64 CHAPTER^5 Selecting Your Topic and Purpose
sentence that names your subject and establishes your goal.^17 It’s somewhat like a road
map that summarizes your main idea and the direction you’ll take. Here are some
correctly and incorrectly written thesis statements:
Correct: Workers in many countries are exploited by unfair labor condi-
tions, but we can help improve their lives by buying only Fair
Trade-certified products.
Correct: My goal is to convince my audience that workers in many coun-
tries are exploited by unfair labor conditions, but we can help
them by buying only Fair Trade-certified products.
Incorrect: Why should we buy Fair Trade-certified products? (This is a ques-
tion, not a declarative sentence.)
Incorrect: Workers are exploited in many countries. This is unfair, but we
can help by insisting on Fair Trade-certified products. (Use one
sentence, not two.)
Incorrect: Why care about Fair Trade products? (This is a fragment, not a
complete sentence.)
Begin formulating your thesis statement when you select your topic and decide on
your general and specific purposes. Then allow yourself plenty of time to explore and
develop your ideas, narrow your approach, consider the point of view you’ll develop,
and choose your general direction.^18 The process of invention takes time and energy.
New ideas will emerge and others will seem less important, so don’t be afraid to revise
repeatedly as you do additional research, preparation, and organization. As one student
explained:
I tend to have running dialogues in my head, sometimes even out loud. While
I talk to myself, I work out particulars. I answer questions I’ve posed to myself
(“Well, really, Gail, if you argue that, where will you go? It’s too huge!” or “Now
does that really make sense?”). My answers often lead me to modify my central
idea as I continue my preparation.
Gail© PhotoSGH/Shutterstock.comA speaker could develop a
topic such as Fair Trade by
focusing on the audience’s
knowledge or beliefs,
attitudes, or behaviors
related to Fair Trade-certified
products.
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