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Use the menu below to learn about developing a thesis statement.
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1. Identify a topic
Your topic is the subject about which you will write. Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic; or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper.
- Consider what your assignment asks you to do
- Inform yourself about your topic
- Focus on one aspect of your topic
- Ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts
Consult the table below for suggestions on how to generate a topic from assignments.
| Sample
assignment |
Identified
topic |
Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze Spain's neutrality in World War II | Franco's role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis | This topic avoids generalities such as "Spain" and "World War II," addressing instead on Franco's role (a specific aspect of "Spain") and the diplomatic relations between the Allies and Axis (a specific aspect of World War II). |
| Analyze one of Homer's epic similes in the Iliad. | The relationship between the portrayal of warfare and the epic simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64. | This topic focuses on a single simile and relates it to a single aspect of the Iliad (warfare being a major theme in that work). |
As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.
To learn more about crafting arguments, take a look at our class on thesis statements.
