You already know that your thesis statement is supposed to convey the main point of your paper. They are essential in every type of writing. However, they are critical in argumentative essays. In an argumentative essay, the thesis statement describes the issue and makes your position on it clear to the reader.
Argumentative Essays
To understand how to write an appropriate thesis statement, you must first understand how to write an argumentative essay. In an argumentative essay, you must pick a topic, examine the evidence, and choose a position.
A great argumentative essay begins by picking a great topic. The most important thing is that the issue must be reasonably debatable. For example, reasonable people disagree about whether pineapple belongs on pizza. Rational people do not disagree about whether or not the Holocaust occurred. In this day and age, when you can find seemingly academic support for even ridiculous propositions all over the internet, it may be difficult for someone to evaluate whether reasonable people can disagree about a position. That is especially true if it is a topic unfamiliar to the writer before they begin researching.
Structure of an Argumentative Essay
Like many other types of academic writing, the argumentative essay is well-suited to the five-paragraph format. That format begins with an introduction, includes body paragraphs, and ends with a conclusion. In a five-paragraph paper, there are three body paragraphs. However, you can modify the basic format to include more or less information by adding or subtracting body paragraphs.
In this format, your first paragraph will be an introductory paragraph. The introductory paragraph introduces the topic, previews the supporting information, and concludes with your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should be sufficiently narrow that you can support it within the set length of your essay.
The body paragraphs then expound on the supporting information you previewed in your introductory statement. There should be a paragraph supporting each point you made in the introduction. Furthermore, each body paragraph should support your position in your thesis statement. So, if you mention arguments against your position, you need to explain why those positions are invalid or non-persuasive.
The essay ends with a conclusion. Your conclusion needs to restate your thesis. However, a restatement is not simply paraphrasing your initial thesis. Instead, the restatement should demonstrate how the evidence in the paper supports the initial thesis. In that way, the initial thesis statement and the restated thesis statement in the conclusion serve as bookends to the essay.
Four Main Elements of a Strong Argumentative Essay
A strong argumentative essay cannot simply provide evidence for your position. It has to consider other positions, as well. Then, it has to use logic and reasoning to show why those positions are inferior to the ones you have taken in the essay. It should have
- Claims
- Counterclaims
- Evidence
- Logical Reasoning
Claims are the reasons you are using to support your position. You will preview the claims in your introduction. Each claim will be a central topic in one of your body paragraphs.
Counterclaims are the reasons people use to support the opposite position. You do not have to address every counterclaim in your essay. Still, a solid argumentative essay will address at least one significant counterclaim. The counterclaim will be the main topic in one of your body paragraphs.
Evidence refers to the supporting material you use to bolster the claims that you made. If you have done research for your essay, this is where you add facts, figures, and other conclusive evidence that supports your claim. This would be a great place to demonstrate that the evidence does not support your counterclaim.
Finally, you want to use logical reasoning. Your paragraphs should not simply list your claim and supporting evidence. You need to take it a step further and link that information to your original thesis statement. Why does this evidence support your thesis? The reader should be able to answer that question at the end of each of your body paragraphs.
Five Qualities of a Good Thesis Statement?
What is the purpose of the thesis statement? It tells the reader your position on a topic.
A good thesis for an argumentative essay has five qualities.
First, it should be debatable. A statement of fact is not a thesis statement but simply a statement of fact. Remember that what counts as a statement of fact may change with time. For example, it was debatable that Earth was round at one point. However, with modern scientific knowledge, assuming that the Earth is flat is no longer reasonable.
Second, you must be able to support your position. Let’s assume that you chose to argue that the Earth is flat. If you did so, you would find a lack of reliable evidence to support that position. Instead, there is a trove of evidence that the Earth is round. Suppose you initially take a position and discover through your research that you cannot support it. In that case, you need to revisit your thesis statement.
Your thesis should make a specific point. You do not want an overly broad thesis statement. If it is, you cannot support it in the length of a five-paragraph essay. So, you want a thesis that is narrow, concise, and able to be fully addressed within the length of your paper.
Fourth, you want the thesis to appeal to the reader. Yes, it tells people your opinion or stance on an issue. However, you need to go further and give the reader a reason to care about your opinion. For example, if you are writing that Holocaust denial is dangerous, tell the reader why it is.
Finally, you want to make sure that your thesis statement for the argumentative essay addresses the prompt or question. Students often write fabulous essays that would be great, except that they are off-topic.
View 120,000+ High Quality Essay Examples
Learn-by-example to improve your academic writing
Three Parts of an Argumentative Thesis
The three parts of an argumentative essay are the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
Key Components of a Successful Argumentative Thesis Statement
What makes a good thesis statement? A successful argumentative thesis statement is
- Assertive- it takes a position on the issue
- Reasonable- the position it takes is reasonable
- Debatable- the thesis is one about which reasonable people can disagree
- Evidence-based- it can be supported by facts
- Focused- the thesis must be sufficiently narrow that you can fully support it
How to Write an Effective Thesis Statement for an Argumentative Essay?
The biggest tip we can give you is that you need to start an argumentative essay with research. You want to ensure that your position is reasonable and can be supported by evidence. If it is an unfamiliar topic, you may not know enough about it to know whether the position is reasonable. There is a ton of misinformation out there. So, we strongly encourage people to research the topic before developing the thesis statement.
How long is a thesis statement?
A thesis statement is brief. It should be one to two sentences.
Get More Help
Need more help perfecting your argumentative essay? Check out our argumentative essay writing guide today!
