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Watch out for:

Watch out for:. Morals or overall lessons that poem is communicating. Rather focus on a theme supported by specific elements. Simply summaries that retell the main concept of the poem. A good thesis…. Your thesis should include three components: WHAT, HOW, and WHY WHAT—claim about the text

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Watch out for:

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  1. Watch out for: • Morals or overall lessons that poem is communicating. Rather focus on a theme supported by specific elements. • Simply summaries that retell the main concept of the poem.

  2. A good thesis… • Your thesis should include three components: WHAT, HOW, and WHY • WHAT—claim about the text • HOW—the literary devices, concepts, general themes etc. that you choose to prove your claim • WHY—the significance of your idea in terms of understanding the text as a whole (answers the dreaded “so what?” question) • A thesis statement is usually, but can be more than, one sentence long.

  3. Examples “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.

  4. 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?

  5. “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 go back to nature.” • Even better? • It presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content and answers the “so what” question.

  6. “Edgar Allen Poe’s work was affected greatly by the current events of his life, covering his family life, his childhood, and his career; these events changed the style and subject of his works.” • What’s wrong with this thesis statement? • More questions than answers: which works will be explored? What current events? What childhood or career events? How did Poe’s style change and WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

  7. “There is a lot of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter.” • Bad? Why?

  8. “Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter falters and ultimately breaks down with the introduction of the character Pearl.” • Better? Why?

  9. “The character of Ben in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesmanis a great [or important, or crucial, or unforgettable, etc.] character.”  • What’s wrong with thesis? • This does not say enough to serve as the basis for an essay.  Besides, each of these judgments is entirely a matter of personal opinion because none of them define the criteria by which the judgment is being made.

  10. Audience • Assume your audience for this paper is someone already acquainted with the work. • No need to have long summaries • Your thesis should bring something insightful to the text

  11. 1st essay: reader response • Use this as a place to personalize the essay. • Discuss how it affects you in your background, cultural identity, your own experience of memory. • Answer questions listed under inquiry guidelines

  12. 2nd essay: close reading • This should be strictly academic (in other words, not your personal opinion) • Should not be whether or not you enjoyed the work a but rather an evaluation of the poem working towards whatever your thesis is.

  13. Group work • Get in groups with others working on the same poem. • Discuss themes, share thesis statements, help each other add levels of complexity and depth to each others’ work. • Avoid simply summaries of the poem. • Post to BB under original post your revised thesis.

  14. Analyzing an essay • http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/14390/analysis_of_the_lottery_a_short_story.html?cat=38

  15. What’s working in this essay? • What is weak? • Can you identify the thesis statement? • How well is supported in the essay?

  16. Homework • Post to BB a copy of your rough draft for peer review on Tuesday, 1/25. • Please post it in a .doc format. • Absence on a peer response day affects your participation grade for that day.

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