Thesis Thesis Observation Opinion Any good thesis should
Thesis
Thesis: Observation + Opinion • Any good thesis should be precise • Lay out exactly what you are arguing • Avoid vague words “society” “culture” “interesting” “fascinating” • Use specifics: • • Basic: Jewish culture requires hats Better: The norm of men covering their heads in Jewish beliefs… Basic: The level of modesty in Muslim culture is interesting Better: The level of modesty in Muslim culture is stricter than modesty in the United states
Setting the stage: Introductory phrase • Gives a background to the idea • Ex: While Pakistani schools have taught women for decades before the arrival of the Taliban, the… • Despite Malala’s father’s attempt to dissuade the Taliban, the… • Can be used to set up the caveat to thesis • This serves as a alternative point or an acknowledgement • Can be used as a set up for a counterargument/rebuttal
Observation • Observation is the subject of what you are noticing • In this essay the subject is “influence” • Who influences what norm/value/belief? • What norm/value/belief influences whom? • Ex: Malala challenges the traditional beliefs of the Taliban, who believe women are inferior, … • How does it do this? By/because… • Ex, continued: by continuing to go to school; by talking on radios; etc. because she values the benefits;
Opinion • What does this reveal? • Reveal something about the culture • …revealing an inherent sexism rooted within religious beliefs • Reveal something about the character • …indicating that she is a rebel by heart • Why does it matter? • Showing importance of belief/value/norm • …while Kabuliwala may have seemed innocent at first, the norm of not talking to strangers is proved to be valuable because…
Putting it together • Your observation is that someone/something has influenced someone/something else • But what does this reveal about the character or the culture? Or why does this matter? • Ex: Despite a history of Pakistani schools teaching women, the Taliban newscaster’s beliefs influences the rest of Pakistan to exclude women from schools through threats, revealing a deep-rooted issue of sexism disguised in religious beliefs.
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