Wednesday, December 10, 2008

What is a thesis?

Due Friday- Write and POST a paragraph about "Thesis"
- What is a thesis? How does it shape a person's writing? Structure?
- Create a thesis based on the events in A Tale of Two Cities

Due Monday- Read to the end of Book II (196-221)
- List the major events from each chapter
- State one of the purposes of Book II
- Select "the most important" quotation from each chapter.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

A thesis statement is an argument that presents an opinion of what the story means. Using a thesis in an essay is a very common use. It is used to see what argument (the thesis) is written and backed up with examples. Examples like using direct quotes, characterization, parallelism, theme and many uses of literary devices. If the thesis is very broad, then it will not capture the true meaning of a thesis because it is not focused and not on topic. Each and every sentence should always relate back to the thesis and check if it makes sense. The writer cannot always be on topic, it doesn’t just depend on the thesis. It needs good vocabulary, grammar and sentence fluency. Using all these ideas, then it will back up the thesis and it’ll stay on topic. The idea to use a thesis is to guide where to write. If a thesis isn’t on a paper, then it just like writing nothing. Good examples will show either if the book is understood to the reader. A thesis in A Tale of Two Cities is how the characters how hard in order to succeed in life. Some characters in the book work hard in order to survive and keep there lives going. Some aren’t, in stead they blame on people why they aren’t doing there job. They are already and as time goes by, the characters who don’t do work start to go down or even death.

Anonymous said...

A thesis statement is an individual argument that shows independent thought. Examples to help supports the thesis should be given throughout out the rest of the essay. In addition, each topic sentience should relate back to the thesis to help focus each supporting paragraph. The thesis is a very specific statement, other wise the essay to follow will not have a clear focus. An example of a thesis for A Tale of Two Cities could be, when a person of great power become ignorant of their wrongs, it can lead to social injustice through inaction. A thesis is very important to writing an intellectual essay. It makes the rest of the essay easier to write, and it keeps it essay on topic and focused. A thesis could help my writing in many ways. For instance a good thesis makes it easier to find good quotes that support your argument. When an intelligent and well thought out thesis is reached than the essay almost rights its self. All the writer (me) needs to do is support my argument with logical examples for the text.

john said...

Thesis statement is an argument based statement in an essay that can be supported by fact. A thesis statement should be on the bottom of the broad to specific model. It should not be vague and should be focus and clear. In addition it should be able to be backed up by textual evidence from a literary piece. A thesis is extremely important to a creative writing essay because it lets the reader know what the essay is about. An example of thesis from the novel A Tale of Two Cities would be, that the power of money and greed can corrupt people to do unspeakable horrors.

Joe said...

A thesis is an opinion that is stated as if it were an actual fact. They are always based on the truth, but they are modified depending on the writers views. A thesis statement is important in all analytical writing. A writer builds the essay off of the thesis. The entire paper is devoted to proving or justifying the thesis. The quality of the thesis statement greatly affects the quality of the paper as a whole. The stronger the thesis statement is, the easier it will be to form evidence. Thesis statements can also have a theme as a part of it. A key source of evidence (if the paper is based on a novel) is the actual quotations from the text. A Tale of Two Cities supports many different thesis statements.

Example: The Separation of Lucie from her father, will send her father into a digression towards his prison times.

This thesis states my opinion, but it is stated as if it is a general fact. If I were to form a paper around this thesis, I would be able to find a large amount of textual evidence.

tricia said...

A thesis statement is an sophisticated argument written by a person to express their opinions based on fact through an essay or scholarly writing.It is a very important part of an essay because it is very specific and all of the paragraphs,especially the topic sentence,should relate directly back to it.If a thesis is not specific or is too broad, it proves to be a weak argument and is more difficult to relate to.The thesis statment is at the very bottom of the broad-to-specific model. When writing an essay, it is vital to stay on topic and prove your point well. A well written thesis makes it easier because it is the base and structure of good writing thus making your writng much better. For instance, in the book A Tale of Two Cities, an example of a thesis is that 'social injustice runs rabid among people today, and centuries ago. The people of upper class believe that thaey can get away eith anything because they have money while the hardworking lower class is treated like vermin.'

Isaac said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Isaac said...

A thesis is usually the point made across in a document. Everything in the body of the document relate to the thesis. Also called a dissertation, a thesis can be used for arguments, scientific theories, and other things.

example: The populace of France was reduced to a wild state of anarchy due to the callousness of the upper class.

Here, the behaviors of the upper class being an important factor in triggering the revolution is stated.

Abz Gingrande said...

A thesis statement tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. It is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. It makes a claim that others might dispute. It is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation. It should be contestable, proposing an arguable point with which people could reasonably disagree. A strong thesis is provocative; it takes a stand and justifies the discussion you will present. It tackles a subject that could be adequately covered in the format of the project assigned. It is specific and focused. It provides the reader with a map to guide him/her through your work. It anticipates and refutes the counter-arguments. It should avoid vague language (like "it seems"). It should also avoid using the first person. ("I believe," "In my opinion").


Example Thesis: A Tale of Two Cities

The character Jerry Cruncher is a multidimensional tradesman, honest to some, but truly not, as well as a conscientious father and self-conscious individual.

mirrorbender said...

A thesis is a statement of a unique opinion, idea, or viewpoint that is generally found towards the end of the introductory paragraph in a paper or essay. A thesis the purpose for which an essay is written, and everything in an essay should relate to the thesis. It is also the foundation upon which an essay is built, giving the essay a meaning and focus. Because an essay is, or at least should be entirely about the thesis, a strong essay starts with a powerful thesis, while a poor one contains a mediocre thesis. A strong thesis can drive a paper’s success even if the author isn’t necessarily the best writer in the class. Weak language and word choice can be reinforced by a strong thesis, creating a much more coherent and focused essay, transforming a bunch of jumbled words into a solid and meaningful essay. And when exceptional vocabulary and word selection are employed, along with the varying sentence structure and the fluency that a skilled thenth grade essay crafter aught to be using, a truly brilliant essay can emerge from the mundane shadow of average essays, assuring a writer a happy teacher and a higher than average grade. The following is an example of a sturdily facilitated thesis statement, based on the prominent theme of social injustices present in A Tale of Two Cities:

The drastic differences between the lives of members of different social classes highlights the fact that social injustices are indeed present in our world today, and that if these injustices are not dealt with properly, great tragedies and bloodshed can, and will occur.

William Gould said...

A thesis is a unique argument made to address an important topic. It is the backbone of a good essay and should be stated first in the introduction and then restated in the conclusion. A well formed thesis focuses the essay and allows all the body paragraphs to stem of it. Another reason a strong thesis is important to an essay is it give it purpose. An essay can become boring and uneventful if it is without a clear argument. By stating the thesis in the beginning the reader has an idea of what to expect as well as a reason to continue reading. Always, a thesis should be arguable and never fact.There are no definite thesis's only well written ones. Lastly, it is vital to connect all parts of an essay to the thesis in order to stay on topic. An example of a thesis statement for a tale of two cities is an ignorance of once false can lead to their own demise.

Alex Worcester said...

Thesis is the opening thing that you put in a paragraph. It is a statement about your topic that through textual evidence you will prove. The Thesis is incredibly important to your essay or paragraph because almost everything and every piece of evidence must relate back to the thesis. This Is the Most important part of writing. After you write a good thesis the rest of the paper can flow becuase you have something that flows.

matt said...

A thesis statement is a statement that shows an opinion. A persons writing should be constantly connected in proving the thesis. The thesis should be backed up with evidence and should have something to do with what you are writing about. Each body paragraph should be easy for the reader to connect it to the thesis. A thesis statement is the building block for all essays, if there is no thesis the essay will crumble. A thesis for A Tale Of Two Cities would be: When greed and wealth enter a persons life it would create injustice to the poor and would force a terrible system of social classes into the world.

Unknown said...

A thesis is probably the most important aspect to an essay. It is your argument through the whole paper. It is a unique perspective about a literary topic. A thesis begins a whole essay and tells the reader what to expect through the whole paper. Your thesis should reappear in not only in the conclusion but also throughout the body paragraphs.

A thesis for A Tale of Two cities could be sometimes in life wealth affects individuals the wrong way.

will said...

The argument, the defining characteristic of an essay, the thesis is all powerful. A thesis is what keeps an essay moving, it regulates the flow of an essay and does not allow the writer to get off topic. The thesis is both a common and a critical piece of an essay. A thesis must be specific and not broad. each topic sentence of each body paragraph should relate back to the thesis. The thesis needs proper grammar along with intellectualized vocabulary showing the integrity of the writer.a thesis may also use parallelisms to further its point.

Example Thesis:
The life in love is degenerative for Lucie and Darnay in the sense that they will have problems once they are married.

j.rose said...

A thesis is an independent view on an occurrence in a novel. Normally a thesis is found somewhere around the end of an introductory paragraph. The reason the thesis is stated so early on is that the rest of the essay should always relate back to it. The thesis' main function is to serve as a guideline throughout the essay. Every sentence the author writes should somehow support the thesis, whether it be textual evidence, or examples from the story. To compose a well crafted essay, you must have a powerful thesis. It is imperative you are assertive when writing a thesis, and use rich vocabulary to further promote your intellect regarding the essay's topic. If I were to compose a thesis regarding A Tale of Two Cities, it would go something like this:

Social injustice is fueled by the vast difference in wealth between the people, and can sometimes escalate to revolution.

Unknown said...

A thesis statement is the glue to any essay. A thesis is a individual perspective on a topic that is supported through evidence. An essay should be based on the broad to specific model, and the thesis should be the last sentence. This helps the flow of the essay. Thesis helps to focus someone's writing and should be uniquely restated in each body paragraph. Qoutes and specific texual evidence are necessary to support a thesis statment.

Example Thesis: Wealth and power can overtake someone and turn that person for the worst, creating an unjustice society.

FitretY said...

A thesis is an argument that the author of the paper presents to the audience. It is a connection made by the author between the the story, and the greater meaning in life. A thesis is extremely important to a paper. Without a thesis the paper would have no point. It would just continue to ramble on and on for no apparent reason. A thesis gives the essay structure because it gives the essay the purpose of having to prove the thesis. Every paragraph written should somehow relate back to the thesis, either by using contextual evidence or by drawing independent conclusions.
Example thesis: Wealth and the possessions of material goods can lead a person to think of themselves as superior than others, and can cause a person to be corrupt.Example thesis: Wealth and the possesion of material goods can lead a person to think of themselves as superior than others, and can cause a person to be corrupt.

Alex said...

A thesis is a statement made by the writer, explaining what the essay will be revolving around by stating opinions rather than facts. When writing a thesis, you should always put to thought if your body paragraphs will follow the same topic. When you relate your entire essay on the thesis that you wrote, it will clearly show that you have stayed on the topic. If the thesis is stated as a fact, than the rest of the essay would be based on fact rather than opinion, which would be a large minus to the essay. An example of a thesis would be:

Using the characters social class in "A Tale of Two Cities" is a method of opinion used by the author to show social injustice of the real world.

Nick said...

A thesis statement is an argument presented in the introduction that explains the goal and reason for the essay. It presents a question that is meant to be answered and clarified by the end of the paper. The stronger a thesis statement the sturdier the essay will be. In order to create a strong thesis it must answer the original question or propose a suggestion, it must propose a well rounded argument, also it must pass the “So what” test, and your thesis must be supported by each of your body paragraphs.

Example- Although the love between Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay is stronger then that you can imagine it is destined for tragedy due to the ethnicity of Darnay.

Cherag said...

The thesis statement is that sentence or two in your text that contains the focus of your essay and tells your reader what the essay is going to be about. Although it is certainly possible to write a good essay without a thesis statement (many narrative essays, for example, contain only an implied thesis statement), the lack of a thesis statement may well be a symptom of an essay beset by a lack of focus. The statement is also a good test for the scope of your intent. The principle to remember is that when you try to do too much, you end up doing less or nothing at all. It helps support you argument well.

Example: The necessity of more to man who has already been given so much, decreases opportunity for the less fortunate.