1. Writing a Thesis Statement

2. What is a Thesis? a one sentence statement that: Outlines specifically the argument of your essay tells the reader what your essay is going to be about Takes a stand: is an arguable statement, not simply a statement of observation Expresses one main idea Is simply stated

3. “What about it?!” The thesis statement takes a side on a topic rather than simply announcing that the paper is about a topic Don't tell readers about something; tell them what about something. Answer the questions “how?” or “why?” It must pass the "So What?" test: – Eg. The barber is courageous. So what?! What about it?! – Eg. The barber is courageous because he resists violence to combat a violent regime.

4. State your thesis simply. One of George Orwell’s rules of good writing is “If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out” (Politics and the English Language, 1946). State your thesis as economically as possible. Example: What could you take out of the following thesis: I think that the barber acts out of courage when he shaves the Captain because of his extreme devotion to his principle of non-violence in the midst of a very violent regime that the Captain represents to the people.

5. Simplify this thesis statement: Because the Republican sniper is desensitized to violence he is capable of killing his own brother even though he doesn’t know what he is doing and he is horrified when he realizes what he did.