IMPORTANT REMINDERS

IMPORTANT REMINDERS From Dr. Dyke: TNCC Spring Registration 2013 • October 7 @ 4:30pm—Heritage & AAD @ Heritage • October 9 @ 4:30pm—Warwick Parents must attend.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS • Final drafts due by 10pm via vccs • Phone Conferences • No exit pass. • Homework: Read your assigned article. Be prepared to analyze it in your group.

“Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” —Gene Fowler Writing the IntroductionUNC-Chapel Hill & University of Chicago

Thesis Statement • tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. • is a road map for the paper (tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper).

Thesis Statement • makes a claim that others might dispute (the purpose of most college-level essays)

Thesis Statement • directly answers the question asked of you (an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself) The subject/topic: World War II or Moby Dick—thesis must offer a way to understand the war or the novel.

Writing a Thesis Statement Use this formula: • I am addressing the issue of [fill in your topic here] in order to show why/how/what/who/whether [fill this in with subject and verb].

Writing a Thesis Statement • EXAMPLE: I am addressing the issue of the relationship between Jefferson's assumptions and evidence in order to show how he depended on assumptions that he could not prove but needed in order to use the evidence he had.

Writing a Thesis Statement • Focuses your attention not on what you are writing about, but on what you are trying to do. • The indirect question such as, ". . . show how . . . " or" . . . explain why . . . " helps you identify something that you do not know but are trying to find out.

Writing a Thesis Statement Not sure how to fit those key words into a sentence? • Use question marks, ellipses or just blank space to reflect your uncertainty: "The evidence that Jefferson most relies on are specific acts of tyranny (injustice?), which caused him to rely on unproven assumptions . . . fundamental purpose of government." You can come back to this sentence after you've written the draft to fill in the missing pieces.)

Thesis Statement • Preparation: look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships.

Thesis Statement • Do I answer the question? • Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? • Is my thesis statement specific enough?

Thesis Statement • Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? • Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? • Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test?

Thesis Statement Sample Check this thesis statement. • The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different.

Thesis Statement Sample Check this statement. • While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions.

Thesis Statement Sample Check this statement. • While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

Introduction • Purpose: provides a brief statement about the question or problem that you are answering or solving. • How: Suggest something that is puzzling, not entirely understood, perhaps overlooked, not noticed, undervalued.

Introduction • Result: Make your reader feel that you have answered a question that is worth asking, that you have seen something that helps make sense out of a reading.

Introduction Sample: • Topic: Discuss ways in which Tolstoy used the French language to critique social and cultural values in War and Peace.

Introduction #1

InWar and Peace, Tolstoy portrays many aspects of Russian society. One of the most important and interesting of these is the role of the French language. Throughout the book, many characters speak French, although this is the language of their enemy. Later on in the book, the Russians are concerned about using French and begin to learn and use Russian. This very significant shift in the language of the characters indicates some of Tolstoy's views about the values contained in Russian culture. By comparing the use of the French language throughout War and Peace, Tolstoy's views of culture can be examined.

Introduction #2

ThroughoutWar and Peace, the French language is linked to a range of negative themes. In the opening scene, superficial characters at the soiree reveal their artificiality and insincerity through their ostentatious use of French. Those characters who are the most adept at French tend to be the most concerned with social appearances, those who speak Russian are usually associated with honesty and unselfishness. It is notable that those Russians who speak French incorrectly are good, straightforward, kindhearted souls while those who smirk at their virtues speak flawless French. It is misleading, however, to conclude that there is a simple association between negative values and the French language. Although it may seem that French itself reveals a character's superficiality or viciousness, this is not always the case. Very often, Tolstoy uses French in conjunction with irony, paradox or other literary techniques. The French language is not the main vehicle of Tolstoy's cultural criticism, rather, it is more of a parasite that lives off of other devices, a virus that intensifies their effect.

Introduction • Acts as bridges that transport your readers from their own lives into the “place” of your analysis • Acts as transition to help them leave behind the world of Newport News, television, and e-mail and to help them temporarily enter the world of your topic. • Gives your readers the tools they need to get into your topic and care about what you are saying.

Introduction Tips Decide how general or broad your opening should be. • Keep in mind that even a “big picture” opening needs to be clearly related to your topic.

Introduction Tips • An intriguing example • A provocative quotation (be sure to give credit) • A puzzling scenario • A vivid and perhaps unexpected anecdote

IMPORTANT REMINDERS