1. Mr. King J110

2. To begin, let us first review what a Thesis Statement is… A Thesis Statement (also known as a Main Thesis, or MT) is an explicit and direct statement which clarifies the author’s purpose for writing a paper

3. A MT contains two parts: 1. subject 2. opinion Example: When a man is taken away from his comfort zone, he eventually shows his evil side.

4. A good MT has: -only 1 sentence -a subject and an opinion -as few words as possible (concise) A bad MT has: -several sentences (3 or more) -ambiguous statements -too many words or too many ideas -no opinion

5. 1. You must pick a Theme We have discussed several Themes in The Lord of the Flies: Loss of Innocence Fear Civilized vs. Uncivilized Society Need for order/rules Good vs. Evil

6. 2. Pick a Literary Device We have discussed several Literary Devices that will work for this paper: setting characterization conflict foreshadowing symbolism irony figurative language

7. 3. Pick two Concrete Details (CDs) to support each Literary Device Use a direct quote for each CD and make sure you list author’s last name and page # Correct: “Maybe he means it’s some sort of ghost”(Golding 89). Incorrect: Maybe he means it’s some sort of ghost. Golding.

8. But Mr. King, why are you asking us to know which CD’s we are using right now? Answer: Because my darling students, if you do not know which CD’s support each Lit Device, your paper will show an ineffective argument AND you may have no textual reference to support your argument. This will make you waste valuable writing time!

9. Here is an example of a MT: The author William Golding shows characterization and symbolism in The Lord of the Flies. The author does this because man is naturally evil. The boys in the story are naturally evil, therefore this author is correct.

10. Why did that MT make Mr. King cry?

11. Here is another example of a MT: Through his use of symbolism and characterization, William Golding illustrates how the innate evil of mankind prevents the establishment of a functioning society in the novel The Lord of the Flies. Lit Device #1 Lit Device #2 Theme/Subject Opinion

12. Now Mr. King is happy with his MT

13. Now it is your turn to begin planning for your paper. By now we are nearly done reading the book, so get started!