The Thesis Statement What is a thesis statement?

in the paper A direct answer to the question being asked of you. It tells the reader what to expect of your paper. It's a blueprint for your entire essay. It's your topic, plus your opinion (customization). Basically it's a fancy way to say "What do you really want to say about your topic?" A thesis statement not only tells your reader what your paper will be about, but also explains what you will prove

Topics: 1. The eyes are one of several important symbols in the story Mirror Image. Identify and discuss the symbols in Mirror Image. Or

2. The eyes are the mirror to the soul, he used to say. Whose soul is that? After Alices body transplant, she struggles with finding her identity in her new body. Discuss Alices quest for identity, and her struggles with others accepting who she has become.

How do I write a thesis statement?

Very few people start writing with a complete, finalized thesis statement. Just as your paper will change and evolve as you revise, so will your thesis statement

Basic formula for a thesis: Topic + Opinion (customization) = Thesis

Does not say I think or I will prove Ask yourself how and why questions: Why are your observations and analyses significant? How does your argument introduce your reader to something new or unexpected? Why should your reader be interested in your argument?

A thesis statement should be: Contestable: Your thesis should not be a statement of accepted fact or a general summary of your topic. Appropriate: Your thesis should be constructed to respond to the questions and goals of the assignment. If the assignment asks you to respond to specific questions, your thesis should indicate the ways your paper will address those questions Focused: Your thesis should map out the scope of your argument: it should let your reader know what will be addressed in the paper. Your thesis should provide a specific enough argument that it can be addressed in the length of your paper. In other words, your thesis shouldn't promise to explain all the causes of World War I in five pages. Instead, it might examine one specific cause and explain why it is significant.

Basic formula for a thesis: Topic + Opinion (customization) = Thesis

Topic: Alices quest for identity Opinion: Her quest to find herself full of obstacles because she feels alone

What do I want to prove? I want to prove that Alice struggles to accept herself in her new body because other people, including her family and friends do not seem to be accepting her now either, but that ultimately, because of her meeting with Mr. Jarred, she is able to understand that while her body is different she truly is the same person My thesis then should be: Alice struggles to find self-acceptance in her new body because no one will let her forget that she looks different and therefore is different, but through after a meeting with Mr. Jarred, Alice comes to find she is the same girl after all. Its not perfect, but it clearly states what I want to prove in a specific way and gives me something to start with

Thesis checklist

Does my thesis identify a specific focus? Does that focus correspond to what I cover in the body paragraphs? Does my thesis cover an appropriate scope for the length of my paper? Does my thesis tell my reader what my paper argues, demonstrates or proves? Does my thesis do more than summarize my topic? Does it tell my reader something new or unexpected? Does my thesis give my reader a preview of the paper's organization?

Now I need to decide what my three main points will be to support my thesis
These three big ideas need to support what I am saying in my thesis and help me to prove my argument.

Main Point #1 Everything is different now on the outside of Alices world Her father has died, she no longer looks the same, and people treat her differently, it is no surprise that Alice doesnt know who she is.
Main Point #2 A family should be supportive, but hers has not been Alice s sister, Gail, provides constant reminder to Alice that she is different, and denies her the comfort of the close relationship they once had. This alienates Alice and leaves her wondering who she is if she is not like her twin anymore. Main Point #3 Mr. Jarred In meeting Mr. Jarred Alice has the chance to see if she is in fact Gail, but her meeting with him cements that she is not his daughter, but instead herself.

Body Paragraph #1

This is where I explore my first main point and I must be sure to keep it tied to my thesis
Main Point #1 : Everything is different now on the outside of Alices world and this has created a state of confusion and self doubt Topic Sentence: As soon as Alice opens her eyes after the procedure, she is aware that the world she is in look different than it did before, and even those who are supposed to be closest to her are treating her differently. These differences set up the overall feeling of confusion and self-doubt in Alices world.
Evidence #1 Evidence #2 Evidence #3

colours seemed different (p2) peoples voiced pitched a tone higher (p2)

these werent her hands (p2)

This is me in here Jenny. My brain is me (p2)

Body Paragraph #2

This is where I explore my second main point and I must be sure to keep it tied to my thesis
Main Point #2 : A family should be supportive, but hers has not been Topic Sentence: Alice s formerly identical twin sister, Gail, provides constant reminder to Alice that she is different, and denies her the comfort of the close relationship they once had. This alienates Alice and leaves her wondering who she is if she is not like her twin anymore.
Evidence #1 Evidence #2 Evidence #3
I have to get to know you better p2 Jenny were still twins p2 sometimes I think my sister is dead p5

whos to say your whole guilty for thinking that , way down deep, that Im personality is in your head? p5 not the same daughter she knew before p5 maybe there was some other part of your body again her mother where your self lived p5 avoided her eyes p5

Body Paragraph #3

This is where I explore my third main point and I get to the point of my thesis
Main Point #3 : Meeting Mr. Jarred allows Alice the closure that she is not Gail Topic Sentence: Alices journey of self-discovery comes to an important turning point when she meets Mr. Jarred and realizes that she doesnt recognize him, and more importantly, he confirms that she is not his daughter. This meeting gives Alice the vital information she needs to move forward in her healing and reminds her that despite all physical changes, she is still herself.
Evidence #1 Evidence #2 Evidence #3

Ill tell her I looked into your eyes and I did not see our daughter p7 you look so different p7

Alice knew she had never felt it before p7

I knew I wouldnt remember you p7

my wife, she thinks our daughter is still alive, but II know p7

who did you see? p7

Alice was here, she thought p7

Time now to take my outline information and write my rough draft

A good introduction:

Introduction
Begin with a hook statement Be sure to include the storys title and the author

Adolescence is already a time full of questions about identity and belonging, but in the short story Mirror Image by Lena Coakley, this idea of self-doubt and self-discovery is explored in a futuristic way as protagonist Alice is the worlds first survivor of a brain transplant. At the center of a media frenzy, Alice doubts that her soul and identity remain in tact in her new body. Looking out to the world through new eyes, Alices world has changed. Her family offers her little comfort, even her once identical twin no longer treats her with the closeness she once had. Alice struggles to find self-acceptance in her new body because no one will let her forget that she looks different and therefore, to them, is different, but through after a meeting with Mr. Jarred, Alice comes to find she is the same girl after all.
End with your thesis

Be sure to open with a topic sentence that clearly states what the paragraph is about.

As soon as Alice opens her eyes after the procedure brain transplant, she is aware that the world she is in look different than it did before, and even those who are supposed to be closest to her are treating her differently like a stranger. These differences set up the overall feeling of confusion and self-doubt in Alices world that keep her from feeling comfortable in her new body.