1st
story: Describes
a topic; gives the facts; makes an observation. This level of thesis makes
observations that are non-controversial (i. e. no reasonable person would
disagree with them). A person reading such a thesis immediately thinks: “Yes,
this is true.”
2nd story: Interprets, gives a point of view on, and/or adds controversy
to the facts of the first story. By adding controversy, I mean it takes a
position on the facts that is not obvious, a position that a reasonable person
could disagree with. A person reading a 2-story thesis thinks: “That's an
interesting point of view; now prove it to me.” By controversial, I do not
mean this thesis has to be absurd or idiosyncratic; you'll never be able to
convince your reader of that kind of argument. Rather, I mean it takes one
position out of a number of positions.
3rd story: Relates the 2-story thesis to the bigger picture,
explains its significance, sets it a new context. This is the most difficult
type of thesis to describe (and write) because it can take so many forms. I
find it helpful to think of this story “opening out” - as if though a skylight
- to a wider view. It is the answer you get when you ask of a 2-story thesis,
“so what?” The reader should say: “I see why this argument matters.” The
pitfall in this type of thesis, that you want to be careful to avoid, is that
it can get too ambitious, and try to make a bigger claim that you're able to
substantiate (e.g. “My analysis of Sonnet 18 shows that all Western poetry is
morally bankrupt and self-serving.”)
Examples
1st story: The U by Kotex
“Apology” advertisement employs a sarcastic spokesperson, parodies of other
advertisements, and the slogan “break the cycle.”
2nd
story: The U by Kotex “Apology” advertisement employs a sarcastic
spokesperson, parodies of other advertisements, and the slogan “break the
cycle” in order to persuade young, female audiences that if they purchase their
tampon they can also buy an edgy, anti-commercial personality as well.
3rd
story: The U by Kotex “Apology” advertisement employs a sarcastic
spokesperson, parodies of other advertisements, and the slogan “break the
cycle” in order to persuade young, female audiences that if they purchase their
tampon they can also buy an edgy, anti-commercial personality as well. By implementing
a “counter television” style, “Apology” critiques other advertisements but in
doing so illustrates that even an anti-commercial stance can be used for
marketing purposes.
4th
Story!: There's
no need for your essay to read like a list. Revise your thesis so that it flows
more naturally.
The U by
Kotex “Apology” advertisement attempts to persuade its young female audience
through parodying and criticizing other tampon commercials, suggesting that
even an anti-commercial stance can be repurposed for the sake of marketing.
In this
example, you would still discuss those aspects listed above in the body of your
essay, but there's no need for you to give a run down at the beginning of your
paper. As you can see, each story depends on the one below it. It is difficult,
to say the least, to build a three-story house without a first story. The same
holds true with a thesis: a two-story thesis needs a first story, and a
three-story thesis needs a first and second story.
