{"id":627,"date":"2017-08-02T21:40:33","date_gmt":"2017-08-02T21:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/?post_type=chapter&p=627"},"modified":"2025-06-05T00:22:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T00:22:25","slug":"analytic-thesis","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/chapter\/analytic-thesis\/","title":{"raw":"Analytic Thesis","rendered":"Analytic Thesis"},"content":{"raw":"

Formulating an Analytical Thesis Statement<\/h2>\r\nWhen formulating an analytical thesis statement in college, here are some helpful words and phrases to remember:\r\n
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  1. What? What is the claim?<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. How? How is this claim supported?<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. So what? In other words, \u201cWhat does this mean, what are the implications, or why is this important?\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nTelling readers what the lyrics are might be a useful way to let them see what you are analyzing and\/or to isolate specific parts where you are focusing your analysis. However, you need to move far beyond \u201cwhat.\u201d Instructors at the college level want to see your ability to break down material and demonstrate deep thinking. The claim in the thesis statement above said that Escalade\u2019s song was about loss, but what evidence do we have for that, and why does that matter?\r\n\r\nEffective analytical thesis statements require digging deeper and perhaps examining the larger context. Let\u2019s say you do some research and learn that the rapper\u2019s mother died not long ago, and when you examine the lyrics more closely, you see that a few of the lines seem to be specifically about a mother rather than a loved one in general.\r\n\r\nThen you also read a recent interview with Escalade in which he mentions that he\u2019s staying away from hardcore rap lyrics on his new album in an effort to be more mainstream and reach more potential fans. Finally, you notice that some of the lyrics in the song focus on not taking full advantage of the time we have with our loved ones.\u00a0All of these pieces give you material to write a more complex thesis statement, maybe something like this:\r\n\r\nIn the hit song \u201cMissing You,\u201d Escalade draws on his experience of losing his mother and raps about the importance of not taking time with family for granted in order to connect with his audience.\r\n\r\nSuch a thesis statement is focused while still allowing plenty of room for support in the body of your paper. It addresses the questions posed above:\r\n
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    1. What? What is the claim?\r\n