Topic Sentences Supporting your Thesis Statement

Topic Sentences The topic sentence is the first sentence of a body paragraph which has the opinion or assertion for the paragraph. It does the same thing for a body paragraph as the thesis does for the whole essay Except for your intro (which has your thesis) and your conclusion, each paragraph in the paper must have a topic sentence.

Support for your Thesis You need to have a minimum of three support arguments to defend your thesis statement. These are smaller, sub-points that all support your main thesis statement. These sub-points are called Topic Sentences. Topic Sentences = Three reasons why your thesis is TRUE

Writing Topic Sentences Example Thesis In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the moral decay of society is reflective of each of the three principal characters. Topic Sentences This thesis can be organized many different ways. Here’s two different examples: 1. By the three principal characters – write 1 paragraph for each character 2. By theme, then character analysis – write 1 paragraph on the theme, then 2 different paragraphs on character analysis.

Topic Sentences by Characters Example Thesis In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the moral decay of society is reflective of each of the three principal characters. Topic Sentences 1. Jay Gatsby’s antihero has shades of questionable morality, which become more pronounced the longer his illusions persist. (the entire paragraph will be about Gatsby) 2. Demonstrative of her ethical shortcomings, Daisy Buchanan’s emotional immaturity is a manifestation of society’s corroding values. (the entire paragraph will be about Daisy) 3. The brutal and aggressive Tom Buchanan is the embodiment of the deterioration of society’s moral fabric. (the entire paragraph will be about Tom)

Topic Sentences by Theme (1 paragraph) then Character Analysis (2 paragraphs) Example Thesis In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the moral decay of society is reflective of each of the three principal characters. Topic Sentences 1. Pandemic post-World War I disillusionment rioted through early 1920’s society, obscuring people’s sense of moral responsibility and wreaking havoc on their private lives. (the entire paragraph will be about how people’s morals were corrupted by WWI) 2. Each character’s individual moral compass has skewed in such a way as to prevent him or her from feeling compassion or empathy. (the entire paragraph will be about how each character individually has poor morals EX: Tom is cheating on Daisy, Daisy is a bad mother and only cares about money, Nick is judgmental, Jordan is dishonest, etc.) 3. Personal relationships between the characters erode as indicative of their detachment, and all three characters’ actions, motivations, and way of relating to each other suffer as a result. (the entire paragraph will be about the relationships the characters have with each other EX: Tom and Daisy’s bad marriage, Gatsby and Meyer Wolfshiem’s shady business and how Meyer wouldn’t come to the funeral, how Gatsby uses Nick to get to Daisy, etc.)

Comparison of 2 Different Examples (left 3 vs. right 3) THESIS: In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the moral decay of society is reflective of each of the three principal characters. EASIER - organized by character 1. Jay Gatsby’s antihero has shades of questionable morality, which become more pronounced the longer his illusions persist. 2. Demonstrative of her ethical shortcomings, Daisy Buchanan’s emotional immaturity is a manifestation of society’s corroding values. 3. The brutal and aggressive Tom Buchanan is the embodiment of the deterioration of society’s moral fabric. MORE SOPHISTICATED – organized first by theme, then by character analysis 1. Pandemic post-World War I disillusionment rioted through early 1920’s society, obscuring people’s sense of moral responsibility and wreaking havoc on their private lives. 2. Each character’s individual moral compass has skewed in such a way as to prevent him or her from feeling compassion or empathy. 3. Personal relationships between the characters erode as indicative of their detachment, and all three characters’ actions, motivations, and way of relating to each other suffer as a result.

FOCUSED Topic Sentences If you mention something in the topic sentence, you need to mention it in the paragraph. If you don’t put it in the topic sentence, don’t write about it in the paragraph. EXAMPLE Topic Sentence: For Jay Gatsby, material objects symbolize the wealth he is trying to obtain. This entire paragraph will be about GATSBY’S material objects his car, his pink suit, his mansion, the green light at Daisy’s dock This paragraph will NOT contain references to Tom’s car or Gatsby’s business with Wolfshiem or how much Gatsby loves Daisy. This paragraph ONLY focuses on material objects and what they mean to Gatsby.

Supporting your Topic Sentences Inserting Quotations into your Essay

Support for Topic Sentences You must support your topic sentences with text evidence. Support can come from: Your own personal opinions and judgments The Great Gatsby Outside research (Your three literary criticism articles)

Support for Topic Sentences Generate at least two quotes from either the novel or outside sources that support each topic sentence. You MUST use at least 1 quote from EACH source article. MINIMUM of 6 quotes total (you may have more) 3 quotes from The Great Gatsby Please write out the quote AND the pg. number 3 quotes from your 3 Literary Criticism Sources – at least 1 quote from each article Please hi-light the quote you want to use in your article