Students are often taught that a thesis statement should encompass and reflect the overall topic and discussion of the paper.
But for upper level high school classes and college classes, the thesis statement often needs to be argumentative in nature. You're no longer proving that you read the book and can identify rhetorical and literary devices — you have your own unique perspective, and you present it through an argumentative claim.
Moving from descriptive to argumentative thesis statements can be challenging. But here's what readers look for when deciding if a thesis statement makes an argumentative claim that moves beyond fact and isn't simply pure opinion.
A debatable statement someone can doubt, but that doesn't rely on evidence or reasoning.
A specific, contestable, and significant statement that is substantiated by evidence.
A verifiable statement based in evidence and data that is not contestable or debatable.