Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Could you argue against your thesis? Put the word "not" in your thesis sentence, and consider arguing that thesis instead. If a reasonable person who read the same text(s)could argue against your thesis, then your own argument is worth defending. Otherwise, you may have a statement of fact.

 

2. Is the thesis worth arguing? Or is it too easy to prove? If there seems to be an abundance of evidence to support the thesis, it may not be worth arguing. (Again, a reasonable person probably wouldn't disagree with you.)

 

3. Are you explaining something? Consider that most theses should have two parts: an observation part, where you state that something is the case, and an explanation part, where you explain why that's the case, or explain the significance of that observation for the text. Most weak theses have only the observation part, without pursuing the larger questions.

 

 

Your thesis statement is the central argument of your essay. It must be concise and well-written.

• Your thesis goes in the introductory paragraph. Don't hide it; make it clearly asserted at the beginning of your paper.
• Your thesis must make an argument. It is the road map to the argument you will subsequently develop in your paper.

The key difference between an opinion statement and thesis statement is that a thesis conveys to the reader that the claim being offered has been thoroughly explored and is defendable by evidence. It answers the "what" question (what is the argument?) and it gives the reader a clue as to the "why" question (why is this argument the most persuasive?).

In conclusion, your thesis should make clear what your argument is; it should also provide the reader with some indication of why your argument is persuasive.

Thesis Builder: http://www.tommarch.com/electraguide/thesis.php