- Hook/general statement about your prompt/topic -- This could be your definition or idea of what the key prompt word means (like nature or alienation)
- narrow to literature
- tie in your specific text(s) - introduce them and the writers
- narrow into thesis
- THESIS -- argument: include the texts, an idea/opinion about the prompt, how you're going to prove it
Sample Thesis for "The Isabel Fish" and The Catcher in the Rye:
In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Julie Orringer’s “The Isabel Fish”, alienation is shown to negatively impact the protagonists of both texts through a, b, and c.
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION:
Alienation means being left out or isolated from a group. In literature, characters are often alienated from others and struggle to form relationships with those around them. In their writing, both J.D. Salinger and Julie Orringer often depict this feeling of isolation through their protagonists. The Catcher in the Rye follows protagonist Holden Caulfield as he struggles to find himself over the course of three days in New York City after having been kicked out of school. "The Isabel Fish" describes the aftermath of protagonist Maddy's accident, in which her brother's girlfriend, Isabel, died. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Julie Orringer's “The Isabel Fish”, the writers show the negative effects of alienation through internal conflict, symbolism, and the social interactions of their protagonists.
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* SO many other features you could discuss -- see earlier post of literary and stylistic devices we reviewed before your 2nd quiz!
*then you go into the body, starting with a body paragraph for text 1, and how one of your chosen textual elements shows your argument/theme/prompt link (negative effects of alienation in this case)
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BODY paragraph 1 - text 1 (sample):
Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger's protagonist, Holden Caulfield, faces the negative effects of alienation due to his own internal conflict. First of all, the novel is told through first-person stream-of-consciousness narration, which exposes Holden's inner thoughts and fears. He expresses to readers that X (EXAMPLE). The use of/fact that he does/says X shows that he feels isolated from others. Holden struggles like this with himself constantly, as he is unsure about where he is going with his life. For example, when Holden is doing X (context/set up quotation), he (EXAMPLE from the text of Holden's internal struggle). The fact that he does/says/thinks X (link to example) shows how alienated he is, as he is clearly (link to topic sentence/thesis). Furthermore, Holden's .... (another transition word to tie in a new example, set up point, explain, link back, and repeat as needed!)
BODY paragraph 2 - text 2 (sample):
Just as Holden struggles with alienation internally, Maddy, the protagonist of Orringer's "The Isabel Fish", faces a similar inner conflict throughout the story. ... continue with SEE, as above.
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* Note that some of your examples will be quotations, and some will be descriptions of situations or symbols - try to get a mix of the 2 in. Regardless, make sure they are fully analyzed and explained to link to your argument (explanations can be 1-3 sentences long)
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CONCLUSION
- re-state your thesis
- compare & contrast presentation of prompt/issue in the texts
- extend your ideas out (So what? What can we learn from these texts in relation to the prompt/issue being examined?)
connective_words.doc |