Writing Essentials: Background You’ll Need

  • Identify what a thesis is and its purpose

What Is a Thesis?

thesis

A thesis is more than just a topic or opinion. It’s the central statement that pulls your entire essay together. Think of it as the anchor for your ideas—the guiding message that helps organize your evidence, examples, and explanations.

A Simple Way to Understand a Thesis

Think of it this way: in a conversation, we sometimes say:

  • “All I’m saying is…”
  • “The bottom line is…”
  • “At the end of the day…”
  • “All in all…”

Whatever comes after that phrase is your thesis. It’s the main idea of what you’re trying to communicate.

Here are a few examples:

  • “All I’m saying is: The Last of Us was the best TV show of the year, hands down.”
  • “The bottom line is: if you don’t leave for class at least 10 minutes early, you’re not getting a parking spot.”
  • “All in all, aside from the flooding and the cake disaster, it was a pretty good wedding.”
  • “All I’m saying is: Ines is a very nice person, but she’s a terrible manager.”

Notice how these types of phrases work: they pull together a set of statements about something. When the speaker says, “All I’m saying is: Ines is a very nice person, but she’s a terrible manager,” she has probably already talked about the ways Ines is a nice person, but she has probably also shown that Ines is a bad manager. “Ines is so thoughtful and caring. She never forgets anyone’s birthday. But somehow she forgets to schedule our performance reviews! All I’m saying is: Ines is a very nice person, but she’s a terrible manager.”

In each of the examples above, the statement pulls together and sums up several points made earlier. It’s a clear, focused takeaway message.

An open notebook with the words "my plan" written at the top of the page.
Figure 1. Your plan for organizing and constructing your paper will be dependent on your thesis. The thesis should guide and connect all the different parts of your argument.

Why It Matters for Reading and Writing

Understanding how a thesis functions will help you:

  • Write more clearly and purposefully. You’ll know where you’re headed.
  • Read more effectively. You’ll spot the author’s thesis early and better understand how the rest of their argument fits together.

Good academic writing usually places the thesis early in the essay, providing a roadmap for what follows. This strategy is sometimes called BLUF—Bottom Line Up Front.

Just like when a friend says:

  • “Something really funny happened to me today…” (You get ready to laugh.)
  • “I’m really upset about something that happened…” (You prepare to sympathize.)
  • “I need your advice—here’s what happened…” (You get ready to problem-solve.)

The way they open shapes how you listen to the whole story. Similarly, the thesis shapes how readers interpret the rest of an essay.