Claims, Claims, Claims

Claims, Claims, Claims
A claim persuades, argues, convinces, proves, or provocatively suggests something to a
reader who may or may not initially agree with you. What most non-academics mean by
argument is usually a polar opposition or heated debate: I win/you lose; you‟re a
Democrat/I‟m a Republican; I‟m for the death penalty/you‟re a bleeding-heart liberal
against the death penalty; I‟m pro-choice/you‟re against choice. Though academic
arguments can be just as heated and draw on political, social, cultural, or personal positions
and experiences, academic claims are different—often more complex, nuanced, specific, and
detailed. Most academic argument is bounded by what is considered debatable or up for
inquiry within a discipline, acknowledging that some questions are already settled (though
that too may end up being debatable).
The „rules‟ of academic argument exclude the following as support:
—Because it is my personal opinion
—Because my friends or relatives think so or most people think so
—Because it‟s always been, it‟s tradition
—Because it‟s obvious
—Because it‟s morally right
What a Claim Is
A claim is the main argument of an essay. It is probably the single most important part
of an academic paper. The complexity, effectiveness, and quality of the entire paper
hinges on the claim. If your claim is boring or obvious, the rest of the paper probably
will be too.
A claim defines your paper‟s goals, direction, scope, and exigence and is supported by
evidence, quotations, argumentation, expert opinion, statistics, and telling details.
A claim must be argumentative. When you make a claim, you are arguing for a certain
interpretation or understanding of your subject.
A good claim is specific. It makes a focused argument (MTV‟s popularity is waning
because it no longer plays music videos) rather than a general one (MTV sucks).
Why Descriptive Thesis Statements are NOT Arguable Claims
Following are examples of descriptive thesis statements students write in high school. Each
is drawn from the top-scoring AP English Language and Composition papers posted on the
College Board website:
“To be a writer, one must have an elite understanding of diction, syntax and tone.
These literary devices are utilized by writers, including Eudora Welty, as a method
for expressing the message that they wish to convey to readers.”
“In the excerpt from One Writer‟s Beginnings, Eudora Welty conveys a positive tone
toward her childhood experience. She accomplishes this through the use of
descriptive diction, impressionable images, and unusual syntax.”
“The two passages given describe the swamp in very different lights. Although they
are in some ways familiar, the styles of the authors of these paragraphs are very
different.”