Thesis = Topics, Topics = ThesisOverview In this section, we will focus on the interrelationship between the thesis statement and the topic sentences. A strong thesis/topic relationship isn't enough all by itself to get you a "9," and in fact, some of the most outstanding "9s" tend to break the mold in ways we'll discuss later on, but an essay with a clear, focused plan of organization tends to land itself in the top tier right away.
NOTE: As we get into the specifics of the rhetorical analysis essay, synthesis essay, and free response essay, the requirements for a thesis may change slightly, but these fundamental principles will still apply.
Lecture: The AP Thesis Thesis = Superclaim The AP Thesis The thesis is ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
The one-sentence summary of your paper's argument
The one-sentence summary of your paper's "game plan"
The order of the ideas in your paper
Your Thesis is a Superclaim
There is a direct, observable relationship between thesis statements and topic sentences (claim sentences) -- a relationship this exercise will ideally make very clear for you.
The order of ideas in your thesis is the order of ideas in your paper. Your thesis is a compilation of all of your major ideas. In short, it is all of your claims put together in one big "superclaim" sentence.
To put it another way, a highly oversimplified version of a thesis may read something like this:
THESIS: In order to achieve goal X, My Author uses tactic A, tactic B, and tactic C.
Topic Sentence #1: First, in order to achieve goal X, my author uses tactic A.
Topic Sentence #2: Next, to achieve goal X, my author uses tactic B.
Topic Sentence #3: Finally, my author uses tactic C to accomplish his/her goals.
Student Exercise: Moving from Thesis to TopicDirections: The following are actual student thesis statements from essays that received a score of 8 or 9 on the AP Language and Composition exam. Using those thesis statements as a base, write topic sentences that would logically proceed from these thesis statements.
Example If Your Thesis Says This:
In his groundbreaking autobiography My Life With Pterodactyls, Terrell Martinez uses a powerful combination of rhetorical question, awkwardly casual diction, and a blatant appeal to sentimentality in order to persuade his audience that pterodactyls should be accepted by us all.
Your Topic Sentences Should Look Something Like This:
Initially, Martinez uses a series of rhetorical questions to convince his audience of the importance of his point.
Then, Martinez’ diction sharply changes register and becomes far more informal – and uncomfortable – as he focuses on the argument that pterodactyls deserve inclusion and respect.
Finally, with a last-ditch effort to tug at his audience’s heartstrings, Martinez makes an absurdly obvious appeal to sentiment in his fight for pterodactyl acceptance.
Sample Student Thesis Statements For each thesis, write topic sentences that would logically proceed from these thesis statements.
Louv argues against the separation of man and nature using the devices of anecdote, hypothetical example, and imagery.
Throughout his speech in which he condemned companies for raising steel prices, Kennedy repeatedly appeals to a sense of communal sacrifice and collective responsibility in order to rally his everyman audience around this ostensible cause for outrage.
Repeating key concepts, introducing numerous examples of horrendous conditions and state policies, and extolling the virtue of laws curtailing the workday, Kelley develops a highly effective argument that pulls her audience into the issue and invites them to join her efforts.
In his refusal to recommend a woman’s son for patronage to a university, Samuel Johnson carefully constructs his argument against talking to the bishop and gradually builds support for his position. His denial is most marked by, and successful due to, the use of definition, a subtle shift in tone, and the application of the appeals to logic. Combined, these devices successfully convey Johnson’s unwillingness to complete the task while still allowing him to remain cordial.
In his aforementioned essay, Hazlitt makes the argument that money is, in fact, a key part of a prosperous life, and by using both a despondent tone and unusual syntactical strategies, Hazlitt effectively shows that, if money cannot buy happiness, a lack of it can surely lead to sorrow.
Student Exercise: Moving from Topics to ThesisPart Two – Topics to Thesis
In this section, you will be working with actual student topic sentences taken from the AP Language and Composition exam. Based on the topic sentences in each set, you will reconstruct the student’s thesis statement.
Set #1
In her writing, Marquet constantly alludes to writers and surveyors alike in order to describe the special qualities of the region.
Marquet also uses informal diction to label the region first seen by surveyors and later by her own ancestors.
Set #2
Barry begins by contrasting the strength and conviction of certainty with the weakness and fear of uncertainty.
Having established the role of uncertainty, Barry shifts into an analogy comparing scientists to pioneers.
Barry’s fifth paragraph is full of questions.
The analogy finally ends with the scientists’ success.
Set #3
Sanders’ essay was written purely in response to Rushdie’s essay – therefore, he quotes Rushdie several times directly and then states his own beliefs in similar ways.
His disagreement with Rushdie in principle could have been marked by a condescending and imposing tone – however, through his choice of phrases, Sanders' tone is informal, yet respectful of Rushdie’s views.