70 likes | 97 Views
Thesis Statement. A good one:. Your text says a good thesis statement is “One that makes the boldest and most unexpected claim that can be persuasively developed.
E N D
A good one: • Your text says a good thesis statement is “One that makes the boldest and most unexpected claim that can be persuasively developed. • Example: In John Edgar Wideman’s “RockRiver,” the contrast between Rick and Sarah is partially expressed in the settings associated with each.”
Thesis and Organization • Your thesis statement should provide a key to your essay’s organization. • The statement “The contrast between Rick and Sarah is partially expressed in the settings associated with each,” for example, alerts me to the fact that this essay will compare the different settings.
Some other good examples: • Her experiences “on the shelf” in patriarchal India, prepare the protagonist of Talat Abbasi’s “Sari Petticoat” to be a detached observer, rather than an engaged participant in life. • Analysis of her stance toward her husband and her new life is what I can expect in this essay
Good Examples: • Though Alberto Alvaro Rio’s story “Johnny Ray” seems to privilege the issue of race, it can also be read as a critique of Chicano machismo. • This thesis implies that it will do a close reading of the story looking for evidence of a critical stance toward traditional gender roles.
Look at each person’s Thesis Statement. • Does it suggest an organizational pattern: compare, contrast, define, describe, discuss, explain, justify, relate, trace, analyze. • Does the statement indicate what idea or approach will focus their essay? (rebellion, feminism, language, multiculturalism, assimilation, etc.)
Rewrite and Outline • Rewrite the statement so that it does both -- suggest an organizational structure and indicate controlling idea. • Outline which events from Alvarez’s life, the story, and the supplemental materials will be useful for the essay. • Submit a copy of the thesis and the outline before you leave. (Make sure the author has a copy, too.)