How to make a thesis statement? Help!!

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for english class we have to write something that's part of our life, so I'm writing about kosher, like what it is, what it means, common misconceptions etc. How do I make a thesis statement?? my teacher said that the thesis sentence should be about the whole essay, like an introduction or something....

This is just to give you an idea of how i would approach this type of essay..

Thesis: Following the Kosher tradition gives me a sense of connectedness.

Paragraph #1: Kosher rules remind me of Jewish history and connect me with my ancestors.

Paragraph #2: Kosher bakery acts as a gathering place for the Jewish community.

Paragraph #3: I and my parents bond over the preparation of Kosher meals.

Paragraph #5: Living a Kosher life style helps me stay connected to G-d.

Conclusion: Living a Kosher life connects me to my community, religion, and my family.

I usually just end up writing the rest of the essay, reading it, and then making a thesis statement that fits what I wrote. I guess you have to have the discipline to not go on tangents if you do this, but it's nice to not have to go back and write a new thesis dozens of times or force yourself to stick to what you thought would be cool to write about instead of exploring the subject. It works for me, anyway.

(I've always been taught that it's less of an introduction and more a brief statement of the points you want to talk about, but that's probably splitting hairs.)

It sounds as though you have to make an argument about what you're writing about (here, Jewish dietary laws).

Your thesis statement is simply your argument.

For example, here is a thesis statement from an essay I wrote last semester:

"As the British Crown gradually consolidated its power over India, taking control away from the East India Company and from local authorities in India and giving it to the Imperial Government, communication was vitally important in maintaining effective control of the vast Indian Empire."

1. What you are writing (~10%)

2. What you are not writing (~5%)

3. What others already written about it (~15%)

4. Your thesis (~5%)

5. In favour of your thesis (~15%)

6. What may could be said against your thesis (~15%)

7. What to answer against those arguments (~15%)

8. Example how to apply your thesis (~10%)

9. Discussion of possible problems (~10%)

10. Outlook (~5%)

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Footnotes shall be approx 10% to 40% of the text. The biography shall have the size of 5% to 20% of the text.

The Kashrut (kosher rules) is a cultural artifact employed by Jews to enhance their solidarity and ethnic identity. In short, it is a culturally useful convention or custom. Similar to July 4, baseball and hot dogs for Americans.

ruveyn

I'll make it easy.

Think about your main purpose. What are you trying to accomplish overall in your essay?

What is your central point, around which all details connect?

Not the "central point" - this leads to text avoiding the dialectic method, which is often seen as a "lazy way", not digging deep enough.

It is better to ask for the central antagonism embedded in problem. It is better to show that you know the dialectic method to show an antagonism within the thesis, bring the antagonism to its limits and develop an higher new sublation of the original problem leading to a new antagonism.

This is a standard method which can be applied any time and is very handy.

You need to consider your reader, in which case, your teacher. The expectations of the thesis should have been thoroughly explained. Because one man's idea of a good thesis is so different from another, you really have to go with what the teacher wants. Especially since something like a thesis changes per level. English Composition 2 in college is going to be a totally different thesis than what someone may write in their studies in post graduate school. Understand, as you progress academically, you will have other teachers who may want something different from what you are doing right now.

With that said, if the teacher really left it vague without any real explanation of what he/she is looking for, then I think your best advice is to go with...

I would add (behind each paragraph):



And finally you should develop a synthesis of both.

The OP is 18 in Maryland.

You don't need to develop an anti-thesis to get an A, unless you are a genius in graduate school. Maybe if you were taking a science base course, but since it's English, the argument and content isn't going to be as important as the way you communicate your argument and content. The English teacher is going to be looking for grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, syntax, etc. more so than what you are saying or how you approach your argument.

I'm assuming you are talking 12th grade English or English Comp 1?

If you do decide to go beyond your call of duty and develop an antithesis, then I would suggest changing your topic. Something less personal and strictly research oriented.

Dussel, seriously though. Thank you. I never thought about a paper like that before. I will so keep this in mind for my next assignment when I go back to school (possibly fall).

Perhaps is a German issue, but in school it was very early in the age of 13 or so asked to work with thesis and anti-thesis as a method to apply in all areas. When e.g. writing about joy it was asked to develop the idea "joy" as an anti-thesis to "suffering" in a particular context. Or in this context to bring the question of kosher living down to the antagonism of an intimate behaviour against freedom; or to the antagonism of tradition and rational critic.

The real difficulty, not been asked prior college, was to develop out of the antagonism a sublation on a higher lever and to highlight the consequent raised next antagonism on this higher level.

It is just a convenient method to analyse issues of all kind.

I am very much impressed by it because it removes bias. I really wish I was taught that in high school. Would you say Germany has a better education system maybe?

I definitely go deeper than that when I write, but for a beginner to understand how to do a thesis, I would assume they want something simple to begin with. I was a special ed teacher and am currently a special ed tutor, which is one reason I simplify things.

It's probably to late but choosing to write about kosher made your job harder than normal so if you have time try writing about the economy and you'll get a good mark.