Writing Effective Thesis Statements for Essays
Examples of Strong Thesis Statements for Different Types of Essays
Jan 9, 2009
When high school students are faced with writing essays for English class, they often find that getting started is the most difficult part. Students may agonize for hours staring at a blank page. Then, when they finally get a few words down on paper, they are overly critical of their ideas. Teachers can help students overcome this stagnancy by developing their writing confidence through rigorous, guided practice. The most natural place to start is with writing a solid thesis statement because it is the one element all essays – whether they are expository, persuasive or literary analysis – must contain.
Thesis Statement Examples
Students learn by example. Providing them with many tangible examples of strong and weak thesis statements encourages students to analyze them without the stress of composing an essay. Put their minds at ease by letting students know that will come later. Thesis statements deserve a lesson of their own. Here are examples of strong and weak thesis statements you can share with your students.
Expository Essay Thesis Statement
Sample Prompt: Explain why a healthy diet is important.
Weak Thesis Examples:
- Too broad: A healthy diet is important.
- Too narrow: People should include eight servings of fruits and vegetables in their diet everyday.
- Off topic: Bananas are one of the most nutritious foods on earth.
Strong thesis: A healthy diet is important because it increases energy, prevents illness and promotes well-being in all people.
Persuasive Thesis Statement
Sample Prompt: Convince your reader whether school uniforms should be mandatory in public schools.
Weak Thesis Examples:
- Too broad: It is outrageous for students to be forced to wear school uniforms.
- Too narrow: Students who are forced to wear school uniforms have their creativity stifled.
- Off topic: When kids grow up, they will have bad memories of school.
Strong thesis: School uniforms should not be mandatory in public schools because it would stifle students’ creativity, take away students’ rights, and cause students to lose interest in school
Literary Analysis Thesis Statement
Sample Prompt: How does Kurt Vonnegut use literary elements to criticize the government in the short story, “Harrison Bergeron”?
- Too broad: Vonnegut criticized the government in many ways.
- Too narrow: Vonnegut shows that Harrison deserves to be treated fairly, not like he is a freak.
- Off topic: Vonnegut was also critical of too much government control in several novels he wrote.
Strong Thesis: In “Harrison Bergeron,” Vonnegut criticizes the government through the use of indirect characterization, irony, and external conflict.
Remind students that before composing their thesis statements, they should carefully examine the prompt. Then, they should use some of the language from the prompt in their thesis statements. For further support, you can see a complete example of writing a literary analysis thesis statement or visit my thesis statement checklist.
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