Weak thesis statements are . . .
  • too obvious (Gender is important in The Handmaid’s Tale).
  • based in summary (In The Handmaid’s Tale, the Commander breaks the rules) (In “A Study in Scarlet,” Holmes solves a mystery by constructing the scene backwards)
  • too general (Surveillance is a theme in The Handmaid’s Tale)
 
A good thesis statement (claim about the text) is . . .
  • specific
  • clear
  • insightful
  • argumentative (debatable)
  • should have a meaningful stake
  • supported/supportable by evidence from the text that will make your audience a believer
 
Example formulas for thesis statement:
By _______________, ___________________, and __________________, Atwood demonstrates  _________________in The Handmaid’s Tale.
 
In A Study in Scarlet, __________ represents how ______________ in society.

In Cold Blood uses ___________________ to show that ___________________ which demonstrates ___________________. 
 
Example thesis statements:
 
  1. In “Lusus Naturae,” the narrator repeatedly compares herself to the family cat, who, just like the narrator, does not have a name. These similarities suggest that using someone’s name is a critical element of recognizing not only their humanity, but other creatures’ value as living beings.
 
  1. “A Study in Scarlet” contains multiple narrative voices, including a third-person narrator who explains John Ferrier and Jefferson Hope’s backstory. The inclusion of this narrator undermines Holmes’s assertion that any mystery can be solved, so long as a person is observant enough. Doyle implicitly argues that writers/storytellers are better equipped to unravel mysteries than the empiricism Holmes espouses.
 
  1. Through vividly describing the physical and artifactual appearance of female characters and sparsely describing male characters’ appearance in her story, Margaret Atwood hints at how the strict gender roles set in Gilead reflect gendered expectations in our current society.
 
Thesis statement workshop
  1. Write down your thesis statement. With your small group, answer the following questions and revise your thesis statement accordingly.
 
 
  • Is there one claim that effectively controls the essay (e.g. is it specific and not too general)?
 
  • Is the claim debatable (e.g. not based on summary and involves more than your personal feelings)?

  • Does the claim demonstrate real thought? Does it truly illuminate the text and topic (e.g. is it not obvious, does it have a meaningful stake)?
 
Revised versions of your thesis statement: