Writing a clear thesis statement is the key to improving the structure and effectiveness of an academic essay. A thesis statement should clearly state your main argument and point you are trying to prove or inform throughout your essay (whether your essay is argumentative or informative). A thesis statement should have a solid claim with your reasons or ideas listed. For example, I am given this prompt: "How is size an example of power and perspective in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels?" I write this thesis statement in response: "By showing Gulliver’s experience as a giant in Lilliput and as a tiny person in Brobdingnag, Swift portrays how size exemplifies power and perspective by demonstrating society’s limitations on individual freedom. In these two lands, the inhabitants limited Gulliver’s liberty by exploiting him to sustain the state’s power and as a commodity for financial gain, as well as dehumanizing him as a plaything."
The above thesis statement clearly states my claim that the story shows how size is an example of power and perspective by portraying how society can limit one's freedom. Then I stated my reasons regarding how Gulliver's experience in these two lands proves my point: Exploiting Gulliver to enhance the state's power and financial gain, and how he was dehumanized. A thesis statement provides the reader with a roadmap on how the essay will be organized. Here, I clearly state my reasons and this thesis tells the audience what to expect as they read my essay as well as how it is structured. In other words, the reader will know that my first body paragraph will talk about how Gulliver's size was exploited to benefit the state of one of these lands; the second body paragraph will discuss how his size was exploited for financial gain; the third body paragraph will be about how Gulliver was dehumanized due to his size.
A thesis statement should be clear, focused, and debatable in order to have an effective essay. For instance, what if my thesis statement was written like this?: "Swift portrays that size is an example of power and perspective in Gulliver's Travels." This thesis statement is vague and does not tell the reader how size is an example of power and perspective and does not list the ideas that I will discuss in my essay. Also, the claim is not debatable because the claim is not clear as to what point I'm trying to prove. Thus, this thesis statement does not give the reader a structured roadmap on how the essay would be organized and would make my essay ineffective because I'm not providing enough information in my thesis. If the thesis is not clear, the reader will not know what point I'm trying to inform the reader about and will not know what to expect as they read my essay if the reasons/ideas are not listed.
Overall, a thesis statement improves the effectiveness of an academic essay by informing the reader of your clear, focused, and debatable claim you are trying to prove thoughout your essay. If the thesis is not clear, your reader may not fully understand your argument. In addition, a thesis statement enhances the structure of your essay by providing a roadmap of the reasons or ideas present throughout your essay. If this information is not provided, your reader will not know how your essay will be organized or what to expect as they continue to read your essay.
