Thesis Statement - Outline

Name:____________________________

MODS:____________________

Thesis Statement/ Outline ___________/ 15 points A thesis is the proper center of an intellectual argument. The thesis statement is the guiding force of your literary essay. Your thesis statement not only defines the tone and style of your paper, but also shapes the subsequent research, analysis, quotes and secondary sources that will become the meat of your final essay. The outline for your paper must start with a clear, concise thesis statement. Your thesis statement should contain four basic elements that will all converge in a single, defining sentence. The four elements are: (a)the author, (b)the work, (c)your claim or position and (d)your central focus. For example, a strong thesis statement for a literary essay on the play, A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, might look something like this: In (B) A Doll's House, (A) Henrik Ibsen pointedly captures (C) the disparaging role of women in Victorian society through his doll motif, (D) played out in Nora's sudden distaste for her home. (Note that the thesis statement above does NOT contain any first or second-person statements such as “I believe,” “we know” or “you may see.” Avoid first and second-person declarations throughout your outline and literary essay.) Using the diagram below, map out the four elements of your literary essay; then, combine these elements into a clear thesis statement.

Author:

Work:

Position:

Focus:

Continue to the reverse of this sheet to outline the three body paragraphs of your essay

Body Outline: Now that you have created a thesis statement, you may proceed with the body paragraphs. Concentrate on your position claim (the position + the focus). This claim will guide the organization of your paper. You must now decide exactly where the critical lens of your thesis will concentrate its argument. Are you going to discuss one setting and how it is revealed throughout the novel? Are you discussing a single character? Several characters? How will you prove this thesis using primary source evidence? Remember, the topic sentence is an expansion of the focus in your thesis statement (e.g. if the focus in your thesis is the effect of different settings on Oliver in Oliver Twist, then your topic sentences must address specific settings and their effects throughout the novel). Record specifics from your novel in the enumerated lines provided below the topic sentence. Write the specific element or quote and page number. Body Paragraph 1 Topic: ______________________________________________________________ 1. 2. 3.

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Body Paragraph 2 Topic: ______________________________________________________________ 1. 2. 3.

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Body Paragraph 3 Topic: ______________________________________________________________ 1. 2. 3.

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