Thesis Statements

Thesis
Who am I? Essay

NOTES ABOUT THESIS STATEMENTS

Keep these things in mind when writing a thesis statement:
         
YOUR THESIS SHOULD INCLUDE INFORMATION ON THE SONG AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE SONG.

1.                 A thesis is NOT the whole essay; a thesis is the main idea, often expressed in a single sentence.
2.                 A thesis can also be thought of as the main argument of your paper
3.                 A thesis should NOT be a laundry list of your main points
4.                 It should merely set up the topic and give any general information the listener needs to know.
5.                 Every topic paragraph should clearly support your thesis – create strong links that return to what you are explaining throughout your paper.


Here are three kinds of thesis statements:

         
1.      SIMPLE: Usually more descriptive and generic in nature
SPECIFIC SUBJECT + SPECIFIC FEELING[S]/FEATURES[s] = THESIS

EXAMPLES:
·           “Angels with Dirty Faces” shows true thoughts and obstacles that I have seen homeless people face.



2.      INTERMEDIATE: Usually more complex; addresses the larger message/call to action
AUTHOR + VERB + CHARACTER/SYMBOL/THEME/DEVICE/ETC. + PICK FROM BELOW + POINT
to discuss, in order to, to examine, to relate, concentrates on, to trace,
to see if, to show [shows,] to prove [proves,] to determine, to explain,
to argue [argues,] to persuade [persuades], to demonstrate
EXAMPLES:
       Homeboy Sandman uses situations of homelessness to demonstrate that I have the opportunity to
be compassionate towards homeless people.




3. ADVANCED: This developed thesis includes contrast and may use words like therefore or although. With this type of thesis sentence, you will want to include the part and whole.
EXAMPLES:
·         Though I want to wait for an extraordinary person to stop injustice, Homeboy Sandman identifies situations where I can choose to help others or ignore their situations.









On Your Own:
NOW, write your own thesis statement about your song.  This may change as you get into more detail with your paper, but you at least have someplace to start.

My topic: ______________________________________________
Formula:

_______________________________                      __________________________________________
(author)                                                                      (present-tense verb ending w/”S”)            

__________________________________________            __________________________________________
(idea/symbol/theme/motif, etc.)                                             (infinitive phrase from list on front)

__________________________________________________________________________________________
(point you’re attempting to make)


Write Complete Thesis Statement Below: