I need help understanding a thesis sentence ?

Question

The guide i'm using is ..
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resour...

On it is says ..

1.Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience


I sort of understand this ..can anyone help figure out in plain terms ..

So am i writing facts I find and then arguementing them ?
I have guides from my professor but totaly stuck .

My thesis is about ..1910 comet fear .. they say the reaf of the comet halley came from 1835 but in my view the astronomers made it worse . one year before 1910 astronomers anounced " as earth moves into comet halleys tail we will be going thru cyanide poisining . " and panic ensued .
I want to arguement that astronmers started it .

So am I writing the facts , then arguementing it after or is it all rolled in one ?

Answer 1

Whoa! Wait a minute!

If your writing an analytical paper, then you are not arguing anything. You are presenting your own point of view on the issues at hand and using WHAT YOU KNOW ( from life experience, research, and discussion) as support for your thoughts. There is no arguing involved here.

THESIS STATEMENT: The fear of Comets in 1910 was brought on by assumptions made by earlier astronomers.

NOW--each paragraph that follows will begin with an assumption (one assumption) made by an astronomer, and you will describe the reaction of the people (in 1910) to this bit of news. Then, you will dissect the statement to show (what you believe) the astronomer meant when he made the statement and why YOU THINK people reacted as they did. It is not up to you to argue the point: i.e., prove or disprove the statement, but it is up to you to DISCUSS the statement and make assumptions about the statement that you can back up (even with your limited knowledge of human behavior, science, and so on).

I realize the difference between argument and analysis seems minor, but, I think your teacher really wants you to understand that difference, even more than he/she wants to know about comets in 1910, right?

Answer 2

Okay, your thesis is going to be the point of your paper. It's going to present what you think of the issue, or, as you said, the astronomers started the issue. You need to say that as your thesis, and each body paragraph will contain facts to support your case. Each body paragraph you start with a mini-thesis, such as:


An example of a thesis:

The situation regarding the 1910 comet fear was exacerbated by the scientists and their involvement in the public.

You should not so much "argue" as explain why this is true. It sounds the same, but it's an analytical paper, so each body paragraph should describe how the actions of the scientists affected the public. It would be almost tangental to describe whether or not the fears were valid, as that is not the point of the essay.

Mini-Thesis (Topic Sentence): The statement the scientists made to the general public made the situation worse and panic ensued.

Then introduce facts to prove that.




The thesis should not have facts in it (or at least not as the point). It should simply present your opinion.

Answer 3

A thesis statement is simply a statement about what your paper will be about. State what happened, according to history, and then say what you're arguing. It should be very clear, and brief. That's the thesis statement. After that, you back up your argument with facts. I have a degree in English.