Writing Solid Thesis Statements

Parts Topic Claim (verb) Direction (__, ___, and ___) Universal Idea (abstract noun) Qualifier (subordinating conjunction)

For Analysis Questions: Make a Claim = Argument Not literal, not obvious Tell the Overall Meaning (Whole) Meaning = Theme, Tone, Purpose Identify the Literary Strategies/Devices/Resources (Parts) This is how you know Identify a shift or contrast

Check the thesis statement: topic + debatable opinion 1. Can the writer identify the topic of the thesis statement? The subject might be a symbol, character, a motif, an archetype or an aspect of DIDLS 2. Can the writer identify the opinion? Or does the statement merely identify something in the text? 3. Does the thesis merely summarize or only point out an obvious detail or pattern? 4. Does the diction in the thesis include vague or abstract words that contain too many meanings, thus preventing a clear focus?

Examples of Thesis Statements without an Opinion BAD Ebenezer Scrooge is forced to remember events of the past. Huck and Jim experience several conflicts during their travel down the river. There are many symbols in the book. Dickens repeats images of “hands” throughout the novel. Matthew Arnold’s sea metaphor plays a significant role in the poem.

Examples of Thesis Statements with an Opinion (Shoot for this Target!) Scrooge’s encounters with the ghosts illustrate the transformative power of memory. Huck’s and Jim’s friendship moves through three stages: the meeting, the challenge and survival, and developing love. In Great Expectations, the hands motif indicates Pip’s location in the journey toward maturity. The sea metaphor allows Matter Arnold to develop a political commentary on the Victorian Age, a time in which man is isolated and void of religious conviction, a situation that can only be rectified by human love. The diction and imagery Twain uses in relaying Huck’s story reveals his personal struggle with freedom and civilization. GOOD!!

After Writing the Thesis Statement, What Next? Organize the evidence After looking at the list of textual passages, consider the best way to organize the evidence. Look for patterns. Perhaps the evidence can be grouped by aspects of the definition in the thesis statement or the parts of the analogy. Review the organization choices below that were previously discussed with paraphrasing: time, place, idea. Some inexperienced writers attempt to organize their papers and write topic sentences without examining the evidence. Allow the evidence to determine the organization of the essay.

After Organizing Evidence, What Does the Writer Do? Create topic sentences – P2 Write topic sentences that will support the thesis statement. Topic sentences show the reader how the writer is organizing the evidence. Bold-faced phrases in the sample topic sentences that follow demonstrate the writer’s organization choice; the underlined words act as glue tying the topic sentence to the thesis statement.

Some ways to organize the paper…

1. Time: Organize chronologically, moving through the events in the novel or poem. (Note that I have only given examples of two topic sentences; these thesis statements often will require more.) Thesis: The conch in Lord of the Flies represents the decay of order and civilization P2: In chapter one, the conch is discovered and revered for its power to call the children to an ordered meeting. P2: In chapter three, the conch shows signs of losing its civilizing power.

2. Literary Device: Organize by writer’s use of literary device 2. Literary Device: Organize by writer’s use of literary device. Qualify the device and connect it to the meaning of the whole body of text. Thesis: Dickenson employs naturalistic imagery with formal diction to convey the theme that nature should be respected and adored. P2: Dickenson uses naturalistic imagery that appeals to visual senses to express the awe inspiring element of nature. P2: Dickenson describes the setting using formal diction, which contrasts with the colloquial domestic surroundings, creating a revered status for the woods.

3. Idea: This approach includes papers organized by a definition, a classification, an analogy/comparison, a comparison-contrast, or a cause-effect. The topic sentences, then articulate separate parts of the thesis statement. For example, topic sentences might define the aspects of a definition, classify the evidence into categories, identify one cause, etc. Thesis: In this excerpt from The Tempest, Prospero possesses the qualities of leadership all communities hope to produce. P2: Prospero demonstrates an ability to restrain his emotions. (Show diction, imagery, syntax throughout) P2: Prospero recognizes that those who commit crimes must receive consequences. (See above)

Let’s re-cap: In the intro, we need The title of the literary work (what do we underline? when do we use quotations?) Full name of the author at first; after that, only the last name Thesis – CFC (complexity or shift, function, conjunctions) An argument, position - NOT A FACT C: States the main “complexity” (contradiction: hot & cold, tension/release, irony, juxtaposition, change, shift) OF THE ENTIRE PROMPT F: Explains the “function” of the complexity/shift (What is the purpose or role of that complexity?) C: Conjunctions or key words to help you construct the thesis: not only … but, however, yet, despite, but

Raising the level of student work Essays scored 4 (out of 9) or lower most often result from students “dumbing down” the task. A series of lower-scoring sample essay opening paragraphs will be projected in the next few slides. What instructions would you give these students in order to get them to engage the task more fully?

The Prompt and the Problem The following prompt can be found on Question 1 of the 2010 AP English Lit/Comp Exam: Read carefully the following poem by Marilyn Nelson Waniek. Then write an essay analyzing how Waniek employs literary techniques to develop the complex meanings that the speaker attributes to The Century Quilt. You may wish to consider such elements as structure, imagery, and tone. 2010 Q1 Sample B; score: 4

…and the Problem again… 2010 Sample A; score: 3

…and the Problem again 2010 Q1 Sample R – Score 4

What instructional questions do these low-scoring essay-openings raise? Should students be trained to repeat the prompt in the first paragraph? Should students be trained to organize essays around a list of literary techniques/devices? Should the first paragraph make specific claims about the complex effect or meaning of the text? Or should it remain vague?

What important tasks are these essay writers failing to take on? These writers don’t discuss specific “complex meanings” that the speaker attributes to The Century Quilt. They introduce specific literary techniques without stating how these are used by the poet “to develop the complex meanings that the speaker attributes to The Century Quilt.”

What an adequate response might look like: Sample YYY; score: 9

What strategies does this highly successful student-writer use? The first paragraph has a thesis which defines the complex meanings attributed to the quilt. The description of the quilt’s theme or meanings respects that fact that the poem’s meaning is not static but “develops” as we read and as we deepen our understanding of the work.

What is this highly successful student-writer NOT doing? The student does not repeat the prompt. There is no laundry list of technical terms for literary techniques. There is not much of a distracting “grabber”-type introduction. Nearly all of this first paragraph is about the poem; there is a brief “grabber” sentence, but it is seamlessly related to the statement of the poem’s theme (i.e.“complex meanings”).

How does the successful writer introduce the “literary techniques”? The one “technique” mentioned in ¶ 1, “symbol”, is not from the list of suggested techniques in the prompt; moreover, it is embedded in a meaningful statement about a specific idea:

A different way to succeed: 2010 Q1 Sample VVV – Score 8