Thesis Statements

Assignments that you are given in English may not tell you explicitly that you need to come up with a thesis statement, but it is an unspoken expectation of any academic essay and an excellent way of narrowing and focusing your argument.

So, if your essay title asks you to explore the presentation of the character Hamlet, your thesis could be that ‘Hamlet is a presentation of a tragedy because he embodies a fatal flaw the leads to his unfortunate demise’  or ‘By focusing on and using his main character Hamlet, Shakespeare brings out the sad fact that man’s nature is full of deceit when he wants to achieve his selfish ends.’ Narrowing your focus to a thesis statement means that you don’t have to explore the whole presentation of Hamlet’s character but just a specific aspect of it – essentially, less work for you!

Your thesis statement should show the reader what your essay is trying to argue and interest them in what you have to say – for that reason, it should be different to other people’s thesis statements. Your aim is to write a thorough, honest essay in which you strive to say something original.

A thesis statement is the main point you are trying to make, using the best evidence you can gather. Your objective is to make a case to convince the reader that your thesis is reasonable and valid – so everything that you write in your essay is there to establish its validity.

Your thesis may change during the drafting process. This is fine. As you read and research more, it is normal to want to tweak or even drastically change your thesis to reflect new evidence you are considering.

Don’t confuse a thesis sentence with topics, facts or opinions.

e.g.

• ‘Reasons for Othello’s jealousy’ is a topic.
• ‘Blanche tried to leave her problems behind when she came to New Orleans’ is a
• ‘Dorian Gray is the vainest character in Victorian literature’ is an opinion.

What makes a good thesis statement?

• It should set out a clear argument.
• It should be an open statement and not a question (i.e. you shouldn’t be able to answer it with a yes/no answer).
• It should be specific and avoid generalisations and clichés.
  • g. For example, ‘Victor Frankenstein’s inability to form a relationship with his creation emerges more from the sudden realisation of the consequences of his over-reaching than from revulsion’ is more powerful than ‘Victor Frankenstein’s attitude to his creation is driven by hatred’.
• You should avoid ideas that can be subjective or dogmatic.
  • g. Avoid statements like ‘Blanche Dubois’s mental breakdown is inevitable because Stanley Kowalski is evil’ because evil is a subjective concept which you would be more likely to try to prove rather than properly explore.
• Using the word ‘arguably’ in your thesis statement is a good way to ensure your thesis is arguable.
  • g. ‘In Hamlet, Hamlet is arguably responsible for the plague of death spreading through Denmark due to his selfish actions and his increasing lack of empathy throughout the play, allowing Shakespeare to depict how quickly revenge will take over a person’s mind.’ This is better as it shows the reader what you line of argument will be (i.e. the outcomes of Hamlet’s actions, the effect of his lack of empathy, evidence that he becomes obsessed)
• Focus on ‘why’ and ‘how’ when constructing your thesis statement to ensure it allows you to analyse and argue.
• Make sure there is a counter argument to your thesis. If you can identify this/these before you start, it will force you to argue your case better by anticipating these objections and explaining why you disagree with them.