The imagination of Tim Burton…

An effective paper will… introduce the topic of author’s style offer a clear thesis accurately and coherently incorporate textual evidence that supports the thesis provide commentary or analysis that develops the ideas presented in the paper show relationships among ideas and between paragraphs be thoroughly edited; eliminate gaps in logic and distracting mechanical errors

EXAMPLE THESIS: IN THE MEMOIR NIGHT, ELIE WIESEL USES IMAGERY, DICTION, AND FIGURES OF SPEECH IN ORDER TO ILLUSTRATE THE DAILY ATROCITIES EXPERIENCED BY THOSE CULTURALLY OPPRESSED IN THE HOLOCAUST. THESIS TEMPLATES 1) IN THE MEMOIR NIGHT, ELIE WIESEL USES _______, _______, AND _______ IN ORDER (THREE STRATEGIES)______ … (VERB) 2) IN ELIE WIESEL’S NIGHT, WIESEL _______…________, ________, AND _________ … (VERB) (THREE STRATEGIES) 3) ELIE WIESEL, IN HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY NIGHT, USES _______, _______, AND _______ TO (THREE STRATEGIES) (VERB)

NOW LET’S TRY REPLACING NIGHT WITH TIM BURTON! EXAMPLE THESIS: IN FILM, TIM BURTON USES SOUND, LIGHTING, AND CAMERA ANGLES IN ORDER TO CONVEY THE MOOD OF SUSPENSE THROUGHOUT MANY OF HIS MAJOR MOTION PICTURES. THESIS TEMPLATES 1) IN THE FILMS EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, SLEEPY HOLLOW AND BIG FISH, TIM BURTON USES _______, _______, AND _______ IN ORDER TO (THREE STRATEGIES)______ … (VERB) 2) IN TIM BURTON’S___NAME OF FILMS_______, BURTON _______…________, ________, AND _________ … (VERB) (THREE STRATEGIES) 3) TIM BURTON, IN HIS FILMS ____________, USES _______, _______, AND _______ TO (THREE STRATEGIES)________ … (VERB)

Paragraph 1. a. Grabber b. Orient Reader to author, book and its context c. Thesis Grabber. Grab the reader’s attention with the first line. You can do this with action, a deep thought or question, vivid description, or dialogue. Orient Reader. In 1-3 sentences, identify the title, author, and subject of the book. Don’t summarize the whole book in detail. But write just enough, as if to assume the reader knows nothing yet about the book. Thesis. The thesis is your angle. It is what you will organize all your evidence around. A thesis can’t be purely true; it has to be able to be argued one way or the other. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WHOLE INTRO

End with a summary. A typical and traditional way to conclude an essay is by restating the thesis and summarizing its main support points (which are also the least dispensable components of a conclusion). Such an ending very often occurs in a relatively long essay containing a number of important points; it may also occur in some short essays as well. However when using this form of conclusion, summarize the thesis statement in the introduction and the key points in all the main body paragraphs differently, but most persuasively. Avoid the trap of repeating the thesis and main ideas word for word. End with further comments from the writer. Such comments (which can include opinions, suggestions and predictions you may want to make about your topic) should be natural and logical extensions of the information in the body of your essay. In general, they should not consist of unsubstantiated new claims. HOW TO END IT ALL, WITHOUT “THE END”

End with a call to action. After presenting all your points in the body of your essay, what recommendations can you make to effect possible changes or improve the situation you have described? What actions can you propose your readers to take? Answering such questions is also an effective strategy to end your essay. But when making recommendations or a call to action, try not to preach or threaten. The reader would more readily respond to your suggestions than to your commands. End with fervor. Strategies for getting the reader’s attention in introductions can also be used to end your essay uniquely and memorably (e.g. stating an apt quotation, a provocative question, a dramatic anecdote, and/or some startling facts about the subject). End where you began. Sometimes called ‘echoing’ or ‘framing’, this type of ending picks up an idea/image suggested in the introduction and echoes it in the conclusion. For example, you can refer back to the anecdote/example you have mentioned previously and show how it is still relevant or how it could have been different. You can also provide a solution to the problem you have raised or give your own answer to a question you have asked. This form of conclusion gives the essay symmetry and provides the reader with a sense of closure