writing eng
Developing a Working Thesis
- Due Wednesday by 11:59pm
- Points 5
- Submitting a text entry box or a file upload
Due Date:
Wednesday
Directions:
STEP 1: REVIEW
Make sure you have reviewed your Essay 1 Prompt .
STEP 2: WRITE A WORKING THESIS
For this assignment, write a possible working thesis for Essay 1. Think: do I want to argue that TED talk was generally effective or not, and what strategies or fallacies do I want do discuss.
You will be allowed to change your thesis later if you choose. We just want to start thinking of what our thesis might be and hopefully give me a chance to review it as you write your draft.
Sample thesis:
Below is a sample thesis. It addresses a different text that the ones you have as an option, but you can see that it names the text and author, argues if it is effective and names the strategies and fallacies to be discussed.
Overall, Greg Lukianoff developed an effective argument in his talk “Coddling of the American Mind” through his impressive use of logos and ethos; however, his use of pathos could be improved, and he commits a clear ad hominem fallacy.
Note: According to this thesis, the writer will likely have one body paragraph that discusses the use of logos, one body paragraph that discusses the use of ethos, and then one paragraph on his failed use of pathos and the fallacy.
To remind yourself about what a thesis should look like, you can review some of the information below.
THESIS REVIEW
If you need a reminder about thesis statements, please review the information below:
WHAT IS A THESIS STATEMENT?
A thesis statement is a sentence that states the topic and purpose of your paper. A good thesis statement will direct the structure of your essay and will allow your reader to understand the ideas you will discuss within your paper.
WHERE DOES A THESIS STATEMENT GO?
Your thesis should be stated somewhere in the opening paragraphs of your paper, most often as the last sentence of the introduction. Often, a thesis will be one sentence, but for complex subjects, you may find it more effective to break the thesis statement into two sentences.
MORE TIPS:
- Your thesis statement should be one to two sentences.
- Your thesis statement should clearly present the main idea of your essay (in this case a rhetorical analysis) and make some kind of assertion. The thesis should be a debatable claim.
- Your thesis should not make an “announcement” about what your essay will cover. Instead, it should just present your assertion.
- For example, a thesis like this makes an announcement: In this paper, I will persuade you to vote for candidates who support education reform.
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- Instead you might write: Because our education system is in need of reform to better serve students of color, we should vote for candidates who are willing to make the necessary changes.
Grading:
For this assignment, you are only submitting the thesis, so I am looking for 1-2 sentences. You will receive full credit as long as you submit a working thesis.