What's the difference between a thesis and thesis stament?

Question

Can anyone help me with the definition of these two? R they the same thing or totally different? As far as I know, theis is the main idea of the essay. Then, what's thesis statement?
Help me pl.s..I have an exam tomorrow morning...
thank you

Answer 1

The thesis STATEMENT is a sentence which describes or presents your THESIS. For example, you might be able to word your thesis a number of different ways in conversation, in email to a friend, or in your outline; but when you take the time to write it down for your paper, it becomes your thesis.

Here's an example. A paper about Japanese military strategist Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, might have as its thesis, "Yamamoto was a tragic figure." That's the theme, the central argument of the paper; every paragraph needs to support that theme to some degree.

But that's not a good opening for the paper, because it doesn't give enough context to set up your thesis. To do that, you'd need to write something like this:

"The life, career and death of Japanese military strategist Isoroku Yamamoto was fraught with conflict and tragic irony. "

That states your thesis, but with enough data that it makes sense. That makes it your thesis statement.

Now, having said that, you need to put in at least three other sentences in the first paragraph that support the thesis. (One of my favorite college English professors called this "Kipling's Rule of Thumb:" always have at least three facts to back up the thesis of every paragraph.) Each of those sentences will, in turn, be the thesis statement of their own paragraph later in your essay.

Technically, a paragraph has a "topic sentence," but it works the same way: it introduces the topic which that paragraph explores, expands, and supports. For our Yamamoto example, you might have a paragraph describing Yamamoto's early status as an advocate for air power -- but ironically, he served in a navy that still believed that the battleship was the ultimate weapon. You then need three sentences talking about his naval background (and the wound on his hand at the battle of Tsushima in 1905 that cost him several fingers), about his conflict with naval high command over the construction of aircraft carriers versus battleships, and finally about his irrefutable proof of the superiority of air power on December 7, 1941, when planes of the Imperial Japanese Navy sunk or disabled most of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor.

Get the idea? By the way, this kind of structure works very well when laid out in outline form, like this (where 1, 2, 3 are topic sentences for each paragraph and A, B, C are sentences within each paragraph).

1. Yamamoto as tragic figure
A. Air power versus battleships
B. Fondness for USA as naval attache in 1920s
C. Samurai tradition of loyalty/honor vs. govt treachery
D. Died during publicity trip, but death kept secret by US

2. Air power versus battleships
A. Early naval service (battle of Tsushima, 1905)
B. Saw value of aircraft -- speed, accuracy, weapons
C. Highly critical of oversize, slow, vulnerable battleships
D. Sent to sea to avoid assassination attempts

3. As naval attache to US, became fond of country/people
A. Picture of him laying wreath at Arlington (c. 1922)
B. Studied extensively at Harvard University
C. Irony of being forced to design attack on US navy

Etc. etc. etc. Do you see how each numbered paragraph takes an idea from the paragraph supporting the thesis statement, and expands it in turn? That's the structure of a good research paper or article.

There are variations, of course -- you can pick an argument from an opposing viewpoint and say in your topic sentence that you'll disprove it; then each sentence in that paragraph refutes a point in the opposing viewpoint. ("Critics say that bicycle riders bring crime to an area, but the facts refute this. In a study of Portland neighborhoods from 2001-2006, neighborhoods in which bicycle use increased by at least 25% saw a drop in crime ranging from 8% to 27%. Conversely, neighborhoods in which bicycle use declined by at least 10% were uniformly higher on the crime scale, with the lowest neighborhoods seeing crime rise 6.3% and the highest seeing an appalling 31.7% rise in crime, especially crime against pedestrians. Clearly, if there is any connection between cycling and crime, it's that criminals can't ride." Or something -- that paragraph is a COMPLETE fabrication. :-)

In short -- your thesis is the main idea of the essay, just as you say. But when you write it as the opening sentence of that essay, it becomes your thesis statement. Make it strong, support it with other topic sentences, give each of those supporting topics a strong paragraph with sentences that support them individually, and you'll get a good grade on your exam -- and, more important, on any other class you take that requires writing essays.

Answer 2

Using your analogy of an essay, the thesis is the whole essay. The thesis statement is roughly the first paragraph, in which you state the basic idea of the thesis, and how you intend to prove it. You don't give your proofs in the statement, just acknowledge them. For example, if you were to write a thesis on why young drivers should have to take lessons from a certified driving instructor before applying for their licence, your thesis might be something like:

Studies save lives when it comes to young drivers. Intensive research has shown that untrained drivers have an accident rate of up to 70% higher than trained drivers, and their accidents have higher incidences of death and damages.

Your thesis statement is that studies save lives, and you support that statement by saying that research has been done into the topic and shows that they untrained drivers have a higher accident rate, death rate and damage rate.

Then you go into your thesis and explain the problems surrounding young drivers:

The average 16 year old boy has only two main interests -- and one of them is driving a car. There is a sense of power and of independence for young drivers, a sense that is reinforced by not only the advertising industry, but the script writers of numerous adventure shows, whose heros seem unable to stay within the speed limit but whose superior driving skills save them, time after time, from perilous situations.

etc.etc.etc.

After you've done all your discussion, made reference to research, included graphs and charts, you then sum up at the end, with something that closely echoes your thesis statement.

okay?

Answer 3

Yes you are right.
The thesis is the main topic of the essay.
The thesis statement presents the main point as an assertion and does not give any reasons why.
It should not be a "couple of sentences." Short, simple, and to-the-point phrasing is best. (something like "Shakespear was a great playwright.")
In the first paragraph, you must mention all other topics or ideas that will be used to support the main point. ("He wrote Hamlet, Othello and the Tempest.")
Give a body-paragraph to each of the topics that support your main point.
In the last paragraph state your main point as a conclusion or as a deduction based on your other topics. (BECAUSE he wrote Hamlet, Othello and the Tempest, I CONCLUDE that shakespear was a great playwright. )

In the dictionary, you will find that a thesis is a topic presented WITHOUT SUPPORT. You don't explain why your main point is true; you just state it by itself in one sentence. The other points that will eventually be used to prove the point, are presented in seperate sentences. Thesis can mean the whole body of a dissertation when used for an advanced degree. An essay is not a thesis.

Answer 4

Actually the statement is the sentence that tells the idea of your paper, you know like what it will be about. It is the last line of your intro paragraph.

The thesis is the paper itself.

Answer 5

the thesis statement...states what the thesis will be about. a synopsis or overview or short summary. the actual thesis is the accompanying body of work, or report.

Answer 6

its the same as far as i know.
the thesis statement is your ideas and reasoning put into a couple of sentences. its usually the last line of the first introductory paragraph.

hope that helps

Answer 7

They are the same thing. Remember fact plus opinion!

Answer 8

It's the same thing