The Thesis and the Introduction Your Requests ☺

What is a Thesis? □The thesis statement is one of the (if not the) most important parts of your paper—think of it as the foundation of a house—if your foundation is weak and poorly constructed, what do you think happens to the house? □The thesis statement is the announcement of your analytical argument that you intend to make and prove in the duration of your paper. It is a road map for the paper—it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.

What is a Thesis? □It should be placed somewhere in the Introduction of your paper—Many like to put it as the last sentence(s) of their Intro which is fine. □Successful thesis statements provoke thought and should read beautifully. □A thesis statement is usually, but can be more than, one sentence long.

Two Parts WHATWHY □Your thesis statement should include two parts: WHAT and WHY. □WHAT: What claim are you making about the text? □WHY: Why should we care? Why is your claim important? Your thesis should answer the “so what?” question.

What’s up with the thesis? □Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel. □An opinion about the book, not an argument.

What’s up with the thesis? □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?

What’s up with the thesis? □Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Mark 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.

Examples □Through Paul’s experience behind the lines at a Russian prisoner of war camp, and especially under bombardment in the trenches, Erich Maria Remarque realistically shows how war dehumanizes a man □Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter falters and ultimately breaks down with the introduction of the character Pearl.

Examples □The character of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet serves as a foil to young Juliet, delights us with her warmth and earthy wit, and helps realize the tragic catastrophe. □Dickens’ portrayal of the French Revolution and the love triangle depends mainly on his use of four artistic tools: paradox, parallelism, figurative language, and theme.

Examples TOPICQUESTION AND THESIS STATEMENT CharacterIn The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts as alien to her society until her father acknowledges her. Relationships among Characters In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger shows that the relationship between Holden and Phoebe acts as a positive force on Holden.

Examples TOPICQUESTION AND THESIS STATEMENT ThemesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a satire on racism. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men poignantly expresses the alienation and loneliness of migrant farm workers. Style: Effective use of imagery, foreshadowing, or symbolism to advance character development, theme or artistic purpose Through the use of images and symbols in The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger reveals many subtleties about Holden's sensitive personality.

Examples TOPICQUESTION AND THESIS STATEMENT StructureIn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses the river journey to illustrate Huck's increasing awareness of the moral hypocrisy in the "civilized" South. Critical Overview: Background on critical reputation of the novel including controversies What reasons do critics have for censoring The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Is the novel obscene? Is the novel racist? Is the language too coarse? Is it immoral?

Sample Patterns for Literary Thesis Statements □In (title of work), (author) (illustrates, shows) (aspect) (adjective). □In “Barn Burning,” William Faulkner shows the characters Sardie and Abner Snopes struggling for their identity. □In (title of work), (author) uses (one aspect) to (define, strengthen, illustrate) the (element of work). □In “Youth,” Joseph Conrad uses foreshadowing to strengthen the plot.

Sample Patterns for Literary Thesis Statements □In (title of work), (author) uses (an important part of work) as a unifying device for (one element), (another element), and (another element). NOTE: The number of elements can vary from one to four. □In “Youth,” Joseph Conrad uses the sea as a unifying device for setting, structure and theme.

Sample Patterns for Literary Thesis Statements □In (title of work), (author) uses (literary device) to (accomplish, develop, illustrate, strengthen) (element of work). □In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe uses the symbolism of the stranger, the clock, and the seventh room to develop the theme of death.

Sample Patterns for Literary Thesis Statements □(Author) develops the character of (character’s name) in (literary work) through what he/she does, what he/she says, what other people say to or about him/her. □Langston Hughes develops the character of Semple in “Ways and Means”…

Sample Patterns for Literary Thesis Statements □(Author) (shows, develops, illustrates) the theme of __________ in the (play, poem, story). □Flannery O’Connor illustrates the theme of the effect of the selfishness of the grandmother upon the family in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”

Sample Patterns for Literary Thesis Statements □(Author) (shows, develops, illustrates) the theme of __________ in the (play, poem, story). □Flannery O’Connor illustrates the theme of the effect of the selfishness of the grandmother upon the family in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”

Sample Patterns for Literary Thesis Statements □(Author) develops his character(s) in (title of work) through his/her use of language. □John Updike develops his characters in “A & P” through his use of figurative language.

Video Clip: A Reminder □ to-write-a-killer-thesis-statement/ to-write-a-killer-thesis-statement/

WRITE YOUR THESIS

THE INTRODUCTION

What is the Introduction? □arouses interest in your reader □brings immediate focus to your subject □use a quotation, a provocative question, a personal anecdote, a startling statement, or a combination of these. □You may also want to include background information relevant to your thesis and necessary for the reader to understand the position you are taking.

□includes the title of the work of literature and names the author

Which opening(s)? What would you expect to be the personality of a man who has his wife sent away to a convent (or perhaps has had her murdered) because she took too much pleasure in the sunset and in a compliment paid to her by another man? It is just such a man -- a Renaissance duke -- that Robert Browning portrays in his poem “My Last Duchess.” Through what he says about himself, through his actions, and through his interpretation of earlier incidents, the Duke reveals the arrogance, jealousy, and materialism that are his most conspicuous traits.

Which opening(s)? The first paragraph of Alberto Alvaro Rios’s short story “The Secret Lion” presents a twelve-year-old boy’s view of growing up -- everything changes. As the narrator tells us, when the magician pulls a tablecloth out from under a pile of dishes, children are amazed at the “stay-the-same part,” while adults focus only on the tablecloth itself (42). Adults have the benefit of experience and know the trick will work as long as the technique is correct. When we “grow up” we gain this experience and knowledge, but we lose our innocence and sense of wonder. In other words, the price we pay for growing up is a permanent sense of loss. This tradeoff is central to “The Secret Lion.” The key symbols in the story reinforce its main theme: change is inevitable and always accompanied by a sense of loss.

Which opening(s)? The setting of John Updike’s story “A & P” is crucial to our understanding of Sammy’s decision to quit his job. Even though Sammy knows that his quitting will make life more difficult for him, he instinctively insists upon rejecting what the A & P represents in the story. When he rings up a “No Sale” and “saunter[s]” out of the store, Sammy leaves behind not only a job but the rigid state of mind associated with the A & P. Although Sammy is the central character in the story and we learn much about him, Updike seems to invest as much effort in describing the setting as he does Sammy. The title, after all, is not “Youthful Rebellion” or “Sammy Quits” but “A & P.” In fact, the setting is the antagonist of the story and plays a role that is as important as Sammy’s.

How could you modify this to fit Fahrenheit 451? □Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” is a short story illustrating the plight of a Southern Christian black woman in an abusive relationship with her husband. At the story’s heart is a masterful depiction of the protagonist, a woman who after many years of abuse finally refuses to subject herself to her philandering husband’s cruelty. Hurston achieves the greater theme of “Sweat,” the triumph of the oppressed, through her use of three basic Southern literary themes: folklore, oppression, and religion. A brief inspection of these three basic themes will reveal how “Sweat” achieves its inspiring effect.

WRITE YOUR INTRODUCTION