Please compose a solid thesis statement and complete a Works Cited for your research paper. Think of it as an "essential question" followed by your evidence. In other words, a rhetorical question that resonates a universal question to ponder. Your thesis statement is an attempt to "answer" that question by locating evidence to backup your argument. While you conduct your research, you should be learning more and refining your argument, not merely fishing for things to back up what you already know to be true.
ASSIGNMENT: POST YOUR THESIS STATEMENT FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE "WORKS CITED" ONTO TURNITIN.COM BY TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31ST.
Here is some helpful information on thesis statements:
Thesis Statements
1.
It is something worth arguing
about. There is no
point in basing a paper on a thesis statement that is obvious to everyone or
that is not concerned with any significant issue. Read your thesis and ask, so
what?
2.
It can be supported. It is clearly and forcefully
supported by the rest of the paper; it isn't just a springboard that allows the
writer to jump into topics having little to do with the "thesis."
3. It is precise. It is not
something that one has trouble understanding until one read the rest of the
paper, and it is not something so general or so "safe" that it fails
to represent any strong position. "Bad economic policy was one impact of
the fall of Rome" is not precise.
Samples
Prompt: Morally ambiguous characters -- characters
whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or
purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or
play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an
essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous
and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid
mere plot summary.
The “D - F”
Example: In Albert Camus' The Stranger, a
complex character who, on the basis of his actions alone, might be considered
evil or immoral, would be the character of Raymond.
Commentary: Note that this intro just repeats a part of
the prompt. It does not indicate the reason for the choice, and this choice of
character is weak because the rest of this particular AP prompt indicated that
the author managed to develop reader sympathy for the character. In TS, little
sympathy for Raymond Sintes develops. The student should probably have chosen
Meursault. Although this essay might pick up as it goes along, nothing of
significance has been stated yet. This type of beginning could lead to a D or an
F.
The “B - C” Example: In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the character of
Meursault may be seen as evil by a majority of the members of his society.
Through his callousness toward his mother's death, his indifference toward
Marie's love, and his wish for the hatred of the crowd, Meursault can be seen
in an evil light because these actions go against society's values.
Commentary: This intro is a step up because it makes a
better character choice and shows more knowledge of writing in that it contains
the typical three-pronged topic sentence leading to a structured five paragraph
theme. This type of intro tends to lead to an essay getting a B or C.
The “A” Example: In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the protagonist
Meursault is portrayed as a complex character who serves as Camus' spokesman
for the philosophy of existentialism. On the basis of actions alone, one might
arrive at the conclusion that Meursault is either immoral or evil: Meursault
failed to show emotion at his mother's funeral and killed an Arab on the beach.
However, by allowing the reader to identify with Meursault, by showing his
apathy toward life as a motive for his actions, and by showing his change in
character to one that appreciates and misses his old life, Camus allows the
reader to sympathize with Meursault more than if these elements had been left
out.
Commentary: The student has already completed the double
pronged AP task in the first paragraph. The student is at leisure now to
develop his points in the time and space remaining. This type of thorough
opener usually leads to a high score (7,8). It has the plenitude of detail that
reveals intelligence at work. Also there are signs of competence in literary
and general vocabulary ("protagonist" and "apathy") as well
as excellent use of punctuation (How many students can write a sentence
correctly using colons?) However, what
this paragraph needs to move up to a nine is more stylistic pizzazz (notice how
all of the above paragraphs began with the same phrase -- multiply that by the
number of essays a grader reads in a day, between 100 and 200, and it will
become evident why creativity in the first paragraph is water on the desert of
dry student writing). If this essay continues to be strong and adds humor or
develops a stronger more independent voice, it might move up to an A!
Here is some thesis statements templantes to help you develop your prose:
Thesis Statement Templates
Prose/Open
Response Example #1:
(Insert author’s name) presents
readers with _________________________ as a means of
__________________________. Through the
use of __________________________, ____________________________, and
_________________________ he/she demonstrates the necessity for human beings to
________________________. However, this
becomes more complicated because___________________________. Therefore, (Insert author’s name) uses
________________________ to make his/her point that in order to
____________________ one must ___________________________.
Prose/Open
Response Example #2:
In the art of fiction, an author
may choose to utilize (insert literary device) as a means of
________________________________.
(Insert author’s name) takes this device to another level in
_____________________________ by revealing
_____________________________ through the use of
_________________________. Through the course
of the novel/play, ____________________________________. However, by the end of the work
___________________ ________________. Therefore, (insert author’s name)
utilizes (insert literary device) to make the point
_________________________________________________.
Prose/Open
Response Example #3:
Often novelists/playwrights
_________________________________.
However, (insert author’s name) chooses to
______________________________________ in his her novel/play
____________________________ in order to reveal
_________________________________________ about (insert theme). While on the surface it may appear
_________________________, by the end of the work, (insert author’s name)
proves __________________
______________________________. Therefore,
______________________________________________________________________.
Here are exmaples from the MLA Stylebook to help you build your Works Cited:
MLA Format
Overview: Below are a few key definitions and examples
you would commonly use when citing works in MLA format. For further information, consult the complete
MLA Handbook, 8th Ed.
Book (one author)
Author’s
last name, Author’s first name. Title. Place: Pub, Year.
Mills,
Fred. Cooking for a Fit Life. New York: Dell, 1993.
Book (two or more
authors)
Author’s
last name, Author’s first name, and Author’s first name Author’s
last
name. Title. Place: Pub, Year.
Mills,
Fred, and Glenn Davis. Cooking for a Healthy Lifestyle. New York: Dell,
1998.
Book (with editor)
Author’s
last name, Author’s first name. Title. Ed. Editor’s first name
Editor’s
last name. Place: Pub, Year.
Shakespeare,
William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New
York:
Washington Square-Pocket, 1992.
Entire Website
Website
Title. Ed. Editor of Site. Date Created or Updated. Sponsoring Institution.
Access date <URL>.
History
Channel.com. 2007. History Channel. 14 May 2007
<http://www.historychannel.com/>.
Virtual
Renaissance. Ed. Bonnie Marszalek. 23 Aug. 2004. Indiana U. 28 Apr. 2005
<http://www.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance.html>.
Website Document
Author’s
last name, Author’s first name. “Article Title.” Information about print
publication.
Information about electronic publication (Sponsoring
Institution).
Access information (date accessed, URL).
Class Notes
Lecturer
last name, first name. Course. Location. Date of lecture.
Stewart,
Ms. Class Notes. English 3 Honors/IB. Trabuco Hills High School, Mission
Viejo.
26 Sept. 2003.
Email
Author
last name, Author first name. "Subject of the message" E-mail
to
person's name. Date of the message.
Neyhart,
David. "Re: Online Tutoring." E-mail to Joe Barbato. 1 Dec. 2000.
Lecture or Speech
Speakers
Last Name, Speaker’s First Name. “Title of Presentation.”
Sponsoring
Organization. Location. Date.
Harris,
Muriel. "Writing Labs: A Short History." 2003 Writing Center
Conference.
National Writing Centers Association. La Swank Hotel,
Seattle.
28 Mar. 2003.
Interviews
Personal Interview
done by researcher:
Interviewee
last name, Interviewee first name. Personal Interview. Date of
interview.
Purdue,
Pete. Personal Interview. 1 Dec. 2000.
Interviews on
television or radio:
Interviewee
last name, Interviewee first name. “Title of Episode.” Title of
Radio
or Television show on which the interview appeared. Name of
the
Network. City of the station. Broadcast Date.
Clinton,
Bill. “An American Legend.” Oprah Winfrey Show. CBS. New York.
3
Mar. 1998.
Advertisement
Name
of product or company. Advertisement. Publication information.
Lufthansa.
Advertisement. Time. 20 Nov. 2000: 151.
Television or radio
program
“Title
of episode.” Title of program. Name of network. Call letters of station,
City.
Broadcast date.
"The
Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998.
Video recording or
DVD
Title.
Director, Producer, and/or Writer. Medium. Distributor, Year.
The
Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne,
Chazz
Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. DVD. Polygram,
1995.
Photograph (personal)
Description
of subject, location. Photographer. Date taken.
Saint
Paul’s Cathedral, London. Personal photograph by author. 7 Mar. 2003.
Photograph (Internet)
Artist’s
name. Title of work. Institution that houses work or owner of collection,
City.
Access date <URL>.
Evans,
Walker. Penny Picture Display. 1936. Museum of Mod. Art, New York. 30 May
2002
<http://www.moma.org/collection/evans.penny.html>.
Sound recording
Title
of performer. Title of recording (or works included). Manufacturer, date of
release.
U2.
All That You Can't Leave Behind. Interscope, 2000.
Film
Title.
Dir. Director’s name. Perf. Performer’s name(s). Distributor, year of
release.
The
Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey,
Gabriel
Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and
Benecio del Toro.
Polygram, 1995.
This is what your prose will look like:
Sample
Text and Works Cited
Culminating in the
doctors’ diagnosis, Louise Mallard is the subject of and subject to the masculine
discourse of the story. This masculine discourse, which finally pronounces her
dead, is fixed at the beginning of the story. She is introduced as “Mrs.
Mallard” (Chopin 1). The character is referred to as “she” for most of the
narrative, and it is only when Louise has become “free! Body and soul free!” is
she addressed directly in the text and by her own name (2). But this
denomination, as well as the change it embodies, is short-lived. Louise’s
status as “wife” is reestablished at once in the story’s language and in
Louise’s life when Brently comes in “view of his wife” (3).
Louise’s medical
condition is the narrative construct of a masculine world as well: The
male-dominated medical profession identifies, yet is impotent in treating, her
heart trouble. It is her perceived frailty that prompts Richards’s chivalric
intercession. Critics note that the narrator observes childlike behaviors in
the first half of the story, and that a maturation occurs at its midterm, to
which Louise can never return. (Jago 23-24).
Likewise, her marriage exemplifies the status of women in the early
twentieth century in that the woman is subject to the patriarch’s “powerful
will bending hers” (Chopin 2) Although Brently “had never looked save with love
upon her,” he disregarded Louise’s happiness: The “lines [of her face] bespoke
repression” (2).
However, this idea is
amplified decades before when Elizabeth dismisses Lady Catherine’s admission
that she would destroying Darcy’s reputation and entering a new sphere of society
beyond her own, by stating emphatically, “In marrying your nephew, I should not
consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's
daughter; so far we are equal." (Pride 361). In her novel, Sense and Sensibility,
both Dashwood sisters have their entire future happiness staked on marriage, as
Eleanor eloquently points out to a helpless Edward Ferrars who implies they are
equal, stating, “but you will inherit your fortune, and we cannot even buy ours”
(54).
Here is what your Works Cited Should look like:
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Leamington Spa:
Scholastic, 2007. Print.
Austen, Jane. Sense & Sensibility. Leamington
Spa: Scholastic, 2007. Print.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” The Awakening and
Selected Stories, 1899. Print.
Jago, Carol. Classics in the Classroom: Designing Accessible
Literature Lessons.
Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann, 2004. Print.
Lipman, Matthew. Thinking in Education. Cambridge:
Cambridge UP, 1991. Print.
Moreno, Roxana. Educational Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons,
Inc.,
2010. Print.
Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to
Create and Carry Out Instructional
Units.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.
Wiggins, Grant P., and Jay McTighe. Understanding by
Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision
and Curriculum Development, 1998. Print.
