thesis statement vocab

Developing a Thesis Statement

Many papers you write require developing a thesis statement. In this section you’ll learn what a thesis statement is and how to write one.

Keep in mind that not all papers require thesis statements . If in doubt, please consult your instructor for assistance.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement . . .

• Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic.
• Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.
• Is focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
• Is generally located near the end of the introduction ; sometimes, in a long paper, the thesis will be expressed in several sentences or in an entire paragraph.
• Identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument.

Not all papers require thesis statements! Ask your instructor if you’re in doubt whether you need one.

Identify a topic

Your topic is the subject about which you will write. Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic; or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper.

Consider what your assignment asks you to do

Inform yourself about your topic, focus on one aspect of your topic, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts, generate a topic from an assignment.

Below are some possible topics based on sample assignments.

Sample assignment 1

Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II.

Identified topic

Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis

This topic avoids generalities such as “Spain” and “World War II,” addressing instead on Franco’s role (a specific aspect of “Spain”) and the diplomatic relations between the Allies and Axis (a specific aspect of World War II).

Sample assignment 2

Analyze one of Homer’s epic similes in the Iliad.

The relationship between the portrayal of warfare and the epic simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64.

This topic focuses on a single simile and relates it to a single aspect of the Iliad ( warfare being a major theme in that work).

Developing a Thesis Statement–Additional information

Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic, or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper. You’ll want to read your assignment carefully, looking for key terms that you can use to focus your topic.

Sample assignment: Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II Key terms: analyze, Spain’s neutrality, World War II

After you’ve identified the key words in your topic, the next step is to read about them in several sources, or generate as much information as possible through an analysis of your topic. Obviously, the more material or knowledge you have, the more possibilities will be available for a strong argument. For the sample assignment above, you’ll want to look at books and articles on World War II in general, and Spain’s neutrality in particular.

As you consider your options, you must decide to focus on one aspect of your topic. This means that you cannot include everything you’ve learned about your topic, nor should you go off in several directions. If you end up covering too many different aspects of a topic, your paper will sprawl and be unconvincing in its argument, and it most likely will not fulfull the assignment requirements.

For the sample assignment above, both Spain’s neutrality and World War II are topics far too broad to explore in a paper. You may instead decide to focus on Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis , which narrows down what aspects of Spain’s neutrality and World War II you want to discuss, as well as establishes a specific link between those two aspects.

Before you go too far, however, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts. Try to avoid topics that already have too much written about them (i.e., “eating disorders and body image among adolescent women”) or that simply are not important (i.e. “why I like ice cream”). These topics may lead to a thesis that is either dry fact or a weird claim that cannot be supported. A good thesis falls somewhere between the two extremes. To arrive at this point, ask yourself what is new, interesting, contestable, or controversial about your topic.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times . Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Derive a main point from topic

Once you have a topic, you will have to decide what the main point of your paper will be. This point, the “controlling idea,” becomes the core of your argument (thesis statement) and it is the unifying idea to which you will relate all your sub-theses. You can then turn this “controlling idea” into a purpose statement about what you intend to do in your paper.

Look for patterns in your evidence

Compose a purpose statement.

Consult the examples below for suggestions on how to look for patterns in your evidence and construct a purpose statement.

• Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis
• Franco turned to the Allies when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from the Axis

Possible conclusion:

Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: Franco’s desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power.

Purpose statement

This paper will analyze Franco’s diplomacy during World War II to see how it contributed to Spain’s neutrality.

• The simile compares Simoisius to a tree, which is a peaceful, natural image.
• The tree in the simile is chopped down to make wheels for a chariot, which is an object used in warfare.

At first, the simile seems to take the reader away from the world of warfare, but we end up back in that world by the end.

This paper will analyze the way the simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64 moves in and out of the world of warfare.

Derive purpose statement from topic

To find out what your “controlling idea” is, you have to examine and evaluate your evidence . As you consider your evidence, you may notice patterns emerging, data repeated in more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. These patterns or data may then lead you to some conclusions about your topic and suggest that you can successfully argue for one idea better than another.

For instance, you might find out that Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis, but when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from them, he turned to the Allies. As you read more about Franco’s decisions, you may conclude that Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: his desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power. Based on this conclusion, you can then write a trial thesis statement to help you decide what material belongs in your paper.

Sometimes you won’t be able to find a focus or identify your “spin” or specific argument immediately. Like some writers, you might begin with a purpose statement just to get yourself going. A purpose statement is one or more sentences that announce your topic and indicate the structure of the paper but do not state the conclusions you have drawn . Thus, you might begin with something like this:

• This paper will look at modern language to see if it reflects male dominance or female oppression.
• I plan to analyze anger and derision in offensive language to see if they represent a challenge of society’s authority.

At some point, you can turn a purpose statement into a thesis statement. As you think and write about your topic, you can restrict, clarify, and refine your argument, crafting your thesis statement to reflect your thinking.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Compose a draft thesis statement

If you are writing a paper that will have an argumentative thesis and are having trouble getting started, the techniques in the table below may help you develop a temporary or “working” thesis statement.

Begin with a purpose statement that you will later turn into a thesis statement.

Assignment: Discuss the history of the Reform Party and explain its influence on the 1990 presidential and Congressional election.

Purpose Statement: This paper briefly sketches the history of the grassroots, conservative, Perot-led Reform Party and analyzes how it influenced the economic and social ideologies of the two mainstream parties.

Question-to-Assertion

If your assignment asks a specific question(s), turn the question(s) into an assertion and give reasons why it is true or reasons for your opinion.

Assignment : What do Aylmer and Rappaccini have to be proud of? Why aren’t they satisfied with these things? How does pride, as demonstrated in “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” lead to unexpected problems?

Beginning thesis statement: Alymer and Rappaccinni are proud of their great knowledge; however, they are also very greedy and are driven to use their knowledge to alter some aspect of nature as a test of their ability. Evil results when they try to “play God.”

Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write.

Main idea: The reason some toys succeed in the market is that they appeal to the consumers’ sense of the ridiculous and their basic desire to laugh at themselves.

Make a list of the ideas that you want to include; consider the ideas and try to group them.

• nature = peaceful
• war matériel = violent (competes with 1?)
• need for time and space to mourn the dead
• war is inescapable (competes with 3?)

Use a formula to arrive at a working thesis statement (you will revise this later).

• although most readers of _______ have argued that _______, closer examination shows that _______.
• _______ uses _______ and _____ to prove that ________.
• phenomenon x is a result of the combination of __________, __________, and _________.

What to keep in mind as you draft an initial thesis statement

Beginning statements obtained through the methods illustrated above can serve as a framework for planning or drafting your paper, but remember they’re not yet the specific, argumentative thesis you want for the final version of your paper. In fact, in its first stages, a thesis statement usually is ill-formed or rough and serves only as a planning tool.

As you write, you may discover evidence that does not fit your temporary or “working” thesis. Or you may reach deeper insights about your topic as you do more research, and you will find that your thesis statement has to be more complicated to match the evidence that you want to use.

You must be willing to reject or omit some evidence in order to keep your paper cohesive and your reader focused. Or you may have to revise your thesis to match the evidence and insights that you want to discuss. Read your draft carefully, noting the conclusions you have drawn and the major ideas which support or prove those conclusions. These will be the elements of your final thesis statement.

Sometimes you will not be able to identify these elements in your early drafts, but as you consider how your argument is developing and how your evidence supports your main idea, ask yourself, “ What is the main point that I want to prove/discuss? ” and “ How will I convince the reader that this is true? ” When you can answer these questions, then you can begin to refine the thesis statement.

Refine and polish the thesis statement

To get to your final thesis, you’ll need to refine your draft thesis so that it’s specific and arguable.

• Ask if your draft thesis addresses the assignment
• Question each part of your draft thesis
• Clarify vague phrases and assertions
• Investigate alternatives to your draft thesis

Consult the example below for suggestions on how to refine your draft thesis statement.

Sample Assignment

Choose an activity and define it as a symbol of American culture. Your essay should cause the reader to think critically about the society which produces and enjoys that activity.

• Ask The phenomenon of drive-in facilities is an interesting symbol of american culture, and these facilities demonstrate significant characteristics of our society.This statement does not fulfill the assignment because it does not require the reader to think critically about society.

Drive-ins are an interesting symbol of American culture because they represent Americans’ significant creativity and business ingenuity.

Among the types of drive-in facilities familiar during the twentieth century, drive-in movie theaters best represent American creativity, not merely because they were the forerunner of later drive-ins and drive-throughs, but because of their impact on our culture: they changed our relationship to the automobile, changed the way people experienced movies, and changed movie-going into a family activity.

While drive-in facilities such as those at fast-food establishments, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize America’s economic ingenuity, they also have affected our personal standards.

While drive-in facilities such as those at fast- food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize (1) Americans’ business ingenuity, they also have contributed (2) to an increasing homogenization of our culture, (3) a willingness to depersonalize relationships with others, and (4) a tendency to sacrifice quality for convenience.

This statement is now specific and fulfills all parts of the assignment. This version, like any good thesis, is not self-evident; its points, 1-4, will have to be proven with evidence in the body of the paper. The numbers in this statement indicate the order in which the points will be presented. Depending on the length of the paper, there could be one paragraph for each numbered item or there could be blocks of paragraph for even pages for each one.

Complete the final thesis statement

The bottom line.

As you move through the process of crafting a thesis, you’ll need to remember four things:

• Context matters! Think about your course materials and lectures. Try to relate your thesis to the ideas your instructor is discussing.
• As you go through the process described in this section, always keep your assignment in mind . You will be more successful when your thesis (and paper) responds to the assignment than if it argues a semi-related idea.
• Your thesis statement should be precise, focused, and contestable ; it should predict the sub-theses or blocks of information that you will use to prove your argument.
• Make sure that you keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Change your thesis as your paper evolves, because you do not want your thesis to promise more than your paper actually delivers.

In the beginning, the thesis statement was a tool to help you sharpen your focus, limit material and establish the paper’s purpose. When your paper is finished, however, the thesis statement becomes a tool for your reader. It tells the reader what you have learned about your topic and what evidence led you to your conclusion. It keeps the reader on track–well able to understand and appreciate your argument.

Writing Process and Structure

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Getting Started with Your Paper

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

Generating Ideas for

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Collaboratively

Collaborative and Group Writing

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• Knowledge Base
• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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Unit 4: Fundamentals of Academic Essay Writing

24 Writing a Thesis Statement

Preview Questions:

• What is a thesis statement? How does a thesis statement help you when writing an essay?
• What are some characteristics of a good thesis statement?
• What are some common problems with thesis statements?
• Is it OK to change your thesis statement as you develop your essay?

A thesis statement is usually one sentence long (though you may see longer thesis statements in ESL 118). Think of a thesis statement as a type of “map” which tells the reader where your essay will “go” and what the reader can expect.

Characteristics of an effective thesis statement

• It includes the topic and focus. The thesis statement answers your research question.
• It includes an overview of your supporting points. These points are logically connected to your focus.
• It is not too long or too short; it provides sufficient information.
• A good thesis statement is written in formal, academic style, with appropriate and correct vocabulary and grammar. A good thesis statement is clear.

1 Topic and Focus

The thesis statement is a concise answer to your Research Question. It states the topic of your essay and expresses the focus.

• topic:   social media addiction
• focus:   why young people become addicted (causes)
• thesis:  Young people become addicted to social media because their brain chemistry puts them at risk for addiction, they need personal validation, and they are afraid of being left out.

2 Overview of Supporting Points

Your thesis statement should include a list of your supporting points. This overview shows the reader what you will write about and how those ideas will be organized. The example below illustrates the relationship between the rough outline , supporting points, and thesis statement.

• research question: What are the effects of smart phone addiction?
• focus: Effects
• Back and neck pain
• Shorter attention span
• Damage to eyesight from blue light
• Disrupted sleep
• Source of anxiety and stress
• thesis statement: Smart phone addiction can lead to an increase in anxiety and stress, a decrease in attention span, and physical problems like back and neck pain.

Notice that the writer did not use all five “answers” to their research question, but instead selected the three most important points. In addition, the writer has ordered the points so that there is a logical flow from what the reader perceives to be the most important point to less important point.

3 Provides sufficient information

Express the supporting points as single words or short phrases, but avoid expressing the supporting points as full sentences.

4 Uses academic style

In academic writing, a thesis statement is expressed using formal, academic writing style. Refer to Writing Academic Tips as a reminder of what this means.

5 Uses precise vocabulary

An effective thesis statement will use accurate, appropriate vocabulary. Choose the correct vocabulary to express your focus by consulting a dictionary and thesaurus. Use a corpus for checking collocations (like Skell Sketch Engine ).

6 Supporting points are grammatically parallel

The supporting points should be grammatically parallel. This means each point should be expressed using the same grammatical structure. See the examples below:

• Notice how each supporting point is expressed as a noun phrase.
• Notice how each supporting point is expressed as a verb + ing phrase.
• Notice how each supporting point is expressed as a short clause.

7 Should express a logical relationship among points whenever possible

When there are connections between points, determine the type of relationship between your points (e.g. cause-effect, sequence). Then include language to demonstrate the connections to your reader.

• To this extent, the most critical challenges that international students face include experiencing culture shock in and out of the classroom, overcoming language barriers in their daily life,  and dealing with stress and anxiety.

In the revision, the writer expresses a cause – effec t relationship:

• To this extent, the most critical challenges that international students face include experiencing culture shock in and out of the classroom and overcoming language barriers in their daily life,  consequently leading to stress and anxiety. 
• Therefore, U.S. colleges have strived to accommodate international students by offering professional and peer advising and mentoring, providing ample academic and activity resources,  and helping students meet new academic culture expectations.

In the revision, the writer expresses a cause – effect relationship:

• Therefore, U.S. colleges have strived to accommodate international students by offering professional and peer advising and mentoring, along with ample academic and activity resources,  ultimately helping students meet new academic culture expectations. 

Example 3: This writer has expressed a process along with a cause-effect relationship:

• Universities should combine synchronous and asynchronous techniques to optimize students’ online learning that offers accessible, interactive, and flexible education while keeping up with technology.

Example 4: This writer has expressed a cause – effec t relationship:

• Universities should blend synchronous and asynchronous learning, for the purpose of combining their advantages to offer greater flexibility and efficiency in student learning, ultimately leading to improved learning effectiveness.

Example 5: This writer has expressed a cause – effec t relationship:

• Online classes in higher education institutions should combine different modes of studying and be more affordable, both of which make education increasingly accessible and inclusive for students worldwide.

Problems with thesis statements

Keep the criteria above in mind to avoid these problems:

• A lack of focus
• A lack of supporting points
• Supporting points are not logically connected to the focus
• Contains too much information
• Use inappropriate, imprecise, or ungrammatical language
• Supporting points are not expressed using parallel (similar) grammar

A collocation consists of 2 or more words that are often used together. For example, we say,  "bake a cake," not "cook a cake." "Bake" and "cake" collocate; that is, they "go together."

Academic Writing I Copyright © by UW-Madison ESL Program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to write a thesis statement + examples

What is a thesis statement?

Is a thesis statement a question, how do you write a good thesis statement, how do i know if my thesis statement is good, examples of thesis statements, helpful resources on how to write a thesis statement, frequently asked questions about writing a thesis statement, related articles.

A thesis statement is the main argument of your paper or thesis.

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing . It is a brief statement of your paper’s main argument. Essentially, you are stating what you will be writing about.

You can see your thesis statement as an answer to a question. While it also contains the question, it should really give an answer to the question with new information and not just restate or reiterate it.

Your thesis statement is part of your introduction. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our introduction guide .

A thesis statement is not a question. A statement must be arguable and provable through evidence and analysis. While your thesis might stem from a research question, it should be in the form of a statement.

Tip: A thesis statement is typically 1-2 sentences. For a longer project like a thesis, the statement may be several sentences or a paragraph.

A good thesis statement needs to do the following:

• Condense the main idea of your thesis into one or two sentences.
• Answer your project’s main research question.
• Clearly state your position in relation to the topic .
• Make an argument that requires support or evidence.

Once you have written down a thesis statement, check if it fulfills the following criteria:

• Your statement needs to be provable by evidence. As an argument, a thesis statement needs to be debatable.
• Your statement needs to be precise. Do not give away too much information in the thesis statement and do not load it with unnecessary information.
• Your statement cannot say that one solution is simply right or simply wrong as a matter of fact. You should draw upon verified facts to persuade the reader of your solution, but you cannot just declare something as right or wrong.

As previously mentioned, your thesis statement should answer a question.

If the question is:

What do you think the City of New York should do to reduce traffic congestion?

A good thesis statement restates the question and answers it:

In this paper, I will argue that the City of New York should focus on providing exclusive lanes for public transport and adaptive traffic signals to reduce traffic congestion by the year 2035.

Here is another example. If the question is:

How can we end poverty?

A good thesis statement should give more than one solution to the problem in question:

In this paper, I will argue that introducing universal basic income can help reduce poverty and positively impact the way we work.

• The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina has a list of questions to ask to see if your thesis is strong .

A thesis statement is part of the introduction of your paper. It is usually found in the first or second paragraph to let the reader know your research purpose from the beginning.

In general, a thesis statement should have one or two sentences. But the length really depends on the overall length of your project. Take a look at our guide about the length of thesis statements for more insight on this topic.

Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how to write them.

Every good essay should include a thesis statement as part of its introduction, no matter the academic level. Of course, if you are a high school student you are not expected to have the same type of thesis as a PhD student.

Here is a great YouTube tutorial showing How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements .

How to write a thesis statement

Published March 20, 2021. Updated May 1, 2022.

Thesis Statement Definition

A thesis statement is the main claim that you are making in your paper.

Overview of Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is usually one sentence and is located near the beginning of your paper, usually at the end of your introduction paragraph. It tells your readers what stance you take on an issue. Most of the time, when you are writing a paper, you will be responding to a prompt. Analyzing the prompt is essential in making sure your thesis statement actually addresses the question you are trying to answer. The thesis statement needs to directly answer this prompt in a focused and specific way. Some thesis statements also acts as a guide for your paper by telling readers the order in which premises will appear in the paper. This can help the reader be prepared for what you are going to say and to anticipate some of the ideas that you may write about.

Worried about your writing? Submit your paper for a Chegg Writing essay check , or for an Expert Check proofreading . Both can help you find and fix potential writing issues.

Steps in Writing a Strong Thesis Statement

Writing a thesis statement can feel overwhelming at first, but by following these steps, you can make the process less daunting.

Step 1: Analyze the Assignment Prompt

While it seems simple, analyzing the prompt is essential in making sure your thesis statement actually supports the question you are trying to answer. If you are given a prompt by your instructor, read it carefully several times. You may want to underline or circle key action words like “claim” or “analyze” and key terms from your class. Then, try to rewrite it in your own words. Even if it doesn’t sound perfect, putting it your own words will ensure that you really understand what it is asking.

Example assignment prompt: In a well-developed essay, explain how writers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as Enlightenment ideas, sparked the French Revolution.

Rewritten in your own words: Write a clear, well supported essay. This essay will not only be about HOW the French Revolution started, but it will be on ideas and writings (not events), specifically those of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Be sure to include other ideas from the Enlightenment.

At this point you will hopefully have a basic answer to the question presented in the prompt. It is okay if you don’t know exactly how to answer it, but you should jot down a simple answer to help you begin your writing.

Step 2: Do Your Research

A strong thesis statement will be clear and specific, and it will be later supported by evidence from your research. You won’t be able to write a statement like this until you do your research.

The research will look different depending on your task. If you are writing a literary analysis essay, you may need to search the text and identify important plot events, character changes, and quotations. This research may feel a lot like brainstorming. If you are writing an argumentative essay, you may need to find articles and books in the library or in databases.

While researching your topic, keep the assignment prompt and your general answer in mind. Try to see if your research supports your initial idea or if you will need to revise your idea based on the information you find.

Step 3: Narrow Your Focus

Chances are, after you complete your research, you will have more information than you need. Now is the time to look at all of the evidence, data, and sources you collected, and determine what relates specifically to your assignment prompt and your general answer and what does not. If you have irrelevant information, put it to the side and save it in case it becomes relevant later.

Next, try to categorize the research you have into a few distinct groups. If your prompt asks you to compare and contrast, you may sort based on similarities or differences. If your prompt asks you to analyze the character development of a character in a novel, you might create your categories based on changes in that character.

Step 4: Write the “Working Thesis”

Now that you understand the prompt and have completed thorough research, draft a version of your thesis. This statement is often called a “working thesis” because you will likely revise it several times throughout the writing process. Try to be clear and specific, answer the prompt directly, and state a claim you will prove in the rest of your writing.

Revising Your Thesis Statement

After you have written the first draft of your essay, it is time to go back and make sure your thesis statement still matches what you actually wrote about. Reread your thesis statement and the topic sentence of each paragraph. Make sure that all of the topic sentences directly support the thesis and that the thesis statement encompasses the ideas you presented in your body paragraphs. If you find that they don’t perfectly align, you may need to revise your thesis statement to match what you wrote.

Now is also a good time to make sure your thesis statement uses effective language. Make sure you have used active verbs instead of passive and that your tone is professional and academic. If you have words like “very” or “extremely,” you could replace them with stronger and more specific options like “significant” or “acutely.”

Examples of Working Thesis Statements and Thesis Statements

Let’s take a look at a few examples of working thesis statements and thesis statements. For this first example, your assignment prompt asked you to discuss the impact of reading on children. After a bit of research, you may land on the following idea:

It is important for children to read often when they are in early elementary school.

This statement is a good working thesis, but it is not strong enough to be your final draft. It does make a claim, but it is vague and does not provide a roadmap for the reader. It also does not discuss the impact of reading. Why is it important for children to read? What are the benefits of children reading? A stronger thesis statement might say:

Children who read often in early elementary school develop strong vocabularies and improve their reading comprehension skills, increasing their confidence in reading increasingly complex texts.

This revised thesis is more focused, is likely based on research, and helps readers see the key ideas you will discuss in the paper.

Now imagine that your professor has asked you to write an essay on the role of language in George Orwell’s 1984. After you have read through your notes, read the novel, and brainstormed ideas, you may decide on the following working thesis:

Control of language is used as a source of power in 1984.

This working thesis is a good start for your brainstorming and your outline. From here, you would want to consider how language is used as a source of power and why it is used that way. A revised thesis might read:

In George Orwell’s 1984 , the Party manipulates citizens into total submission to the Party’s ideals through Newspeak, propaganda, and altered history.

This thesis statement provides a clear guide to writing. It uses active verbs (e.g., “the Party manipulates”) and clear details of language (e.g., Newspeak, propaganda, altered history) from the novel.

Before you turn in that paper, don’t forget to cite your sources in APA format , MLA format , or a style of your choice.

Key Takeaways

• The purpose of a thesis statement is to tell your readers what claim you will be proving in your paper.
• To write a thesis statement, first analyze your prompt or identify a topic, then do your research, and finally write a “working thesis.”
• Be sure your thesis is clear, is direct, and makes a claim that you can support throughout your paper.
• Revise your thesis after you finish your first draft, adding detail to your claim and replacing weaker vocabulary choices with stronger ones.

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Writing a Paper: Thesis Statements

Basics of thesis statements.

The thesis statement is the brief articulation of your paper's central argument and purpose. You might hear it referred to as simply a "thesis." Every scholarly paper should have a thesis statement, and strong thesis statements are concise, specific, and arguable. Concise means the thesis is short: perhaps one or two sentences for a shorter paper. Specific means the thesis deals with a narrow and focused topic, appropriate to the paper's length. Arguable means that a scholar in your field could disagree (or perhaps already has!).

Strong thesis statements address specific intellectual questions, have clear positions, and use a structure that reflects the overall structure of the paper. Read on to learn more about constructing a strong thesis statement.

Being Specific

This thesis statement has no specific argument:

Needs Improvement: In this essay, I will examine two scholarly articles to find similarities and differences.

This statement is concise, but it is neither specific nor arguable—a reader might wonder, "Which scholarly articles? What is the topic of this paper? What field is the author writing in?" Additionally, the purpose of the paper—to "examine…to find similarities and differences" is not of a scholarly level. Identifying similarities and differences is a good first step, but strong academic argument goes further, analyzing what those similarities and differences might mean or imply.

Better: In this essay, I will argue that Bowler's (2003) autocratic management style, when coupled with Smith's (2007) theory of social cognition, can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover.

The new revision here is still concise, as well as specific and arguable.  We can see that it is specific because the writer is mentioning (a) concrete ideas and (b) exact authors.  We can also gather the field (business) and the topic (management and employee turnover). The statement is arguable because the student goes beyond merely comparing; he or she draws conclusions from that comparison ("can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover").

Making a Unique Argument

This thesis draft repeats the language of the writing prompt without making a unique argument:

Needs Improvement: The purpose of this essay is to monitor, assess, and evaluate an educational program for its strengths and weaknesses. Then, I will provide suggestions for improvement.

You can see here that the student has simply stated the paper's assignment, without articulating specifically how he or she will address it. The student can correct this error simply by phrasing the thesis statement as a specific answer to the assignment prompt.

Better: Through a series of student interviews, I found that Kennedy High School's antibullying program was ineffective. In order to address issues of conflict between students, I argue that Kennedy High School should embrace policies outlined by the California Department of Education (2010).

Words like "ineffective" and "argue" show here that the student has clearly thought through the assignment and analyzed the material; he or she is putting forth a specific and debatable position. The concrete information ("student interviews," "antibullying") further prepares the reader for the body of the paper and demonstrates how the student has addressed the assignment prompt without just restating that language.

Creating a Debate

This thesis statement includes only obvious fact or plot summary instead of argument:

Needs Improvement: Leadership is an important quality in nurse educators.

A good strategy to determine if your thesis statement is too broad (and therefore, not arguable) is to ask yourself, "Would a scholar in my field disagree with this point?" Here, we can see easily that no scholar is likely to argue that leadership is an unimportant quality in nurse educators.  The student needs to come up with a more arguable claim, and probably a narrower one; remember that a short paper needs a more focused topic than a dissertation.

Better: Roderick's (2009) theory of participatory leadership  is particularly appropriate to nurse educators working within the emergency medicine field, where students benefit most from collegial and kinesthetic learning.

Here, the student has identified a particular type of leadership ("participatory leadership"), narrowing the topic, and has made an arguable claim (this type of leadership is "appropriate" to a specific type of nurse educator). Conceivably, a scholar in the nursing field might disagree with this approach. The student's paper can now proceed, providing specific pieces of evidence to support the arguable central claim.

Choosing the Right Words

This thesis statement uses large or scholarly-sounding words that have no real substance:

Needs Improvement: Scholars should work to seize metacognitive outcomes by harnessing discipline-based networks to empower collaborative infrastructures.

There are many words in this sentence that may be buzzwords in the student's field or key terms taken from other texts, but together they do not communicate a clear, specific meaning. Sometimes students think scholarly writing means constructing complex sentences using special language, but actually it's usually a stronger choice to write clear, simple sentences. When in doubt, remember that your ideas should be complex, not your sentence structure.

Better: Ecologists should work to educate the U.S. public on conservation methods by making use of local and national green organizations to create a widespread communication plan.

Notice in the revision that the field is now clear (ecology), and the language has been made much more field-specific ("conservation methods," "green organizations"), so the reader is able to see concretely the ideas the student is communicating.

Leaving Room for Discussion

This thesis statement is not capable of development or advancement in the paper:

Needs Improvement: There are always alternatives to illegal drug use.

This sample thesis statement makes a claim, but it is not a claim that will sustain extended discussion. This claim is the type of claim that might be appropriate for the conclusion of a paper, but in the beginning of the paper, the student is left with nowhere to go. What further points can be made? If there are "always alternatives" to the problem the student is identifying, then why bother developing a paper around that claim? Ideally, a thesis statement should be complex enough to explore over the length of the entire paper.

Better: The most effective treatment plan for methamphetamine addiction may be a combination of pharmacological and cognitive therapy, as argued by Baker (2008), Smith (2009), and Xavier (2011).

In the revised thesis, you can see the student make a specific, debatable claim that has the potential to generate several pages' worth of discussion. When drafting a thesis statement, think about the questions your thesis statement will generate: What follow-up inquiries might a reader have? In the first example, there are almost no additional questions implied, but the revised example allows for a good deal more exploration.

Thesis Mad Libs

If you are having trouble getting started, try using the models below to generate a rough model of a thesis statement! These models are intended for drafting purposes only and should not appear in your final work.

• In this essay, I argue ____, using ______ to assert _____.
• While scholars have often argued ______, I argue______, because_______.
• Through an analysis of ______, I argue ______, which is important because_______.

Words to Avoid and to Embrace

When drafting your thesis statement, avoid words like explore, investigate, learn, compile, summarize , and explain to describe the main purpose of your paper. These words imply a paper that summarizes or "reports," rather than synthesizing and analyzing.

Instead of the terms above, try words like argue, critique, question , and interrogate . These more analytical words may help you begin strongly, by articulating a specific, critical, scholarly position.

Read Kayla's blog post for tips on taking a stand in a well-crafted thesis statement.

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Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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• Topic Sentences

Thesis Statements

A thesis statement is a sentence (sometimes more than one sentence) in the introduction that tells the reader the following information:

• What the topic of the paper is
• How the writer intends to discuss that topic
•  It gives a blueprint for how the essay will be structured
•  How the writer intends to prove or demonstrate his or her main points.

Think of your paper as a human body, and your thesis statement as the spinal cord. Without it, there is no structure.

For you as the writer, the thesis statement:

Develops through the interrelationship of thinking, reading, and writing;

Limits your research by providing you with one controlling main idea that intrigues you;

Narrows your writing to one specific claim that you can develop or prove;

Organizes your ideas so you know the important points you want to make in your paper; and

Clarifies your writing by keeping you on target to fulfill your proposed purpose.

For your readers, the thesis statement:

 Identifies the main point and sub-points of your essay clearly and quickly;

Functions as a road map so your readers can easily follow your ideas; and

Gives satisfaction at the conclusion of the paper when your readers discover you have fulfilled your promise by proving or developing your main point.

Characteristics of Effective Thesis Statements

An effective thesis statement must be  factual and narrow.

An effective thesis statement prepares readers for facts and details, but it cannot itself be a fact. It must always be an inference that demands proof or further development. These proofs come from the literature. 

UNT Dallas campus has two buildings.

Not factual enough: The UNT Dallas campus is the perfect size.

Just Right:  While some might see small universities as a disadvantage, the small campus of UNT Dallas holds many advantages for students, including a close-knit campus community, smaller class sizes, and better support from professors.

2. Narrow Topic

A good thesis should be narrow, and not too broad or too vague. If the topic is too broad, you won’t be able to cover the entire topic in your paper.  If it’s too narrow, you might not be able to find research, and your paper probably won’t be long enough. 

Too Broad: College students have a lot of responsibilities.

Too Narrow: Student workers in the Learning Commons at UNT Dallas have many responsibilities in their course work and tutoring. 

Just Right: College students who are financially independent have many responsibilities as they must maintain good grades, pay living expenses, and balance work and school.

Remember, a thesis statement is not: 

• Instead , you should argue, based on facts and literature, why or why not NASA should receive more funding.  
• Ask yourself--can I find anything in literature to prove this point, or is this MY opinion? 
• Instead, you should argue why or why not people like chocolate OR why or why not chocolate is healthy for you based on facts and literature findings. 
• Similar to the subjective opinion, ask yourself is this statement is based on facts and literature findings or if this is YOUR opinion. Although it is ok to have your own opinion, professors usually do not like to read articles about beliefs (students have been writing about these for years and years). 
• Instead, you could discuss theories about politics or religions and use literature to prove or disprove those theories.
• This is too factual (the Himalayas WERE formed from a collision of tectonic plates), and there is nothing to discuss because this IS a fact in itself. 
• Instead, you could compare and contrast the tectonic plate formation of different mountains. 

Examples of Thesis Statements

A thesis statement f or a 5 paragraph essay conta ins three parts:.

1. A Topic: the main idea of the essay

2. The Controlling Idea: what you want to say about the topic

3. The subtopics: usually 3 examples/reasons you will discuss in your paper

Here is an example  of a thesis statement.

Ex: Regularly visiting the Writing Center at UNT Dallas will help you become the best writer on the planet because it offers superhero tutors, current technology, and fantastic handouts.

The main topic explores the idea that regularly vsiting the writing center will help you become the best writer on the planet, and the subtopics further expand this opinion with three distinct examples: 1) tutors, 2) technology, and 3) the handouts.

Outline Example

The paper should be organized around the subtopics.  For example, for the thesis written above, the writer would write one body paragraph about the tutors, one about technology, and one about the handouts. 

Here is a sample essay outline based on this thesis:

• Introduce the topic of tutoring
• Thesis (last sentence of intro): Regularly visiting the Writing Center at UNT Dallas will help you become the best writer on the planet because it offers superhero tutors, current technology, and fantastic handouts.
• topic sentence
• Restate thesis
• Concluding remarks

For further assistance with the structure, see our handouts on Introductions and Conclusions and Topic Sentences.

A thesis statement for a LONG ESSAY contains two parts: A Topic: the main idea of the essay The Controlling Idea: what you want to say about the topic 

Throughout the paper, your thesis promises your readers that you will prove specific facts or develop certain ideas ; therefore, every paragraph, sentence, and word in your paper must relate to this controlling idea.

Here are some examples of thesis statements.

• Baseball, once a national pastime and even an addiction, has lost its popularity because of the new interest in more violent sports.
• Since the space program has yet to provide the American people with any substantial, practical returns, it is a waste of money and should be dissolved.
• To stop the alarming rise in the number of violent crimes committed every year, our courts must hand out tougher sentences.
• Detective stories appeal to the basic human desire for thrills.
• Hemingway's war stories helped to create a new prose style.
• Bronte utilizes light and fire to symbolize the emotional expressions of the characters.

Here is a suggested outline for a long essay and how that would look in terms of your thesis statement, topic, and controlling ideas:

• Introduce the novel Jane Eyre and the topic of symbolism
• Thesis (last sentence of intro): Bronte utilizes light and fire to symbolize the emotional expressions of the characters.
• textual examples and elaboration

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How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

What’s Covered:

What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus. 

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point. 

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

• Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
• Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
• Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

• What impact did reality TV have on American society?
• How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
• Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that. 

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves. 

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

• Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
• Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
• Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
• Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
• Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
• picture_as_pdf Thesis

How To Write A Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the most important part of an essay. It’s the roadmap, telling the reader what they can expect to read in the rest of paper, setting the tone for the writing, and generally providing a sense of the main idea.

Because it is so important, writing a good thesis statement can be tricky.

Before we get into the specifics, let’s review the basics: what thesis statement means. Thesis is a fancy word for “the subject of an essay” or “a position in a debate.” And a statement , simply, is a sentence (or a couple of sentences).

Taken together, a thesis statement explains your subject or position in a sentence (or a couple of sentences). Depending on the kind of essay you’re writing, you’ll need to make sure that your thesis statement states your subject or position clearly.

While the phrase thesis statement can sound intimidating, the basic goal is to clearly state your topic or your argument . Easy peasy!

The basic rules for writing a thesis statement are:

• State the topic or present your argument.
• Summarize the main idea of each of your details and/or body paragraphs.
• Keep your statement to one to two sentences.

Now comes the good stuff: the breakdown of how to write a good thesis statement for an informational essay and then for an argumentative essay (Yes, there are different types of thesis statements: check them all out here ). While the approach is similar for each, they require slightly different statements.

Informational essay thesis statements

The objective of an informational essay is to inform your audience about a specific topic. Sometimes, your essay will be in response to a specific question. Other times, you will be given a subject to write about more generally.

In an informational essay , you are not arguing for one side of an argument, you are just providing information.

Essays that are responding to a question

Often, you will be provided with a question to respond to in informational essay form. For example:

• Who is your hero and why?
• How do scientists research the effects of zero gravity on plants?
• What are the three branches of government, and what do each of them do?

If you are given a question or prompt, use it as a starting point for your thesis statement. Remember, the goal of a thesis statement in an informational essay is to state your topic.

You can use some of the same vocabulary and structure from the questions to create a thesis statement. Drop the question words (like who , what , when , where , and why ). Then, use the keywords in the question or prompt to start your thesis statement. Be sure to include because if the question asks “why?”

Check out the following example using the first prompt:

Original question : Who is your hero and why? Drop the question words : Who is your hero and why? Answer the question using the key words : My hero is Amelia Earhart, because she was very brave, did things many women of her time did not do, and was a hard worker.

If we were to write the rest of the essay based on this thesis statement, the outline would look something like this:

Introduction : My hero is Amelia Earhart, because she was very brave, did things many women of her time did not do, and was a hard worker. Body paragraph 1 : Details about how Amelia Earhart was brave Body paragraph 2 : Details about how she did things many women of her time did not do Body paragraph 3 : Details about how she was a hard worker Conclusion:  It is clear that Amelia Earhart was a brave woman who accomplished many things that women of her time did not do, and always worked hard. These are the reasons why she is my hero.

These general guidelines work for other thesis statements, with some minor differences.

Essays that are responding to a statement or given subject

If you aren’t given a specific question to respond to, it can be a little more difficult to decide on a thesis statement. However, there are some tricks you can use to make it easier.

Some examples of prompts that are not questions are:

• Write about your favorite sports team.
• Describe how a motor works.
• Pick a famous scientist and write about their life.
• Compare and contrast the themes of a poem and a short story.

For these, we recommend using one of the following sentence starters to write your thesis with:

• In this essay, I will …
• [Subject] is interesting/relevant/my favorite because …
• Through my research, I learned that …

As an example of how to use these sentence starters, we’ve put together some examples using the first prompt: Write about your favorite sports team.

• In this essay, I will describe the history and cultural importance of the Pittsburgh Steelers, my favorite sports team.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers are my favorite because they have had a lasting impact on the history and culture of the city.
• Through my research, I learned that the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a lot of influence on the history and culture of Pittsburgh.

Any one of these thesis statements (or all three!) could be used for an informational essay about the Pittsburgh Steelers football team and their impact on the history and culture of Pittsburgh.

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Argumentative essay thesis statements

The basic building blocks of an informational essay also apply when it comes to an argumentative essay . However, an argumentative essay requires that you take a position on an issue or prompt.

You then have to attempt to persuade your reader that your argument is the best. That means that your argumentative thesis statement needs to do two things:

• State your position on the issue.
• Summarize the evidence you will be using to defend your position.

Some examples of argumentative essay prompts are:

• Should high school students be required to do volunteer work? Why or why not?
• What is the best way to cook a turkey?
• Some argue that video games are bad for society. Do you agree? Why or why not?

In order to create a good thesis statement for an argumentative essay, you have to be as specific as possible about your position and your evidence. Let’s take a look at the first prompt as an example:

Prompt 1: Should high school students be required to do volunteer work? Why or why not? Bad thesis statement: No, I don’t think high school students should be required to do volunteer work because it’s boring. Good thesis statement: I think high school students should not be required to do volunteer work because it takes time away from their studies, provides more barriers to graduation, and does not encourage meaningful volunteer work.

Let’s look at a couple other examples:

Prompt 2: What is the best way to cook a turkey? Bad thesis statement:  The best way to cook a turkey is the way my grandma does it. Good thesis statement:  The best way to cook a turkey is using my grandmother’s recipe: brining the turkey beforehand, using a dry rub, and cooking at a low temperature.

Prompt 3: Some argue that video games are bad for society. Do you agree? Why or why not? Bad thesis   statement:  Video games aren’t bad for society, because they’re super fun. Good thesis statement:  Video games aren’t bad for society because they encourage cooperation, teach problem-solving skills, and provide hours of cheap entertainment.

Do you notice the difference between the good thesis statements and the bad thesis statements? The bad statements are general, not specific. They also use very casual language. The good statements clearly lay out exactly what aspects of the argument your essay will focus on, in a professional manner.

By the way, this same principle can also be applied to informational essay thesis statements. Take a look at this example for an idea:

Prompt:  What are the three branches of government, and what do each of them do? Bad thesis statement:  There are many branches of government that do many different things. Good thesis statement:  Each of the three branches of government—the executive, the legislative, and the judicial—have different primary responsibilities. However, these roles frequently overlap.

In addition to being more specific than the bad thesis statement, the good thesis statement here is an example of how sometimes your thesis statement may require two sentences.

Final thoughts

A thesis statement is the foundation of your essay. However, sometimes as you’re writing, you find that you’ve deviated from your original statement. Once you’ve finished writing your essay, go back and read your thesis statement. Ask yourself:

• Does my thesis statement state the topic and/or my position?
• Does my thesis statement refer to the evidence or details I refer to in my essay?
• Is my thesis statement clear and easy to understand?

Don’t hesitate to edit your thesis statement if it doesn’t meet all three of these criteria. If it does, great! You’ve crafted a solid thesis statement that effectively guides the reader through your work. Now on to the rest of the essay!

Ways To Say

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Mastering the Thesis Statement: Examples and Tips for Academic Success

What is the thesis statement? When it comes to writing an essay , there are many things that we must take into consideration in order to create a well-written and respected piece of work. One such thing is the thesis statement. Every good essay should have one and it needs to be well-written and well-thought-out. In this article, we are going to be looking at exactly what a thesis statement is and what it is used for as well as looking at some examples of the thesis statement as a way to gain a greater understanding of what its function is.

A thesis statement plays a crucial role in any well-crafted essay, as it helps both the writer and the reader establish the central point of the paper. Typically found near the end of the introduction, this sentence succinctly conveys the main idea the writer intends to communicate throughout the essay. Crafting a strong thesis statement increases the likelihood that the resulting essay will be cohesive, persuasive, and engaging for the audience.

Creating an effective thesis statement can, at times, be a challenging process. One useful method is to begin by exploring examples that illustrate the various ways in which thesis statements can be constructed, depending on the type of essay or paper being written. Studying these examples can help budding writers grasp the principles behind crafting compelling thesis statements, and serve as inspiration for their own work.

What Is A Thesis Statement?

Definition and purpose.

In the most simple terms, a thesis statement is a short statement that provides insight into what the essay is going to be about. They are used to enlighten the audience on a variety of things, including:

• The main argument or point to be discussed.
• The purpose of the essay.
• The point of view of the author on a specific topic.

A thesis statement is a sentence that encapsulates the central point or main idea of a paper or essay. It is typically found near the end of the introduction and serves as a guide to the reader, outlining the writer’s stance on the topic. The thesis statement not only answers the question asked but also acts as a roadmap for the paper, indicating what the reader can expect throughout the rest of the paper.

The purpose of a thesis statement is two-fold:

• To convey a clear and concise argument or position on the topic.
• To inspire further discussion and responses from the audience.

It’s crucial for a thesis statement to be focused, specific, and arguable. A strong thesis is easy to understand and provides a solid foundation for supporting evidence within the paper.

Types of Thesis Statements

Argumentative thesis statement.

An argumentative thesis statement is a claim that takes a strong position on an issue. This type of thesis statement aims to persuade the reader to accept the writer’s viewpoint by presenting logical reasoning and supporting evidence. It is essential to have a clear and concise argumentative thesis statement to guide the rest of the essay.

For example: “ Public transportation should be free in metropolitan areas to reduce carbon emissions and economic inequalities.”

Expository Essay Thesis Statement

An expository essay thesis statement highlights a specific issue or fact that the writer will explain or analyze throughout the essay. This type of thesis should be informative and objective, without taking a strong stance on the issue.

For example: “ High-level competitive athletes face numerous physical, mental, and emotional challenges throughout their careers. ”

Persuasive Thesis Statement

A persuasive thesis statement is similar to an argumentative thesis statement, but it aims to convince the reader to take action or adopt the writer’s viewpoint through emotional appeal and relatable examples. The persuasive thesis statement should be thought-provoking and debatable.

For example: “ Animal shelters should require background checks and home visits to ensure responsible pet adoption and prevent animal abuse. ”

Compare and Contrast Thesis Statement

A compare-and-contrast thesis statement sets the stage for an essay comparing or contrasting two or more subjects. This type of thesis statement may highlight similarities, differences, or a mix of both. It is crucial to establish a basis for comparison to provide a clear focus for the essay.

For example: “ While both public and private universities offer a variety of educational opportunities, the differences in cost, class size, and campus environment directly impact a student’s experience .”

By understanding and applying these types of thesis statements, writers can effectively tailor their essays’ tone and focus to suit their specific purpose and audience.

How Is A Thesis Statement Used?

As we mentioned a thesis statement is used to point out the main argument of the essay. There are certain rules that should be followed by the thesis statement. Let’s take a look at these in a little more detail.

• A thesis statement should appear in the introduction of the essay to layout the main topic and the author’s stance on it. It should also appear in the conclusion of the essay, where the author can refer back to it.
• A thesis statement should be a short statement of only one or two sentences that delivers clear and concise information.
• The thesis statement will directly answer the main question posed by the essay, for example, if the essay question were ‘What is the biggest tourist attraction in France?’ The thesis statement might directly reply to this with ‘With over 6 million visitors each year, the Eiffel Tower is clearly the biggest tourist attraction in France.’ If the essay topic doesn’t contain a question, you can fashion one yourself.
• Many people use the ‘so what?’ technique when writing a thesis statement. If a reader is likely to think ‘so what?’ when starting your essay, you can use the thesis statement to form a relationship and a connection to the issue that will engage the reader and make them care about what is going to be talked about.
• Similarly to the above point, a thesis statement should answer why or how questions that the reader may have. Look again at the example of the Eiffel Tower, the statement clearly shows the reader why the tower is the biggest tourist attraction in France using real statistics that cannot be ignored. But in the same breath, gives the reader the chance to dispute the information. This is another key point to the thesis statement. A reader should be able to look at the thesis statement and disagree with it, this might encourage them to research the topic themselves.
• A thesis statement should agree with the body of the essay. If it does not, then it should be amended. Using the example of the French tourist attraction once again, the body of that essay would need to go into further detail about the tourist attractions in France and further prove why the Eiffel Tower is the most popular.

Creating a Strong Thesis Statement

Identifying your topic and scope.

When creating a strong thesis statement, it is essential to first identify your topic and the scope of your paper. You should consider the central idea you want to communicate and its impact on your field of study, whether it’s art, education, or environmental studies. A solid thesis statement should focus on a single aspect of your research, avoiding general terms or abstractions. Keep it clear and specific to ensure it effectively guides both you and the reader through your argument.

Forming a Debatable Claim

An argumentative thesis statement should present a debatable claim, one that reasonable people could disagree with. This means that it should not merely be a statement of fact, but rather an assertion that invites different opinions. For example, a debatable claim on nationalism could be, “Nationalism contributed to the rise of populism in the 21st century.” This claim allows for various arguments, opinions, and contextual interpretations.

Providing Evidence

A strong thesis statement should also set the stage for presenting evidence supporting your claim. In a research paper, this means providing an overview of the key elements and sources you will use to build your argument. For an argumentative essay, be prepared to provide well-researched and detailed evidence to back up your claim, whether it’s regarding renewable energy sources, the history of race and gender, or the role of nationalism in shaping global politics.

Here are some tips to help you write a strong thesis statement:

• Make sure it’s clear and concise, typically consisting of one or two sentences.
• Ensure that it’s focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
• Position it near the end of your essay’s introduction or within the first paragraph.

By following these guidelines and being mindful of your topic, scope, and evidence, you will be able to craft a powerful thesis statement that engages your audience and sets the stage for a successful research or argumentative paper.

Explore more: How To Write A Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement Examples

Argumentative thesis examples.

An argumentative thesis aims to establish a position and persuade the reader with evidence and reasoning. Examples include:

• Though populism may fundamentally challenge traditional political structures, its effects on social and economic policies are necessary for a more equitable society.
• Social media platforms are responsible for the increasing polarization of opinions and must adopt measures to limit the spread of misinformation.

Expository Essay Thesis Examples

An expository essay thesis presents facts, evidence, or an explanation without taking a persuasive stance. Examples include:

• The process of photosynthesis is fundamental to the survival of plants and the ecosystems they support, providing energy for growth and reproduction.
• Urbanization has led to numerous social, economic, and environmental consequences, including increased housing demand, traffic congestion, and pollution.

Persuasive Thesis Examples

A persuasive thesis seeks to convince the reader of a particular argument or opinion. Examples include:

• The benefits of implementing a universal basic income outweigh the potential drawbacks, as it can alleviate poverty and provide residents with more financial security.
• Investing in renewable energy sources is essential for combating climate change and ensuring a sustainable future for subsequent generations.

Compare and Contrast Thesis Examples

A compare and contrast thesis highlights the similarities and differences between two or more subjects. Examples include:

• While both traditional and online education offer unique advantages and challenges, the flexibility and accessibility of online learning make it a more suitable option for students juggling work and personal responsibilities.
• Despite similarities in their genre and themes, the novels “Pride and Prejudice” and “Wuthering Heights” differ significantly in their narrative styles and characterization.

Using these examples, you can create strong thesis statements tailored to your essay’s specific topic and goals. Remember to provide a clear and concise thesis that effectively showcases your argument, opinion, or comparison in a confident, knowledgeable, and neutral tone.

Thesis Statement Examples: Issues to Consider

Impact on society.

When creating a thesis statement, it’s essential to consider the potential impacts on society. The chosen topic may address issues such as education, war, and nationalism. For example, the thesis statement might analyze the effects of changing educational policies on different classes of society. This could include exploring access to education for low-income households or the impact of privatization on public schools. It is crucial to examine how the thesis topic relates to societal issues and incorporates them into the statement.

Related: Social Issues

Race, Gender, and Class

It is important to address issues related to race, gender, and class when developing thesis statements. For instance, research papers might examine inequalities in the workplace or disparities in access to resources. Such studies should think about context and historical background, comparing and contrasting the experiences of different groups. Here are some examples.

• Gender : An examination of the gender pay gap across various industries
• Race : A comparison of racial profiling incidents in law enforcement across different communities
• Class : Exploring the impact of socio-economic status on healthcare access and outcomes

Consider using tables and bullet points to help present data and findings more effectively.

Environmental Concerns

Lastly, incorporating environmental concerns into thesis statements is essential, especially in today’s world, where sustainability and environmental protection are vital. Research papers might address issues such as pollution, waste management, or the effects of climate change on marginalized communities. For example, a thesis statement could focus on exploring the consequences of a specific eco-friendly initiative in a local community, or how environmental policies have evolved over time.

Keep in mind to maintain a confident, knowledgeable, neutral, and clear tone of voice throughout the section, focusing on accurate information and avoiding exaggerated or false claims.

Examples of Thesis Statements in Different Essay Types

In a narrative essay , the thesis statement revolves around the story being told. It is typically centered on a specific event, person, or experience that had a significant impact on the writer. The thesis statement in a narrative essay serves as a brief preview of what the reader can expect. It should provide some insight into the writer’s personal connection to the topic and help set the stage for the narrative to unfold.

For example:

The moment she won the lottery, Mary’s life changed forever, teaching her the importance of cherishing every moment with her loved ones.

An analytical essay breaks down a topic into its main components and presents an evaluation or interpretation of the topic based on those components. The thesis statement in an analytical essay should clearly state the issue or idea that will be analyzed and its essential elements. This type of statement should provide enough information to guide the reader through the essay and highlight the central points of analysis.

By examining the symbolism, characterization, and theme of “The Great Gatsby,” it becomes evident that Fitzgerald uses these techniques to criticize the American Dream’s materialism and superficiality.

Argumentative

In an argumentative essay , the thesis statement takes a clear, definitive stance on a specific issue or question. This type of thesis statement aims to persuade readers of the writer’s viewpoint and provide logical and supporting evidence to back up the claim. The thesis should be concise, specific, and controversial enough to encourage debate from various perspectives.

Although some people argue that video games can be beneficial, this essay will demonstrate that excessive video gaming is linked to increased violent behavior, addiction, and social isolation, and therefore requires stricter regulation.

Cause and Effect

A cause-and-effect essay explores the relationship between certain events, actions, or conditions and their respective outcomes. The thesis statement in a cause-and-effect essay should establish the connection between the cause and the effect, asserting a causal connection between the two. This type of thesis statement should present a clear, coherent structure to guide the reader through the essay and should establish the relationship between the cause and the effect.

The widespread use of smartphones has led to increased incidents of sleep deprivation among teenagers, resulting in declining academic performance, mood disorders, and health issues.

These are examples of how thesis statements can vary based on the type of essay and showcase the importance of tailoring the thesis statement to fit the specific requirements of each essay style.

More Thesis Statement Examples

Now that we are clear on what a thesis statement is and how it can be used, we are going to take a look at some examples of strong and effective thesis statements. This will give you a better idea on what they should contain and how they function within an essay.

American Education

The American education system has been evolving, and it is essential to have a clear thesis statement when discussing the topic. Here’s an example:

The integration of technology in American schools has significantly enhanced the learning experience of students, resulting in improved academic performance.

In this example, it highlights the positive impact of technology on the education system. It also provides a concise view that can be explored and supported through research and relevant statistics.

Internet and Society

The internet has changed the way society functions in various capacities. Here is a thesis statement example that can be used to discuss the relationship between the internet and society:

The widespread use of the internet has drastically altered societal interactions, affecting the population’s ability to communicate, access information, and maintain personal privacy.

This statement outlines the primary effects of the internet on society and can be further developed through specific examples and analysis. This statement can be supported through studies, data, and real-life cases that demonstrate the impact of the internet on communication, information access, and privacy concerns.

List of Thesis Statement Examples

• Owing to the fact that many children are not being vaccinated because of illness, it is now imperative that we make it a requirement that healthy children are vaccinated in order to stop the spread of disease.
• For families on a low income, schools should provide basic equipment such as pens, calculators and laptops.
• Whilst school uniforms are expensive, they do provide security and a sense of belonging to students and for this reason, are an integral part of the school system.
• Many public libraries are closing down due to lack of interest but these are important resources within the community and we should fight to keep them open.
• With the internet becoming ever more popular and accessible to teenagers, cyber bullying is massively on the rise. A large number of cyber bullying cases end in suicide and it is down to parents and schools to tackle this growing problem.
• Cannabis is not legal in many countries and states and this is for good reason. The drug is known to diminish the brain cells and regardless of how it might relax pain and anxiety, it should not be legalised.
• Too many people are taking time of work for stress-related reasons and so it is more important than ever for workplaces to provide internal activities to combat this problem.
• Many parents do not like the idea of their children being taught sex education at an early age but unfortunately in this day and age, it is a necessity if we want to keep children safe.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

When writing a thesis statement, it is essential to avoid common mistakes that may weaken your argument or confuse your reader. In this section, we will discuss two main pitfalls to avoid: Overgeneralizing and Using Weak or Vague Language.

Overgeneralizing

Overgeneralizing refers to making broad, sweeping claims in your thesis statement without providing specific, concrete evidence to support them. To avoid overgeneralization, focus on providing a clear and concise argument, grounded in solid research and evidence. Brainstorm specific examples or points you will address in your paper that support your thesis. For example, if your thesis is about a controversial topic, make sure your argument is based on valid research and takes a clear direction, rather than making generalized statements.

To prevent overgeneralization in your thesis statement:

• Narrow the focus of your argument.
• Ensure your claim is specific and backed up by evidence.
• Be consistent with the goals and direction outlined in your paper.

Using Weak or Vague Language

Using weak or vague language in your thesis statement can result in a lack of clarity and create confusion for your reader. To maintain a strong, clear, and convincing thesis, avoid using weak or unclear terms, such as “interesting” or “might.” Instead, use assertive and definitive language that demonstrates your confidence and knowledge of the subject matter. For instance, if you are writing about a potential solution to a problem, make sure to express your stance in a strong, clear way to entice your reader and promise valuable insights.

To strengthen the language of your thesis statement:

• Avoid using vague or ambiguous terms.
• Use clear, specific language that directly communicates your argument.
• Stay focused on your main points and the direction of your paper.

Keeping these tips in mind and utilizing clear language will contribute to a stronger, more effective thesis statement.

Crafting Engaging Introductions and Conclusions

Writing a hook.

A successful introduction begins with an attention-grabbing hook. A hook is an opening statement that piques the reader’s interest and encourages them to continue reading. There are various types of hooks, such as using a quote, posing a question, or stating an intriguing fact. The hook should be relevant to the topic and set the tone for the rest of the article.

Connecting Thesis Statement to Conclusion

The conclusion of an academic paper should restate the thesis statement and summarize the main points discussed in the body paragraphs. However, it’s important to do this in a way that doesn’t merely repeat the same information, but instead provides a sense of closure and emphasizes the significance of the topic.

One way to achieve this is by connecting the thesis statement to the conclusion through the use of topic sentences and counterarguments. A well-crafted topic sentence should introduce the main idea of a body paragraph, while a counterargument addresses potential objections to the thesis statement. Utilizing these elements effectively throughout the paper creates a sense of cohesion and allows for a smooth transition from the introduction to the conclusion.

By incorporating engaging hooks and thoughtfully connecting the thesis statement to the conclusion, the reader is more likely to be drawn into the article and appreciate the depth of the content presented.

Thesis Statement Infographic

A thesis statement is made up of one or two sentences and gives the author the chance to tell the reader what the essay is going to be about as well as their stance on the topic. It should be clear and concise and should always tie in with the body paragraphs of the essay .

Whilst there are many points to consider when writing a thesis statement, a well-written one can answer a question and engage the reader in the essay. Sticking with the ‘rules’ of the thesis statement will allow the author to craft a well-written and relevant essay.

FAQs on Thesis Statement

What is a thesis statement.

A thesis statement is a sentence or two in an essay or research paper that presents the main argument or central idea of the paper. It tells the reader what to expect, guides the structure of the paper, and directly answers the question or topic being discussed.

How do I write a thesis statement?

There are four simple steps to write a thesis statement:

• Start with a question : Identify the topic or question your paper will explore.
• Write your initial answer : This should be a concise statement that provides a preliminary answer to the question.
• Develop your answer : Expand on your initial answer by considering its implications, context, and evidence.
• Refine your thesis statement : Revise and refine your statement to make it clear, specific, and arguable.

Where should the thesis statement be placed?

The placement of the thesis statement varies depending on the type of paper or essay. However, a common place for the thesis statement is at the end of the introduction paragraph, making it easier for the reader to identify the main argument early in the text.

What makes a good thesis statement?

A good thesis statement should be:

• Clear : It should communicate your main point without confusion.
• Specific : It should focus on a single topic or argument.
• Arguable : It should present a claim that people can reasonably disagree on.
• Relevant : It should relate to the purpose of the paper and contribute to its overall message.

What are the different types of thesis statements?

There are two main types of thesis statements:

• Analytical : An analytical thesis breaks down an issue or idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents the breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
• Expository (explanatory) : An expository thesis explains something to the audience.

Remember, as you work on your thesis statement, keep the rest of your paper in mind to ensure that it aligns with the paper’s overall content and objective.

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100+ Research Vocabulary Words & Phrases

The academic community can be conservative when it comes to enforcing academic writing style , but your writing shouldn’t be so boring that people lose interest midway through the first paragraph! Given that competition is at an all-time high for academics looking to publish their papers, we know you must be anxious about what you can do to improve your publishing odds.

To be sure, your research must be sound, your paper must be structured logically, and the different manuscript sections must contain the appropriate information. But your research must also be clearly explained. Clarity obviously depends on the correct use of English, and there are many common mistakes that you should watch out for, for example when it comes to articles , prepositions , word choice , and even punctuation . But even if you are on top of your grammar and sentence structure, you can still make your writing more compelling (or more boring) by using powerful verbs and phrases (vs the same weaker ones over and over). So, how do you go about achieving the latter?

Below are a few ways to breathe life into your writing.

1. Analyze Vocabulary Using Word Clouds

Have you heard of “Wordles”? A Wordle is a visual representation of words, with the size of each word being proportional to the number of times it appears in the text it is based on. The original company website seems to have gone out of business, but there are a number of free word cloud generation sites that allow you to copy and paste your draft manuscript into a text box to quickly discover how repetitive your writing is and which verbs you might want to replace to improve your manuscript.

Seeing a visual word cloud of your work might also help you assess the key themes and points readers will glean from your paper. If the Wordle result displays words you hadn’t intended to emphasize, then that’s a sign you should revise your paper to make sure readers will focus on the right information.

As an example, below is a Wordle of our article entitled, “ How to Choose the Best title for Your Journal Manuscript .” You can see how frequently certain terms appear in that post, based on the font size of the text. The keywords, “titles,” “journal,” “research,” and “papers,” were all the intended focus of our blog post.

2. Study Language Patterns of Similarly Published Works

Study the language pattern found in the most downloaded and cited articles published by your target journal. Understanding the journal’s editorial preferences will help you write in a style that appeals to the publication’s readership.

Another way to analyze the language of a target journal’s papers is to use Wordle (see above). If you copy and paste the text of an article related to your research topic into the applet, you can discover the common phrases and terms the paper’s authors used.

For example, if you were writing a paper on  links between smoking and cancer , you might look for a recent review on the topic, preferably published by your target journal. Copy and paste the text into Wordle and examine the key phrases to see if you’ve included similar wording in your own draft. The Wordle result might look like the following, based on the example linked above.

If you are not sure yet where to publish and just want some generally good examples of descriptive verbs, analytical verbs, and reporting verbs that are commonly used in academic writing, then have a look at this list of useful phrases for research papers .

3. Use More Active and Precise Verbs

Have you heard of synonyms? Of course you have. But have you looked beyond single-word replacements and rephrased entire clauses with stronger, more vivid ones? You’ll find this task is easier to do if you use the active voice more often than the passive voice . Even if you keep your original sentence structure, you can eliminate weak verbs like “be” from your draft and choose more vivid and precise action verbs. As always, however, be careful about using only a thesaurus to identify synonyms. Make sure the substitutes fit the context in which you need a more interesting or “perfect” word. Online dictionaries such as the Merriam-Webster and the Cambridge Dictionary are good sources to check entire phrases in context in case you are unsure whether a synonym is a good match for a word you want to replace. 

To help you build a strong arsenal of commonly used phrases in academic papers, we’ve compiled a list of synonyms you might want to consider when drafting or editing your research paper . While we do not suggest that the phrases in the “Original Word/Phrase” column should be completely avoided, we do recommend interspersing these with the more dynamic terms found under “Recommended Substitutes.”

A. Describing the scope of a current project or prior research

B. Outlining a topic’s background

C. Describing the analytical elements of a paper

D. Discussing results

E. Discussing methods

F. Explaining the impact of new research

Wordvice Writing Resources

For additional information on how to tighten your sentences (e.g., eliminate wordiness and use active voice to greater effect), you can try Wordvice’s FREE APA Citation Generator and learn more about how to proofread and edit your paper to ensure your work is free of errors.

Before submitting your manuscript to academic journals, be sure to use our free AI Proofreader to catch errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics. And use our English editing services from Wordvice, including academic editing services , cover letter editing , manuscript editing , and research paper editing services to make sure your work is up to a high academic level.

We also have a collection of other useful articles for you, for example on how to strengthen your writing style , how to avoid fillers to write more powerful sentences , and how to eliminate prepositions and avoid nominalizations . Additionally, get advice on all the other important aspects of writing a research paper on our academic resources pages .

Thesis Statements

Thesis statements are clear and concise sentences that present an argument or claim about a specific topic in an essay. They serve as roadmaps for readers by outlining what will be discussed in an essay while providing focus for the writer's analysis.

Related terms

Evidence : Facts, examples, or quotations used to support and strengthen a thesis statement.

Analysis : The process of examining and interpreting evidence to develop insights and arguments in an essay.

Counterargument : An opposing viewpoint that challenges or contradicts the main argument presented in a thesis statement.

" Thesis Statements " appears in:

Subjects ( 1 ).

• AP English Language

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• AP English Literature - AP Lit: Poetry Overview

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Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Other learning activities, teaching tools, full list of words from this list:.

• signifier the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• factuality the quality of being actual or based on fact It happened, but the “truth value” or “ factuality ” is questionable at best.
• recalculate calculate anew There is no such thing as bad news… just new information, Recalculate .
• referent something referred to; the object of a reference I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• theater of the absurd plays stressing the irrational or illogical aspects of life, usually to show that modern life is pointless Research - Artists In Dialogue: In my research I have continually found references to both theater and film: Particularly, the theater of the absurd and European art cinema.
• space-time continuum the four-dimensional coordinate system (3 dimensions of space and 1 of time) in which physical events are located Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• theatricality an artificial and mannered quality I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• photography the process of producing images of objects on photosensitive surfaces The majority of photographic theorists today agree that photography has a “that-has-been” quality of truth.
• juxtapose place side by side Transience: I juxtapose that stillness (the stillness of the photographic medium) with the primal representation of the walker, the wanderer.
• cotton candy a candy made by spinning sugar that has been boiled to a high temperature The clouds were puffy and looked like something sweet to eat, like cotton candy from the carnival that comes once a year to the SaveMart parking lot.
• Reno a city in western Nevada at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains; known for gambling casinos and easy divorce and remarriage But I can’t see her now I just see the street sign ‘Welcome to Reno , Nevada!’
• transience the attribute of being brief or fleeting Transience : I juxtapose that stillness (the stillness of the photographic medium) with the primal representation of the walker, the wanderer.
• educe construe a meaning or elicit a principle Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• truncate make shorter as if by cutting off Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated , shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• Nevada a state in the southwestern United States But I can’t see her now I just see the street sign ‘Welcome to Reno, Nevada !’
• blacktop a black bituminous material used for paving roads or other areas; usually spread over crushed rock In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• street sign a sign visible from the street But I can’t see her now I just see the street sign ‘Welcome to Reno, Nevada!’
• space-time the four-dimensional coordinate system (3 dimensions of space and 1 of time) in which physical events are located Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• jackrabbit large hare of western North America In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• primal having existed from the beginning Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• unfixed not firmly placed or set or fastened Staged, unfixed , without time or place, they present a diaristic projection of narrative.
• malt liquor a lager of high alcohol content Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street.
• archive a depository containing historical records and documents Methodology, Research and the Archive Methodology: I begin my process with what I call photographic sketches: discoveries, ideas, imaginings; aesthetic explorations… images of place.
• postmodern of or relating to postmodernism Postmodern asserts that there is a multitude of “selves” however, it does not account for the primal: That element in us with resists culture, the uncontrollable, unpredictable, unknowable in us.
• inner ear a complex system of interconnecting cavities The Otolith Group derives their name from the structure in the inner ear , which establishes our sense of gravity and orientation.
• existentialism a philosophy that assumes that people are entirely free Historically the theater of the absurd is tied to the philosophy of Existentialism and Absurdism .
• framing a framework that supports and protects a picture or a mirror As a photographer, I frame the world… and by framing it whether consciously or unconsciously I am changing it, constructing it.
• continuum an extent in which no part is distinct from adjacent parts Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• in essence with regard to fundamentals although not concerning details In essence , the act of framing is an act of staging.
• photographic relating to photography or obtained by using photography The majority of photographic theorists today agree that photography has a “that-has-been” quality of truth.
• Tiresias (Greek mythology) the blind prophet of Thebes who revealed to Oedipus that Oedipus had murdered his father and married his mother She may be Tiresias , the blind prophet of history who lived as a woman for seven years or she may be simply a woman: waiting, playing solitaire, as expectant as the rest of us.
• untitled not of the nobility Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘ Untitled Film Stills’ .
• oscillate move or swing from side to side regularly My images constitutes a loose poetic narrative which oscillates between the sacred and the profane, not the performance of life but the waiting, walking, wandering expectations of your own life’s performance.
• liquor store a store that sells alcoholic beverages for consumption elsewhere His brother worked at Friends Liquor store and parked cars at the Silver Legacy.
• has-been someone who is no longer popular The majority of photographic theorists today agree that photography has a “that- has-been ” quality of truth.
• splay widen or spread apart In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• parking lot a lot where cars are parked The old man across the parking lot is getting out of his truck.
• Persephone daughter of Zeus and Demeter Perhaps the woman with the cage is Persephone ’s mother searching for her lost daughter.
• image a visual representation produced on a surface Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images : an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti-epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• culture all the knowledge and values shared by a society They are the blank, expectant canvas awaiting cultures projections.
• take root become settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style Perhaps we are Radicants ; taking root in the ground and histories we find ourselves in.
• the absurd a situation in which life seems irrational and meaningless Research - Artists In Dialogue: In my research I have continually found references to both theater and film: Particularly, the theater of the absurd and European art cinema.
• resistant disposed to or engaged in defiance of established authority The part of us that is resistant to culture, resistant to the theatricality of images.
• projection the act of expelling or ejecting Reno, Nevada An investigation into place: as construct, as presentation and as projection .
• sculpt create by shaping stone or wood or other material But I never said “I remember … I’m making a life, sculpting it from circumstance.”
• malleable capable of being shaped or bent ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile, changeable, malleable .
• truncated cut short in duration Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated , shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• recreate make anew In essence, every time we move we recreate our own history and the history of place.
• stillness tranquil silence Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• existential relating to or dealing with the state of being Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images: an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti-epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• solitaire a card game played by one person She may be Tiresias, the blind prophet of history who lived as a woman for seven years or she may be simply a woman: waiting, playing solitaire , as expectant as the rest of us.
• storyteller someone who tells a story We are storytellers not fact tellers, we may be truth tellers but that is also subject to interpretation.
• theater a building where performances can be presented A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• construct make by combining materials and parts Reno, Nevada An investigation into place: as construct , as presentation and as projection.
• science fiction genre involving the imagined impact of technology on society She uses narrative juxtapositions that blur the line between fact and fiction, history and science fiction .
• abridge lessen, diminish, or curtail Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• wanderer someone who leads a wandering unsettled life Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• narrative an account that tells the particulars of an act or event My images constitutes a loose poetic narrative which oscillates between the sacred and the profane, not the performance of life but the waiting, walking, wandering expectations of your own life’s performance.
• performance the act of doing something successfully I follow along the road dutifully all the while knowing these frames are stages, plateaus of performance .
• stilted artificially formal or stiff They are either in full presentation stance, in mid-step (the awkward posture of stilted movement) or in process performance (entering a scene in which they will present a particular pose).
• unknowable not knowable Postmodern asserts that there is a multitude of “selves” however, it does not account for the primal: That element in us with resists culture, the uncontrollable, unpredictable, unknowable in us.
• factual existing in fact That being the case, the factual claims of ‘documentary’ in photography are no longer valid.
• irreverence a mental attitude showing lack of due respect Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence , of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• parking the act of maneuvering a vehicle into a location where it can be left temporarily The old man across the parking lot is getting out of his truck.
• script something written by hand I watch the world as it scripts itself, presenting progress because it assures and reassures audience.
• bowling a game in which a large ball is rolled at a group of objects May be she was at the bowling ally the night Joshua crashed his car.
• Atlantis according to legend, an island in the Atlantic Ocean that Plato said was swallowed by an earthquake It was like a year ago, I was cocktailing graveyard at the Atlantis and I saw him there, he was in town for the national bowling competition.
• expectant marked by eager anticipation They are the blank, expectant canvas awaiting cultures projections.
• presentation the act of formally giving something, as a prize Reno, Nevada An investigation into place: as construct, as presentation and as projection.
• modernism practices typical of contemporary life or thought ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile, changeable, malleable.
• sage a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics The winter smells like solitude and I wander nameless in a misty fog… sage stained memories and desert rocks crutch under my feet.
• ignorantly in ignorance; in an ignorant manner In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• etcetera additional unspecified odds and ends; more of the same I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• underscore give extra weight to ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile, changeable, malleable.
• condense cause a gas or vapor to change into a liquid Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed , reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• terminology a system of words used to name things in a discipline Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology , Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• seer an observer who perceives visually Work Samples and Examples: In the opening image, the theater is presented back to the audience, we are the audience of the image, looking at the theater’s audience, peopled by actors who are in turn waiting for themselves to enter the stage, they are waiting for their own play to begin…Waiting for their script to be written, their story to be laid out…for god, fate, history, or the seer to do its work.
• coney any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes I think after that he was at Coney Island.
• juxtaposition the act of positioning close together She uses narrative juxtapositions that blur the line between fact and fiction, history and science fiction.
• etched cut or impressed into a surface We etched them in sand and watch as they washed away.
• orientation the act of determining one's position The Otolith Group derives their name from the structure in the inner ear, which establishes our sense of gravity and orientation .
• humanities studies intended to provide general knowledge and skills I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• puffy being puffed out; used of hair style or clothing The clouds were puffy and looked like something sweet to eat, like cotton candy from the carnival that comes once a year to the SaveMart parking lot.
• postulate maintain or assert Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• chevy annoy continually or chronically The fat lady down the street leans against her Chevy el Camino.
• cultural relating to the shared knowledge and values of a society I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• teller someone who narrates or recounts a story We are storytellers not fact tellers , we may be truth tellers but that is also subject to interpretation.
• pandemonium a state of extreme confusion and disorder Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• muted softened in tone The operatics of life: muted , howling screams are caught in a throat with no voice.
• modernist an artist who makes a deliberate break with previous styles Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post- modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• nomadic migratory Exploring our nomadic state by signification and multiplication, I boldly state “we are all wanderers now”.
• changeable subject to change ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile, changeable , malleable.
• falsify make false by mutilation or addition In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• poetic of or relating to verse, or literature in metrical form My images constitutes a loose poetic narrative which oscillates between the sacred and the profane, not the performance of life but the waiting, walking, wandering expectations of your own life’s performance.
• overlay put something on top of something else The body or “self” is overlaid with culture’s construct, it becomes a surface which receives and projects images that culture provides.
• abridged shortened by condensing or rewriting Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• filmmaker a producer of motion pictures Tacita Dean, British artist and filmmaker , creates 16mm films with loose poetic narratives.
• frame the internal structure that gives an artifact its shape I follow along the road dutifully all the while knowing these frames are stages, plateaus of performance.
• corvette a highly maneuverable escort warship He got caught smoking in some rich guy’s corvette .
• real world the practical world as opposed to the academic world ___________________________________________ Facades crash down of the real world I built my life around.
• Elvis street name for lysergic acid diethylamide She is selling her velvet painting again: Elvis , horses, kittens and George W. Bush.
• stage any distinct time period in a sequence of events I follow along the road dutifully all the while knowing these frames are stages , plateaus of performance.
• dad an informal term for a father ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• film a series of moving pictures that tells a story Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• ephemeral anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• somewhere in or at or to some place I must have met her somewhere .
• unpredictable unknown in advance Postmodern asserts that there is a multitude of “selves” however, it does not account for the primal: That element in us with resists culture, the uncontrollable, unpredictable , unknowable in us.
• hash chopped meat mixed with potatoes and browned Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street.
• exclude prevent from entering; shut out They also agree that by framing, photography is excluding and by excluding it is only representing partial truth and that partial truth is, in fact, wholly false.
• fog droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• fictional related to or involving imaginative literary work I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• dutifully out of a sense of duty; in a dutiful manner I follow along the road dutifully all the while knowing these frames are stages, plateaus of performance.
• waiting the act of waiting A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting .
• essence the choicest or most vital part of some idea or experience In essence , the act of framing is an act of staging.
• theorist someone who constructs hypotheses The majority of photographic theorists today agree that photography has a “that-has-been” quality of truth.
• parked that have been left His brother worked at Friends Liquor store and parked cars at the Silver Legacy.
• scurry move about or proceed hurriedly In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• etch carve or cut a design or letters into We etched them in sand and watch as they washed away.
• operatic of or relating to or characteristic of opera Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images: an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti-epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• walker a person who travels by foot Transience: I juxtapose that stillness (the stillness of the photographic medium) with the primal representation of the walker , the wanderer.
• editing putting something into acceptable form Later, back in the studio I begin editing and sequencing allowing the story to unfold.
• disrespect an expression of lack of regard Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• malt a cereal grain (usually barley) that is kiln-dried after having been germinated by soaking in water; used especially in brewing and distilling Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street.
• staging a temporary framework used in construction to support workers and materials In essence, the act of framing is an act of staging .
• fiction a literary work based on the imagination I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non- fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• uncontrollable incapable of being restrained or managed Postmodern asserts that there is a multitude of “selves” however, it does not account for the primal: That element in us with resists culture, the uncontrollable , unpredictable, unknowable in us.
• multiplication arithmetic operation determining the product of two numbers Exploring our nomadic state by signification and multiplication , I boldly state “we are all wanderers now”.
• relevant having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue Silence, isolation, despair and carefully planned chaos are all elements of her work which I find relevant to my own.
• electron an elementary particle with negative charge In Teignmouth Electron : a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• stance a rationalized mental attitude They are either in full presentation stance , in mid-step (the awkward posture of stilted movement) or in process performance (entering a scene in which they will present a particular pose).
• absurd inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense Research - Artists In Dialogue: In my research I have continually found references to both theater and film: Particularly, the theater of the absurd and European art cinema.
• wash away remove by the application of water or other liquid and soap or some other cleaning agent We etched them in sand and watch as they washed away .
• epic a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images: an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti- epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• babe a very young child who has not yet begun to walk or talk ______________________________________________ It wasn’t always bad… Like that morning Patrick Mahony the 3rd called me a hot babe , he just said it to me ‘your one, hot babe’ and then he walked on… he didn’t even try and kiss me.
• anymore at the present or from now on; usually used with a negative The trees don’t have leaves anymore and I can’t smell the sewer since they changed the caps.
• reference the act of consulting I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references , film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• George W. Bush 43rd President of the United States She is selling her velvet painting again: Elvis, horses, kittens and George W. Bush .
• withering any weakening or degeneration Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• photograph a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print Photographs are lies, that-have-been.
• shuffle walk by dragging one's feet Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• exaggerate enlarge beyond bounds or the truth In this work I exaggerate stillness …especially as regards images of people.
• expectation belief about the future We walk, we wander, act, wait, stand… without expectation we perform for life.
• good day a farewell remark That was a good day .
• stunted inferior in size or quality They are actors, caught in a moment of presentation or stunted movement.
• wreckage the remaining parts of something that has been destroyed She does not tell his story but rather references it through the wreckage of his boat.
• partial being or affecting only a segment They also agree that by framing, photography is excluding and by excluding it is only representing partial truth and that partial truth is, in fact, wholly false.
• historically throughout the past Historically the theater of the absurd is tied to the philosophy of Existentialism and Absurdism .
• graveyard a tract of land used for burials It was like a year ago, I was cocktailing graveyard at the Atlantis and I saw him there, he was in town for the national bowling competition.
• reassure cause to feel confident I watch the world as it scripts itself, presenting progress because it assures and reassures audience.
• shortened cut short Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened , cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• history a record or narrative description of past events ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• curtail terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• dialogue a conversation between two persons Research - Artists In Dialogue : In my research I have continually found references to both theater and film: Particularly, the theater of the absurd and European art cinema.
• sewer a conduit that carries away waste water or surface water The trees don’t have leaves anymore and I can’t smell the sewer since they changed the caps.
• place a point located with respect to surface features of a region A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place , between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• indomitable impossible to subdue A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• historical of or relating to the study of recorded time I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• signification the message that is intended or expressed or signified Exploring our nomadic state by signification and multiplication, I boldly state “we are all wanderers now”.
• genetic relating to the study of heredity and variation in organisms Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• arid lacking sufficient water or rainfall Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• Patrick Apostle and patron saint of Ireland ______________________________________________ It wasn’t always bad… Like that morning Patrick Mahony the 3rd called me a hot babe, he just said it to me ‘your one, hot babe’ and then he walked on… he didn’t even try and kiss me.
• audience a gathering of spectators or listeners at a performance I watch the world as it scripts itself, presenting progress because it assures and reassures audience .
• facade the front of a building ___________________________________________ Facades crash down of the real world I built my life around.
• park a piece of open land for recreational use in an urban area The old man across the parking lot is getting out of his truck.
• windy abounding in or exposed to the wind or breezes We were writing our dreams in the clouds on a windy day.
• turn around turn abruptly and face the other way, either physically or metaphorically Go forward, turn around , she’s here somewhere, she must be here...
• carnival a traveling show featuring rides and games The clouds were puffy and looked like something sweet to eat, like cotton candy from the carnival that comes once a year to the SaveMart parking lot.
• crutch a staff that fits under the armpit and supports body weight The winter smells like solitude and I wander nameless in a misty fog… sage stained memories and desert rocks crutch under my feet.
• medium the surrounding environment I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• granddaughter a female grandchild Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• wait stay in one place and anticipate or expect something A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting .
• smell the faculty that enables us to distinguish scents ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• theoretical concerned with hypotheses and not practical considerations Philosophical and Theoretical : If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• actor a performer in theater, television, or film Work Samples and Examples: In the opening image, the theater is presented back to the audience, we are the audience of the image, looking at the theater’s audience, peopled by actors who are in turn waiting for themselves to enter the stage, they are waiting for their own play to begin…Waiting for their script to be written, their story to be laid out…for god, fate, history, or the seer to do its work.
• draped covered in folds of cloth A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• in front at or in the front ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• today on this day as distinct from yesterday or tomorrow Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes, and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today .
• nameless being or having an unknown or unnamed source The winter smells like solitude and I wander nameless in a misty fog… sage stained memories and desert rocks crutch under my feet.
• consciously with awareness As a photographer, I frame the world… and by framing it whether consciously or unconsciously I am changing it, constructing it.
• research a seeking for knowledge Methodology, Research and the Archive Methodology: I begin my process with what I call photographic sketches: discoveries, ideas, imaginings; aesthetic explorations… images of place.
• peopled furnished with people Work Samples and Examples: In the opening image, the theater is presented back to the audience, we are the audience of the image, looking at the theater’s audience, peopled by actors who are in turn waiting for themselves to enter the stage, they are waiting for their own play to begin…Waiting for their script to be written, their story to be laid out…for god, fate, history, or the seer to do its work.
• bring together cause to become joined or linked The series Reno, Nevada is my first attempt at bringing together the literary and filmic traditions with still photography and in it I seek to add to the dialogue of the poetic absurd.
• staged deliberately arranged for effect Staged , unfixed, without time or place, they present a diaristic projection of narrative.
• documentary a film presenting the facts about a person or event That being the case, the factual claims of ‘ documentary ’ in photography are no longer valid.
• questionable subject to doubtful speculation It happened, but the “truth value” or “factuality” is questionable at best.
• loose not affixed My images constitutes a loose poetic narrative which oscillates between the sacred and the profane, not the performance of life but the waiting, walking, wandering expectations of your own life’s performance.
• seek out look for a specific person or thing I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• regrets a polite refusal of an invitation No regrets no expectations.
• liquor an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street.
• kitten young domestic cat She is selling her velvet painting again: Elvis, horses, kittens and George W. Bush.
• cloudy full of or covered with clouds Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• drape the manner in which fabric hangs or falls A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• mom informal terms for a mother ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• profane grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred My images constitutes a loose poetic narrative which oscillates between the sacred and the profane , not the performance of life but the waiting, walking, wandering expectations of your own life’s performance.
• misty filled or abounding with fog The winter smells like solitude and I wander nameless in a misty fog… sage stained memories and desert rocks crutch under my feet.
• chips strips of potato fried in deep fat Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips , shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• metaphor a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• walk use one's feet to advance; advance by steps We walk , we wander, act, wait, stand… without expectation we perform for life.
• literal limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text I am not attempting to form a literal narrative but rather a loose gathering of signs, the historical now of a place.
• valid well grounded in logic or truth or having legal force That being the case, the factual claims of ‘documentary’ in photography are no longer valid .
• wander move or cause to move in a sinuous or circular course We walk, we wander , act, wait, stand… without expectation we perform for life.
• blur confuse or make unclear She uses narrative juxtapositions that blur the line between fact and fiction, history and science fiction.
• walking the act of traveling by foot But once, he saw me walking down 4th street and he picked me up.
• aesthetic characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste Methodology, Research and the Archive Methodology: I begin my process with what I call photographic sketches: discoveries, ideas, imaginings; aesthetic explorations… images of place.
• at best under the best of conditions It happened, but the “truth value” or “factuality” is questionable at best .
• time being the present occasion ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile, changeable, malleable.
• bowl a round vessel that is open at the top May be she was at the bowling ally the night Joshua crashed his car.
• perhaps by chance Sometime back, perhaps a day perhaps a century We stopped expecting the thing itself And learned to content ourselves with the effort.
• mobile moving or capable of moving readily ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile , changeable, malleable.
• whiskey a liquor made from fermented mash of grain Then us… in a car with windows down, drinking White Zin from a box because we were out of whiskey .
• Joshua (Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho May be she was at the bowling ally the night Joshua crashed his car.
• stunt check the growth or development of They are actors, caught in a moment of presentation or stunted movement.
• starvation a state of extreme hunger Sage is the color of starvation , of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• multitude a large indefinite number Postmodern asserts that there is a multitude of “selves” however, it does not account for the primal: That element in us with resists culture, the uncontrollable, unpredictable, unknowable in us.
• plateau a relatively flat raised area of land I follow along the road dutifully all the while knowing these frames are stages, plateaus of performance.
• isolation the act of setting something apart from others Silence, isolation , despair and carefully planned chaos are all elements of her work which I find relevant to my own.
• element a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• chased a person who is being chased Driving as fast as we can and singing there ‘ain’t no devil, just god when he’s drunk’ we chased death, dared it to take us.
• willingness cheerful compliance Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• sequence a following of one thing after another in time Later, back in the studio I begin editing and sequencing allowing the story to unfold.
• crash break violently or noisily ___________________________________________ Facades crash down of the real world I built my life around.
• legacy a gift of personal property by will His brother worked at Friends Liquor store and parked cars at the Silver Legacy .
• howling a long loud emotional utterance The operatics of life: muted, howling screams are caught in a throat with no voice.
• bacon back and sides of a hog salted and dried or smoked Eggs over easy, bacon , hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street.
• sometime at some indefinite or unstated time Sometime back, perhaps a day perhaps a century We stopped expecting the thing itself And learned to content ourselves with the effort.
• lean against rest on for support The fat lady down the street leans against her Chevy el Camino.
• artist person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• refer make a remark that calls attention to I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• truth a factual statement The majority of photographic theorists today agree that photography has a “that-has-been” quality of truth .
• exploration travel for the purpose of discovery Methodology, Research and the Archive Methodology: I begin my process with what I call photographic sketches: discoveries, ideas, imaginings; aesthetic explorations … images of place.
• 3rd coming next after the second and just before the fourth in position ______________________________________________ It wasn’t always bad… Like that morning Patrick Mahony the 3rd called me a hot babe, he just said it to me ‘your one, hot babe’ and then he walked on… he didn’t even try and kiss me.
• build on be based on; of theories and claims, for example I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• explore travel to or penetrate into Exploring our nomadic state by signification and multiplication, I boldly state “we are all wanderers now”.
• posture the arrangement of the body and its limbs They are either in full presentation stance, in mid-step (the awkward posture of stilted movement) or in process performance (entering a scene in which they will present a particular pose).
• shorten make short or shorter Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened , cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• series similar things placed in order or one after another This work is a series of suggestions: suggesting narrative, suggesting time, suggesting place… suggestions without declaration.
• effectively in a manner producing an intended result Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• path an established line of travel or access We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there, here.
• cinema a medium that disseminates moving pictures Research - Artists In Dialogue: In my research I have continually found references to both theater and film: Particularly, the theater of the absurd and European art cinema .
• desert leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• candy a rich sweet made of flavored sugar often with fruit or nuts The clouds were puffy and looked like something sweet to eat, like cotton candy from the carnival that comes once a year to the SaveMart parking lot.
• demonstrate give an exhibition of to an interested audience Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• go forward move ahead; travel onward in time or space Go forward , turn around, she’s here somewhere, she must be here...
• chaos formless state of matter before the creation of the cosmos Silence, isolation, despair and carefully planned chaos are all elements of her work which I find relevant to my own.
• derive come from The Otolith Group derives their name from the structure in the inner ear, which establishes our sense of gravity and orientation.
• stack an orderly pile Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• photographer someone who takes photographs professionally As a photographer , I frame the world… and by framing it whether consciously or unconsciously I am changing it, constructing it.
• psychological mental or emotional as opposed to physical in nature Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• lay out lay out orderly or logically in a line or as if in a line Work Samples and Examples: In the opening image, the theater is presented back to the audience, we are the audience of the image, looking at the theater’s audience, peopled by actors who are in turn waiting for themselves to enter the stage, they are waiting for their own play to begin…Waiting for their script to be written, their story to be laid out …for god, fate, history, or the seer to do its work.
• suggestion an idea that is proposed This work is a series of suggestions : suggesting narrative, suggesting time, suggesting place… suggestions without declaration.
• plastic synthetic material that can be molded into objects A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic , curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• downstairs on or of lower floors of a building Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes, and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today.
• the Street used to allude to the securities industry of the United States Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street .
• memory the cognitive process whereby past experience is remembered A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• front the side that is forward or prominent ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• story a record or narrative description of past events I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• mute expressed without speech The operatics of life: muted , howling screams are caught in a throat with no voice.
• unconsciously without awareness As a photographer, I frame the world… and by framing it whether consciously or unconsciously I am changing it, constructing it.
• singing the act of singing vocal music Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes, and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today.
• represent be a delegate or spokesperson for They also agree that by framing, photography is excluding and by excluding it is only representing partial truth and that partial truth is, in fact, wholly false.
• Sherman American Revolutionary leader and signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution (1721-1793) Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• singe burn superficially or lightly Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes, and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today.
• unfold extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length Later, back in the studio I begin editing and sequencing allowing the story to unfold .
• inspire serve as the inciting cause of Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images: an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti-epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• like having the same or similar characteristics ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• look like bear a physical resemblance to He looks like Dad, I wonder if its dad?
• move change location We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there, here.
• destination the place designated as the end, as of a race or journey We learned to love the path not the destination and that is what separates us.
• mining the act of extracting ores or coal from the earth I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• using an act that exploits or victimizes someone I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• diary a daily written record of experiences and observations Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary ) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• philosophical relating to the investigation of existence and knowledge Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• bus a vehicle carrying many passengers They let him bus tables during lunch twice a week.
• agree consent or assent to a condition The majority of photographic theorists today agree that photography has a “that-has-been” quality of truth.
• suggest make a proposal; declare a plan for something This work is a series of suggestions: suggesting narrative, suggesting time, suggesting place… suggestions without declaration.
• stretch out extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• stained marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter The winter smells like solitude and I wander nameless in a misty fog… sage stained memories and desert rocks crutch under my feet.
• chip a small fragment of something broken off from the whole Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips , shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• color a visual attribute of things from the light they emit ______________________________________________ ‘Tell me the color of your past’ he said.
• cows domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age “We are the music makers”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares.
• sample a small part intended as representative of the whole Work Samples and Examples: In the opening image, the theater is presented back to the audience, we are the audience of the image, looking at the theater’s audience, peopled by actors who are in turn waiting for themselves to enter the stage, they are waiting for their own play to begin…Waiting for their script to be written, their story to be laid out…for god, fate, history, or the seer to do its work.
• car a motor vehicle with four wheels May be she was at the bowling ally the night Joshua crashed his car .
• at sea perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea .
• reality the state of being actual Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• cage an enclosure in which animals can be kept Perhaps the woman with the cage is Persephone’s mother searching for her lost daughter.
• hop jump lightly In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• clearing a treeless tract of land in the middle of a wooded area In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• edit prepare for publication or presentation by revising Later, back in the studio I begin editing and sequencing allowing the story to unfold.
• add to have an increased effect The series Reno, Nevada is my first attempt at bringing together the literary and filmic traditions with still photography and in it I seek to add to the dialogue of the poetic absurd.
• tomorrow the day after today No dreams of tomorrow .
• 4th coming next after the third and just before the fifth in position or time or degree or magnitude But once, he saw me walking down 4th street and he picked me up.
• awkward lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance They are either in full presentation stance, in mid-step (the awkward posture of stilted movement) or in process performance (entering a scene in which they will present a particular pose).
• allowance the act of permitting ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile, changeable, malleable.
• life the organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms We walk, we wander, act, wait, stand… without expectation we perform for life .
• wither lose freshness, vigor, or vitality Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• street a thoroughfare that is lined with buildings Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street .
• root underground plant organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes Perhaps we are Radicants ; taking root in the ground and histories we find ourselves in.
• pose assume a bearing as for artistic purposes They are either in full presentation stance, in mid-step (the awkward posture of stilted movement) or in process performance (entering a scene in which they will present a particular pose ).
• conductor the person who leads a musical group Perhaps this conductor is writing the score to the performance of his life.
• velvet a silky densely piled fabric with a plain back She is selling her velvet painting again: Elvis, horses, kittens and George W. Bush.
• gravity the force of attraction between all masses in the universe The Otolith Group derives their name from the structure in the inner ear, which establishes our sense of gravity and orientation.
• dream a series of images and emotions occurring during sleep A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• enter to come or go into The frames become sets, places where characters have entered , will enter or have just abandoned.
• suicide the act of killing yourself In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• in for certain to get or have A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• sweat salty fluid secreted by glands in the skin In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• boldly with boldness, in a bold manner Exploring our nomadic state by signification and multiplication, I boldly state “we are all wanderers now”.
• out in enter a harbor ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• present happening or existing now I watch the world as it scripts itself, presenting progress because it assures and reassures audience.
• work at to exert effort in order to do, make, or perform something His brother worked at Friends Liquor store and parked cars at the Silver Legacy.
• interpretation the act of expressing something in an artistic performance We are storytellers not fact tellers, we may be truth tellers but that is also subject to interpretation .
• walk in enter by walking Archive: Working with the Nevada Historical Society archive I have found several references to performance and walking in frontier Nevada.
• sheer so thin as to transmit light Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• surface the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• perpetual continuing forever or indefinitely They represent no part of any essence but rather refer to a state of perpetual performance, of culture.
• recruit cause to assemble or enlist in the military I find and recruit actors, set scenes and record them.
• work activity directed toward making or doing something His brother worked at Friends Liquor store and parked cars at the Silver Legacy.
• solitude a state of social isolation The winter smells like solitude and I wander nameless in a misty fog… sage stained memories and desert rocks crutch under my feet.
• inhabit live in; be a resident of We move, we change, and as we move we change the places we inhabit as well as our understanding of those places.
• in turn in proper order or sequence Work Samples and Examples: In the opening image, the theater is presented back to the audience, we are the audience of the image, looking at the theater’s audience, peopled by actors who are in turn waiting for themselves to enter the stage, they are waiting for their own play to begin…Waiting for their script to be written, their story to be laid out…for god, fate, history, or the seer to do its work.
• howl cry loudly, as of animals The operatics of life: muted, howling screams are caught in a throat with no voice.
• sailing the work of a sailor In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• endless having no known beginning and presumably no end A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• studio workplace for the teaching or practice of an art Later, back in the studio I begin editing and sequencing allowing the story to unfold.
• nowhere not anywhere; in or at or to no place We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere , except there, here.
• searching exploring thoroughly Perhaps the woman with the cage is Persephone’s mother searching for her lost daughter.
• constitute form or compose My images constitutes a loose poetic narrative which oscillates between the sacred and the profane, not the performance of life but the waiting, walking, wandering expectations of your own life’s performance.
• self your consciousness of your own identity Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “ self ” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• blank (of a surface) not written or printed on They are the blank , expectant canvas awaiting cultures projections.
• live have life, be alive A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• write name the letters that comprise the accepted form of Then he asked if he could write me after he left.
• process a particular course of action intended to achieve a result They are either in full presentation stance, in mid-step (the awkward posture of stilted movement) or in process performance (entering a scene in which they will present a particular pose).
• taking the act of someone who picks up or takes something Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images: an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti-epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• catch take hold of so as to seize or stop the motion of The operatics of life: muted, howling screams are caught in a throat with no voice.
• progress the act of moving forward, as toward a goal Our efforts of progress end where they began.
• cigarette finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes … A woman passes me on the street.
• canvas a heavy, closely woven fabric They are the blank, expectant canvas awaiting cultures projections.
• embrace squeeze tightly in your arms, usually with fondness Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• truck an automotive vehicle suitable for hauling The old man across the parking lot is getting out of his truck .
• washed clean by virtue of having been washed in water We etched them in sand and watch as they washed away.
• landscape an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape … the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• reduce make smaller Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced , abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• lucky having or bringing good fortune He told me Patrick would be lucky to have me.
• cloud a visible mass of water or ice particles suspended at a considerable altitude The clouds were puffy and looked like something sweet to eat, like cotton candy from the carnival that comes once a year to the SaveMart parking lot.
• through having finished or arrived at completion In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• maker a person who makes things “We are the music makers ”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares.
• store a mercantile establishment for the sale of goods or services His brother worked at Friends Liquor store and parked cars at the Silver Legacy.
• doom an unpleasant or disastrous destiny I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom .
• drunk someone who is intoxicated Driving as fast as we can and singing there ‘ain’t no devil, just god when he’s drunk ’ we chased death, dared it to take us.
• stain make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air The winter smells like solitude and I wander nameless in a misty fog… sage stained memories and desert rocks crutch under my feet.
• smoking the act of smoking tobacco or other substances He got caught smoking in some rich guy’s corvette.
• representation standing in for someone and speaking on their behalf Transience: I juxtapose that stillness (the stillness of the photographic medium) with the primal representation of the walker, the wanderer.
• inevitable incapable of being avoided or prevented I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• blanket bedding that keeps a person warm in bed The fog covers me like a blanket .
• begin set in motion, cause to start Our efforts of progress end where they began .
• contemporary occurring in the same period of time Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• competition the act of contending with others for rewards or resources It was like a year ago, I was cocktailing graveyard at the Atlantis and I saw him there, he was in town for the national bowling competition .
• changing marked by continuous modification or effective action As a photographer, I frame the world… and by framing it whether consciously or unconsciously I am changing it, constructing it.
• winter the coldest season of the year A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• here in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there, here .
• continually seemingly without interruption Research - Artists In Dialogue: In my research I have continually found references to both theater and film: Particularly, the theater of the absurd and European art cinema.
• watch look attentively I watch the world as it scripts itself, presenting progress because it assures and reassures audience.
• pop make a sharp explosive noise I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• wandering travelling about without any clear destination My images constitutes a loose poetic narrative which oscillates between the sacred and the profane, not the performance of life but the waiting, walking, wandering expectations of your own life’s performance.
• fragment a piece broken off or cut off of something else Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment : a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• sweet having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street.
• declaration a statement that is emphatic and explicit This work is a series of suggestions: suggesting narrative, suggesting time, suggesting place… suggestions without declaration .
• television an electronic device that receives television signals and displays them on a screen I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television , music etcetera and mining the archive.
• hot having a high or higher than desirable temperature ______________________________________________ It wasn’t always bad… Like that morning Patrick Mahony the 3rd called me a hot babe, he just said it to me ‘your one, hot babe’ and then he walked on… he didn’t even try and kiss me.
• frontier a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country Archive: Working with the Nevada Historical Society archive I have found several references to performance and walking in frontier Nevada.
• writing symbols imprinted on a surface to represent sounds or words We were writing our dreams in the clouds on a windy day.
• selling the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money She is selling her velvet painting again: Elvis, horses, kittens and George W. Bush.
• learned having or showing profound knowledge Sometime back, perhaps a day perhaps a century We stopped expecting the thing itself And learned to content ourselves with the effort.
• tune a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes , and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today.
• assure inform positively and with certainty and confidence I watch the world as it scripts itself, presenting progress because it assures and reassures audience.
• think judge or regard; look upon; judge I think I know that stranger.
• account for be the reason or explanation for Postmodern asserts that there is a multitude of “selves” however, it does not account for the primal: That element in us with resists culture, the uncontrollable, unpredictable, unknowable in us.
• gathering the act of gathering something I am not attempting to form a literal narrative but rather a loose gathering of signs, the historical now of a place.
• just and nothing more But I can’t see her now I just see the street sign ‘Welcome to Reno, Nevada!’
• sketch preliminary drawing for later elaboration Methodology, Research and the Archive Methodology: I begin my process with what I call photographic sketches : discoveries, ideas, imaginings; aesthetic explorations… images of place.
• tragedy an event resulting in great loss and misfortune Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• recognize perceive to be something or something you can identify He didn’t recognize me.
• movement change of position that does not entail a change of location They are actors, caught in a moment of presentation or stunted movement .
• find discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there, here.
• drinking the act of consuming liquids Then us… in a car with windows down, drinking White Zin from a box because we were out of whiskey.
• log a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• scream utter a sudden loud cry The operatics of life: muted, howling screams are caught in a throat with no voice.
• inner located inward The Otolith Group derives their name from the structure in the inner ear, which establishes our sense of gravity and orientation.
• music an artistic form of auditory communication “We are the music makers”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares.
• entering the act of entering They are either in full presentation stance, in mid-step (the awkward posture of stilted movement) or in process performance ( entering a scene in which they will present a particular pose).
• beaten formed or made thin by hammering In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• prophet someone who speaks by divine inspiration She may be Tiresias, the blind prophet of history who lived as a woman for seven years or she may be simply a woman: waiting, playing solitaire, as expectant as the rest of us.
• chase go after with the intent to catch Driving as fast as we can and singing there ‘ain’t no devil, just god when he’s drunk’ we chased death, dared it to take us.
• investigation an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities Reno, Nevada An investigation into place: as construct, as presentation and as projection.
• stretched (of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• settle become resolved, fixed, established, or quiet A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• accept receive willingly something given or offered Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• tied bound or secured closely Historically the theater of the absurd is tied to the philosophy of Existentialism and Absurdism .
• abandoned forsaken by owner or inhabitants The frames become sets, places where characters have entered, will enter or have just abandoned .
• reaching the act of physically reaching or thrusting out We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there, here.
• create bring into existence Tacita Dean, British artist and filmmaker, creates 16mm films with loose poetic narratives.
• mixed consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• rather more readily or willingly They represent no part of any essence but rather refer to a state of perpetual performance, of culture.
• act behave in a certain manner We walk, we wander, act , wait, stand… without expectation we perform for life.
• future the time yet to come Through their films they are presenting a future of the past - lived through archive.
• structure a complex entity made of many parts The Otolith Group derives their name from the structure in the inner ear, which establishes our sense of gravity and orientation.
• scene the place where some action occurs They are either in full presentation stance, in mid-step (the awkward posture of stilted movement) or in process performance (entering a scene in which they will present a particular pose).
• become come into existence Days became weeks and weeks became years.
• someone a human being Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes, and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today.
• elements violent or severe weather Silence, isolation, despair and carefully planned chaos are all elements of her work which I find relevant to my own.
• driving the act of controlling and steering the movement of a vehicle or animal Driving as fast as we can and singing there ‘ain’t no devil, just god when he’s drunk’ we chased death, dared it to take us.
• use put into service ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• curtain hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window) A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• impulse an impelling force or strength ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile, changeable, malleable.
• may thorny shrub of a small tree having white to scarlet flowers Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes, and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today.
• effort use of physical or mental energy; hard work Our efforts of progress end where they began.
• name a language unit by which a person or thing is known He ordered a bud light and asked my name .
• eggs oval reproductive body of a fowl used as food Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street.
• seriously in a solemn manner Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images: an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti-epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• remember recall knowledge; have a recollection But I never said “I remember … I’m making a life, sculpting it from circumstance.”
• seeking the act of searching for something I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• Tell a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap) ______________________________________________ ‘ Tell me the color of your past’ he said.
• player a person who participates in or is skilled at some game The second image is that of a woman who may be a player , a reader, or a seer.
• cow female of domestic cattle “We are the music makers”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares.
• assert declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true Postmodern asserts that there is a multitude of “selves” however, it does not account for the primal: That element in us with resists culture, the uncontrollable, unpredictable, unknowable in us.
• away at a distance in space or time ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away .
• luck an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• privilege a special advantage or benefit not enjoyed by all That is our privilege .
• cotton a bushy mallow plant bearing bolls with fibers used to make fabric The clouds were puffy and looked like something sweet to eat, like cotton candy from the carnival that comes once a year to the SaveMart parking lot.
• humanity all of the living inhabitants of the earth I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• anti not in favor of (an action or proposal etc.) Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images: an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti -epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• drink take in liquids Then us… in a car with windows down, drinking White Zin from a box because we were out of whiskey.
• fact a piece of information about events that have occurred They also agree that by framing, photography is excluding and by excluding it is only representing partial truth and that partial truth is, in fact , wholly false.
• there in or at that place We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there , here.
• also in addition They also agree that by framing, photography is excluding and by excluding it is only representing partial truth and that partial truth is, in fact, wholly false.
• forward at or to or toward the front We move forward , reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there, here.
• shouted in a vehement outcry “We are the music makers”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares.
• await look forward to the probable occurrence of They are the blank, expectant canvas awaiting cultures projections.
• the true conformity to reality or actuality In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• text the words of something written I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts , seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• reduced made less in size or amount or degree Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced , abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• resist withstand the force of something Postmodern asserts that there is a multitude of “selves” however, it does not account for the primal: That element in us with resists culture, the uncontrollable, unpredictable, unknowable in us.
• fired having lost your job I heard he got fired though.
• world the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on ___________________________________________ Facades crash down of the real world I built my life around.
• throat the passage to the stomach and lungs The operatics of life: muted, howling screams are caught in a throat with no voice.
• painting creating a picture with paints She is selling her velvet painting again: Elvis, horses, kittens and George W. Bush.
• dull so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness “We are the music makers”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares.
• seek try to locate, discover, or establish the existence of I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• sign a visible clue that something has happened or is present But I can’t see her now I just see the street sign ‘Welcome to Reno, Nevada!’
• effects property of a personal character that is portable Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• constant uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing ‘Altamodernism’ or the New Modernism of Nicolas Bourriaud underscores that multitude but makes allowances for what is the constant primal impulse of taking root while at the same time being mobile, changeable, malleable.
• still not in physical motion Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills : When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• literary relating to or characteristic of creative writing The series Reno, Nevada is my first attempt at bringing together the literary and filmic traditions with still photography and in it I seek to add to the dialogue of the poetic absurd.
• apartment a home in a building divided into separate dwellings Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes, and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today.
• philosophy the rational investigation of existence and knowledge Historically the theater of the absurd is tied to the philosophy of Existentialism and Absurdism .
• look perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there, here.
• wholly to the full or entire extent They also agree that by framing, photography is excluding and by excluding it is only representing partial truth and that partial truth is, in fact, wholly false.
• form a perceptual structure Therefore, photography is a form of lies, which are also true.
• tradition a specific practice of long standing The series Reno, Nevada is my first attempt at bringing together the literary and filmic traditions with still photography and in it I seek to add to the dialogue of the poetic absurd.
• expedition an organized group of people undertaking a journey In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• despair a state in which all hope is lost or absent Silence, isolation, despair and carefully planned chaos are all elements of her work which I find relevant to my own.
• yesterday the day immediately before today No thoughts of yesterday .
• regret feel sorry for; be contrite about No regrets no expectations.
• separate standing apart; not attached to or supported by anything We learned to love the path not the destination and that is what separates us.
• failure an act that does not succeed In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• time the continuum of experience in which events pass to the past A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• sing produce tones with the voice Someone in the downstairs apartment is singing show tunes, and I think, may be I’ll have a walk today.
• non negation of a word or group of words I build on those images through reading fictional novels, non -fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• play engage in recreational activities rather than work Work Samples and Examples: In the opening image, the theater is presented back to the audience, we are the audience of the image, looking at the theater’s audience, peopled by actors who are in turn waiting for themselves to enter the stage, they are waiting for their own play to begin…Waiting for their script to be written, their story to be laid out…for god, fate, history, or the seer to do its work.
• understanding the condition of someone who knows and comprehends We move, we change, and as we move we change the places we inhabit as well as our understanding of those places.
• road an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation I follow along the road dutifully all the while knowing these frames are stages, plateaus of performance.
• leave go away from a place A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• score a number that expresses accomplishment in a game or contest Perhaps this conductor is writing the score to the performance of his life.
• discovery the act of finding something Methodology, Research and the Archive Methodology: I begin my process with what I call photographic sketches: discoveries , ideas, imaginings; aesthetic explorations… images of place.
• provide give something useful or necessary to The body or “self” is overlaid with culture’s construct, it becomes a surface which receives and projects images that culture provides .
• devil an evil supernatural being Driving as fast as we can and singing there ‘ain’t no devil , just god when he’s drunk’ we chased death, dared it to take us.
• change become different in some particular way We move, we change , and as we move we change the places we inhabit as well as our understanding of those places.
• past earlier than the present time; no longer current ______________________________________________ ‘Tell me the color of your past ’ he said.
• look at look at carefully; study mentally “We are the music makers”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares.
• liked found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form He said that he liked me but he didn’t live around here.
• ended having come or been brought to a conclusion In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• welcome the state of being received with pleasure But I can’t see her now I just see the street sign ‘ Welcome to Reno, Nevada!’
• drive operate or control a vehicle He drove me to the store in a black trans am.
• out moving or appearing to move away from a place, especially one that is enclosed or hidden ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• novel an extended fictional work in prose I build on those images through reading fictional novels , non-fiction historical texts, seeking out pop cultural references, film, television, music etcetera and mining the archive.
• connection a relation between things or events I form a connection to place and begin to construct the characters.
• sand a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral We etched them in sand and watch as they washed away.
• interested showing curiosity or fascination or concern I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• reflect throw or bend back from a surface She uses cultures memory to reflect back upon itself.
• day time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis Sometime back, perhaps a day perhaps a century We stopped expecting the thing itself And learned to content ourselves with the effort.
• physical involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• mix mix together different elements In Teignmouth Electron: a sort of mixed historo-future she is using the true story of the epic failure of a man, Donald Crowhurst, who’s failed round the world sailing expedition ended in a falsified log and suicide at sea.
• character a property that defines the individual nature of something The frames become sets, places where characters have entered, will enter or have just abandoned.
• between in the interval A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• sacred made, declared, or believed to be holy My images constitutes a loose poetic narrative which oscillates between the sacred and the profane, not the performance of life but the waiting, walking, wandering expectations of your own life’s performance.
• week any period of seven consecutive days They let him bus tables during lunch twice a week .
• abandon forsake; leave behind The frames become sets, places where characters have entered, will enter or have just abandoned .
• false not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality They also agree that by framing, photography is excluding and by excluding it is only representing partial truth and that partial truth is, in fact, wholly false .
• blind unable to see She may be Tiresias, the blind prophet of history who lived as a woman for seven years or she may be simply a woman: waiting, playing solitaire, as expectant as the rest of us.
• breakfast the first meal of the day (usually in the morning) ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast , the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• wash clean with some chemical process We etched them in sand and watch as they washed away.
• central in or near an inner area I am interested in using that stage, the stage of photography; to not only tell a story but also to refer back to the medium as a metaphor for life’s theatricality and as a central referent to humanities ephemeral nature and inevitable doom.
• state the way something is with respect to its main attributes They represent no part of any essence but rather refer to a state of perpetual performance, of culture.
• cook transform by heating ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• idea the content of cognition Taking seriously this idea of photography as a stage I write my script in images: an existential and absurdist inspired Operatic anti-epic of place, of Reno… Reno, Nevada.
• town an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• project a planned undertaking The body or “self” is overlaid with culture’s construct, it becomes a surface which receives and projects images that culture provides.
• knowing alert and fully informed I follow along the road dutifully all the while knowing these frames are stages, plateaus of performance.
• theory a belief that can guide behavior Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• learn gain knowledge or skills Sometime back, perhaps a day perhaps a century We stopped expecting the thing itself And learned to content ourselves with the effort.
• twice two times They let him bus tables during lunch twice a week.
• settled established in a desired position or place; not moving about A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• stare look at with fixed eyes “We are the music makers”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares .
• carefully taking care or paying attention Silence, isolation, despair and carefully planned chaos are all elements of her work which I find relevant to my own.
• total the whole amount Through the total disrespect of the space-time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• stretch extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body ___________________________________________ The path of history is stretched out in front of me and it smells like breakfast, the kind mom use to cook before dad went away.
• true consistent with fact or reality; not false Therefore, photography is a form of lies, which are also true .
• say utter aloud But I never said “I remember … I’m making a life, sculpting it from circumstance.”
• utter without qualification Sage is the color of starvation, of withering away in an arid place, of tragedy and irreverence, of the sheer an utter willingness to suffer in order to live …Sage is the color of a cloudy day in Nevada ______________________________________________ Stack the chips, shuffle the deck and deal me the queen of back luck love.
• machine a mechanical or electrical device that transmits energy A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• perform get done We walk, we wander, act, wait, stand… without expectation we perform for life.
• bad having undesirable or negative qualities ______________________________________________ It wasn’t always bad … Like that morning Patrick Mahony the 3rd called me a hot babe, he just said it to me ‘your one, hot babe’ and then he walked on… he didn’t even try and kiss me.
• fate the ultimate agency predetermining the course of events Work Samples and Examples: In the opening image, the theater is presented back to the audience, we are the audience of the image, looking at the theater’s audience, peopled by actors who are in turn waiting for themselves to enter the stage, they are waiting for their own play to begin…Waiting for their script to be written, their story to be laid out…for god, fate , history, or the seer to do its work.
• silver a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography His brother worked at Friends Liquor store and parked cars at the Silver Legacy.
• kiss touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc. ______________________________________________ It wasn’t always bad… Like that morning Patrick Mahony the 3rd called me a hot babe, he just said it to me ‘your one, hot babe’ and then he walked on… he didn’t even try and kiss me.
• brown of a color similar to that of wood or earth Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns , malt liquor and swisher sweets cigarettes… A woman passes me on the street.
• year the period of time that it takes for a planet (as, e.g., Earth or Mars) to make a complete revolution around the sun The clouds were puffy and looked like something sweet to eat, like cotton candy from the carnival that comes once a year to the SaveMart parking lot.
• see perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight But I can’t see her now I just see the street sign ‘Welcome to Reno, Nevada!’
• reader a person who can read; a literate person The second image is that of a woman who may be a player, a reader , or a seer.
• closed not open A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn, doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• drawn showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering A live theater In a desert dream … A memory place, between In a town that knows no time Machines are draped in plastic, curtains are drawn , doors closed or left open, An indomitable fog has settled in for an endless winter of waiting.
• information knowledge acquired through study or experience There is no such thing as bad news… just new information , Recalculate.
• science a branch of study or knowledge involving the observation, investigation, and discovery of general laws or truths that can be tested systematically She uses narrative juxtapositions that blur the line between fact and fiction, history and science fiction.
• add join or combine or unite with others The series Reno, Nevada is my first attempt at bringing together the literary and filmic traditions with still photography and in it I seek to add to the dialogue of the poetic absurd.
• changed made or become different in nature or form The trees don’t have leaves anymore and I can’t smell the sewer since they changed the caps.
• stranger an individual that one is not acquainted with I think I know that stranger .
• call utter a sudden loud cry ______________________________________________ It wasn’t always bad… Like that morning Patrick Mahony the 3rd called me a hot babe, he just said it to me ‘your one, hot babe’ and then he walked on… he didn’t even try and kiss me.
• grave a place for the burial of a corpse In this place I don’t see the sweat of the jackrabbit as he scurries through the hard, beaten landscape… the clearing in front of him a blacktop road… his grave splayed out in front of him… and he, like us, hopping ignorantly toward it.
• quality an essential and distinguishing attribute of something The majority of photographic theorists today agree that photography has a “that-has-been” quality of truth.
• receive get something; come into possession of The body or “self” is overlaid with culture’s construct, it becomes a surface which receives and projects images that culture provides.
• shout utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice “We are the music makers”, we shouted at the cows as they look at us with their dull stares.
• smoke a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas He got caught smoking in some rich guy’s corvette.
• White a member of the Caucasoid race Then us… in a car with windows down, drinking White Zin from a box because we were out of whiskey.
• search look or seek Perhaps the woman with the cage is Persephone’s mother searching for her lost daughter.
• speaking capable of or involving speech or speaking Stillness (the image) as the signifier of culture The wanderer as signifier of the primal Stills: When speaking in film terminology, Photographs are referred to as ‘Stills’, they are a fragment: a truncated, shortened, cut, condensed, reduced, abridged or curtailed element of the whole.
• now at the present moment But I can’t see her now I just see the street sign ‘Welcome to Reno, Nevada!’
• content satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are Sometime back, perhaps a day perhaps a century We stopped expecting the thing itself And learned to content ourselves with the effort.
• paint a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating She is selling her velvet painting again: Elvis, horses, kittens and George W. Bush.
• simply in a simple manner; without extravagance or embellishment She may be Tiresias, the blind prophet of history who lived as a woman for seven years or she may be simply a woman: waiting, playing solitaire, as expectant as the rest of us.
• try make an effort or attempt We move forward, reaching for a direction, we try to find our way… We look for paths that appear but lead nowhere, except there, here.
• pick look for and gather But once, he saw me walking down 4th street and he picked me up.
• no longer not now That being the case, the factual claims of ‘documentary’ in photography are no longer valid.
• then at that time She’d always ask me “what was it you had to do today?” and then I’d answer, “I don’t know” or perhaps, “I suppose there was something”.
• stopped (of a nose) blocked Sometime back, perhaps a day perhaps a century We stopped expecting the thing itself And learned to content ourselves with the effort.
• leaving the act of departing I’m not even sure how I got there and I don’t remember leaving … but here I am somewhere else now, I think.
• perfect being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish Philosophical and Theoretical: If we accept that the “self” is neither a genetic physical reality nor a psychological reality, if we accept instead that it is a cultural construct or a series of cultural constructs as is postulated by post-modernist theory than photography is the perfect surface medium and is used most effectively to demonstrate this by such artist as: Cindy Sherman in her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ .
• space the unlimited expanse in which everything is located Through the total disrespect of the space -time continuum (A woman watches as her granddaughter reads her diary) they embrace the aporia educing effects of the contemporary image pandemonium of culture.
• leaf the collective amount of leaves of one or more plants The trees don’t have leaves anymore and I can’t smell the sewer since they changed the caps.
• working a mine or quarry that is being or has been worked Archive: Working with the Nevada Historical Society archive I have found several references to performance and walking in frontier Nevada.

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