Monday, October 6 ~ Ch. 18-19


Are these Strong Thesis Statements?
  1. The novel, The Hobbit, has a great lesson.
  2. My essay is about the lesson on greed in The Hobbit. 
  3. Even though the dwarves have a lot to fight for, they become corruptly motivated by greed when confronted by the other people groups who want part of the hoard.
Take NOTES: EQ: How do you write a STRONG Thesis Statement?       *In this case, strong means clear and specific.

 1st -Figure out the question.
         *Ex. How has Bilbo grown into a leader?
         
2nd - Answer the question.
          *One possible format to use is the CAB thesis: 
Contest
Although Bilbo began as a meek creature of comforts,
Assert
it is evident that he has grown in courage and skill
Because
because he has rescued the dwarves several times, asserted himself to Thorin, and even confronted Smaug.

 3rd - Check it.
  • Did I answer the question meaningfully? That means that the reader cannot ask "So what?" or "How?" or "Why?" If s/he can, then you need to clarify, connect your ideas to a larger issue, or narrow your topic down somehow. 
  • Did I take a debatable position? If your thesis simply states obvious facts, there is a very good chance you are simply providing summary rather than proving something or explaining something in a new way. You must choose a direction to work toward.
  • Is my thesis specific enough? Avoid general words. For example, if you contain words like "good" or "successful," then state what makes it good or specifically what the standard for success is.
  • Does my thesis match my body paragraphs? If the topics of your body paragraphs do not match your thesis, then one of them has to change. It is ok to change your thesis. This often happens as your write and think more deeply about a topic. For this reason, many people write the introduction to the essay last. 
For more help, go to this website.
For more practice, go to this website.

Practice: Apply the CAB thesis to ONE of these prompts:
  1. In the end, what did the hobbit gain from the adventure? How has this adventure changed who Bilbo is?
  2. In the end, Gandalf makes the comment: "You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?" (305). Do you agree with Bilbo or with Gandalf? If "mere luck" is not responsible for Bilbo's success, what is? 
  3. Bilbo and his companions have built a level of trust through the challenges they've encountered. What is Tolkien saying about TRUST in this novel?
  4. Many of the characters changed in the novel due to greed. What is Tolkien saying about GREED in this novel?
HW: Read Chapters 18-19 and write a CAB Thesis based on ONE of the prompts above. Group 3-get ready for Fishbowl.