WEBVTT 00:00.810 --> 00:06.420 OK now that we've talked about outlining most of you probably would think that the net. 00:06.480 --> 00:10.980 The next natural step would be to talk about introductions. 00:11.640 --> 00:15.250 But what I'm going to do is talk about thesis statements. 00:15.540 --> 00:19.230 Now the thesis statement is a part of the introduction. 00:19.320 --> 00:24.170 It is the last sentence of the introduction. 00:24.310 --> 00:30.950 There is a specific reason why we're talking about the thesis statement first because the thesis statement 00:30.950 --> 00:34.690 is the most important sentence in the entire essay. 00:34.940 --> 00:41.480 The most important sentence in the entire essay did not stutter did not hesitate. 00:41.480 --> 00:47.300 If you cannot do a good thesis statement then it's going to be a challenge for you to get a really high 00:47.300 --> 00:48.630 score. 00:48.740 --> 00:54.100 That's how important that's how important the thesis statement is that beat the beat. 00:54.170 --> 01:03.890 The thesis statement it controls and directs the entire essay The entire essay is based around the thesis 01:03.890 --> 01:04.990 statement. 01:05.210 --> 01:10.060 So it's vitally important that you write it correctly. 01:10.130 --> 01:15.440 I think a lot of students think about the thesis statement as a throwaway sentence and a lot of people 01:15.440 --> 01:22.670 try to use a template to do a thesis statement or they make some general thesis the general thesis statement 01:23.070 --> 01:32.030 that can apply to any type of question that is a horrible horrible horrible mistake a horrible mistake 01:32.750 --> 01:40.760 because then your your essay has no direction no foundation to sit on the thesis statement is like the 01:40.760 --> 01:49.120 foundation of a house is the foundation of a house and if you know anything about house building you 01:49.120 --> 01:52.440 can't have a strong house with a weak foundation. 01:52.670 --> 01:53.110 OK. 01:55.510 --> 01:59.050 So here are the basics of a thesis statement. 01:59.050 --> 02:00.170 The thesis statement. 02:00.220 --> 02:02.230 You know it comes in the first paragraph. 02:02.230 --> 02:08.320 It comes in the introduction it contains the main idea or your position that you're going to expand 02:08.890 --> 02:10.300 throughout the rest of the paper. 02:10.300 --> 02:19.390 So if you have just a generalized thesis statement that has no main idea position and no blueprint then 02:19.390 --> 02:27.100 what are you expanding your essay is a mystery and the worst kind of essay to write is an essay where 02:27.100 --> 02:36.390 it's a mystery where later on the greater has to figure out what the heck you're talking about a thesis 02:36.390 --> 02:45.210 statement is a specific claim that your essay supports a specific position right and answers the question 02:45.870 --> 02:50.400 and also would say as how you're going to answer the question the blueprint 02:52.940 --> 02:53.330 right. 02:53.370 --> 02:55.860 So that's why again I talked about this earlier. 02:55.860 --> 02:59.360 Why are we why are we starting with a thesis statement. 02:59.400 --> 03:04.530 I told you this earlier the entire essay is based around the thesis statement. 03:05.160 --> 03:11.410 It's the most important sentence all right is the most important sentence. 03:11.650 --> 03:19.090 A lot of students don't don't realize that they don't realize that and they don't. 03:19.420 --> 03:25.830 When when you when you read an essay one of the first things if I'm grading an essay one of the first 03:25.830 --> 03:34.250 things that I'm looking at is the thesis statement because if this person can't write a thesis statement. 03:35.130 --> 03:40.850 I don't I don't know how I actually lose hope that they're going to actually write a really good essay. 03:42.890 --> 03:47.730 Because there is no foundation so how do you know how. 03:47.740 --> 03:51.880 How do you know when you're writing a really good thesis right. 03:53.260 --> 03:57.720 When you write a thesis statement this is what you have to assume. 03:57.970 --> 04:05.890 You have to assume that the reader can read only this one sentence and know exactly what your paper 04:05.890 --> 04:10.030 will be about and the position that you have. 04:10.100 --> 04:12.710 That's how you know if you have a good thesis statement. 04:13.130 --> 04:20.960 I can look at just one sentence and know exactly what your paper is about the position you have and 04:20.960 --> 04:22.760 how you're going to explain that position. 04:25.830 --> 04:29.490 Do you see why that sentence is so important why it's so so powerful. 04:30.790 --> 04:31.520 Right. 04:31.870 --> 04:36.290 Is extremely extremely powerful. 04:36.330 --> 04:37.780 It should be clear. 04:38.010 --> 04:44.130 It should make a choice and it should have predictors predictors meaning what are you going to talk 04:44.130 --> 04:45.990 about your controlling ideas 04:48.990 --> 04:50.750 here's how you write the thesis statement. 04:51.800 --> 04:56.380 There are three parts you have the limited subject or the subject. 04:56.470 --> 05:04.460 The general idea you have your precise opinion or position and the blueprint of your reasons. 05:04.710 --> 05:05.290 OK. 05:05.320 --> 05:11.110 Always those same three elements and of course if you want to read more and read more detail just stop 05:11.110 --> 05:11.900 the video. 05:11.920 --> 05:14.560 Stop the video and you can read at your own pace. 05:14.720 --> 05:15.060 Ok 05:18.350 --> 05:22.100 there are two ways of writing a thesis statement there there that there are other ways too but these 05:22.100 --> 05:24.220 are the two main ways. 05:24.350 --> 05:30.510 My favorite way is to combine everything into one sentence right. 05:30.540 --> 05:36.030 So here we have the biography of Malcolm X challenges the stereotype of a civil rights activist with 05:36.030 --> 05:42.430 his attention to cultural detail religion and direct quotes from those who knew him best. 05:42.570 --> 05:45.820 The limited subject is the biography of Malcolm X.. 05:45.870 --> 05:51.090 The position is that it challenges the stereotypes of civil rights activists the blueprint of how I'm 05:51.090 --> 05:56.040 going to talk about how a challenge is how I'm going to talk about how it challenges the stereotype 05:56.130 --> 06:00.780 is in regards to cultural detail religion and direct quotes. 06:00.810 --> 06:05.070 That's a thesis statement in one sentence. 06:05.070 --> 06:11.250 Then we have the thesis statement where everything is combined or I'm sorry it's separated. 06:11.580 --> 06:13.970 We will examine three main points of his biography 06:17.130 --> 06:22.690 cultural detail religion and direct quotes from those who knew him best. 06:22.690 --> 06:29.140 These main points support the position that the biography of Malcolm X challenges the stereotype stereotype 06:29.230 --> 06:32.260 of a civil rights activists right. 06:32.290 --> 06:38.410 So is the same thing as before except we separated the blueprint and the subject position. 06:38.410 --> 06:43.540 We separated them so it could be done both ways. 06:44.150 --> 06:46.130 It could be done both ways. 06:47.880 --> 06:55.440 So normally when you think about Jesus take a normally when you think about a thesis statement it normally 06:55.440 --> 07:03.530 breaks down in this kind of simple way something does something because of something because of. 07:03.660 --> 07:06.940 Because of these reasons something does something. 07:07.290 --> 07:13.740 Although the opposing evidence the reasons show something does something right. 07:13.800 --> 07:15.150 I'm trying to give it to you. 07:15.150 --> 07:22.830 And as in as I'm trying to give it to you in as simple simplest fashion that I possibly can. 07:23.430 --> 07:24.060 OK. 07:26.830 --> 07:30.390 So here's the review three parts. 07:30.400 --> 07:31.900 Limited subject. 07:32.200 --> 07:35.580 The general idea position blueprint. 07:37.160 --> 07:44.210 If I read your thesis statement I should be able to read that one sentence I should be able to know 07:44.210 --> 07:50.540 what the essays about I should be able to know your position and I should be able to know your blueprint 07:50.600 --> 07:59.590 or road map of how you're going to support your position or explanation if I can't do that by reading 07:59.590 --> 08:04.570 your one sentence then you have not written a very good thesis statement.