Tuesday 10/8 - Writing a Thesis

Are these Strong Thesis Statements?

  1. The myth, Midas, has a great lesson.
  2. My essay is about the lesson on greed in Midas. 
  3. While greed is universally known to lead to disaster, Midas is one Greek myth that shows the painful effects of greed on the individual, the family, and society.


 Take NOTES:

 How do you write a STRONG Thesis Statement?

       *In this case, strong means clear and specific.

 1st -Figure out the question.
   
         What traits make a hero universal hero?
         Why has the hero changed?
         How has the hero changed since Greek times?
         Which traits do I view as the true hero?
         
2nd - Answer the question.
        
          One possible format to use is the CAB thesis:

        Contest
                   Although the Greek heroes were often demigods and quite selfish,
          Assert
                   they do have some major similarities with the typical modern hero
          Because
                    because they share the traits of self-sacrifice, loyalty and courage.

 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 your essay.
  • Write your question and thesis on a piece of paper.
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Due: Vocab Paragraph & Tribal Work (Ch.1&2 Quiz)
Start LOTF Ch.3 if time.