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Weak thesis statements often come in two different forms.
The most common weak thesis statement is "self-evident".
In other words, this student has set out to prove a proposition which
is not worth arguing. Saying that Shakespeare's purpose in Macbeth
is to prove that Macbeth is a bad man or that killing a king is a
reprehensible act may be true, but is it worth writing a whole essay to
prove? Seeking to prove that Mark Twain condemned racism in Huckleberry
Finn is not worth the effort. However, seeking to understand how
Huck overcomes his racist upbringing may very well be worth exploring.
Examples:
"The North won
the Civil War."
"The North finally won the Civil War in 1865."
"After years of the bloodiest fighting in U.S. history, the North
finally emerged victorious in the Civil War in 1865."
- All of these are
obvious, irrefutable statements of historical fact, not thesis
statements. They describe what happened but make no
argument. Adding phrases and information makes them longer,
not better.
"The North won the Civil War
mainly because of its industrial superiority."
- This is a better
thesis statement because it makes an argument that can be
disagreed with. It goes beyond stating a fact and tries to answer
the question, "Why?" It is likely to lead to a
more interesting paper instead of a paraphrased encyclopedia
entry.
Other times the student has begun to articulate an interesting
thesis but has not yet expressed his idea in the clearest words possible.
To improve the clarity of the idea will require discussion and
revision. Often times, a student only discovers the great thesis
statement after writing a complete rough draft. Look at your concluding
paragraph and compare your main idea with the one expressed in your
introduction. See if you haven't found a much better way of
articulating your thesis. Or take the time to talk with a friend, a
parent, or your teacher after you have written a draft of your thesis.
Many times bouncing an idea off of another person will help you find
the way to sharpen and clarify its expression.
The
Thesis Statement (Darling et al)
Writing
A Thesis Statement (Purdue OWL)
Introductory
Paragraphs (Darling et al)
The Five
Paragraph Essay (Darling et al)
Writing
About Literature (Darling et al)
Finding
Your Focus (Powerpoint) (Purdue OWL)
Organizing
Your Argument (Powerpoint) (Purdue OWL)
Understanding
Writing: The Rhetorical Situation (Powerpoint) (Purdue OWL)
Overcoming
Writer's Block (Purdue Owl)
Coping
With Writing Anxiety (Purdue Owl)
Writing
About Literature (Purdue Owl)
Writing
About Fiction (Purdue Owl)
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