How do I write a strong thesis for my essay?

Answer 1

Good question! The best answer is to make a strong claim. So, if the essay question is "What is the best color?" a good claim is "Blue is the best color." This is, of course, totally debatable, but that's the point of an argument. You would then proceed to write about why you think blue is the best compared to other colors.

Now, if you're writing a research paper, a strong thesis is still a claim, but also more of a summary of what you want your research to be about. So for example, if you are doing research on the color purple in Ancient Rome, you might say "Purple was an important color in Ancient Rome." Yet again, totally debatable, but this claim presents two things: 1. You are talking about the color purple in Ancient Rome and 2. You are talking about the importance of purple in Ancient Rome. Both of these are important pieces of information given by your thesis claim. Another thing to remember is: a strong claim makes a paper more interesting. So keep that in mind!

Answer 2

Don't sweat it.😉. An easy approach to a thesis is as follows:

1. You are proving something to the reader.

2. You are giving them three main reasons why this is true.

Example: Roses are difficult plants to grow because they have mites, grow mildew, and have sharp thorns.

You are proving they are difficult, and three points are given. Bingo! Thesis!

Answer 3

Here are a five simple rules of thumb that will help most students improve their thesis statements.

1. Write your first paragraph last. That is, write/explore/analyze your material before you decide on your thesis. Writing is a form of thinking, and you don't know what you think about anything until you have thought about what you're thinking.
2. Be sure you are not summarizing the story/text/film. We already know what the author wrote. We want to know what you think about what the author wrote. A very different thing. Also, once you get the hang of it, it's way more fun than just summarizing stuff.
3. Step back from your material and imagine your best friend and you sharing a beer/coffee/smoothie, and your best friend says, "OK, that's really interesting, but what's your point?" If you have trouble answering the direct question, you probably don't yet have a thesis. Yes, this is hard, it takes time, and it takes some degree of confidence. You need to be able to see your various points and insights as part of a larger whole. (Or, you can start with the "larger whole" and then take that apart, also known as analyzing.)
4. Remember, in a good, classically written thesis, the entire essence of your entire essay is compressed into a thesis statement. Avoid teasing the reader. That's not a thesis. A thesis is a claim, a point, an insight, an argument...spelled in a very concise form. This is useful for readers in that it gives them a mental map of what they are now about to read. (Tip: Mental maps for the reader make for clear writing.
5. And, of course, last but not least. Read more. Most folks reading this sentence can probably use more reading in their lives. Writing well is an aspect of reading well.

OK, I like to do things in 3's and 5's so I'll stop there.