Welcome back, folks…
Writing Workout
In an open letter, article, or rant to the
tourists, explain both what is GREAT
about tourism and what is NEGATIVE
about Austin invaders.
Get ready for ARGUMENTATION
1) Analytical Essay: developing a
thesis/literary argument
2) Journal Assessment: accept or
appeal
3) Advocacy Project: convince your
audience to listen, to care, to take
action
4) TGPLAN Essay: build a case,
explaining who the leaders,
visionaries and pot-stirrers are
5) A Small Place: consider point of
view and other rhetorical strategies
Other reminders:
• Typed QUIZZAMS and answer keys are due Wednesday/Thursday.
• Permission slips are due on Wednesday.
• Journal grade appeals are due by Friday.
Ugh. I have to write an essay.
Where do I start?
Start with a small
seed of an idea,
then water it,
nurture it, talk to it,
and watch it grow!
Start with a topic; end up with a
thesis statement.
• A thesis statement is a sentence (or two)
that provides a roadmap for the rest of the
essay.
• A thesis statement expresses an opinion
that can be argued.
• A thesis statement is specific, but it relates
to a larger, universal truth.
• For literary analysis, a thesis statement
refers to METHOD and MEANING.
Envision THESIS PIECES
• SUBJECT (limited, specific, contextual)
• POSITION (precise opinion, assertion, an
arguable point)
• BLUEPRINT OF REASONS (a roadmap)
Possibly…
• CONCESSION or QUALIFICATION
crack babies
This is only a topic, because…
• it’s not a complete sentence
• it doesn’t express an opinion that
someone could argue against
• it doesn’t say anything…what about
these babies born addicted to drugs?
Acknowledgement: This example is taken from the Writing
Tutorial Services, Indiana University USA . It is available on their
website www.indiana.edu/~wts/.
programs for crack babies
•
•
•
•
It’s BETTER, because it’s more specific.
It’s still not a sentence.
…still not arguable.
…still not detailed enough to provide a
road map for the rest of the essay.
• Suggestion to the writer: take a position!
And…um…maybe use a phrase other
than “crack babies”?!?
More attention should be paid
to the environment that babies
who are born addicted to crack
might grow up in
• It does state an opinion.
• It IS a complete sentence (although a clunky one)
• The reader knows what the paper might be about.
• The problem? Still too vague. “environment”?
“attention”? – what does the writer really think?
Experts estimate that half of
babies born addicted to crack
cocaine will grow up in home
environments lacking rich cognitive
and emotional stimulation.
It demonstrates more thought and “sounds
better,” but it’s missing the other components of
a thesis. (It’s not really arguable. It doesn’t give
the reader a road map.”
But don’t delete it! You might use this sentence
in your introduction or conclusion!
Because half of all babies who are born
addicted to crack coacaine are likely to
grow up in homes lacking good
cognitive and emotional stimulation, the
federal government should finance
programs to supplement parental care
for this special needs group of children.
Complete sentence…check.
Arguable position…check.
Road map for the essay…check.
Specific language…check.
Thoughts about theses:
• Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a great
American novel.
• In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a
contrast between life on the river and life on the
shore.
• Through its contrasting river and shore scenes,
Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find
the true expression of American democratic
ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go
back to nature.
But I’m writing about a
boooook…
Method and Meaning
• How: methods the author uses, such as
imagery, diction, allegory, irony, magical realism
• Why: the meaning (message, moral, theme!)
the author is trying to convey
• What: Lame. This writer just explains what
happened in the book, without actually analyzing
the HOW or the WHY.
Building the Foundation:
Thesis Check
• Have you written a
complete sentence?
• Does it convey an opinion that someone could argue
against?
• Does it provide a roadmap of the essay for the reader?
• Does it mention METHOD (the how of a writer’s craft)
and MEANING (the why of writing… writer’s message?)
• Have you included the author’s name and title of the
book in the thesis?
What’s the big idea?
Meaning=Theme
Have you determined a
theme? Novels often have
multiple themes – you only
need to write about one.
What universal truth is
conveyed to the reader?
The author wants the reader to see that…
(fill in the blank)
Novel
Theme
(Meaning)
Literary Devices
(Method)
Life of Pi
Fiction may not
reveal what is
“real,” but it can
capture what is
“true.”
•Plot twists
•Allegory
•Contrast
between the
two stories
Novel
Theme
(Meaning)
Literary Devices
(Method)
Ramayana
and/or
Siddhartha
Following the
right path
allows one to
overcome great
obstacles and
become
triumphant in
the end.
•Character
development
•Hero cycle
•Imagery and
diction
•Contrast
between good
and evil
Novel
Theme
(Meaning)
Literary Devices
(Method)
Antigone
Sometimes,
breaking the
law is
justifiable.
•Character
motivation
•Diction/tone
(related to
gender roles
and cultural
expectations)
Novel
Theme
(Meaning)
Literary Devices
(Method)
Candide
We are mice on
the ship;
claiming to
know God’s
plan for us is
ludicrous.
• Satire
• Metaphor
• Techniques of
humor
(hyperbole,
understatement,
repetition)
Novel
Theme
(Meaning)
Literary Devices
(Method)
The Inferno
Humans are
flawed by
nature, but
God’s justice
represents
perfection.
•The number 3
•Poetic justice
of punishments
•Motifs (light vs.
dark; beautiful
vs. bestial)
Novel
Theme
(Meaning)
Literary Devices
(Method)
Title of your
Latin American
Novel
What is the
lesson to be
learned from
reading this
novel?
What devices
really stood out
while you were
reading?
Feel like you’re halfway there?
• If you have an idea about the meaning, it’s
time to jump into the book to see HOW the
meaning was conveyed.
• If you don’t know the theme of the book,
it’s time to collect some of the most
significant moments to see if you can
identify devices and determine WHY they
are being used.
Thesis Formula
(very basic, very dry, very formulaic…
but an okay place to start)
• In (title of poem/novel/play), (author's
name) uses (1st literary device), (2nd
literary device), and (3rd literary device) to
(show/criticize/explain/etc.) (some aspect
of human nature).
In "If you Were Coming in the Fall," Emily
Dickinson uses simile, diction, and syntax
to describe how people wait, hoping to fall
in love.
Note: If all you do in one body paragraph is give a few
examples of diction from the text and simply identify
them as diction, then you haven't analyzed anything.
The analysis part involves explaining how those
examples are effective diction and how they help to
communicate the theme of the passage.
Sample student-written theses:
• In his magnum opus Labyrinths, Jorge
Luis Borges employs the technique of
magical realism to express the
disillusionment and utter confusion his
fellow Latin Americans feel as a result of
the colonial period.
Sample student-written theses:
• In One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, isolation and solitude allow for
a new world in which fantastic and “unreal”
events are the norm. Marquez uses magical
realism as a device to create a sense of
alternate reality, a means of escapism, and a
barrier between the “civilized” world and the
fictional town of Macondo.
Sample student-written theses:
• In Labyrinths, Borges uses the motifs of
mazes, paths, and codes to explore the
concepts of infinity, immortality, and the
mystery of death.
Now…go to it!
• Take a look at your first draft thesis, and
rewrite, if necessary.
• Write an additional thesis statement as an
alternate.
• Share your first efforts with your lit. circle
buds and trouble-shoot them.
Still feeling stuck?
Back to brainstorming…
Ask yourself some questions (look back at your lit. circle work or
your quizzam to get a jumpstart). Then FREE WRITE or BUBBLE
CHART to discover your ideas.
• What is the role of prophecy or clairvoyance in the
novel? How does that contrast or connect to fate?
• What do the (fill in the blank: wings, statues, labyrinths,
tatoos, coins, recipes) symbolize? When you find the
abstract word, decide what you think the author is trying
to say about that concept.
• How does (fill in the blank) gain power as the story
progresses?
• Do authors “hide” touchy subjects by including the
fantastic elements of magical realism?
Even more questions to consider:
• Why is there a female narrator AND a male narrator in
House of the Spirits?
• Why does Laura Esquivel include so much about food
and cooking in Like Water For Chocolate?
• What does the title One Hundred Years of Solitude
mean? What kinds of solitude does the author explore?
• What role does Catholicism play in The War of the
Saints?
• How do reality and imagination collide in the works of
Gabriel Garcia Marquez?
Novel
Theme
(Meaning)
Literary Devices
(Method)
Title of your
Latin American
Novel
What is the
lesson to be
learned from
reading this
novel?
What devices
really stood out
while you were
reading?
Thesis Formula
(very basic, very dry, very formulaic…
but an okay place to start)
• In (title of poem/novel/play), (author's
name) uses (1st literary device), (2nd
literary device), and (3rd literary device) to
(show/criticize/explain/etc.) (some aspect
of human nature).
The Next Step
Deductive thinkers: If your thesis statement is
already guiding you to topic sentences, draft
them first, then search for evidence to support
each topic sentence.
Inductive thinkers: If your topic sentences aren’t
writing themselves, go straight to the search for
evidence. Find key passages that relate to the
idea expressed in your thesis statement, then
organize the quotes into categories. (Those will
become your body paragraphs.)
“The pages are still blank, but there is a
miraculous feeling of the words being there,
written in invisible ink and clamoring to become
visible.”
~Vladimir Nabakov
Intro
thesis
statement
Body
Paragraph 1
Body
Paragraph 2
Body
Paragraph 3
conclusion
Begin with broader statements
about the topic that lead up to a
clear, concise, “roadmap” of a
thesis.
Each body paragraph should work
to prove the thesis. If something
doesn’t connect, either cut it or
rewrite the thesis.
“Hooks” and transitions link the
paragraphs together so ideas FLOW.
Conclusions echo the thesis
(without repeating it verbatim), then
move to a broader idea (how the
novel connects to life experiences,
how the essay topic relates to the
novel as a whole).
Blueprint for a Body Paragraph
Assertion
Context +
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Transition
Context +
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Clincher
Topic sentences make an
argument that supports the
thesis.
Context explains where the
quote is found; a concrete
detail is direct evidence from
the text that illustrates your
point.
CM = your explanation of how
the detail proves the assertion
(may include interpretation,
insight, analysis, reflection).
You should have twice as
much commentary as concrete
detail.
Concluding sentence ties the
CDs and CM back to thesis.
(TS) In the beginning, the boys view the conch as an important symbol
that unites them and gives them the power to deal with their difficult
situation. (CT) When the conch is first found and blown, it brings
everyone together: (CD) “Ralph found his breath and blew a series of
short blasts. Piggy exclaimed, ‘There’s one!’” (Golding 16). (CM) Here
Piggy observes one boy emerging from the jungle but soon boys form
all around. Each comes for his own reason: some for plain curiosity,
other for the prospect of rescue. They all form the first assembly thanks
to the conch. The first job of this assembly is to unite even further and
choose a leader or chief. (Transition) Once again the conch plays an
important role. (CT) It is Ralph who is chosen to be chief, and the main
reason for this is because he holds the conch. When it is put to a vote,
the boys exclaim, (CD) “Him with the shell. Ralph! Ralph! Let him be
chief with the trumpet-thing” (Golding 21). (CM) Because Ralph
possesses the conch, a symbol of power and authority, he is chosen
chief. (CS) Thus, at first the conch is an important object bringing
civilizing influences to the boys as they work together to make the best
of a bad situation.
(Hook to previous ¶) Gradually, however, the conch becomes less
important to the boys, signifying their turn to evil.
N. Scott Momoday has created a masterpiece by
using diction and imagery alone. One good example of
diction is when he uses the words “exotic corner.” He
could have just said cool corner or amazing corner, but
he uses good word choice (or diction) to make the story
more enticing. Another good example of diction is when
he uses the word “embarked.” He could have just used
the word “went” or “traveled.” Yet again, Momaday has
good diction to help make his story ever more fantastic.
Finally, Momaday has once again made a fine word
choice when he uses the word “landscape.” He could
have used the words “place” or just “land.” Overall, N.
Scott Momaday has used extremely good word choice.
Momaday uses excellent imagery in his well-written
passage. When he says “in the bright New Mexican
morning,” he really shows that he woke up on a bright
morning. It gives you an image of a bright morning.
Another good example of imagery is when he says “I
looked southward into the plain; there a caravan of
covered wagons reached as far as the eye could see,”
he really shows that covered wagons were all over the
plains as far as the eye can see. Finally, a very good
example of imagery is when he says, “It was as if that
whole proud people, the Dine, had been concentrated
into one endless migration.” It shows how descriptive
Momaday was when he wrote this. You can see it when
you read it.
Back to the beginning…
Go back to the intro strategies packet you
received earlier in the semester.
Introductory paragraphs need to:
– start broad and move into the specific thesis
– interest the reader from the first moment
– provide a roadmap for the rest of the essay
AVOID
• Telling the writer what you are about to tell
them: “This essay will prove that…”
• “Dawn of man” phrases: “Throughout
time,” “Throughout history,” “For all of
humanity,”
• Filling an entire page with an anecdote
that just barely connects to the rest of your
essay – get to the point!
So what’s left?
The “so what” and “so why should I care”
is left!
Conclusion paragraphs should:
– bring everything back to the thesis, without
repeating the thesis statement word for word
– help the reader see the point of the entire
essay; connect it to the novel as a whole or to
some universal about life
– give the reader a sense of closure
AVOID
• telling the writer what you just told them: “As you
can see, I have proven my thesis…”
• trite phrases like “In conclusion,…” or “In
closing,…”
• making sentimental or emotional appeals that
are out of character for the rest of the essay
• introducing a totally new idea or including
evidence that should have been in the body
Writing Workshop Time