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Playlist How to Write an A Essay 30 videos
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How to Write A Killer Thesis Statement 62197 Views
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Description:
Without a thesis statement, you don't have a paper. Watch this video, and get the inside scoop on how to write a killer thesis statement.
Transcript
- 00:00
Edited at https://subtitletools.com
- 00:07
How to Write a Killer Thesis Statement, a la Shmoop.
- 00:12
First of all, what do we mean by a… killer thesis statement? [Thesis statement sprouts limbs and holds knife]
- 00:14
Should this thing be armed and dangerous? Well… kinda.
- 00:18
No, we don’t want to see your thesis statement to show up on the evening news.
Full Transcript
- 00:22
But your thesis statement should aim to… kill… with eloquence, suspense, intrigue,
- 00:28
originality, and clarity.
- 00:30
Here’s an example:
- 00:32
Humans are not genetically required to be meat-eaters, so vegetarianism is the only
- 00:37
moral choice to avoid the senseless killing of animals. [cow, turkey and girl holding vegetables]
- 00:41
It states a valid point, expresses a strong opinion, and can be supported with facts.
- 00:45
Doesn’t mean it’s necessarily true, but it can definitely be debated. [student caveman vs student hippie]
- 00:51
A thesis statement is that thing at the very beginning of your paper that tells your reader
- 00:58
what this whole thing is going to be about.
- 01:01
Right out of the gate, it tells your reader roughly what elements you will develop in
- 01:04
the coming paragraphs…
- 01:05
…and exactly how you feel about it.
- 01:08
The thesis is the most important part of your essay. It is the heart, soul and brain of
- 01:13
your paper. [flaming heart and brain in between thesis statement sign]
- 01:15
Once you’ve got that puppy figured out, you’re at least halfway home. [puppy with bone on the road home]
- 01:21
How do you get to this promised land? Well, first you must establish an issue or problem.
- 01:27
Think… humankind’s negative effects on rainforests…
- 01:30
The factors that enable politicians to become corrupt…
- 01:34
The slow death of the film industry.
- 01:38
Anything ripe for the picking… and preferably something that is not without a little controversy.
- 01:42
The thesis shouldn’t be something like… the sun makes it hot outside…
- 01:47
…because you’re not going to hear much argument from anyone on that point.
- 01:51
Instead… it should be something interesting… something that perhaps your reader hasn’t
- 01:55
previously considered [lion with a flower for a mane]
- 01:56
Don’t hold back… go right for the gut.
- 02:00
To make sure you’ve got an interesting topic, ask yourself questions someone else might
- 02:05
ask you.
- 02:06
Play devil’s advocate with yourself, until you’re certain you’ve covered all the
- 02:09
bases. [angel and devil on student's shoulder]
- 02:11
Is it something only you would find interesting, like… how affectionate your dog is right
- 02:15
after you finish walking him?
- 02:17
or would it appeal to a wide range of readers, like… oh, anything having to do with the
- 02:24
Kardashians? [large crowd gathers]
- 02:26
Is it something that can be argued empirically… like the rise and fall of the stock market…
- 02:31
or is it pretty much just going to be pure opinion… like what the… best color is? [color wheel spins]
- 02:36
Keep in mind that you’re not just laying down the facts… you also want to get your
- 02:41
message across… …so be sure to express your own thoughts
- 02:44
on the issue.
- 02:45
Take a strong position. [girl flexes muscles]
- 02:47
It’s not enough to state that… for the last twenty years, America has actually become
- 02:52
more racist than it was in the 1990s…
- 02:54
…if your position is that… hm, yeah, maybe, I don’t know, could be.
- 02:59
It’s an intriguing proposition… but it’s not going to go anywhere if you plan on being
- 03:03
wishy-washy. [girl spinning in washing machine]
- 03:06
Either argue strongly for or against the idea. It’s the only way you’re going to bring
- 03:10
your reader to their knees. So… what’s a good thesis, and what’s
- 03:16
a bad one?
- 03:17
Good thesis: World travel is an essential element of any young person’s well-rounded
- 03:21
education.
- 03:23
Bad thesis: There are some great places to visit in Europe.
- 03:27
Good thesis: More than anything else in our society, video games are responsible for the
- 03:33
dumbing down of America
- 03:34
Bad thesis: People are dumb.
- 03:38
Good thesis: When an elderly person is deciding on a pet, adopting a cat is a far better option
- 03:45
than adopting a dog.
- 03:46
Bad thesis: Cats rule, dogs drool.
- 03:50
Get the idea?
- 03:53
It should be broad enough that a large portion of your audience will be able to relate…[light bulbs go off]
- 03:56
…but specific enough that you can zero in on a particular topic and really dissect it. [topic gets sliced in two]
- 04:01
Finally, you can’t just state your thesis, drop the mic and walk off stage.
- 04:06
You’ll need to bring some supporting points to the table…
- 04:09
…so be prepared to back your thesis up with some actual, factual pieces of evidence.
- 04:15
And while quality is certainly more valuable than quantity…[a few nice strawberries next to a mound of small ones]
- 04:18
…have at least three supporting points.
- 04:20
Any less, and your thesis is going to be a bit… flimsy. [thesis falls down]
- 04:24
Put all this together, and you should have a killer thesis statement.
- 04:30
If you’re absolutely stumped and can’t come up with one on our own…
- 04:34
…you can borrow ours.
- 04:35
It gets out on parole
- 04:48
in about three months. [killer thesis statement inside cage]
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