OUR MISSION – Learning how to Write a Short Literary Analysis about Something We’ve Read #1 - How to Formulate a Strong Thesis Statement

TDEC – a way of thinking through your written analysis of a text Thesis Thesis Details Details (evidence from text) Elaboration Elaboration Commentary Commentary These parts are factual—not up for debate. How did the writer do it? Here is where you provide your insights and ideas, explaining why the details you chose from the text support your thesis/argument

T SIX Ingredients for a Strong Thesis 1)Answer the question you were asked. Make sure you answer the prompt directly and accurately. 2)Commit to a specific focus. Don’t give two or three answers. (Although a specific thesis may also be complex and have multiple parts) 3)BUT…don’t be too specific; you want to be able to write about the whole text, not just one paragraph. Don’t include specific quotes from the text. Save those details for support. 4)Take a position that could possibly be challenged or opposed. You should not just provide facts and/or a summary. (A thesis should be interesting for a reader!) 5)It must be defendable! Ask yourself: Can I prove this? Is there enough evidence in the story to support my argument? 6)Help your reader. Use wording from the prompt so a reader could guess the prompt you were given. Will a reader understand what you mean? Include the author’s name, the work’s title, and its genre.

An example for “Sleeping” Prompt: Why is “Sleeping” a symbolic title for Katherine Weber’s short story? Possible ideas for a thesis: – The baby is supposedly sleeping the whole time. – The baby is dead, so, in a way, it is eternally “sleeping”. – The mother is sleeping because she is not awake to the reality that her baby has died…or that she couldn’t have a baby – Harriet is sleeping because she doesn’t realize what’s going on.

An example for “Sleeping” Prompt: Why is “Sleeping” a symbolic title for Katherine Weber’s short story? Bad thesis: It works as a title because Charles is supposedly asleep the whole time, but in actuality he has died. A little better thesis: “Sleeping” is a symbolic title for Katherine Weber’s short story because Harriet doesn’t have the experience to know what’s happening, Charles is eternally “sleeping”, and because Mrs. Winter is asleep to reality. Notice that in the set-up of the second thesis, the reader is given much more information. You can guess what kind of prompt the writer was given. Also, the writer provides the author’s name, the work’s title, as well as its genre.

An example for “Sleeping” Prompt: Why is “Sleeping” a symbolic title for Katherine Weber’s short story? Strong thesis: “Sleeping” is a symbolic title for Katherine Weber’s short story because the word represents the emotional state of Mrs. Winter, a woman who is unable to awaken and face a painful reality.

Your HW “Us and Them” Prompts As a result of the events of the story, what realization does David Sedaris make about his own behavior? What’s one central theme Sedaris addresses in his autobiographical essay “Us and Them”? Look over the 6 ingredients of a strong thesis (on the next slide) and revise both of your thesis sentences you wrote for HW to make them stronger.

T SIX Ingredients for a Strong Thesis 1)Answer the question you were asked. Make sure you answer the prompt directly and accurately. 2)Commit to a specific focus. Don’t give two or three answers. (Although a specific thesis may also be complex and have multiple parts) 3)BUT…don’t be too specific; you want to be able to write about the whole text, not just one paragraph. Don’t include specific quotes from the text. Save those details for support. 4)Take a position that could possibly be challenged or opposed. You should not just provide facts and/or a summary. (A thesis should be interesting for a reader!) 5)It must be defendable! Ask yourself: Can I prove this? Is there enough evidence in the story to support my argument? 6)Help your reader. Use wording from the prompt so a reader could guess the prompt you were given. Will a reader understand what you mean? Include the author’s name, the work’s title, and its genre.