1.1 Stating Your Point: The Thesis
Learning Objectives
Define thesis.
Name at least two decisions a writer must make when formulating a thesis.
The most important sentence in the essay, both to the writer and to the reader, is the thesis. This sentence states the essay’s central claim, or main point, and the whole essay will be dedicated to demonstrating this statement.
Writers often test tentative thesis statements before they settle on one, returning to it and refining it as their essay develops.
Some thesis statements are stated explicitly, and some are implied, but in either case, a clearly conceived main point assists the writer in constructing and gathering evidence for the essay; as importantly, the thesis assists the reader in perceiving the writer’s ideas.
Readers often appreciate seeing a thesis at the beginning of an essay because it serves to orient them and saves them the trouble of struggling to discern the essay’s central idea. Sometimes, however, the thesis is best saved for the end of the essay. The following are two essays, both of which have a thesis. A comparison of the two essays reveals that one’s thesis is explicit and arrives in the introduction while the other’s thesis is implied.
“About Men” by Gretel Ehrlich
Gretel Ehrlich (b. 1946) is an American essayist, novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a kindred spirit of John Muir, often referred to as the Walt Whitman of Wyoming. She was educated at Bennington College, UCLA Film School, and New School for Social Research. In addition to her award-winning book The Solace of Open Spaces, from which “About Men” is taken, she has authored twelve works of fiction and nonfiction.
Click on the following link to view Ehrlich’s essay:
“About Men”: Find the link here at http://downloads.flatworldknowledge.com/hudson/hudson_1_0-AboutMen.pdf.
Figure 1.1 About Men, About Cowboys
How does a cowboy look and act, in your view?
Source: Faith Photography of Nevada/Shutterstock
“A Bewitching Scene” by Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain (1835–1910), American author, humorist, and public speaker, grew up in Hannibal, Missouri. As a young man, he worked as a printer’s apprentice, a Mississippi steamboat pilot, a journalist, and a travel writer. His novels include Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Read an excerpt from his autobiographical Life on the Mississippi, an account of his days as a steamboat pilot.
Click on the following link to view Twain’s essay:
“A Bewitching Scene”: Find the link here at http://downloads.flatworldknowledge.com/hudson/hudson_1_0-ABewitchingScene.pdf.
Figure 1.2 Mississippi Steamboat
How does a deep understanding of one’s profession change one’s view of it?
Source: pisaphotography/Shutterstock
Challenge Questions
What is the thesis of Gretel Ehrlich’s “About Men”? Where in the essay do you find it? State Ehrlich’s thesis in your own words. Find the link here at http://downloads.flatworldknowledge.com/hudson/hudson_1_0-AboutMen.pdf.
What is the thesis of Mark Twain’s “A Bewitching Scene”? Is it explicitly expressed? If not, how would you express it? Find the link here at http://downloads.flatworldknowledge.com/hudson/hudson_1_0-ABewitchingScene.pdf.
Key Takeaways
The thesis is the essay’s main point.
The thesis may be explicitly stated or implied.
When stated explicitly, an essay’s thesis may be placed wherever it will be most useful to the reader.