Thesis Statements American Literature Ms. Porri

Subject vs. Topic  Subject: The broad area of investigation  Topic: A particular aspect of the subject that interests you.

What is a thesis?  A thesis includes your topic and a comment or assertion about your topic. Thesis=Topic + Comment

What makes a good thesis? A thesis must be:  Clear  Arguable  Focused

Is this a good thesis statement? The narrators of The Canterbury Tales are important for a number of reasons.

What about this one? 2. Chaucer’s portrayals of the narrators in The Canterbury Tales illustrate much about medieval society.

This one? 3. Chaucer’s portrayals of the narrators in The Canterbury Tales accurately illustrate much about medieval society.

This one? 4. Chaucer’s portrayals of the Miller, the Knight, the Wife of Bath, and the Franklin accurately illustrate the political and economic tensions that were beginning to emerge in England in the late 14 th century.

Furthermore...  A good thesis tells us something about the writer: a “well conceived” thesis implies that the writer has learned about his/her topic.  Organizing a paper ALWAYS comes AFTER you have formulated your thesis.

Why can’t you just make three points about the topic and call it a paper?  Problem #1: A preconceived organization forces you to concoct thesis statements that are not really thesis statements. This is called THESIS CHASING.

Problem #2  A Preconceived organization forces you to include information that may have little or nothing to do with your thesis.

How do we avoid these problems? 1. Think carefully about your thesis and the assertions you need to make in order to prove the thesis. 2. Select a general principle of organization that is based on your analysis of your thesis and your assertions.

General Principles of Organization 1. Order of importance 2. Chronological 3. Problem/solution 4. Functional (description of the parts in order to demonstrate how the whole functions) 5. Pros and Cons 6. Cause/Effect