A thesis is the next point of a successful essay.
A thesis is the main idea of your essay; it contains a fact and your opinion about that
fact. The thesis is very specific, moreso even than the title. For our purposes, you will
also use an explicit thesis which is stated in the introduction of your essay. Thus, for
an essay about trouble teen girls, we could use this thesis:
"Fathers who make their daughters conform to old rules and traditions are creating
troubled teenagers."
The pattern of development for this type of essay would be cause and effect, and we
could discuss three or four different rules or traditions and their outcomes on female
teens. A thesis that would not work is
"Parental rules create troubled teens."
This is too general and really leans heavily toward fact; also to develop this idea
would take three or four books (if not more) not three or four pages. Look to your
handbook if you are still unsure about thesis statements.
An introduction to contain the thesis is also needed. See Introduction help here or in the handbook if you are
unclear about introductions. Generally, the thesis should be the last sentence in your
introduction although in English 201, we are allowed much more freedom than that.
Once the thesis is established, development and support are needed. Five or six
sub-ideas (sub-points) to convince your audience of your point-of-view need specific
development. Look toward methods of development located at methods
if you are having trouble developing your essays.
In most essays, we also want to rely upon experts or authorities. Thus, once you have
your point of view established, go back and insert a quotation in at least two of your
body paragraphs from two of the sources you read. Another way to support your ideas is
through quotations from friends or other sources. Quotations are used to support what you
have to say not the other way around. -- Let me rephrase that: first you make a point,
then you find someone to support your point. Use your handbook to aid you in
documenting these experts.
Look toward language use. Is the diction appropriate to the audience? Is it too formal?
Too informal?
Are the examples used ones that will be of interest to the audience? Will they care?
A successful essay ends well. Read the conclusion handout
if you are unsure about how to end your essay.
Another important aspect of an essay is the way you use transitions.
Consider transitions as cues for your audience. They signal the reader that you are either
changing direction, adding information, emphasizing or linking ideas.
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