Working with Thesis Statements

Thesis: from the Greek, meaning "to put, lay down"; a proposition to be proved or one advanced without proof.

In writing, the thesis means the central idea or focus of an essay. The thesis is found in the thesis statement that is conventionally located at the end of the first paragraph, at the beginning of the first paragraph, or possibly, in the second paragraph. Rodrigues and Tuman (Writing Essentials) write that a thesis statement is "an assertion or opinion in need of explanation, support, or development—a position about the world that readers are unlikely to accept without elaboration or proof."

Where to look for the thesis statement in a draft you have already written: Look at the end of your first draft for the best statement of your thesis; it often takes writing the first draft to state clearly what it is you are arguing. Practice looking for thesis statements in your class readings (look at first paragraphs). Stories often do not have directly–stated theses. Articles often do.

When revising a thesis paper: Scan the paper to find the "working thesis statement." Remember to look at the end as well as the beginning. Sometimes, even in a draft, a clear statement of thesis is absent.

Once you find a possible thesis statement, determine:

• Is the statement "in need of explanation, support or development"? If the answer is yes, you need to work for clarity.
• Is the statement too factual? A thesis implies an argument; a simple statement of fact contains no argument. For example, the statement "Golden retrievers can swim" contains no argument. There is no where to "go" with this statement. In this case, you might ask, "Golden retrievers can swim and what else? This may prompt the "next step" of your idea.
• Is the statement too general? "Golden retrievers are the best dogs." The word "best" implies a kernel of an argument, but there is too much to "prove." Here you might ask "retrievers are the best at what?" You might answer they are the best swimmers. Now ask, "and so…?" Possible answer: Golden retrievers are excellent swimmers and, thus, they are the best rescue dogs." Better, but still a little thin in terms of developing a sustained and interesting argument. Now, work to complicate the statement.
• Are there other characteristics you might add that will increase the complexity of your argument? Perhaps you have learned that "retrievers learn fast." You might revise your statement to: "Because golden retrievers are good swimmers, learn fast and are friendly, they make good rescue dogs." This may still seem a too simplistic.
• Try adding the word "but" to your thesis statement (you may have to learn more about golden retrievers to do this). A possible revised thesis: "Golden retrievers are good swimmers, they learn fast, and they are friendly, but they are only average trackers; nevertheless, they make good rescue dogs." Now you have more to write about.

If you would like help with your thesis statement, visit the Writing Center.

Non-thesis or "Speculative" writing

Much academic writing requires advancement and substantiation of a thesis. The word thesis refers to "a proposition to be proved." The thesis is stated early in the writing, and the body of the essay works to prove the thesis by constantly referring back to it. This type of paper focuses on content.

Speculative writing is different. To speculate means to spy, meditate or ponder. One of Webster's definitions of the verb is "to review something idly or casually and often inconclusively." This kind of writing focuses as much on the process of reading and thinking as it does on content.

Both thesis and speculative writings make sense, show what the writer has learned, cite generous support from sources and are edited and polished. The first draft of a thesis paper may, in some ways, resemble the first draft of a speculative piece. If your teacher asks you to respond to a piece of literature with a "close reading" or to avoid thesis writing, try these suggestions.

Speculative writing differs from thesis writing in the following ways (thanks to Writing Center tutors for this list):

• There may be no thesis, no five-paragraph essay, no conclusion (check with your instructor).
• There may be no paragraphs in the conventional sense—rather, the writing might consist of "chunks" or "pieces" of text. Check with your instructor about his/her preference for format.
• The writer does not work to "prove" a point.
• There is never just one answer to explore. The writing does not necessarily have a single focus.
• The response doesn't have to be "right"—the writer may change his mind in the process of the writing.
• The writer "thinks" or "struggles" on the page—this process is often edited out when writing. Some of the mental work often considered part of "prewriting" may be appropriate material for speculative writing.
• The writer is as engaged with the language, the context and the tone of the text as with the plot or content. Begin to think about the "process" of reading and writing the text, rather than the "product" of the work alone.
• The writer asks questions about language (Why this word in this location? Why these chapter divisions? Why this repeating idea or word or phrase?).
• The writer attempts to see the text, or one small section of the text, from several perspectives.
• The writer attempts to imagine why the author put the text together the way she did.
• The writer might create a list of questions to help with a gradual understanding of a section of text that was, previously, not understood.
• The writer has permission to follow "feelings" about the text, but refers back to the text to try to describe how the author elicited those feelings.
• The writer asks, "Why does the author do this? Or "What is the effect?"

If you have questions about this type of writing or about assignments that might benefit from this type of writing, see a Writing Center tutor.