thesis

Thesis

How to Write an Effective Thesis

Your thesis is the most important part of your essay. For that reason we will begin by focusing just on that skill. For every essay that we do, the thesis is worth one point by itself and can also give you points in the expanded core. More importantly it gives your reader their first impression of your essay. An effective thesis statement satisfies your reader's natural desire to know –usually early in the essay – what the central point or idea will be and how you are likely to go about presenting it.

It is not always easy in the conditions in which you will be writing your essays (40 minutes timed) to write your best theses. It is recommended at times to leave your thesis until the end and come back to it. However if you can get your thesis out from the beginning, it does help to organize your essay and make your arguments more coherent.

Your thesis statement should be in your introductory paragraph, though at times it can stand-alone. In some cases your thesis will be only one sentence, though at times it will be two or more. In any case an effective thesis must do the following:

• Fully addresses the question asked – You should go back to your days in elementary schools where they taught you how to write in complete sentences – this set of skills should be used when writing your thesis. Make sure that you actually answer the question and all parts of the question fully.

• Takes a position with regard to the question asked – do not straddle the fence or respond vaguely without taking a stance. At the same time do not give unasked for opinions or go too far a field in your response.

• Provides organizational categories that will be used in the essay – that is present a roadmap of sorts for the rest of your essay. The question usually will have the categories in their to help you, but if not it is up to you to divide your answer and therefore essay into categories.

Question: Compare and contrast women’s roles in Han China and Rome.

1. Women's roles in China and Rome had both similarities and differences. – Does not take a position or provide organizational categories.

2. Women’s roles in China and Rome were generally similar though Roman women were better off. – Does not provide organizational categories and is rather vague on position.

3. As everywhere in the classical world, women in both Rome and China were considered inferior and subordinate to men, but the Roman women's retention of property rights and comparative sexual freedom gradually enabled them to claim a larger share of the public arena than their Chinese sisters. – Good thesis: fully addresses, takes a position, and provides organizational categories.

While the APWH exam does not specifically grade you on writing, it does have an impact on your expanded scoring. When writing your introduction you may choose to follow the pattern of writing a few sentences to introduce your topic and engage the reader and conclude with a thesis statement (as shown below in Question 1). On the other hand you might choose to begin your introduction with your thesis itself and add supporting sentences (as shown below in Question 2).

Question: How did feudalism and manorialism stabilize both the political and economic life of Europe following the fall of Charlemagne’s empire?

After the downfall of Charlemagne’s empire, bands of rogues and barbarians, including the Vikings, invaded freely and did as they pleased with anyone and anything they found. There were many peasants and other people left open to attack. The feudal system and its economic partner, manorialism, were developed to help this situation. Following the fall of Charlemagne’s empire feudalism stabilized Europe’s chaotic period by providing military protection and some law and order. At the same time manorialism allowed areas to be self-sufficient and led to a fairly stable economy.

Question: To what extent did the Enlightenment express optimistic ideas in 18th C Europe?

The 18th C Enlightenment in Europe was marked by its optimistic philosophy and positive ideas. Naturally not everything was optimistic, but Enlightenment ideas were backed by a sense of simple logic and optimistic attitude. Such philosophers as Locke, Rousseau and Voltaire promoted the positive ideas of social and political equality, which set the groundwork for revolutionary new prospects. However the literature did give the optimism its limits by setting forth the truth of society. Essentially the enlightenment in Europe was a time of general optimism, limited by certain human factors.