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Lazy Person’s Guide to Easy Thesis Statements

by | Jan 2, 2020 | Lazy Person's Guide

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      Hello, today we will be working on crushing every starting AP student’s nemesis,  Thesis Statements. I remember crying for hours in APLang, trying (and repeatedly failing) at creating a good enough thesis statement for my essays. Luckily, it seems that those hours were put to good use as I now have 2 relatively simple methods to find a good thesis statement in minutes. I hope they are helpful and that you too do not have to spend the hours of agony in front of a blank piece of paper.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my coffee drinking habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me supplied in caffeine. It’s a win for everyone, really.

      For the thesis statement, I use two different methods, depending on what I’m writing and what sounds more sophisticated and flows well. They are called the three-point method and the one-point method. Both are valid for all types of essays but have different strengths and weaknesses.

Three-Point Method

  1. Good for analysis essays (but I only occasionally use it for rhetorical analysis essays)
  2. “Through the use of…” format
  3. Helps organize the order of your essay
  4. Con — hard to redirect or add more if needed

One Point Method 

  1. Good for argument and synthesis, but can be used for any essay type
  2. “Although…,…; therefore,…” format. (That will actually make sense later)
  3. Extra points for correct semicolon usage
  4. Is rather general so it leaves room for growth
  5. Con– It does not help you if you lose track or get stuck. 
      Both methods start the same way, with three simple questions: Who wrote it?, What did they write? , and What was the purpose or motivation behind the writing? I will start with a step by step for the Three-Point method and then move on to the One Point Method.

Three-Point Method

      For the purpose of this example, I will use Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise”.

      First, we need to answer our three questions. The first one is easy. Maya Angelou wrote the poem. The second is just as easy, she wrote a poem. We can make this statement more complex by describing it. This makes it seem like you’ve already begun analysis before the main body, showing that you (totally) know what you’re doing. So, we could say that she wrote a bold poem or an unwavering poem or a strong poem. Now is the harder question, what was the motivation or purpose? Luckily for us, her purpose is very obvious in this poem: stand up against the oppressors.

      Next, you will need three (or more, overachiever) elements in the work you would like to discuss. I have chosen Diction, Imagery, and Anaphora. 

      Now, to write the statement. First, write down “Through the use of ”, followed by the type of devices (rhetorical or literary or whatever you’re looking for) found and your devices. It should look something like this:

“Through the use of the literary and poetic elements and devices of  diction, imagery, and anaphora,”

Now, state the author’s name, purpose, and what they wrote. The final product will look like this:
“Through the use of the literary and poetic devices of diction, imagery, and anaphora, Maya Angelou stood strong against those who wished to oppress her in her poem, “Still I Rise”.
      And then you’re done with this method. The second method is my preferred method for most essays as I find it flows better with my writing style. 

      For the purpose of this thesis statement, I will be using Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest. This method starts the same way as the previous, with three questions. With this one, the answers are Oscar Wilde, a satirical play, and his disagreement with Victorian society. 

One Point Method 

      First, start with an “Although” statement. In this case, we will be stating that not everyone agrees with Victorian society. You will come up with something like this:

“Although Victorian society was very serious and moral, not all people agreed with its ways”

      Writing this shows that you acknowledge the complexity of the times (totally not following a formula) and know what you’re talking about. 

      Next, put in a “therefore” and list the author’s name, the work’s title, and the purpose of the writing. You will come up with something like:

“Although Victorian society was very serious and moral, not all people agreed with its ways; therefore, Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest, which satirizes Victorian society to show how silly the seriousness is.”

      And then you’re done. Before I close, there are a few things to note:

  1. If the title and author are listed somewhere in the first paragraph before the thesis statement, you do not have to restate them
  2. A strong thesis statement makes for a better score. Don’t feel like you’re wasting time if you need to take a few minutes to find the right words. 

      There you have it, a relatively simple way to write thesis statements that are good enough to make even the most strict of teachers mildly happy with your work. Be sure to leave a comment if you have any questions and subscribe to our mailing list so you’re updated when I post!

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Hi, I’m Faera

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