The Three-Part Thesis
A sophisticated thesis statement need not be one sentence that seeks to sum up an entire argument. Rather, you should try to include three separate parts to your “statement” in order to highlight with precision the focus of your analysis and to provide a logical road-map to the rest of your essay.
Start with:
- A set-up that draws attention to your analytical focus, or the context for your analysis.
Move to:
- An intervention, in which you draw attention to the way or ways in which the text warrants closer inspection (in the intervention you may want to provide some or all of the evidence topics you will use in the rest of your paper).
End with:
- An argument, in which you state clearly why the evidence you will focus on reflects a significant claim you wish to make about the text (and, if you have not already done so, the argumentative statement should make note of the evidence topics you will use in the rest of your paper).
