Thesis Statement and Analysis of Rhetorical Situation

Thesis Statement: Because homeland security vulnerabilities are at the forefront of national defense policies, especially concerning seaport security in the United States, it is essential to leverage technology and finance the protection of American ports.

1. What research question(s) led me to this thesis statement? What are key vulnerabilities affecting the security of American seaports? What are the characteristics of threats to their security? What steps should be taken to improve seaport security?

2. What is the purpose in writing this paper? Since I am a homeland security major, I am very familiar with the vulnerabilities which affect our seaports. I would like to share this knowledge with readers (so a purpose would be to inform) and to convince them that action is needed (so a purpose would be to persuade).

3. What do I already know about my topic? What are my feelings toward the topic? Since I am a homeland security major, I am very familiar with the vulnerabilities which affect our seaports. Additionally, through my research, I know the current mitigating strategies are not enough to secure our ports. I feel this is an important situation that needs to be corrected.

4. What do my readers already know? What are my readers’ feelings toward the topic? Most of the readers in this class probably know that our seaports are vulnerable to a terrorist incident. They probably do not know what specific aspects of port security are specific vulnerabilities. Additionally, they may not know what the current United States mitigating strategies are for those vulnerabilities. I believe that my readers would feel securing seaports is very important.

5. What do my readers need to know to understand my point? In order understand my solution, my readers must first understand the vulnerabilities facing port security. Also, my readers must be informed on the current mitigating strategies, what they are and to what degree they are effective. I will provide my readers with the four most important vulnerabilities facing seaport security. I will also provide some of the mitigation strategies currently being used by the Department of Homeland Security. Finally, I will provide my readers with supported solutions the current problems facing seaport security.

6. What information do I need to research and add to my paper? The information I need to research my paper includes the current mitigation strategies for seaport security. I must also research technological solutions which have not been implemented for seaport security.

Write paragraphs that respond to the questions below: 

1. What research question(s) led me to this thesis statement?

2. What is my purpose in writing this paper?

3. What do I already know about my topic?  What are my feelings toward this topic?

4. What do my readers already know? What are my readers’ feelings toward the topic?

5. What do my readers need to know to understand my point?

6. What information do I need to research and add to my paper?

Begin by looking at the research question(s) which triggered this thesis statement.  Then explain your purpose (and passing the course is not the purpose here). Your thesis statement is a good place to start, but you need to go a bit further. Are you trying to inform, entertain, persuade, or do something else?  Consider the “audience take-away”—what do you want your readers to know, feel, or believe when they finish reading your research paper? A clear understanding of your purpose will help you decide what information to include in your paper and how to organize your paper. Next, consider your audience; in this case, your audience is your classmates. Consider how much they know about your topic and what they need to know to understand your purpose. Will you need to explain complex terminology? Will graphs help your audience? If your topic is a controversial one, think about the best way to present it to your audience. For example, think about your tone and word choice here. Once you have an understanding of your purpose and audience, consider your subject. How much information do you already know about the topic? What information do you need to research and present to your audience in order to fulfill your purpose? Careful consideration here will help direct your research.

Here is a FAQ and answer from the APUS Library that may help you:

What is the difference between a thesis statement and a research question?