Thesis Statements - Canyon Crest Academy Library Media Center论文陈述-峡谷顶学校图书馆媒体中心.pptVIP

Thesis Statements Thesis Statements always: Answer a question Are not obvious to the reader Include the author’s name, character’s name OR title of the work Can cause one to argue about the work Building a thesis statement: Take a simple statement that interests you. Deal with something in the text for which you can find examples. Draw inferences and ask yourself questions like WHY this happens/exists Add these ideas to the original statement. Polish the statement continuously eliminating linking verbs and informal vocabulary. You MUST find a way to include the character’s name, author’s name OR the title of the work. (Not all 3, 1 will do.) The process of refining the thesis Simple Thesis Mary Warren is a pawn of all the other characters in the play. Building a better thesis Make Inferences Why does this happen? Because she is weak, lonely and impressionable Why? Because she is young and has no good female role models, and the Puritan society encourages submissiveness and obedience in women Revised thesis Because she is the weakest and most impressionable character in the play, Mary Warren evolves from victim to executioner. Conclusions: If the Puritan society did not perpetuate a culture of submissiveness and obedience, then Mary Warren would have spoken the truth and many innocent lives would have been saved. Top 5 Weaknesses of BAD thesis statements! Make no claim (This paper will explore how Mary Warren is the weakest character) Are obviously true or a statement of fact (Mary Warren is weak) Restates conventional wisdom (If Mary had a mother she would be happier) Offers personal conviction as the basis for the claim (Mary is a whiny, spineless brat) Make overly broad claim (Having a role model is good for one’s development) Remember the Thesis As you write you paper, always go back to the thesis statement and make sure that your evidence supports your claim. * * *