English 102
Thesis Sentence and Outline for Essay #2
Thesis due: Tue 2/12 (5 pts)
Outline due: Thu 2/14 (10 pts)
About the Thesis
Your thesis should be:
 Arguable: Other readers might disagree or have a different interpretation. Your thesis
should not be a summary of the plot (plot summaries aren’t arguable).
 Limited: The thesis should be narrow enough that you can cover it thoroughly in this
length (4-5 page) assignment.
 Focused: Your thesis should focus on a specific idea. An overly general thesis will lead to
a disorganized essay that has a hard time following its statements up with support.
 Precisely worded: Your thesis should be in concise, detailed (non-vague), straightforward
language.
 Organized: Your thesis should present its ideas in the order that it makes most sense for
the essay as a whole to present them in. That is, your thesis is a miniature map or outline
of your whole essay: Each word and concept in your thesis will be unfolded and explored
as the essay continues.
Your thesis should contain:
 A topic (the particular aspect of the book that you’re looking at)
 An idea about that topic (your interpretation of what the book says about that topic).
It’s this idea that requires the support and analysis your essay will provide.
Thesis template: The basic sentence shape below is a good starting point for developing a thesis
sentence because it contains a slot for the topic and a slot for the idea.
In this book about _________________, the writer shows that _______________________.
topic
idea
Examples
Each example below offers a different view of the topic and will require a different sort of
journey through the book. The Topic is in italics. The Idea is in bold. The sentences might vary
the wording of the original template somewhat. This template is a good starting point; your thesis
in your final, revised essay might retain this pattern, or might evolve into a somewhat different or
very different sentence.
1. In this book about growing up with conflicting cultures, the writer shows that this
causes particular trouble as a child moves toward independence.
2. In this book about immigrating to America, the writer shows that the
immigrant—in the character of Abu-Jaber’s father, Bud—can suffer a deep
identity crisis that affects his whole family.
3. In this book about identity, the writer shows that food can be a way of clarifying
one’s identity and finding one’s place in the world.
4. In this book about communication, the writer shows that the ways food is given
and received can be a sort of language that allows people to both argue with
and understand each other.
5. In this book about Arab-American culture, Diana Abu-Jaber shows how she must
navigate among varying ideas of what is proper and improper, and must
finally choose her own path.
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About the Outline
Instructions: Your outline should follow the format and order described below.
Format: Word-processed. May be double- or single-spaced.
1. Title: Write your essay’s current proposed title.
2. Thesis: Write your current thesis.
3. Opener: What image, dialogue, anecdote, quotation, or description will you use to lead up to
the thesis? (In your essay, the thesis will come at the end of the opening paragraph.)
4. For all the body paragraphs, provide the following:
a. Write the topic sentence of the paragraph. Make sure to tie this sentence to the thesis (It
helps to use key words of your thesis).
b. List some of the examples you’ll put in the paragraph—you can include partial quotations
and page numbers. Include examples from The Language of Baklava and also from your
other sources. You don’t have to type out whole quotations—these are mainly meant to be
reminders to yourself.
c. Write a sentence summarizing what you have to say about these examples: how do you
interpret them and connect them to the point of this paragraph? (You might not have these
explanations and interpretations fully formed yet, and they will probably develop further
as you work on your draft. Still, summarize any ideas you have at this point.
5. Counterarguments: List the ways that other readers of the book might disagree with your
thesis, or with your interpretation of the examples.
6. Answering counterarguments: Write a sentence or two summarizing your answer to these
disagreements.
7. Reconsideration of the thesis: Consider whether, after going through your full discussion and
the scrutiny of these counterarguers, your thesis might need adjusting: it might need to be
qualified or expanded. If so, write this adjusted thesis.
8. Closer: Write a sentence or two in which you brainstorm about what larger issues this analysis
of the book might connect to. What overall emotional punch might you end with?
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