The Thesis

Thesis Sometimes called: – Thesis – Thesis Statement – Argument – Main Argument – Main Idea – Central Idea – Main Point Teachers will often use one or more of these terms when talking about the thesis. They all mean the same thing.

A thesis is arguably the most important part of your essay.

Often, it is the part teachers focus on when they grade you.

Academic essays need theses. If you don’t have a thesis, you don’t have an essay.

Also, the thesis MUST be somewhere at the beginning of the essay.

For this class, the thesis MUST appear somewhere on the first page for credit If the thesis is on the second page or any page thereafter, you will not get credit for having a thesis. The thesis is worth 1/5 of your essay grade.

In some countries, the thesis statement is at the end of the essay. However, the Western tradition is to put the thesis in the beginning.

Important Parts of a Thesis: 1.Limited Topic = what the essay is about (limited to a manageable size) 2.Main Argument = the side you take or claim you make. 3.Opinion = tells why your argument is correct

Essay Topic: What is your favorite type of pet? 1.Limited Topic = My favorite pet 2.Main Argument = is a cat 3.Opinion =because cats are self-cleaning. Thesis: My favorite pet is a cat because cats are self-cleaning.

Essay Topic: Should non-criminal, undocumented workers who have lived here for more than 10 years be given citizenship? 1.Limited Topic =_______________ 2.Main Argument = ___________ 3.Opinion =__________________ Thesis:______________________ ________________________

Essay Topic: Should non-criminal, undocumented workers who have lived here for more than 10 years be given citizenship? 1.Limited Topic =_______________ 2.Main Argument = ___________ 3.Opinion =__________________ Thesis:______________________ ________________________

Essay Topic: Should non-criminal, undocumented workers who have lived here for more than 10 years be given citizenship? 1.Limited Topic = non-criminal, undocumented workers who have lived here for more than 10 years _______be given citizenship. 2.Main Argument = (should/should not) 3.Opinion =because it will benefit the economy. Thesis: Non-criminal, undocumented workers who have lived here for more than 10 years should be given citizenship because it will benefit the economy.

Essay Topic: Is Shaun Tan’s book The Arrival literature? 1.Limited Topic = ____________ 2.Main Argument = ____________ 3.Opinion = ____________ Thesis:

Essay Topic: Is Shaun Tan’s book The Arrival literature? 1.Limited Topic = Shaun Tan’s book The Arrival 2.Main Argument = is literature 3.Opinion = because even though it has no words, it offers in-depth meaning. Thesis:

Essay Topic: Is Shaun Tan’s book The Arrival literature? 1.Limited Topic = Shaun Tan’s book The Arrival 2.Main Argument = is not literature 3.Opinion = because it has no words. Thesis:

Things to Remember: An academic essay must have a thesis. The thesis usually appears in the first paragraph The thesis is the part of your paper that gets the most attention.