A Common Mistake That Everyone Makes
I will not uncover a big secret saying that every paper you write should have a thesis statement. And I’m almost sure that most of you rack your brain every time you come to the part in your work where it is time to make it. It has to be good, it has to be persuasive, it has to impress your professor and simply make your paper look better organized and completed. You start pondering how to write it well, how to satisfy the professor’s expectations, and what exactly to write there. A familiar situation, isn’t it? However, what if I told you that you already know what to do to get a good thesis statement? What if I told you that the ideal formula is so obvious and simple that most people just don’t notice it and look for ideas elsewhere? Don’t believe me? Ok, let me prove it to you, and you will see that the answer has always been near you.
So, the first thing we need to discuss is - What is a thesis statement? You will answer - Well, it is a couple of sentences which briefly claim the main position. And that will be a pretty correct definition. So, all you need to do is to rephrase the topics of your paper about food where you also add a little of your personal opinion about the discussed issue. You need to briefly state a personal position on the main idea of your paper. If it is so simple then why is claiming your own position sometimes not enough? Why do some of them look simply ridiculous? There is probably something that you are missing out, and to be honest, there are a couple of tips which may indicate your mistake.
How to Do It a Right Way
If you are struggling with your thesis statement and no matter what you do it still doesn’t look as good as you want, then maybe you are missing something. Try these 4 main tips. They should help you to understand where your mistake was and what you have done wrong. Under each tip, I will also provide an example of thesis statement so that you could see the difference.
Tip 1. Do not write too general. Try to be more specific.
Focus on one issue that can be interesting to you, readers, and your professor. Why? When you select a too broad topic, it will be more difficult to defend your position in the essay. For instance, compare the following thesis statement examples to see the difference.
The wrong example: Fast food is bad. People should avoid eating in fast food restaurants.
The right example: Americans should eat less fast food because this type of nutrition leads to such health problems as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
The first example is too general. It doesn’t address a question - why, but only provides a well-known fact. A second example is more specific because in this case, we claim that fast food leads to health problems and even choose a specific nation this problem concerns - the Americans. So, we have defined a very specific issue that we are going to discuss further in the essay - fast food is a problem for Americans because it leads to serious health problems.
Tip 2. Do not write about obvious things which are clear to everyone and the majority of people agree with.
There is no need to write about obvious things because they are not debatable. Your argumentative essay thesis requires there to be some kind of a conflict - agreement or disagreement. Compare the following examples to see the difference.
The wrong example: There are a lot of homeless people in the United States.
The right example: To help homeless people, American authorities should provide regular food donations and give access to free campings.
So, in the first example, there is a statement which one cannot deny - there are many homeless people in the United States. It is a common fact, and the thesis statement like this one does not raise any issues related to the topic. The second example contains a problem which may cause disputes among readers. It states that authorities should help homeless people. This position may not be supported by all people because it means that the authority will spend tax money on the needs of people who give nothing to society. Some people may view such spending of the money as a dishonest policy towards those who work hard and pay taxes. Other people may disagree and state that it is the society’s moral duty to help those citizens who are in need, even if the latter does not contribute to the society’s growth and prosperity in any way. And that is the point. We have a thesis statement which divides readers into two camps - those who agree and those who disagree. We can choose any side and defend our position with arguments to show why our position is correct.
Tip 3. You cannot be for and against at the same time. Choose a side.
This tip is very related to the previous one, but the central idea here is that you should claim your position in the thesis statement so that the readers could understand whether you are for or against. Compare the following argumentative essay thesis statement examples.
The wrong example: Passive smoking is bad because it can cause heart disease and even cancer. However, authorities cannot forbid smoking because it will be unfair toward smokers.
The right example: Passive smoking is as dangerous as smoking. Authorities should forbid smoking in public places to protect non-smokers from possible heart diseases and other health problems caused by passive smoking.
Both the first and the second sample thesis statement say that passive smoking is bad and may cause health problems among non-smokers. Nevertheless, in the first case, after we state that smoking is bad, we provide a counter-argument that smoking cannot be forbidden. Hence, we hold both positions at the same time, and that is a mistake. There can only be one camp that you may support. You are either for smoking or against it. There is no way to support opposite camps at the same time. So, choose only one side to avoid confusion of the readers.
Tip 4. You should provide good argumentation. Your idea should not be plain or too simple.
You should to claim something so that you could further use it in your essay. It is not enough just to state some obvious thing which cannot be developed, argued, or discussed in the paper. Compare these two thesis examples.
The wrong example: People should relocate to other planets.
The right example: The Earth is overpopulated. People should relocate to other planets since overpopulation is the main cause of world hunger and wars.
In the first example, we simply state that people should relocate to other planets. We do not provide any good reasons why it is necessary to do so. The second example also contains the same idea that people should relocate to other planets. However, in this case, we claim the reason. We state that our native planet is overpopulated, which leads to such global problems as hunger and constant wars over territories and resources. So, our second thesis statement contains argumentation which the first one lacks.
These 4 tips should help you to shape a thesis statement in a better way and make it more argumentative. Now, when you know how to write an argumentative thesis let’s take a look at some examples. This way, we will sum up the tips that were discussed above and see how they can all be applied in real papers.
15 Examples Basing on Tips
Here are 15 topics, and under each of them, there is an example thesis statement written in accordance with the tips that we have discussed above.
- Study at home is more effective
Study at home is an effective method of education because it gives an opportunity to define a child’s strong and weak sides. This studying approach allows concentrating on those subjects which are more interesting to a child which is impossible to do at school because all students are supposed to learn the same subjects equally.
- School shootings in the United States
School shootings in the United States indicate the schools’ safety vulnerability. The fact that students can bring weapons to school indicates that stricter safety measures have to be provided in educational institutions.
- A shorter working day
The implementation of a shorter working day will allow people to rest more, and as a result, work more productively.
- Users’ online security
The federal government should not have access to people's personal information that users provide online. That is a direct violation of human rights, and it contradicts the U.S. legislation.
- Harmful ads should be forbidden
Advertising alcohol and cigarettes should be forbidden on TV and the Internet. Such advertising motivates people to buy products which cause harm to their health.
- Parents have a right to monitor their children's Internet use
Despite the fact that the Internet gives access to many sources with educational and useful materials, parents should regulate and even limit their children’s Internet use. Under parents’ control, children will not visit some unwanted sites and spend less time in front of the computer.
- Parents may use monetary rewards to motivate children to study better
Parents may use money as an encouraging method to motivate their children to get better grades. That will help children to understand from early years that for good work there is also a good reward.
- We should invest less in space programs
Today we invest huge sums of money in space programs while we still have such unsolved global issues as hunger and poverty. It is unethical to spend so much money while millions of people across the world cannot even buy basic food.
- Euthanasia is a normal phenomenon
Euthanasia should not be viewed as a reckless method of ending a life. It is a human right to end one’s own life when sufferings caused by illness become unbearable.
- Diets are not good for health
Diets have only a temporary effect, and people cannot follow them constantly. Once a person stops using a diet, he or she starts gaining weight again, and even more. The right solution is balanced nutrition when people eat enough food which is healthy and do not starve.
- The production of cigarettes is a senseless waste of money
Cigarettes give nothing but health problems to those people who smoke them and even those who are passive smokers. People should reject this bad habit, and the first step is to reduce the production of tobacco products.
- Video games have nothing in common with cruelty and violence
Violent video games do not lead to violent actions in real life. On the contrary, they help people relieve stress and anger in a virtual world rather than unleashing it in the real one.
- People should not get married early
People view life differently in their 20s and 30s, and their characters, ambitions, goals change significantly. That’s why the idea of marrying a certain person might look attractive when you are in your 20s but will have the opposite reaction when you become older.
- Parents should not make their children become vegetarians
Parents who are vegetarians should not forbid their children to eat meat. The choice of food which parents prefer cannot be a strict food habit for their children.
- School uniform is not necessary today
School uniform makes all students look similar, while they all are individuals and have different worldview, opinions, and act differently. The absence of school uniform allows students to demonstrate their individualism.
Where to Get Little Help With Homework?
Let’s draw a bottom line and see what we have learned. We have discovered that a good thesis statement is not just rephrasing a topic. It is a claim, a call to disagreement or agreement, something that makes readers experience doubts or otherwise support your position. We have also defined what tips may help you to make a thesis statement better and checked some examples.
It is not a tough task to cope with a thesis statement, and keeping these few tips in mind will allow you to make a good one on your own. However, in some situations and for some reasons you cannot write a thesis yourself. There are plenty of reasons why it may happen. You may desperately lack time, your dog may become ill, your granny may have invited you for the weekend, and you couldn't say no to her. The reasons can be different, but the problem is the same. You need a thesis statement, you cannot do it yourself, so you require somebody’s help.
Visit PaperCoach, a students’ academic helper website. There, you will find assistance with any issue related to the study. The company will help you not only with a thesis statement but also with an entire essay if you are experiencing some difficulties. This service is not expensive. The team of writers consists only of experts who have at least a Bachelor’s degree and higher. Also, pay attention to the guarantees where it is said that you have a right for free revisions and even request the money back if you are not satisfied with the service quality. The customer support team works day and night to assist every customer with any issue at any time.
So, long story short, you have two winning options. You may write a thesis statement using the tips provided above, or use the assistance of professionals, spend little money, but save your time. The choice is up to you, but both options will do well.