Lecture 2 Thesis Statements and Introductory Paragraphs By

Lecture 2: Thesis Statements and Introductory Paragraphs By: Coach Peralta

Ø A Strong Introductory Paragraph Contains the Following: Ø 1. Title, Author, and Genre (heretofore known as the TAG) Example: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby takes place in the roaring twenties. The novel traces the rise and fall of Jay Gatsby through the eyes of Nick Carraway. Ø 2. A clear, definitive, and compelling THESIS STATEMENT that is uniquely qualified and organized logically. Example: In his novel, Fitzgerald uses the tragedy of Jay Gatz and the emptiness of Daisy Buchanan to illustrate the idea that the pursuit of the American dream is sisyphean task where individuals are tethered to their past and history. Ø Solid Intros Do not Contain the Following: Ø Proof or evidence of thesis. Ø Do not, do not mention SPECIFIC LITERARY DEVICES!!!! Ø Statement of intent, i. e. “This essay will be about, ” or “I will discuss. ”

Examples of Weak Thesis Statements: 1. Ebenezer Scrooge is forced to remember events of the past. 2. Huck and Jim experience several conflicts during their travel down the river. 3. There are many symbols in the book. 4. Dickens repeats images of “hands” throughout the novel. 5. Hosseini’s novel is about redemption and loyalty.

Examples of Strong Thesis Statements: 1. Scrooge’s encounters with the ghosts illustrate the transformative power of memory. 2. Huck’s and Jim’s friendship moves through three stages: the meeting, the challenge and survival, and developing love. 3. In Great Expectations, the hands motif indicates Pip’s location in the journey toward maturity. 4. The literary techniques Twain uses in relaying Huck’s story reveal not only the character’spersonal struggle with freedom and the encroachment of civilization, but also, and, more importantly, America’s struggle with freedom and the encroachment of civilization on the wild, wild west.

The Evolution of a Strong Thesis Statement • “Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel. ” – What’s wrong with this thesis statement? – An opinion about the book, not an argument. • “In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore. ” – Better? How so? What is still missing? – Doesn’t answer the “so what? ” question—what is the point of the contrast? What does the contrast signify? • “Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American ideals, one must leave ‘civilized’ society and return to nature. ” – Even better? It presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of it content and answers “so what? ”

Strong Thesis Statements Use These Words… • • • Alludes to Attests Clarifies Confirms Conveys Denotes Depicts Determines Displays • • • Emphasizes Entails Establishes Exemplifies Explains Exposes Expounds Highlights Hints • • • Illustrates Implies Connotes Indicates Portrays Represents Reveals Validates Signifies • • Substantiate Suggests Typifies Underscores

Some ways to organize essays…

1. 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 thesis statement. For example, topic sentences might define the aspects of a definition, classify the evidence into categories, identify one cause, etc. • Thesis: In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses his characters to explore three moral categories: depravity, vice, and redemption. [NOTE: this progression is logical. depravity (cause) -> vice (effect) -> redemption (solution)] • TS 1: The lowest level Chaucer describes is one of complete depravity, representing morality without God. • TS 2: Chaucer’s second moral plane is further defined by the perpetration of evil acts as a direct result of this expanded depravity: sloth, selfishness, and hypocrisy.

2. Time: Organize chronologically, moving through the events in the novel or poem. • Thesis: The speaker of Browning’s “Sonnet 43” argues for the necessity of religious devotion in romantic love. • TS 1: In the first quatrain [four lines], the speaker employs a rhetorical question and hyperbole to establish the extreme depth of her love towards her husband. • TS 2: This illustration of limitless love continues in the next quatrain, as the speaker adds a sense of timelessness to her devotion through the anaphora of “I will love thee”.

Don’t forget…In a solid intro paragraph, we also need a T. A. G. (Title, Author, Genre) which generally proceeds thesis statement. • 1. The title of the literary work (what do we underline? when do we use quotations? ) Underline when hand written, italicize when typed. • 2. The Full name of the author at first; after that, only the last name • 3. The Genre a Brief blurb about the literary work • 4. A Strong Thesis An argument, a position - NOT A FACT or TOPIC

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 Q 1 Sample B; score: 4

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

…and the Problem again 2010 Q 1 Sample R – Score 4

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. ”

A strong response might look like this… 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 studentwriter 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: