main argument of your essay.
A Thesis Turns Your Insight into Argument
- A foolproof thesis clearly answers the guiding question in one sharp, specific sentence.
- Really, it should do three things:
- Respond to the question using its key terms
- State what the writer is doing (technique or idea)
- Explain why the writer is doing it (purpose or theme)
- A good thesis answers this question: What is the writer doing and why?
- It should:
- Be no longer than ~30 words
- Use keywords from the guiding question
- Examiners often know whether an essay is going to be strong just from the thesis.
- A vague, unclear thesis makes the whole essay feel aimless.
- A sharp, purposeful thesis shows you understand the text at a deep level.
