A Paper is Nothing Without a Thesis

A book needs a grand theme, a song needs a chorus—and a paper has to have a thesis. A thesis is like a chorus in a song—it’s the main argument/feeling/idea that the work is trying to communicate to the reader summed up in one clear sentence. If you cannot picture a thesis statement in your mind or ever have trouble formulating one, simply say in a clear “I statement” – what you believe or are arguing or describing in your essay. For example,

• In this paper, I will argue that marijuana for medical purposes should be legalized across the United States.
• In this paper, I will describe how to lay your own laminate flooring, step by step.
• In this paper, I will tell you how to decorate a perfect themed birthday cake.

Some teachers specify that they do not want first person pronouns or “I”s used in your essay, and that they want your thesis statement in the third person. This is easily enough accomplished- by,

• Marijuana should be legalized across all states in the U.S. for medicinal purposes, for example.

Or,

• Baking a themed birthday cake is quite easy, if one (or you) follow these steps to a tee.

The Art of Conclusions

Conclusions, more than any other element of the essay, seem to puzzle students the most. I’ve learned an easy trick that makes thesis statements quite simple to write. Try bringing the topic into the very present moment of the essay at the end. I mean, the very present moment. For example, you could say something like this: