The Thesis Statement

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The Thesis Statement
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What is a thesis statement?

• A thesis statement is the most important sentence
  in your paper its the idea(s) that everything
  else in the paper springs from.
• A thesis statement makes an arguable claim its
  not a fact.
• A thesis statement tells your readers what your
  essay will be about.
• In other words, a thesis statement provides a
  forecast for the entire essay.

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Where is a thesis statement?

• For this class, your thesis statement should
  appear at the end of your introduction.

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But what about the last paper? Did it have a
thesis?

• Not really. Although narratives have a main idea,
  which might be implicit or explicit, they dont
  always follow the structure of a typical academic
  paper.
• We are moving from narrative to analysis a
  whole new way of writing. Most of your college
  writing will be analysis.

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An analytical thesis

• usually answers the question
• How?
• And often also answers the question
• Why?

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What does this mean?

• In analyzing texts, the How question refers to
  how the author of a text goes about presenting
  information or stylistic choices to his readers.
• When you analyze a text, you write about one
  aspect or element of the text.
• You ask yourself, How does this author fulfill
  his purpose in this text?

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For this assignment

• One option is to analyze an ad.
• So you ask yourself
• What is the advertisers purpose? Why does the
  advertiser do X whatever youre writing about in
  your paper?
• Then, how does the advertiser fulfill its
  purpose?
• Then you find specific examples within the ad
  to prove your point.

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For example

• In the FILA ad on p. 179
• What is FILAs purpose in creating this ad?
• To sell shoes

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This is analysis!

• How does FILA (try to) sell shoes?
• By featuring an attractive, sophisticated,
  Continental-looking male model in the ad
• By making the male model stylish yet masculine
  (well developed pecs and abs are part of the
  picture)
• By using a picture of the FILA-wearing model that
  is several times larger than the regular people
• By placing the picture of the model above the
  regular people, as if its something they can
  aspire to
• By including regular people in the ad so that
  consumers can relate
• NOTE Whether you believe FILA is successful or
  not is a different part of the essay. This part
  is objective analysis of the ad.

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Your working thesis might be something like

• In this ad, FILA attempts to entice buyers by
  showing them an ideal that they can aspire to.
• OR
• FILA makes a direct connection between
  sophistication and their new style of basketball
  shoes in order to attract a wider range of
  customers.
• a working thesis is like a first draft. It has
  the general idea, but the wording may and
  probably will change before the final draft.

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For this assignment

• Your second option is to analyze an experience.
  This one is slightly different.
• Ask yourself
• Have I ever been a celebrity? (this is your
  claim) OR
• Has someone I know well ever been/become a
  celebrity?
• Then, how can I support this fact?
• To support the idea that you were a celebrity,
  you need to find specific examples within the
  experience to prove your point.

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For example

• Several years ago, I participated in a 100-mile
  bike ride to raise money for a cause. During that
  process, I felt like a celebrity especially on
  the day of the ride.
• So, my claim (that I need to prove) is that for
  one period of my life/one day/etc, I was a
  celebrity.
• I need to illustrate for my readers how I was a
  celebrity.

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This is analysis!

• How was I a celebrity?
• I sent out a letter, like a newsletter to tell my
  family and friends what I was doing and to ask
  for donations. I got lots of fan mail and lots
  of donations.
• I was famous within my family because I was
  training for something extraordinary. They talked
  about me a lot!
• I was riding for a famous team.
• The morning of the race, we were on the news
  (thousands of riders!) and many, many people took
  our pictures.
• My sister, nieces, and friends came to the ride.
  They met me at several different stops, with
  signs and balloons and whistles. They were my fan
  club.
• I was in the newspaper and am probably still on
  the Internet as a result of the ride.

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So, I might start simple with my thesis

• For one day in 2001, I was a celebrity.
• OR
• There was one time in my life when I truly felt
  like a celebrity, and the experience changed my
  life.

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For this assignment

• Your third option is to analyze a celebritys
  image that is supported/created by the media.
  This celebrity should somehow represent an aspect
  of you (culture, nationality, etc.)

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First, think of a celebrity who represents you
in a good or bad way.

• For this assignment, Im going to choose
• Kate Gosselin
• American, reality TV celebrity
• I dont know anything about her except what the
  media has told me
• To me, she (and women like her) represents
  reality TV stars who are celebrities for no valid
  reason - the media made her a star, not her
  actions or talent
• As a theater person, that irritates me
• As an American woman, I find it embarrassing that
  she represents me to the rest of the world!

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So, I ask myself

• How has the media represented her?
• I will need to do some digging to see how the
  media has represented her since she became a
  celebrity.
• Good mom? Overwhelmed mom? Divorced mom?
• Victim? Dancer? Thinker? Not?
• Irritating, constant presence (like a buzzing
  insect)
• Author (who knew?!)

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Then I ask myself

• Why does the media represent her in this way?
• Who benefits?

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I might say something like

• Despite attempts at establishing credibility,
  Kate Gosselin is a damaging representation of the
  average American woman.
• OR
• Despite highly publicized failures, Kate Gosselin
  provides an exemplary example of the modern
  American woman.

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Additionally, your thesis statement should meet
the following requirements

• 1. It should be interesting to your readers. Your
  brain works differently than anyone elses. Show
  us a point of view or a perspective we might not
  have considered before.

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and

• 2. It should have precise and specific wording.
  Try not to use the same words everyone else will
  use (good, well, bad, etc.). When youre writing
  your working thesis, put vague words in
  parentheses. Once you have settled on your idea,
  go back and refine.

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Last but not least

• Understand that your thesis statement might, and
  probably will, change as you draft and revise.
  Oftentimes when we are writing, our ideas becomes
  clearer or sometimes even shift to a slightly
  different interpretation. THIS IS OKAY.

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Any questions?