ENG ESSAY

4

Unit V

Lesson 5: Writing a Thesis

Introduction

The thesis statement for an illustration essay does not argue for a particular position on the topic. Instead, the thesis statement for an illustration essay argues that a particular condition, situation, or phenomenon exists. A clear, precise thesis statement is essential to every essay, but it is especially critical to an essay like the illustration essay because the thesis statement provides the condition, situation, or phenomenon that you want to convince the reader exists.

Drafting Your Thesis around Your Three Points

In Lesson 3 of this unit, we discussed ways that you could generate three points based on the topic you selected. In Lesson 2, we looked at the two essay models that you can choose from: single-example or multiple-example. In the examples for each model, a similar thesis statement was presented. We will take another look at those examples, but before we do that, let’s discuss what makes for a good thesis statement for an illustration essay.

Single Example-Model: Thesis Statements

A single-example illustration essay develops body paragraphs that parse three or four aspects of one example. Sometimes a single-example essay is referred to as an extended-example essay because of the way that the essay examines one example in detail. A thesis statement for a single-example illustration essay usually lists the three aspects that are developed within the essay while also linking the way that the three are connected. Let’s look at the example:

Single-example thesis example: Social networking has more negative effects than positive by draining people’s time, impacting job stability and opportunities, and diminishing face-to-face interactions.

· Example explanation: In this example of a single-example thesis statement, you can see that the thesis includes two main aspects: (1) the main idea/the way that the three aspects are connected and (2) the three aspects themselves.

· The main idea: “Social networking has more negative effects than positive…”

· Three aspects: “…by (1) draining people’s time, (2) impacting job stability and opportunities, and (3) diminishing face-to-face interactions.”

· Aspect 1: Social networking can be a drain on a person's time.

· Example of Aspect 1: According to Adler (2014), people spend more time on social networks than on any other kind of website or on any other activity on the Internet.

· Aspect 2: Social networking can impact job stability and opportunities.

· Example of Aspect 2: Stephanie Bon, an HR assistant at a bank, was terminated for posting her superior's salary on Facebook: the “new CEO gets £4,000 an hour. I get £7. That's fair” (Emerson, 2011, slide 4).

· Aspect 3: Social networking inhibits face-to-face interactions.

· Example of Aspect 3: According to the center for the digital future (2012), “the percentage of Internet users who said they spend less face-to-face time with family in their household has grown dramatically, from a low of eight percent in 2000 to a peak of 34 percent in the two most recent surveys (p. 19),” which includes the 2012 survey.

Multiple-Example Model: Thesis Statements

A multiple-example illustration essay develops body paragraphs around a central idea or theme, with each illustration depicting a different example. A thesis statement for a multiple-example essay will present the ways in which all three points are linked by forwarding one overarching main idea.

Multiple-example thesis example: Spending too much time on Internet-enabled devices can harm interpersonal relationships.

· Example explanation: You will notice that this thesis statement is very similar to the three aspects presented in the single-example essay model. You can think of the multiple-example thesis as one aspect of a larger main idea. In this way, the idea of Internet use and consequences are weighed, and the outcome of the writer’s reasoning is that the negative outweigh the positive. However, by developing only one aspect, the writer is able to more thoroughly examine this one facet of a larger issue.

· Point 1: Social networking can harm interpersonal relationships.

· Example 1 of Topic A: According to Center for the Digital Future (2012), “the percentage of Internet users who said they spend less face-to-face time with family in their household has grown dramatically, from a low of eight percent in 2000 to a peak of 34 percent in the two most recent surveys (p. 19),” which includes the 2012 survey.

· Point 2: The presence of cell phones inhibits interpersonal communication.

· Example 2 of Topic A: According to a set of studies by Przybylski and Weinstein, “interacting in a neutral environment, without a cell phone nearby, seems to help foster closeness, connectedness, interpersonal trust, and perceptions of empathy—the building-blocks of relationships” (Lee Lin, 2012, para. 2).

· Point 3: The use of tablets, especially at a young age, could have adverse effects upon the development of interpersonal skills.

· Example 3 of Topic A: According to a study by Jenny Radesky and her team at the developmental-behavioral pediatrics division of Boston University’s School of Medicine, it may be that using tablets to distract toddlers may severely limit their ability to self-regulate, leaving researchers to seriously question the ways that these media devices may inhibit the “development of sensorimotor and visual-motor skills” (Walters, 2015, para. 12).

Review

1. The thesis statement for an illustration essay argues that a particular condition, situation, or phenomenon exists.

2. A thesis statement for a single-example illustration essay usually lists the three aspects that are developed within the essay while also linking the way that the three are connected.

3. A thesis statement for a multiple-example essay will present the ways in which all three points are linked by forwarding one overarching main idea.

References for Examples

Adler, E. (2014). Social media engagement: The surprising facts about how much time people spend on the major social networks. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-engagement-statistics-2013-12

Center for the Digital Future. (2012). Special report: America at the digital turning point. Retrieved from http://www.worldinternetproject.net/_files/_Published/_oldis/789_cdf_10_year_digital_turning_point.pdf

Emerson, R. (2011). 13 controversial Facebook firings: Palace guards, doctors, teachers and more. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/17/facebook-firings_n_1003789.html

Lee Lin, H. (2012). How your cell phone hurts your relationships. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-your-cell-phone-hurts-your-relationships/

Walters, J. (2015). Tablets and smartphones my affect social and emotional development, scientists speculate. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/01/toddler-brains-research-smartphones-damage-social-development

Thesis: Features 3 different examples related to the same topic

Example 1 of Topic A

Example 2 of Topic A

Example 2 of Topic A

Point 1

Point 2

Point 3

Thesis: Focused on three aspects of one topic

Aspect of topic 1

Aspect of topic 2

Aspect of topic 3

Example of Aspect

Example of Aspect

Example of Aspect