How to Write a Thesis

A thesis statement can be quite intimidating.  Often, the writer asks the question, “How do I put my paper/research/essay into one to two sentences?”

To get that answer, there are questions you must ask yourself in order to write a clear, understandable thesis statement, so that the reader knows what your paper is about. 

Different questions you can ask yourself, no matter what your topic is:

“What is the point I want to make with this paper?  How do I want lead the reader to see my point of view and understand it?  What question am I trying to answer in this paper?”

The thesis statement tells the reader in one to two sentences the focus of the paper, the stance the author is taking, and the reasoning the author is going to use to support his/her position. 

A very simple way to approach writing the thesis statement is to ask yourself, what is the question I am trying to answer.

For example: You are writing a comparison/contrast essay on the portrayal of Thor in comic books against the portrayal of Thor in the movies.  So, you are asking the question, “What are the similarities and differences between the portrayal of Thor in both comic books and in the movies?”

This question then can lead to your thesis statement. 

In both the movies and comic books Thor is known as a god from another realm, but in the movies, the portrayal of Thor makes him seem more human than god where in the comic books, Thor’s god status keeps him apart from the humans he’s surrounded by.

 

That thesis statement tells the reader that the paper is going to be exploring the various portrayals of Thor in the moves and the comic books.  It also tells the reader what stance you are taking regarding the different forms of Thor’s portrayal.   

 

What if your essay was on the injustices suffered by the African American population in Northern United States before and during the civil rights movement. What is the point you want to make with that paper?  How do you want lead the reader to see your point of view and understand it? What question are you trying to answer?

Although much focus of the civil rights movement is in the American South, African Americans were discriminated against and treated poorly in the American North as well.  Because of the subtlety of the discrimination, it has been an overlooked fact in American history. 

This tells the reader that you are writing about discrimination against African Americans in the North during the 1950s, 1960s & 1970s.  The second sentence tells the reader that you are doing this by showing examples of subtle discrimination in the American north. 

No matter the type of essay, whether it is a fully researched paper, an opinion piece, a blog, a comparison/contrast, or a rant, a good thesis statement will make clear to the reader what you want to say and how you’re going to say it.

One of the most important tools in all writing, including writing a thesis statement is revision.  Understand that the thesis statement you created in the beginning, before you started your research needs to be read and re-read throughout the paper.  Sometimes, revision of the thesis statement is necessary because your research took you in a direction you weren’t expecting. 

For example, you’ve done your research about Thor and have learned that actually the comic book Thor is more god like in the movies and more human in the comic books.  Then you’d need to revise your thesis statement. 

In both the movies and comic books Thor is known as a god from another realm, but in the comic books, the portrayal of Thor makes him seem more human than god where in the movies, Thor’s god status keeps him apart from the humans he’s surrounded by.