What is a thesis? Why do I need to have one?
After you’ve sketched out an outline, you will begin filling it in by drafting. In the drafting stage, you want to pay special attention to your THESIS STATEMENT. Perhaps the best incentive to have a thesis is that if I don’t find one (a thesis statement), the highest grade you can get is a C. But seriously, a few words about THESIS STATEMENTS: Every paper must take a stand. A thesis is your controlling argument and guides the direction of your entire paper. It serves several functions for you as a writer and for your reader and it has several characteristic features: a) A thesis narrows your focus. b) A thesis alerts you to what you need to include — and what does not belong. c) A thesis provides you with a PURPOSE–to persuade your readers that your argument (interpretation) is right. d) A thesis needs to be DETAILED, SPECIFIC, and UNIFIED e) A thesis needs to be an INTERPRETATION, not just an opinion or observation. For example: Opinion: Gilgamesh is a brilliant story that I thorou
