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Thesis Evolution: Writing a Strong Thesis Statement

I. why is the thesis so important and what is its function.

• A thesis states the writer's clearly defined opinion about a particular subject or issue.
• A thesis identifies the subject of the paper by defining the writer's opinion or stance.
• A thesis stays focused on that one topic and does not wander off on other topics.
• A thesis sets up a commitment on the part of the writer to make sure that everything in the thesis is covered somewhere in the paper through explanation and support.
• A thesis does not contain specific details which should be used for support in the body paragraphs.
• A thesis is usually one sentence and is the most important sentence in the paper.
• A thesis is located somewhere in the introductory paragraph, usually at the end of the introduction.

II. What is the difference between a thesis statement and an essay map?

• A thesis statement is an assertion of the writer's opinion or stance.
• An essay map is a statement that gives the reasons for the opinion.

III. What is the purpose of an essay map?

• An essay map outlines the reasons that the writer will use to support the thesis.
• An essay map is often phrased as a "because" clause.
• An essay map states what is going to be discussed in the essay.
• An essay map is used to help organize support but doesn't have to be part of the thesis itself.
• An essay map may or may not be part of the actual thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.
• An essay map may or may not fit the formula of three parts with each part leading to one body paragraph.

IV. Characteristics of a successful thesis:

• Unlimited : Barriers hinder people with disabilities.
• Limited : Architects are now aware that people with physical, hearing, and sight limitations need easy access to and within public buildings.
• Vague : Some TV programs are bad for children.
• Specific : Violent television programs numb children's sensitivity to real-life acts of violence against people.
• The thesis statement is a way to unify the ideas in the paper by stating the main idea of the entire essay. A good thesis holds together all the different ideas within the essay. It is a statement of the scope of what you want to include in the paper and the viewpoint or stand you take in relation to it.

V. What is the purpose of a "working" thesis?

• A working thesis changes as the writer goes through different drafts of the essay.
• A working thesis reflects changes the writer goes through as they develop and discover ideas.

The following process shows a student experimenting with different thesis statements and the student's comments about each possible thesis.

VI. What a Thesis Statement Is Not:

A.   A promise or a statement of intention cannot serve as a thesis statement. (Note: Some disciplines -- like philosophy -- may want a statement-of-intention thesis.)

• If you propose to do something in your paper, go ahead and do it.
• Phrase the thesis statement to show that you have fulfilled your expectation, not simply that you are going to do so.

In this paper I am going to show how the ancient Egyptians were able to build so many huge temples and tombs.

The ancient Egyptians were able to build so many tombs because their dependence on agriculture left seasons when farmers had time to do other kinds of work, their religion encouraged people to do work that glorified their gods and pharaohs, and busy masses were necessary for political and economic stability.

B.  A question cannot serve as a thesis statement.

• A question tells nothing about the content of the paper, and does not let the reader know what the essay will be proving.

Question: What will Maya Angelou's place in literature be?

Maya Angelou will have a secure place in several genres of literature.

Maya Angelou is an accessible writer whose prose, poetry, and film scripts will long be read because they deal with issues surrounding race and identity that illuminate the cost of racism in America while also celebrating the Black experience and culture in America.

Roth, Audrey J. The Research Paper: Process, Form, and Content, 6th ed., 1989. Maurius, Richard. A Writer's Companion, 2nd ed., 1991. Wyrick, Jean. Steps to Writing Well, 2nd ed., 1993.

If you have any questions, please call 425.640.1750.

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

Jerz's Literacy Weblog (est. 1999)

Blueprinting: using the thesis paragraph to plan your essay.

Jerz >  Writing > Academic     [ Argument | Title  |  Thesis  | Blueprint | Pro/Con | Quoting |  MLA Format ]

The blueprint, typically found in the thesis paragraph, is a  list of the topics you plan to cover in oder to prove your thesis.  A useful blueprint will preview the relationship between all sub-points (or at least list the points) in the order they will appear in the body of your paper, before the paper launches into details about the first sub-point.

Including a good blueprint will not only help your reader follow your argument, it will help your writing. It’s easier to add a room, move a hallway, or redesign a whole wing at the blueprinting stage, rather than tearing down sections of a partially-built house.

If your paper begins with a rambling introduction that serves up chunks that you recall from lectures and random web pages, the reader will have a hard time picking out your main point (because you don’t really have one).

Serial Organization (weak integration)

Revision: Some Attempt to Organize

The list of topics you plan to address in the body of your paper is important, but I’m using letters so that you can focus more closely on the structures that link those ideas.

Examples of thesis statements with a reasoning blueprint:

Note that the reasoning blueprint introduces subpoints that the reader will expect you to cover in the same order.

Personal essays and reflection papers may require no sources other than the author’s opinions and personal experiences, but a college research paper will require deep engagement with outside sources. For the next example, we’ll assume your instructor accepts Smith as a credible source for this paper.

Below is an even more complex argument, which demonstrates a college-level ability to sift through ideas from multiple sources.

Use “Thesis Reminders” for Transitions

No matter how good your thesis, your writing is worth little if it does not cohere (hold together) and demonstrate to the reader how each new point advances the main idea . You can accomplish both goals by providing your reader with thesis reminders.

A  thesis reminder  is a direct echo of the  thesis statement , used as a transition between supporting points.

A good thesis sentence has three main parts: the  limited subject  (what your paper is about), the  precise opinion  (what you’re trying to say about that subject), and the blueprint (what this web page is about). (See: “ Thesis Statements “)

Here are two examples of using the  thesis  and the  blueprint  to maintain coherence.

Thesis:  Restoring old houses is rewarding  because it is  exciting ,  relaxing , and  satisfying .

Thesis:  Becoming a ski patroller turned out to be harder than I thought  because of  the studying,  the  skiing , and  the time demands .

You Don’t Need Exactly Three Points!

If you are writing a more complex essay, you may use a different format, but you still must include blueprints and reminders.

For example, a critical essay may have a thesis, antithesis, and a synthesis.  The antithesis presents all the arguments against your thesis, and a synthesis is a kind of compromise, in which you attempt to prove that, whatever points your opponents might have in their favor, your thesis still stands.

Each of these sections may have 3 or more points, which are united by local blueprints and local reminders, capped off by local conclusions, and worked into by the tapestry of the whole argument.

Varieties of Blueprints

These are all acceptable ways to blueprint in a thesis statement.

Use Good Structure

The  order of the points  in the blueprint should perfectly parallel the points in the essay. If you say you are going to talk about “ships, shoes, and sealing wax,” but your essay starts with “sealing wax,” then your blueprint is distorted.

Here is an example of a different kind of distortion — faulty parallelism .

Note : A thesis statement amounts to nothing if the paper is not completely focused on that main point.  Proper blueprinting facilitates the  coherency  of the thesis throughout the rest of the essay.

8 thoughts on “ Blueprinting: Using the Thesis Paragraph to Plan Your Essay ”

Pingback: Academic Argument: an evidence-based defense of a non-obvious position on a complex issue. | Jerz's Literacy Weblog (est. 1999)

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in what essay type do we use blue printing?

Other writing teachers may have a different name for the overview, road map, list of supporting points, abstract, etc., but I would say any kind of complex persuasive or informative essay would benefit from a blueprint.

this topic is incredibly helpful.

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yes this blue print is not difficult, u can also use in the conclusion the clincher and the reminder of the thesis .

How many more must die? The issue of child abuse is of utmost importance because children cannot speak for themselves. Child abuse is when a parent or guardian causes or allows a child to suffer neglect, physical, sexual and emotional harm.Child abuse creates a sense of hopelessness,high crime rate and a breakdown in society. who is to blame? Parents or the lack of protective laws and legislation.

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About this printout

Use this graphic organizer to develop an outline for an essay that includes an introductory statement, main ideas, supporting details, and a conclusion.

Teaching with this printout

More ideas to try, related resources.

Expository writing can be challenging for students, yet it is an important skill for them to develop and eventually master. Often, the most difficult aspects of writing an essay are getting started and maintaining an organized focus while drafting the essay. This Essay Map helps students with those challenges by providing them with an organized format that will help them generate and outline their ideas. When you introduce this graphic organizer to your students, model its use by creating an essay of a topic that is very familiar to students. Using a projector so students can watch, fill in the Essay Map as you brainstorm ideas. Then, show students how to use your completed Essay Map to generate a rough draft of an essay.

• If this is a new tool for your students, consider having them fill in the Essay Map on a relatively simple topic. Topic ideas such as “All About Me” or “My Favorite Movies” will help students successfully create an essay because of the high level of background knowledge on these topics. Give older students a more challenging first topic that requires some basic research about something or someone close to them. For example, have them interview an elderly family member to compare and contrast life as a teen today versus life as a teen in the past.
• Prior to assigning them independent work, have students work in small groups to fill in an Essay Map together. Peer interaction will help generate ideas and provide opportunities for discussing the use of the tool. As they work, circulate among groups to check for correct placement of main ideas and supporting details. If you see a detail that is incorrectly placed on the Essay Map, ask guiding questions to help students make adjustments, such as, “I see that you put this supporting detail with this main idea. Can you tell me why you think it would fit there? Is there a better place that you could place it?” When groups have completed their Essay Maps, discuss them, comparing and contrasting the choice and placement of main ideas and details.
• Use Essay Maps that were completed by students to create a class-generated essay. Begin by assigning a single topic to the class. Topics for younger or less advanced students might include, “A Description of Our School,” “Field Trip Ideas for Our Class,” and “Things to Do in Our Town/City.” Topics for older or advanced students can be generated from the content areas and might require research. Ask students to fill in the Essay Map either individually or in groups. After students have completed their Essay Maps, project a blank paper or digital document so that all students can view as you collaboratively create a class essay, working through each paragraph of the essay, soliciting suggestions from students’ Essay Maps, and explaining how the Essay Map serves as a guide in the creation of an essay.
• Strategy Guides
• Lesson Plans

This strategy guide explains the writing process and offers practical methods for applying it in your classroom to help students become proficient writers.

While drafting a literary analysis essay (or another type of argument) of their own, students work in pairs to investigate advice for writing conclusions and to analyze conclusions of sample essays. They then draft two conclusions for their essay, select one, and reflect on what they have learned through the process.

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• Kindergarten K

Essay Mapping Tool

Instructions.

Effective writing at university is a process:

Analyse the task → Gather content → Plan → Draft → Edit

This tool may help you to bridge from planning to drafting by helping you arrange your sentences in a logical order. It also provides tips for each component of an essay – the introduction, body, and conclusion. It can be used to improve your understanding of essay writing in general or as a planning tool for one of your university assignments.

Because this tool is for your personal use only, you may decide to write in bullet points, but we recommend full sentences. Once you have filled in each section, a complete essay overview will be generated which can be printed.

1. Introduction

Three paragraphs planning spaces have been provided for you. You can add or delete as necessary.

The purpose of the body is to logically develop the points made in your thesis and outline statements. There are no rules about the number of paragraphs required in assignment, but in general, you are advised to develop one idea per paragraph. This is done with a clear and coherent structure which introduces the topic in a topic sentence, defines or clarifies which aspect of the topic you are going to discuss, develops and supports your discussion and (optionally) concludes your discussion.

A topic sentence generally has two parts. You may refer to the overall essay topic and also introduce the specific aspect you plan to discuss in this paragraph. This is referred to as topic + controlling idea . You can also use a topic sentence to link to or contrast with the previous paragraph. This is an effective strategy to use with the second body paragraph onwards. You may choose to conclude the paragraph with a summary sentence; however, you are advised not to overuse this type of sentence as it may seem repetitious.

Cohesion and coherence refer to how effectively sentences are connected and how smoothly the writing flows. This is not simply achieved by following a logical paragraph structure, but also by using linking words (e.g. however/furthermore/consequently ) and referring words (e.g. this/that/these/those )

When you develop your argument, remember to use a range of support. You can use examples, logical reasoning, speculation, statistics and citations

Paragraph 1

Write the topic and controlling idea (one sentence).

Support your controlling idea using evidence, examples, elaboration or explanations. Do not go off topic. Do use in-text references.

Sum up the paragraph and link to your thesis OR link to the next paragraph (one sentence).

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3, 3. conclusion.

The purpose of the conclusion is to summarize the key points you have discussed; however, it often contains a paraphrase of the thesis statement. This helps link the whole essay together. A conclusion may also contain a statement which links the essay to the broader topic or suggests a future action.

You can begin with the phrase ' In conclusion, ' but there are other phrases you could consider: In summary/This assignment has…/In this essay, I have… . Avoid Finally/Briefly/

Remember to reference any sources you have used. Refer to CDU Library for more information on referencing.

Introduction

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Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

• An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
• An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
• An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

• Explain the analysis of the college admission process
• Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

• Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

• Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

Graduate Writing Center

Introductions, thesis statements, and roadmaps - graduate writing center.

• Citations / Avoiding Plagiarism
• Critical Thinking
• Discipline-Specific Resources
• Generative AI
• iThenticate FAQ
• Types of Papers
• Standard Paper Structure

Introductions, Thesis Statements, and Roadmaps

• Body Paragraphs and Topic Sentences
• Literature Reviews
• Conclusions
• Executive Summaries and Abstracts
• Punctuation
• Style: Clarity and Concision
• Writing Process
• Writing a Thesis
• Quick Clips & Tips
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The first paragraph or two of any paper should be constructed with care, creating a path for both the writer and reader to follow. However, it is very common to adjust the introduction more than once over the course of drafting and revising your document. In fact, it is normal (and often very useful, or even essential!) to heavily revise your introduction after you've finished composing the paper, since that is most likely when you have the best grasp on what you've been aiming to say.

The introduction is your opportunity to efficiently establish for your reader the topic and significance of your discussion, the focused argument or claim you’ll make contained in your thesis statement, and a sense of how your presentation of information will proceed.

There are a few things to avoid in crafting good introductions. Steer clear of unnecessary length: you should be able to effectively introduce the critical elements of any project a page or less. Another pitfall to watch out for is providing excessive history or context before clearly stating your own purpose. Finally, don’t lose time stalling because you can't think of a good first line. A funny or dramatic opener for your paper (also known as “a hook”) can be a nice touch, but it is by no means a required element in a good academic paper.

Introductions, Thesis Statements, and Roadmaps Links

• Short video (5:47): " Writing an Introduction to a Paper ," GWC
• Handout (printable):  " Introductions ," University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center
• Handout (printable): " Thesis Statements ," University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center
• NPS-specific one-page (printable)  S ample Thesis Chapter Introduction with Roadmap , from "Venezuela: A Revolution on Standby," Luis Calvo
• Short video (3:39):  " Writing Ninjas: How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement "
• Video (5:06): " Thesis Statements ," Purdue OWL

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1) Thesis Statements and Essay Maps

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They Used to Award Olympic Medals for Art?

The founder of the modern Games thought they should honor both body and mind. But the tradition died years ago, and the winning artworks are largely forgotten.

The Grand Palais in Paris was home to the arts portion of the 1924 Olympics. Among the pieces on display was the Discus Thrower (foreground), which won the gold medal. Credit... Costas Dimitriadis Archives, Collection Katia Iakovidou and Yiannis Anagnostou

Supported by

By John Branch

John Branch reported from museums in Paris, Nice, Lausanne and Dublin, and near bridges and offramps on Randall’s Island in New York.

• May 2, 2024

During all of the years that the Olympics gave out medals in arts, not just athletics — and if you didn’t know about that, the rest of this article may hold more surprises — the pinnacle came in Paris, 100 years ago this summer.

The gold medal sculpture at the 1924 Paris Olympics was by a Greek artist named Costas Dimitriadis. His nude, arching, 7-foot “Discobole” (Discus Thrower) was for weeks displayed prominently in the Grand Palais.

Two years later, before “a crowd of light-frocked women and straw-hatted men,” as The New York Times reported , the prized sculpture, cast in bronze, was planted just outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York’s Central Park.

“A symbol of human perfection,” a museum official declared that day.

The statue did not stand still for long. Like the Olympic arts contests themselves, it went on quite a journey, largely to oblivion.

‘Pentathlon of the Muses’

For decades, beginning with the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, the Olympics included competitions in painting, sculpture, architecture, music and literature — a “pentathlon of the Muses,” as Pierre de Coubertin, the founder and leader of the modern Olympics, called them.

“From now on they will be part of each Olympiad, on a par with the athletic competitions,” Coubertin said.

Thousands of artists, some of them famous, most of them not, submitted works. More than 150 Olympic arts medals were awarded , the same medals that athletes received. At the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, 400,000 people visited the monthlong exhibition of entries.

As the Olympics return to Paris this summer, thousands of gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded — all for sport, none for arts.

“The spirit of Pierre de Coubertin did not survive,” said Nikoleta Tzani, a Greek art historian who wrote her doctoral thesis on Dimitriadis.

But some artwork did. It is scattered around the globe, some of it in museums or parks, some in private collections, much of it just lost to time and indifference.

In Lausanne, Switzerland, home of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Museum has a secured storage area in the basement. Curators oversee thousands of pieces of sports equipment, uniforms, medals, documents, torches, trophies — and art work.

But the only gold medal-winning paintings in the hidden collection are the two colorful pieces of a triptych that earned newspaper illustrator Jean Jacoby, of Luxembourg, first place in 1924. One represents soccer, the other rugby. The whereabouts of the third oil painting, depicting the start of a foot race, is unknown.

Upstairs, museum visitors learn all about Coubertin and see mementos of Olympic sports. There is no indication that the Olympics ever held serious arts competitions.

Outside the museum, though, overlooking Lake Geneva, a hillside garden is speckled with sculptures. A keen-eyed visitor might take note of one particular piece. It is Dimitriadis’ Discus Thrower, a late 20th-century copy of the one in New York.

“The original won first prize in the sculpture section of the art contest held during the 1924 Paris Olympic Games,” a nearby placard reads, cryptic enough to raise more questions than it answers.

Coubertin’s Vision

Coubertin, born in Paris in 1863, was raised in an aristocratic family and schooled in classical art and literature. He dreamed up the modern Olympics, based on the Games of ancient Greece, and launched them in Athens in 1896.

Like the Greeks, Coubertin believed that the Olympics should be about both body and mind. But just reviving the Olympics was difficult enough. The first three editions, to his frustration, featured only sports.

“Deprived of the aura of the Arts contests,” he once declared, “Olympic Games are only World Championships.”

In 1906, Coubertin invited dozens of artists and art figures to the Comédie Française in Paris. He proposed competitions in architecture, sculpture, painting, music and literature, “designed to be awarded every four years for unpublished works directly inspired by the idea of sport.”

He argued that athletics and academics should mix.

“The coming generation will know mental workers who will at the same time be sportsmen,” Coubertin said. “Are there not some already among the fencers?”

By day’s end, it was agreed: Art would be part of the Olympics, and medals would be awarded, beginning in 1912.

Nervous that he would receive too few submissions, Coubertin entered the literature contest himself. He submitted a florid “Ode to Sport” under the pseudonymous pairing of “Georges Hohrod and Martin Eschbach,” the surnames borrowed from the names of French villages.

In what could have become the first great I.O.C. scandal had anyone noticed before Coubertin died 25 years later, Hohrod and Eschbach won the gold medal. No other work was deemed worthy of a silver or bronze, including one by the Italian poet and novelist Gabriele d’Annunzio . (Another esteemed Italian who did not win? Sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti , of the famous car family.)

The next Olympics, planned for Berlin in 1916, were canceled by the war. The 1920 Antwerp Games were a patchwork affair held in the wake of the European devastation.

Then came Paris.

“It’s the most important arts competition,” said Christopher Young, a professor at Cambridge and co-curator of an upcoming exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum about the 1924 Olympics . “It’s the final year of Pierre de Coubertin’s tenure as Olympic president, it’s a moment of technological change, and the arts scene in Paris is very vibrant.”

The arts contests had found their time and place.

1924 and ‘The Liffey Swim’

While Jacoby’s winning entry from the 1924 Olympics is usually buried in storage, the painting that earned the silver medal is prominently displayed in a major European museum.

“The Liffey Swim,” an oil painting by Jack Butler Yeats , hangs in Room 14 of the National Gallery of Ireland , in Dublin. That it finished second to Jacoby’s triptych is a point of bemusement among art critics, and highlights the uneven judging of the Olympic arts competitions.

Jacoby is little known, at least outside of Luxembourg, where he has a small track stadium named for him and a bit of notoriety as only person to win two Olympic gold medals in art.

Yeats, by contrast, is considered Ireland’s most famous artist.

“He is a huge figure here,” Brendan Rooney, the National Gallery’s head curator, said. The museum owns dozens of his works — and his 1924 silver medal.

In 1923, the same year that his brother, the poet William Butler Yeats, earned the Nobel Prize in Literature, and just as Ireland was becoming independent, Yeats painted a modern scene depicting a swimming race down the Liffey River, through the heart of Dublin. The race remains a rambunctious part of Dublin’s summer calendar .

“It is an optimistic painting for a cautiously optimistic nation that had been through many very difficult years,” Rooney said.

The gallery’s accompanying placard notes that it “marks Yeats’ growing interest in Expressionism.” It is widely believed that Yeats had painted himself and his wife prominently within the crowd. “His ability to capture moments in crowds with figurative details was second to none,” Rooney said.

The painting was exhibited in London, Brussels and at the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair. With a laugh, Rooney suggested that Yeats had been the victim of artistic injustice, as his painting was modern and evocative compared to Jacoby’s conventional work.

Olympic entries skewed toward the classic and idealized, even in Paris in 1924. The Discus Thrower, the gold-winning sculpture later erected in New York, is a prime example.

“If you were a card-carrying member of the avant-garde or some kind of modernist society of the early 20th century, that wasn’t going to help you much,” Miles Osgood, a Stanford lecturer who has deeply researched the Olympic arts competitions, said. “It’s really fascinating to see how many of those artists were drawn to these contests, if only to lose them.”

Among those who submitted works but won nothing: the British poet and novelist Robert Graves in 1924, the Dadaist George Grosz, in 1928, and Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus school of architecture, in 1932.

The best-known gold medal winners include French sculptor Paul Landowski and Dutch painter Isaac Israëls . Laura Knight , one of Britain’s premier female artists, earned a silver medal. That was all in 1928, a strong year for entries, buoyed by Paris in 1924.

Osgood sees Yeats’ medal-winning work reflected in the upcoming Olympics, where organizers hope to hold open-water swimming and part of the triathlon in the Seine River.

“‘The Liffey Swim’ comes to life in a new city,” Osgood wrote in an essay accompanying the Fitzwilliam exhibition. “If the Olympic Art competitions — with their rule books, juries and medals — once convinced art to imitate sport, it is now time for sport to imitate art.”

“The Liffey Swim" will be lent, along with Yeats’ silver medal, to the Fitzwilliam exhibit, scheduled to run from July 19 to Nov. 3. The Olympic Museum is sending the two Jacoby pieces, too. Art fans can judge them, side by side, as juries in Paris did 100 years ago, when Coubertin highlighted the arts at the 1924 closing ceremony.

“There is need for something else besides athleticism and sport,” he said. “We want the presence of national genius, the collaboration of the Muses, the cult of beauty, all the display pertaining to the strong symbolism incarnate in the past by the Olympic Games and which must continue to be represented in our modern times.”

They continued, but not for long.

End of an Era

The literature category of Olympic art rarely distinguished itself, but one entry for 1932 was illuminating. It was by an American, Avery Brundage, president of the American Olympic committee.

“Art, music, architecture, literature, all seem to have been prostituted in this commercial age to the greed for money,” Brundage wrote in “The Significance of Amateur Sport.” His words earned honorable mention but no medal.

Riding on momentum from Paris, the arts competitions coasted through Amsterdam in 1928 and Los Angeles in 1932. But at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, the competition fell under the direction of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister.

There were international calls to boycott those Olympics, though Brundage notoriously supported American participation . France and Britain were among the countries that competed in athletics but had no arts entries. Americans had just one medalist, despite dozens of submissions. Germans dominated.

Coubertin died in 1937. World War II canceled the next two Olympics. When they resumed in London in 1948, the arts were a diluted part of the program. The United States did not participate.

A year later, Brundage, now the I.O.C. vice president, co-wrote a report on the state of the Olympics. Item 23 was about the arts. “Since art competition contestants are practically all professionals, Olympic medals should not be awarded,” the report said. “This event should be in the nature of an exhibition.”

There were other concerns. Unlike most sports, arts contests were subjective and ill-suited for the dawning age of television. The Olympics had blossomed into the pinnacle of sport, but not of art, not “on par with the athletic competitions,” as Coubertin had envisioned.

The 1952 contest in Helsinki was canceled, and in 1954, with Brundage now president, the I.O.C. voted to end the arts competitions.

They were mostly forgotten. But not by everyone.

From Paris to Randall’s Island

Patricia Reymond is senior collections manager for the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. On a weekday in March, in the quiet basement storage area, she pondered where all the Olympic art went.

“Of course we would love to have different pieces by the winning artists,” she said, standing near one of the Jacoby paintings. “But it is difficult.”

Researchers have lists of artists and artwork titles submitted for each Olympics, but descriptions are absent or vague. Artists sometimes created multiple works with similar titles, making verification difficult. Little was photographed, or was captured only in black and white.

Curators scan auctions and online sales. Language is a barrier. Not all advertised pieces are declared as having been a part of the Olympics.

Would curators notice if Carlo Pellegrini’s “Winter Sports” frieze, the first winning painting in 1912, went up for sale? (Probably, because its whereabouts have long proved vexing.) Would they catch it if “Rodeo” by Lee Blair, a Disney illustrator who won gold in 1932, hit the market? (Maybe. It was donated to a California high school and has been lost for decades .)

The case of the Discus Thrower might be the most illustrative. A Greek American tobacco executive named Ery Kehaya commissioned the first bronze version for New York. (A second was cast in 1927 and still stands near the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens .)

But a decade after its festive unveiling outside the Met, it was uprooted and replanted on New York’s Randall’s Island, in front of a new stadium where the sprinter Jesse Owens would qualify for the Berlin Olympics.

The sporting location made some sense, but New Yorkers have long been more likely to cross the bridges over Randall’s Island in a car or a train than to stop there. About 500 acres in size and virtually uninhabited, the island is where Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx are stitched together by the Robert F. Kennedy (formerly the Triborough) Bridge . Below is parkland and sports facilities, mostly, maintained by the Randall’s Island Park Alliance .

The organization’s logo is a silhouette of the Discus Thrower. Depicting an old-style, two-handed throwing form, it looks a bit like a muscular nudist leaning back to hand a loaf of bread to someone behind him in a crowd.

“Most people don’t know what it represents,” Deborah Maher, the alliance’s president, admitted.

The statue, like the stadium it proclaimed, did not age well. Worn, weathered and vandalized, missing an arm and the discus itself, it was quietly removed in 1970 and put in storage, and was not missed by many.

But the Discus Thrower was rediscovered, refurbished and rededicated in 1999 . With the old stadium headed for demolition, it was placed on a grassy traffic island at the foot of a Manhattan exit ramp — a lonely greeter, to a mostly empty island. He didn’t even look drivers in the eye.

It stood there until last fall, when Maher and others got nervous about encroaching road construction. They hauled it away and, on April 16, the Discus Thrower was unveiled, again, outside the 5,000-seat Icahn Stadium, which had opened in 2005 on the site of the previous, larger stadium.

The statue is the centerpiece of a new $1.6 million plaza. It stands tall within a round, raised flower bed and is illuminated on four sides.

“We wanted to highlight him,” Maher said.

That this is 2024, the 100th anniversary of the Discus Thrower’s gold medal, the centennial of one Paris Olympics and the year of another, is a happy coincidence.

“The whole thing was serendipitous,” Maher said.

To be replanted in a raised flower bed on Randall’s Island may not represent the grandest of Olympic comebacks. But it’s a fate far better than that of the old arts competitions themselves, buried by history long ago.

John Branch is a sports reporter. He won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for “Snow Fall,” a story about a deadly avalanche in Washington State, and is the author of three books, including “Sidecountry,” a collection of New York Times stories, in 2021. More about John Branch

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Stuart Hall caps off research project; Shelburne student honored for essay: CHALKBOARD

School- and youth-related news.

Stuart Hall students cap off research project with symposium

STAUNTON — Students at Stuart Hall School will soon cap a year of independent research with the nearby Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum by presenting their findings at an evening symposium.

The Monday, May 20, event culminates the students’ explorations into the decade of 1912-1922. The History III: Historical Research class has examined such diverse matters as the rights of women and LGBTQ communities, the origin of some professional sports leagues, and the global fallout from war and pandemic.

The symposium will begin at 7 p.m. at the Wilson Library, at 20 N. Coalter Street.

Timothy Layne, who teaches the Stuart Hall class, says the evening program will give the audience a fuller understanding of this complex and eventful time. At the same time, the scholars will learn what it’s like to “present your work at an academic conference.”

“It’s cool to be able to say, ‘Our students are presenting research at a presidential library,’ not just, ‘with the cooperation of a presidential library,'" said Layne.

Students used the fall and winter to develop research skills before selecting their topics and then identifying a question that tied into their topic. With every visit to the Wilson Library, the teenagers immersed themselves in primary documents that could speak to their particular question and inform an answer.

This semester, the class has shifted its work to using those answers as the basis for its research papers. Students are writing draft after draft, and classmates and Layne review them for completeness.

As new information shaped the class’s understanding of this transformative era, thesis statements evolved and conclusions shifted. Layne calls that an anticipated part of the process.

“Expect your ideas to change,” Layne advised the class. “You might think a source is one you’re going to use a lot, but as you go, maybe you won’t find it as relevant as you’ll find other material.”

By the time of the symposium, Layne has told his students they should be an expert on this topic, possibly even knowing it better than Layne himself.

The completed research papers will go into Stuart Hall’s library, the first installment of what Layne hopes will become “a body of literature” on this important era in world history. 

“This class is one of the most exciting things I’ve gotten to do professionally,” Layne says.

The May 20 event is open to the public.

Cobb new director of talent development for Waynesboro Schools

WAYNESBORO — Waynesboro Public Schools announced the appointment of Melissa Cobb as the director of talent development following a decision made at a called meeting of the Waynesboro School Board.

Cobb will commence her new role within the school division this summer. Currently serving as an assistant principal at Waynesboro High School, Cobb brings a wealth of experience and leadership skills to her new position.

Waynesboro Superintendent Jeffrey Cassell emphasized Cobb's potential to elevate the office of instruction's effectiveness in supporting educators at all stages of their careers, saying she will continue the excellent work of those already in the department.

"With an increasing number of new educators to our profession, the extra pair of hands will go a long way in giving our teachers and students what they need to be successful," said Cassell.

Prior to her tenure in Waynesboro, Cobb served as the principal of Parry McCluer High School in Buena Vista for four years and taught history in both Buena Vista City Schools and Augusta County Schools for nine years.

"Ms. Cobb's extensive expertise extends to various areas including new teacher/mentor training, professional development initiatives, and instructional strategies such as project-based learning and the integration of technology in the classroom," a press release said. "Her profound understanding of educational needs and her dedication to nurturing talent will be instrumental as she joins the office of instruction team at central office."

Cobb has her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mary Baldwin University, and an administrative endorsement from Longwood University. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at Old Dominion University.

In her new role, Cobb will report directly to Tim Teachey, the executive director of instruction.

If I Were Mayor contest

STAUNTON — Aiswarya Vinu, a seventh-grader at Shelburne Middle School, won the statewide "If I Were Mayor" essay contest for Region 3. The contest, sponsored by the Virginia Municipal League, asked seventh- and eighth-graders to describe what solutions they would implement for issues affecting their community if they were mayor.

Vinu's essay focused on low teacher salaries in Staunton. Vinu was one seven regional winners. The overall state winner was Piper Dellingerof Signal Knob Middle School in Strasburg.

The essay contest is a key component of VML’s civic education programming, which seeks to teach school children and adults how local government works and how they can become involved in making their communities better places to live, work and play.

Ten other Shelburne students received honorable mentions, including Aaliyah Sprouse, Alex Carpenter, Cameron Boyle, Catherine Montijo, Francis O’Shea, Giuliana Migliaccio, Jacob Holsinger, Jossalyn Mask, Katelyn Blackwell, and Logan Campbell.

Regional winners receive a $150 gift card and a plaque, and their essays will be featured in Virginia Town & City magazine. Staunton City Council also recognized Vinu at a recent meeting.

Read Vinu's essay, along with essays from all the other regional winners and the overall state winner, on the Virginia Municipal League's website .

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—  Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at  [email protected]  and follow him on Twitter  @Patrick_Hite . Subscribe to us at  newsleader.com .