Most writers can easily select a thesis topic: streaming services, the Patriot Act, Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The more difficult part is creating an angle. But the angle is the most important part of your thesis statement. It’s your take on the topic, distilled down to a line or two. A thesis angle should create reader interest and indicate the type of information you plan to explore; it can also organize the information to come.
Click on the tents in the box below to learn more about what your thesis angle should do.
Remember that a thesis statement offers a range of possibilities for specificity and organization. As a writer, you may opt to pique reader interest by using a sharp, one line thesis angle. Or, you might want to expand on your thesis angle in a way that further organizes your work. There is no standard way to construct a thesis statement, so long as it has a topic and an angle. The style you choose might even vary from assignment to assignment.
One last note: so far, we’ve approached our thesis statement with the formula of topic + angle. However, it’s entirely acceptable to lead with your angle. Take this thesis statement for example:
Here, the topic is “the concerns of eco-friendly campers” and the angle is that their most pressing concern should be “destruction of habitat and dangerous wildlife encounters.” This thesis statement also indicates the type of information in the essay and organizes how that information will be delivered.