ThemeUnit 1: Short Story Essay

Thesis StatementO A thesis statement is the sentence of your

essay that encapsulates the topic you are writing about and the idea you intend to prove or explain:O Thesis = topic + opinion

O Your thesis should be clear and to the point, but should also address the main points of your essay you intend to cover.

O Finally, your thesis should be written in the 3rd person (not first = no “I” statements) and should be a complex sentence.

Sample Thesis Statements

O Good: Anthem shows the importance of individuality and independence though Equality 7-2521’s defiance of the established rules, and his voluntary banishment from society for his own benefit.

O Ok: Anthem uses Equality to show the importance of individualism by going against the rules of society to better himself.

O Bad: Anthem is about thinking for yourself and going against the rules.

How does your thesis stack up?

ODoes it address the topic of the question, and your idea about it?

OIs it detailed, and does it use specifics to make your point?

ODoes it use first person (or “I”)? It shouldn’t!!!!!

Topic Sentence sO A topic sentence is the first sentence in each paragraph that tells the reader:

O A) What the paragraph is going to be about and…

O B) How the paragraph relates to the thesis from the introduction

Example: When Equality knowingly breaks the rules of society by retreating to the tunnel, his intentions knowingly go against the rules of society.

Using this topic sentence, we need to find evidence or examples from the novel that support it:

- he knows that he should not be in the tunnel- he knows he should not be writing, but continues to do so- he voluntarily breaks his prescribed routine and skips meetings

Now , formulate these ideas into complete sentences!

Adding textual evidence!

O Textual evidence is a direct quotation from the text that provides the reader with evidence of your claim or idea.

O Textual evidence is used when lines are re-written word-for-word from the text in quotation marks to prove your point.

O Example: “It is a sin to write this” (Rand 17).

O The above line taken from Anthem proves our topic sentence that Equality knowingly breaks the rules of society.

O When lines are quoted from the text, the author is cited using the author’s name and the page number of the quote.

Transition Sentences – Introducing Textual Evidence

O When using textual evidence, it must be introduced into the sentence using a transition.

O This transition should be a dependent clause or an introduction that tells the reader why the evidence you are about to present is important:

O Example: Knowing that what he is doing in the tunnels is wrong, Equality openly admits to the reader that “It is a sin to write this” (Rand 17).

Concluding the Paragraph!

O At the end of the paragraph after you have:O 1) Written a topic sentence that supports the thesisO 2) Provided reasons and support for your topic

sentence using an example (or examples) from the novel

O 3) Cited textual evidence that supports your claim while citing the author and page number(s)…

O …you need a concluding or transition sentence to end the paragraph and introduce the next!

O Yay! – More writing!

Concluding/Paragraph Transition

O A concluding sentence should tie together the main ideas of your paragraph, how it relates to your topic sentence/thesis, and leads into your next paragraph!

O Whew!

When Equality knowingly breaks the rules of society by retreating to the tunnel, his intentions knowingly go against the rules of society. From the start of the novel Equality openly admits that he should not be in the tunnel and that it is a forbidden area. Not only is being the tunnel illegal, but so is recording his thoughts. Equality openly admits that “It is a sin to write this” (Rand 17) proving that he understands his actions. However, by breaking these rules he experiences independent thought in contrast to the rules of society that he refuses to relinquish that eventually leads him to the Uncharted Forest.

Note how the last sentence highlights the main point of the paragraph (independence through defiance) and hints at the topic of the next paragraph (the Uncharted Forest).

Back to the Intro!!!!!

O Remember the thesis statement we wrote first? Now we need to go back and attach that to a paragraph that introduces the essay!

O The easiest way to think of your introductory paragraph is in terms of a funnel.

O This way, your paragraph begins with a broad statement that gets more specific as you move through your paragraph and leads up to your thesis.

O Check it out…

Funnel Theory

O From broad to specific…

Hook – general statement about your topic to interest the reader

Transition or Lead-in – uses the topic from the hook and relates it to your (already written)

thesis.

Thesis

Funnel Theory (in practice)

O Hook: Anthem, by Ayn Rand, depicts a collectivist society where individuals have limited rights and exist solely for the benefit of others.

O Transition: Equality 7-2521, a street sweeper in this collectivist society, begins to question his role and discovers the importance of individualism when he decides to leave society.

O Thesis: Anthem shows the importance of individuality and independence though Equality 7-2521’s defiance of the established rules, and his voluntary banishment from society for his own benefit.

Intro…

Anthem, by Ayn Rand, depicts a collectivist society where individuals have limited rights and exist solely for the benefit of others. Equality 7-2521, a street sweeper in this collectivist society, begins to question his role and discovers the importance of individualism when he decides to leave society. Anthem shows the importance of individuality and independence though Equality 7-2521’s defiance of the established rules, and his voluntary banishment from society for his own benefit.

Conclusion

O The conclusion is essentially opposite of the introduction.

O The thesis statement is always the first sentence in the conclusion:O This is the same idea as stated in your first paragraphO The thesis should not be repeated verbatim, but instead,

restated (or rephrased) so that it is worded differently.O Next, you should restate or summarize you main

pointsO Finally, end with a “clincher”, or a sentence that sums

up your main idea and makes an overall statement about your topic.