7.1: Purpose- Topics and Thesis Statements

Chapter Introduction

The essay has formed the backbone of the U.S. educational system for generations.  Schoolchildren in the 1800s scribbled essays in one-room schoolhouses, just as high school students today pound away at computers and tablets in homeroom and college students labor away in coffee houses and campus libraries.  Though the structure and logical systems of the essay are rooted in the rhetorical concepts of the ancient Greeks, the modern idea of the essay as a personal reflection on a particular topic didn’t really take off until the 1500s; since then, the essay has become the go-to assignment in academia.  The concept of the essay has become so prevalent that we see its fingerprints all around us.

A resume is a type of essay, often including a short statement of purpose (a thesis)—"I am the right person for this particular job”—followed by points supporting that thesis—experience, education, awards, etc.  The format is a little bit different, but the idea remains the same.  A cover letter would be a more literal example.  Most reports in a typical business setting are types of essays with a central idea: “We should move into this market for these reasons,” or, “Profits are down and here are the reasons why.”  While newspapers and magazines follow a slightly different format, those, too, especially magazine “cover stories,” are basically essays.  The form has become so embedded in us, we can see the essay in other types of media.  Non-fiction television shows and movies, particularly documentaries, follow a basic essay format—a central idea with supporting points to build to a concluding statement—and even videos on YouTube, whether you are analyzing the latest Avengers movie, comparing hair products, or reviewing the latest video game, fall into the typical essay concept.  The essay is everywhere—and, as you will find when you begin college coursework, it is not confined only to your English and Literature classes.

In fact, here are some brief statements from Butler CC professors in other disciplines who regularly assign writing to their students, speaking on the importance of effective writing in their subject areas:

“Good writing is at the very heart of Philosophy.  Ideas, philosophical and other, only have value if they are clearly, concisely and reasonably presented to others.  Otherwise, our thoughts merely remain as dormant, putrefying promises.” –-Professor of Religion and Philosophy

“If two years of covid confusion, craziness, and complexity have demonstrated nothing else, they have shown the importance of clarity in communication.  Being able to share important information in a way that is easily understandable has always been an important aspect of the sciences and never more so than the current circumstances.  [. . .] Words have power.  Being able to use them to share the incredible, the amazing, the remarkable, and the astonishing facets of our world will always be an essential and fundamental part of biology.” —Professor of Biology

“The very nature of business is to work with others to achieve mutually beneficial goals.  Therefore, it is essential to effectively communicate with others when performing business functions such as planning, negotiating, organizing, leading, and selling.  Without a clear representation of one's questions and ideas, miscommunication and confusion abound.  When we are clear and precise in our communication, both internal employee and external customer relations benefit.”—Professor of Business

“Patient care relies on good communication[. . . . and proper] writing shows the nurse can communicate with their patients as well as their colleagues in a professional manner.  This communication is imperative to the healing process.  Conveying proper instructions to a patient is essential to the well-being of the patient and their families.  Writing professionally to other nursing staff and physicians is critical in sharing knowledge and observations.”—Professor of Biology who helps prepare students for the TEAS Test.

"Religion and philosophy as academic disciplines require people with very diverse ideas, beliefs, and commitments to be in dialogue.  Without clear and consistent expectations of the written word these kinds of conversations would be impossible."—Professor of Religion and Philosophy

True though all of this is, the above admittedly may sound a bit tedious, but writing an essay needn’t actually be tedious.  If you approach the essay with, as part of your mindset, the notion that writing them can be more than a mere assignment for you, you might find that tedium lifting away a little—or maybe even a lot—as you begin to work on your paper. 

The very etymology of the word encourages us to think in this direction: it has its origin in the French word essai, which literally means “attempt.”  The man who coined the term, the French writer Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), used it to describe his collection of writings on a wide range of subjects.  Yet, the subjects of his essays are not so much the topics themselves (everything from the custom of wearing clothes, to how we decide who or what is “barbaric,” to the inconsistencies in our own actions) but what Montaigne himself thought about these topics.  In other words, at their most basic level, Montaigne’s subject in the Essays is really himself, his own thinking in the moment that he finds himself writing on the topic he has chosen. 

That word “attempt,” then, is crucial to our thinking about the essay as an act of writing: it should reflect what we know or think about a subject at the time we write it, but we should not pretend that it is our Definitive Statement on that subject.  We grow older; we gain experience; we read and see and hear more; hopefully, we spend some time thinking about all those things, as well, as we try to make sense of them.  If we were to reread our papers, say, ten years later and compare our thinking on those topics then to how we think about them now, it is a safe bet we would find our thinking will have changed significantly.  Even in the most content-heavy classes for which you will write papers while you are in college, your professors will understand this about the essays you write: they want to know what you know, and what you think about what you know, right now.  So, then, as you approach the task of preparing to write and then writing an essay, you may want to keep in mind Montaigne’s motto, “Que sais-je?”: “What do I know?”  Think of the essays you write as responses to that question.

The sharp-eyed among you may have noticed something in the above paragraphs: no one was telling Montaigne what to write, let alone setting due dates for what he wrote.  As you probably suspect, you will not be so lucky as he was, nor will you always have full control over the kinds of papers and topics assigned to you in your classes.  However, occasionally you will have some say in what you write on, in the form of several topics from which to choose for an assignment, and that is all to the good.  The topic you choose, after all, says something about you as a person, your interests, and your experiences.  In such moments, writing an essay can feel like an opportunity for self-expression: something you might not expect to have in a traditional Composition class.  But those moments do come, as just stated above, and not just in your English classes, either.  Be open to those moments, and make the most of them.

We will have more to say about this specific matter when discussing the writing process, but for now suffice it to say that if your professor gives you several options for an assignment, your papers will probably be more successful if you choose topics that are interesting to you, topics that engage you emotionally as well as intellectually.  Keeping yourself interested as you work may not be half the battle that is the work of producing an effective paper, but it is not an insignificant part of that battle.

Despite its many forms, the essay as a concept shares a few key characteristics, and paying careful attention to each in all stages o/f the writing process is necessary for a successful essay.

Purpose:

·       The essay expresses a central idea or topic

·       The essay contains points supporting and expanding on that central idea

Planning:

·       The essay is written with a specific audience in mind

·       The essay is logically constructed

·       The essay contains a clear beginning, middle, and end, with transitions to guide the reader

Process:

·       The essay contains some form of personal explanation or interpretation

·       The essay possesses a clear voice and tone that complement the purpose.

Central Idea: Subject/Topic

Why are you writing? What do you hope to accomplish with your essay? Are you arguing for a particular course of action? Do you seek to inform your audience about a specific topic? Do you want them to know something about you or your life? Do you want to make them laugh? Cry? No matter the case, all writing (like most forms of communication) needs a purpose. The first question you need to ask yourself is, Why? Knowing why you are writing will give direction to your essay and meaning to your writing and will help prevent the essay from seeming like a random collection of facts and ideas.

An essay focuses on a central idea or concept. The main idea can be nearly anything but often needs to be narrowed down to a specific topic. For example, let’s say you are writing a paper for a Psychology class. A general subject for an essay might be “abnormal psychology.” Now, unless you are writing an entire book, there’s no way you can explore this idea with any level of depth in just a few pages, so you need to narrow it down to a more specific topic. What, specifically, within that subject of “abnormal psychology” would you like to explore? School shootings and the motivations behind them have been a current topic. A psychological examination of school shooters could be a fascinating essay, and the topic is now sufficiently narrowed.

Consider as well the resume example we mentioned earlier. The general subject of the resume would be “get a job.” The narrower topic would be “to get a specific job.” Imagine you are a hiring manager and you have two resumes (or cover letters) in front of you. One has a generic statement of purpose, and the other has a specific statement tailored for that position and company and how the applicant would be the perfect fit. Which person would you call for an interview?

An academic essay is no different. A specific identified topic lets your reader know what they are getting and give you, as the author, a clear idea to start from. A thesis statement is just a clarification of your narrowed topic and how you will apply it. The prompts you are given for assignments will also help you establish your topics for paper, so be sure to read them attentively.

Thesis Statement

Have you ever known a person who was not very good at telling stories? You probably had trouble following their train of thought as they jumped around from point to point, either being too brief in places that needed further explanation or providing too many details on a meaningless element. Maybe they told the end of the story first, then moved to the beginning and later added details to the middle. Their ideas were probably scattered, and the story did not flow very well. When the story was over, you may have been left with more questions than answers.

Just as a personal anecdote can be a disorganized mess, an essay can fall into the same trap of being out of order and confusing. That is why writers need a thesis statement to provide a specific focus for their essay and to organize what they are about to discuss in the body. It tells the reader the point you want to make in your essay, while the essay itself supports that point. It is like a signpost that signals the essay’s destination. Early on in the writing process, you should have a thesis statement, but be prepared to modify it as you get further into the planning and then drafting of your essay—especially if you sense that your thinking about the subject is shifting away from what you originally thought.

Elements of a Thesis Statement

For every essay you write, you must focus on a central idea. This idea stems from a topic you have chosen or been assigned, or from a question your teacher has asked. It is not enough merely to discuss a general topic or simply answer a question with a yes or a no. You have to form a specific opinion and articulate that into a controlling idea—the main idea upon which you build your thesis.

Remember that a thesis is not the topic itself but your interpretation of the question or subject. For whatever topic your professor gives you, you must ask yourself, “What do I want to say about it?” Answering that question is vital to forming a thesis that is precise, forceful, and confident.

A thesis is one sentence long and appears toward the end of your introduction. It is specific and focuses on one to three points of a single idea—points that you can demonstrate in the body. It forecasts the content of the essay and suggests how you will organize your information. Remember that a thesis statement does not summarize an issue but rather dissects it.

See this video for a step-by-step tutorial on building a thesis statement.

A Strong Thesis Statement contains the following qualities:

Specificity. A thesis statement must concentrate on a specific area of a general topic. As you may recall, the creation of a thesis statement begins when you choose a broad subject and then narrow down its parts until you pinpoint a specific aspect of that topic. For example, health care is a broad topic, but a proper thesis statement would focus on a specific aspect of that topic, such as options for individuals without health care.

Precision. A strong thesis statement must be precise enough to allow for a coherent argument and to remain focused on the topic. If the specific topic is options for people without health care coverage, then your precise thesis statement must make an exact claim about it, such as that limited options exist for those who are uninsured by their employers. You must further pinpoint what you are going to discuss regarding those limited effects, such as whom they affect and what their cause(s) is/are.

Ability to be argued. A thesis statement must present a relevant and specific argument. A factual statement—“The sky is blue”—often is not considered arguable. “The sky is bluer in Kansas than it is in Texas,” however, is arguable. Be sure your thesis statement contains a point of view that can be supported with evidence.

Ability to be demonstrated. For any claim you make in your thesis, you must be able to provide reasons and examples for your opinion. A sky’s blueness is certainly observable by any sighted person, but is it also measurable? You can rely on personal observations in order to do this, or you can consult outside sources to demonstrate that what you assert is valid. A worthy argument is backed by examples and details.

Forcefulness. A thesis statement that is forceful shows readers that you are, in fact, making an argument. The tone is assertive and takes a stance that others might oppose.

Confidence. In addition to using force in your thesis statement, you must also use confidence in your claim. Phrases such as I feel or I believe actually weaken the reader’s sense of your confidence because those phrases imply that you are the only person who feels the way you do, or they can sound almost apologetic: “It’s just my opinion!” In other words, your reader will feel that your stance has insufficient backing. Taking an authoritative stance on the matter persuades your readers to have faith in your argument and open their minds to what you have to say.

For example, a thesis statement like, “Colleges should abolish grades, because they do not show students’ true abilities” states a clear opinion and gives a reason for that opinion. A reader now knows the basic point this paper will argue.

A thesis statement should never be a question, although it’s fine to begin your introduction with a question that leads your reader into your ideas. A thesis does not have to be argumentative or persuasive, but it must contain the main idea of your paper.

Pro-Tip: A note on style While some instructors do not mind if you telegraph your ideas with a phrase such as “In this paper I will prove. . .”, others find that unnecessarily wordy. There is no need to announce your plans to make a point: the entire paper is evidence that you plan to make some point. Just state your opinion. And speaking of opinions, there is also no need to introduce your thesis with “in my opinion.” The paper is yours: your instructor will hope and assume that any opinions therein are also yours unless you use a signal phrase and a citation to show that they belong to someone else. For this same reason, many instructors will tell you not to use 1st-person forms of address in your paper: your reader already knows this writing is expressing what you think.