The Thesis Statement What is a thesis statement?

Basically it's a fancy way to say "What do you really want to say about your topic?" A thesis statement not only tells your reader what your paper will be about, but also explains what you will prove

in the paper A direct answer to the question being asked of you. I t tells the reader what to expect of your paper. I t's a blueprint for your entire essay. I t's your topic, plus your opinion (customization).

Topics:1. The eyes are one of several important symbols in

the story “Mirror Image”. Identify and discuss the symbols in “Mirror Image”.

Or

2. “The eyes are the mirror to the soul, he used to say. Whose soul is that?” After Alice’s body transplant, she struggles with finding her identity in her new body. Discuss Alice’s quest for identity, and her struggles with others accepting who she has become.

How do I write a thesis statement? Very few people start writing with a complete, finalized thesis statement. Just as your paper will change and evolve as you revise, so will your thesis statement Basic formula for a thesis: Topic + Opinion (customization) = Thesis

Does not say “I think…” or “I will prove…” Ask yourself how and why questions: Why are your observations and analyses significant? How does your

argument introduce your reader to something new or unexpected? Why should your reader be interested in your argument?

A thesis statement should be:

Contestable: Your thesis should not be a statement of accepted fact or a general summary of your topic.

Appropriate: Your thesis should be constructed to respond to the questions and goals of the assignment. I f the assignment asks you to respond to specific questions, your thesis should indicate the ways your paper will address those questions

•Focused: Your thesis should map out the scope of your argument: it should let your reader know what will be addressed in the paper. Your thesis should provide a specific enough argument that it can be addressed in the length of your paper. In other words, your thesis shouldn't promise to explain all the causes of World War I in five pages. Instead, it might examine one specific cause and explain why it is significant.

Basic formula for a thesis: Topic + Opinion (customization) = Thesis Topic: Alice’s quest for identity Opinion: Her quest to find herself full of obstacles because

she feels aloneWhat do I want to prove? I want to prove that Alice struggles to accept herself in her new body because other people, including her family and friends do not seem to be accepting her now either, but that ultimately, because of her meeting with Mr. Jarred, she is able to understand that while her body is different she truly is the same person

My thesis then should be: Alice struggles to find self-acceptance in her new body because no one will let her forget that she looks different and therefore is different, but through after a meeting with Mr. Jarred, Alice comes to find she is the same girl after all.

It’s not perfect, but it clearly states what I want to prove in a specific way and gives me something to start with

Thesis checklist Does my thesis identify a specific focus? Does that focus correspond to what I cover in the body paragraphs? Does my thesis cover an appropriate scope for the length of my paper? Does my thesis tell my reader what my paper argues, demonstrates or proves? Does my thesis do more than summarize my topic? Does it tell my reader something new or unexpected? Does my thesis give my reader a preview of the paper's organization?

Now I need to decide what my three main points will be to support my thesisThese three big ideas need to support what I am saying in my thesis and help me to prove my argument.

Main Point #1 – Everything is different now on the outside of Alice’s worldHer father has died, she no longer looks the same, and people treat her differently, it is no surprise that Alice doesn’t know who she is.

Main Point #2 – A family should be supportive, but hers has not beenAlice ‘s sister, Gail, provides constant reminder to Alice that she is different, and denies her the comfort of the close relationship they once had. This alienates Alice and leaves her wondering who she is if she is not like her twin anymore.

Main Point #3 – Mr. JarredIn meeting Mr. Jarred Alice has the chance to see if she is in fact Gail, but her meeting with him cements that she is not his daughter, but instead herself.

Body Paragraph #1This is where I explore my first main point and I must be sure to keep it tied to my thesis

Main Point #1 : Everything is different now on the outside of Alice’s world and this has created a state of confusion and self –doubtTopic Sentence: As soon as Alice opens her eyes after the procedure, she is aware that the world she is in look different than it did before, and even those who are supposed to be closest to her are treating her differently. These differences set up the overall feeling of confusion and self-doubt in Alice’s world.

Evidence #1 Evidence #2 Evidence #3

“colours seemed different” (p2)

“people’s voiced pitched a tone higher” (p2)

“these weren’t her hands” (p2)

“This is me in here Jenny. My brain is me” (p2)

Body Paragraph #2This is where I explore my second main point and I must be sure to keep it tied to my thesis

Main Point #2 : A family should be supportive, but hers has not beenTopic Sentence: Alice ‘s formerly identical twin sister, Gail, provides constant reminder to Alice that she is different, and denies her the comfort of the close relationship they once had. This alienates Alice and leaves her wondering who she is if she is not like her twin anymore.

Evidence #1 Evidence #2 Evidence #3

“guilty for thinking that , way down deep, that I’m not the same daughter she knew before” p5

“again her mother avoided her eyes” p5

“who’s to say your whole personality is in your head?” p5

“maybe there was some other part of your body where your self lived” p5

“I have to get to know you better” p2

“Jenny we’re still twins” p2

“sometimes I think my sister is dead p5

Body Paragraph #3This is where I explore my third main point and I get to the point of my thesisMain Point #3 : Meeting Mr. Jarred allows Alice the closure that she is not GailTopic Sentence: Alice’s journey of self-discovery comes to an important turning point when she meets Mr. Jarred and realizes that she doesn’t recognize him, and more importantly, he confirms that she is not his daughter. This meeting gives Alice the vital information she needs to move forward in her healing and reminds her that despite all physical changes, she is still herself.

Evidence #1 Evidence #2 Evidence #3

“I’ll tell her I looked into your eyes and I did not see our daughter” p7

“you look so different” p7

“Alice knew she had never felt it before” p7

“my wife, she thinks our daughter is still alive, but I…I know” p7

“I knew I wouldn’t remember you” p7

“who did you see?” p7

“Alice was here, she thought” p7

Time now to take my outline information and write my rough draftA good introduction: Has a hook statement Introduces the title of the work and the

author Indicates the topic that the essay is about Does not use the “I” perspective Introduces briefly your three main points Explains the point of writing the essay; the point of writing an essay is usually to

argue for a thesis

Introduction

Adolescence is already a time full of questions about identity and belonging, but in the short story “Mirror Image” by Lena Coakley, this idea of self-doubt and self-discovery is explored in a futuristic way as protagonist Alice is the world’s first survivor of a brain transplant. At the center of a media frenzy, Alice doubts that her soul and identity remain in tact in her new body. Looking out to the world through new eyes, Alice’s world has changed. Her family offers her little comfort, even her once identical twin no longer treats her with the closeness she once had. Alice struggles to find self-acceptance in her new body because no one will let her forget that she looks different and therefore, to them, is different, but through after a meeting with Mr. Jarred, Alice comes to find she is the same girl after all.

Begin with a hook statementBe sure to include the story’s title and the author

End with your thesis

As soon as Alice opens her eyes after the procedure brain transplant, she is aware that the world she is in look different than it did before, and even those who are supposed to be closest to her are treating her differently like a stranger. These differences set up the overall feeling of confusion and self-doubt in Alice’s world that keep her from feeling comfortable in her new body.

Be sure to open with a topic sentence that clearly states what the paragraph is about.