Question

How do you guys write a thesis for an essay and the main points? What questions would you ask yourselves to write your thesis & main points?

Answer 1

The thesis is, in the end, a statement of something that you will argue, and it ought to be something that is controversial -- in the sense that it's not obvious, it's not a fact, it's not something that everybody already knows and believes, that kind of thing. It's got to be arguable.

But how do you get there? Through a process of reading up on your topic, and thinking about it. Of coming to know what some of the points of contention are -- what people disagree about, what people argue about -- with respect to your topic.

As you come to your own conclusions, you do so by a process of deciding what in these various arguments seems to make sense to you. It is those points, those things that convinced you, that you will then turn around and present in your paper. Those are your main points: they are the evidence for the "truth" (you're not really going to prove a point, but you will argue for its being true) of what you argue, the truth of your thesis statement.

If your particular topic does not involve reading a lot of what others have already said, and at this point in your schooling it may not, then you are going to have to try to supply those varying viewpoints yourself. You arrive at a given interpretation of something, say. Now you have to think of how people might argue against you. Of how others might interpret what you've interpreted differently. You have to address those points too in your paper, or your argument will not be a strong one.

You do this all the time quite naturally in your own life, we all do, when we argue for something that we want. You argue for that new dress, or the new iPhone, or whatever. Or you argue to go the dance or to go on an overnight outing or you argue to go on your own with a friend, or with a friend and her family, to Europe for the summer, or whatever. How do you persuade your parents? You anticipate their arguments, and you offer what you hope will be stronger counterarguments.

You're doing something of the same thing in a paper, but with literature, you are arguing for a given interpretation. You want to persuade your audience to accept your interpretation of a character or events. With another type of argumentative essay, you may be arguing for an particular interpretation of historical events or you may be arguing for a particular policy or any number of things. But you are always arguing for a point of view. You want to persuade your audience that you are right, that your understanding is right or that the course of action you suggest is right. You want them to agree with you.

What exactly you are arguing for is captured in your thesis statement. The reasons *why* your audience should accept your interpretation as valid are your main points. Your main points are how you persuade them that your way (of thinking, of doing) is the correct way.

Answer 2

Good answer Redwood Girl. This is a question I have answered many, many times. There is not a single tight formula for coming up with a thesis statement, but there is a loose one.

When developing your thesis and its statement, thoroughly research your subject as Redwood Girl indicated. Knowing all the pros and cons to your argument will not only solidify your understanding of the subject, it will be crucial in developing your thesis statement.

After I have done my research, I like to do a little bit of free writing on the subject, just to get some of my thoughts out on paper. This is not always necessary, but you will probably find it helpful because it will bring out your thoughts and understanding on the subject and help you develop your argument. It will also often bring up the materials that you need to develop your statement.

When I start working on my thesis statement I start by defining four things:

1. Your opinion or argument
2. The strongest point supporting your argument.
3. The second strongest point supporting your argument.
4. The strongest point against your argument.

This things will become the foundation for your thesis statement and the substance of your argument. The three points (2-4) will become the talking points of your paper. Some argue, "why should I include the strongest point against my argument? Isn't this counterproductive to what I ultimately want to accomplish, which is win the reader to my side of the argument?" The answer to this is "no" and here is why.

When you are writing a persuasive essay, you definitely want to create a strong argument. And your two supporting points are going to be your vehicle to do this. But it is important to have that point against because a) it will show that you are not being biased, and b) it will show that you did your homework (research). For example, if you write a persuasive essay and you only include points that support your argument, those who know your subject matter will enough are going to see that you did not consider that very important contrary point (remember, it is the strongest point against your argument. So ignoring it in the hopes that it will go away or not be noticed is not realistic). Ultimately you will come of as biased and lose credibility. So having this contrary point will actually improve your paper if you argue it right.

Once you have these four elements you can plug them into a thesis statement template of which there are many. For example:

Even though [contrary point], [your argument] because [strongest supporting point] and [second strongest supporting point].

OR

[Your argument] because [first or second strongest supporting point].

OR

While [contrary point], [your argument].

A lot of instructor that I have had what to see something more like the first template, where you mention in your statement all your elements of your argument, but unless written well I have found that this template can be somewhat cumbersome and clunky (although I have used it many times). The other templates are more concise and to the point of your argument and are perfectly fine to use, but be sure you know what your instructor is looking for in a thesis statement.

Also, even though you use one of the more concise templates, you still want to cover the points that you can up with in your paper. Just because you don't mention these things in your statement does not mean you can leave them out. they should be mentioned in your introduction and covered in your body.

Hopefully you've found this rather long post helpful.

Answer 3

Nicely done, as always. Listen to the man, Millie. He won't steer you wrong. :)