Thesis

Thesis Statement Purpose * One way to describe a thesis statement is that it acts like a topic sentence for an entire essay. Just as the topic sentence tells readers what will be discussed in a particular paragraph, the thesis statement alerts readers as to what to expect from the rest of the essay. However, the thesis statement is not only helpful for readers. Writers are assisted by the thesis statement because writing one forces them to give their ideas more focus. For example, if you are writing an essay about the death penalty, you cannot write the thesis statement without determining which side of the issue you're going to take or whether you're going to provide a balanced look at the argument. The thesis statement typically provides the basic skeleton for the organization of the essay as well. Parts of the Thesis Statement * A good thesis statement is going to contain three parts: the general topic, the attitude towards that topic, and the main points being covered in the essay. Using the death penalty example again, you might write the following thesis statement: The death penalty should be abolished because innocent people are sometimes executed, because the costs are higher than for life imprisonment and because murder is never justifiable. In this example, the general topic would be the death penalty. Your attitude toward that topic would be that it should be abolished. Finally, the main points being covered are listed at the end of the statement. * Construct the introduction to the paper. Choose a creative angle from which to begin the essay. A creative angle should grab the reader's attention. For example, begin the essay by explaining what it was like to see the lights come up on stage while sitting in the front row or how your heart felt walking backstage after the event. Conclude the introduction with a thesis statement. The thesis should encapsulate what the essay, as a whole, will say. The thesis may determine if the concert was well played or left a lot to be desired. You may also use the thesis as a launching point into discussing the history of jazz or jazz concerts in general. Thesis statements set the tone and theme for your essay. Construct the body of the essay. Write at least three paragraphs that support your thesis. Include technical information on the performances, such as input on the tempo, volume and rhythm of the music. Detail what kinds of instruments were played and what kinds of emotion the music evoked. Capture a context in your essay. Describe how the music you heard related to various styles of jazz. If the concert was a retrospective on the work of a specific musician, include biographical information on that musician. Include interviews or quotes in your essay. Using interviews or quotations from the musicians is a great way to offer deeper and exciting insight on the event. Include biographical information if the essay is centered on the artists who performed at the concert. Write the conclusion using one paragraph to recap the essay. The conclusion should reemphasize the thesis.