1. “Ritual is group participation in the most hideous act, which is the act of life—namely, killing and eating another living thing…The hero is the one who comes to participate in life courageously and decently, in the way of nature, not in the way of personal rancor, disappointment, or revenge” (Campbell 82).

2. Thesis #1 In Ellen Foster, Ellen is a hero. In Ellen Foster, Ellen experiences a lot of death, but also life.

3. Thesis #2 In Ellen Foster, Gibbons reflects Campbell’s idea that a hero must acknowledge both life and death.

4. Thesis #3 In Ellen Foster, Gibbons reflects Campbell’s idea that a hero must acknowledge both life and death, and ultimately suggests that engagement with the natural world allows the hero to “courageously” transcend this duality.

5. Testing your Thesis In Ellen Foster, Gibbons reflects Campbell’s idea that a hero must acknowledge both life and death, and ultimately suggests that engagement with the natural world allows the hero to “courageously” transcend this duality. Is my thesis arguable? Does it make a point? Is my thesis based on Campbell’s ideas (even if it doesn’t mention Campbell)? Is my thesis complex? (i.e. is it unobvious?) Does it attempt to capture the complexity of Campbell’s ideas? Is my thesis clear? (i.e. is it not wordy or confusing?) Can my thesis be supported by closely examining the details/language in EF?

6. Practice Outline Use one of your thesis statements to prepare a “hypothetical” outline for a micro analysis Focus of each paragraph? TS? What quotes would you analyze? What words would you focus on? How would you set up your intro? Campbell?