A thesis statement acts as the guiding idea for a paper or speech, and it alerts readers to the significant points and the position the paper takes. A restatement of a thesis comes at the end of an essay, and it acts as the thesis’ kindred spirit.
A thesis restatement differs from the central thesis by sentence structure and word choice. Restating the thesis helps remind the readers of what has been proven in the body. It allows one to bring the paper to a close. But are you the “do my thesis for me” kind of student? Don’t worry. You can still explore some of the critical tips and steps in restating your thesis as follows:
Steps in restating a thesis
Restating a thesis may follow a sequence or steps, as this article outlines.
1. Deciding on the restatement position
Most writers and speakers prefer restating their theses at the beginning of their conclusion. However, one may put their thesis statement at other positions rather than the beginning of the concluding statement.
Open one’s paper with a question or different rhetoric rather than restating one’s thesis statement. As much as writing needs to follow some prescribed formulas, for example, the 5-paragraph essay, it is only sometimes valid that one has to follow some specific, described approach for the concluding paragraph.
One may need to try different positions to restate their thesis and determine what works best for them.
2. Capitalize on work done
While it is not guaranteed that when the reader reads the original thesis statement, they have also read the body of the essay or speech, they may have skipped the essay’s body and gone through the concluding statement.
A good restatement of the thesis may help enable them to understand what was discussed in the body; for example, one may have written about the dangers of buying pets as holiday gifts; it is possible to restate the thesis statement as,
“Remember, getting a kitten for a holiday gift may sound like a good idea, but it may end up as another case of a homeless cat before Easter!” One may as well opt to restate their thesis to incorporate the relationship built with the reader; for instance, in an essay talking about the development of business partnerships, one may rephrase their thesis beginning, “As a business person,” This will ensure the restatement is different from the original thesis and help in drawing crucial elements from the essay as well.
3. Answer the “So what?” and avoid clichés
A perfect thesis will consider the “So what?” question such that it will try to justify the argument. It decides whether or not the reader will be interested in one’s essay. This issue, when revisited in one’s concluding statement, will help give the conclusion its deserved weight. While writing the restatement thesis as a conclusion’s starting sentence, avoid using phrases such as “In conclusion” or “As shown in this paper.”
These phrases have been overused in writing essays and signal to the reader that one needs more originality and creativity. Such statements may be used in speeches as they are crucial to guiding listeners in understanding the flow of the speech. These may sound different from when used in essays, as the listener has only one chance of following along with the speech, and such words help them keep their place.
Conclusion
Mastering the art of restating a thesis involves careful consideration of position, leveraging the work done, and addressing the “So what?” question. Writers and speakers can experiment with different positions for the thesis restatement, whether at the beginning or elsewhere in the conclusion.
Capitalizing on the work done in the body of the paper ensures that readers, even if they skipped sections, grasp the essential points.
