Pointers on developing a central claim for an essay

1. Focused Inquiry
Dr. Marx

2.  A thesis statement or central claim (a/k/a main claim presents the
central point of an essay.
 What the centralclaim is not:
 It is not just a statement of the subject of your essay.
 It is not a summary of the issue or question you plan to explore.
 It is not just a summary of your story.
 Central claims often appear in introductory paragraphs, but this isn’t
always the case.
 Sometimes, a central claim doesn’t appear at all, but it should always
be possible to include one.
 If you can’t articulate a clear thesis statement, then there might be a serious
problem with the focus or organization of your essay.
 When you have a clear central claim, you can see to it that virtually
everything you write in your essay will bear on that central point.

3. Which works better as a central claim?
a) In this essay, I will consider arguments for
and against the death penalty.
b) In this essay, I will argue that the death
penalty is immoral in most circumstances.

4. Which works better as a central claim?
a) In this essay, I will discuss issues related to
the Electoral College.
b) In this essay, I will explain why the Electoral
College is bad for American politics.

5. Which works better as a central claim?
a) With his blues-influenced style and guitar
technique, Jimi Hendrix set a standard that
has dominated generations of electric
guitarists.
b) Jimi Hendrix became famous for his guitar
riffs, blues-influenced style, and outrageous
performances.

6. Which works better as a central claim?
a) Without the widespread grass-roots
movement that pressured Congress to pass
it, there would have been no Voting Rights
Act.
b)The passage of the Voting Rights Act by in
1965 followed a mass movement involving of
hundreds of thousands of people.

7.  In the current essay assignment, this central point is the “general
lesson” you wish your audience to learn from your story.
 Whether this lesson is something you want to state up front in your
introduction or save for the end is up to you.
 Sometimes, the topic and the details need fleshing out before the
thesis becomes clear.
 You do not need a definite claim before you begin writing.
 If you have a morally significant story to tell, you can explore it in
writing first.
 Hopefully, as your thoughts take shape, you will identify a central idea
in your story.