Formulate a Thesis Statement
Having generated ideas and information, you are ready to begin organizing your thoughts. At this stage, you must commit to a controlling idea, a thesis. The thesis of a prose composition is its main idea, the point it is trying to make. The thesis is often expressed in one or two sentences called a thesis statement. Because everything you say in your composition must be logically related to your thesis statement, the thesis statement controls and directs the choices you make about the content of your essay (see PARA 1). That does not mean your thesis statement is a straitjacket, As your essay develops, you may want to modify your thesis statement. This is not only acceptable, it is normal. Remember that writing is a recursive process; you move back and forth among the stages as you clarify your thoughts and try to communicate them to your reader.
Here are some examples of thesis statements.
He was the best friend a person could have, but if I had to choose one word to describe him, it would be lonely. - Tammi Lipski, student
In order for students to successfully compete after graduation in the job market, they must follow three basic rules in their job search. - Terry Mote
These are good thesis statements because they lead naturally into the rest of the essay: we want to know more about the loneliness of the person Lipski describes, and we want to know what Mote considers to be the three basic rules of the job search. Both thesis statements set up expectations in the reader’s mind. For the writer, both thesis statements strike a level of generality that is not so broad as to be impossible to support in the space allotted or so focused as to require virtually no supporting evidence.
The thesis statement is usually set forth near the beginning of the composition, sometimes after a few sentences that establish a context. In the beginning of an essay on the harmful effects of disposable diapers, Lisa Denis builds a context for the last two sentences in which she presents her thesis statement:
Picture yourself having to change a child’s diaper. I’ll bet you don’t see yourself using a cloth diaper and pins. The use of disposable diapers has become the norm in today’s fast-paced society. But the fact is we have no idea of the damage they do. The time has come to put an end to their use. Disposable diapers are expensive, potentially harmful to babies, and environmentally unsound. - Lisa Denis, student
On occasion you may want to delay presenting the thesis until the middle or end of a composition. If the thesis is controversial or needs extended background discussion, presenting it later may make it easier for the reader to understand and accept it. Also, appearing near or at the end of an essay, a thesis gains prominence, and giving it such a position of importance may suit your purpose.
