3-part Thesis Statement

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3-part Thesis Statement
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Thesis Statements

• In the simplest terms a thesis statement is
• A specific subject
• A specific stance
• All thesis statements must include these two
  things.

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Respond to the Prompt

• All thesis statements must respond to the prompt.
• What is multiculturalism? Discuss some
  implications of multiculturalism in contemporary
  society.
• Level one questions posed in the prompt must have
  level one answers in the thesis statement

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Announce a specific topic

• Salman Rushdies Haroun and the Sea of Stories is
  a clear allegory for Rushdies life at the time
  he wrote the novel.
• The book is a clear allegory for the authors
  life.

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Include a Definite Statement

• Some people believe that Chris McCandless is an
  American hero, while others believe he isnt.
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  reinforces racist stereotypes.

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Key information

• When working with only one or two texts, the
  author and title of the work should always be
  included in the introduction paragraph.
• In John Krakauers novel Into the Wild

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Adopt the appropriate scope

• Native Americans have faced many difficulties
  throughout the history of the United States.

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Show Knowledge of the Topic

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald critiques
  the American dream in its treatment of the
  excesses of prohibition-era 1920s, suburban New
  York City commuter culture, and as seen through
  the trajectory of Gatsbys life.

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Placement

• Where should a thesis statement be located?

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One strategy 3-part thesis

• Specific Topic Specific Stance
• Supporting Argument A
• Supporting Argument B
• Supporting Argument C

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3-part Thesis

• What are the strengths of this approach?
• What are the weaknesses of this approach?

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3-part thesis examples

• For example, if a student is writing a critical
  essay on Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor,
  arguing that Billy is a one-dimensional
  character, an effective thesis sentence would be
• "In Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor, Billy
  is a one-dimensional character because he is
  ignorant of cruelty, his goodness and purity are
  manifest physically in his appearance, and
  despite being a foundling, he is well-born."

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Some sample thesis statements literary analysis
of poems

• In "If you Were Coming in the Fall," Emily
  Dickinson uses simile, diction, and syntax to
  describe how people wait, hoping to fall in love.
  
• Critics classify Langston Hughess work into
  poems of social and racial protest and poems of
  racial affirmation (DiYanni 522-523). Theme
  for English B, however, does not nestle neatly
  within either category, as it exudes a more
  complicated tone of both pride and frustration.

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Thesis Statement Checklist

• Does your thesis statement respond directly to
  the prompt?
• Does your thesis contain a definite statement?
• Does your thesis show you have knowledge about
  your topic?
• Is your statement appropriate in scope (not too
  broad or too narrow)?
• Does your thesis list the key points to be
  discussed in your essay?
• Can you provide evidence to back up your thesis?

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Practice Choose 3 of the following prompts
write a well-constructed thesis statement.

• Should American students be required to learn a
  second language? Why or why not? OR Should high
  school students be required to take physical
  education courses? Why or why not?
• Are high schools adequately meeting the needs of
  their students? Explain your position using
  specific examples from your observation and
  experience.
• Do Americans seem unable to relax in their
  leisure time? Explain your position using
  specific examples from your observation and
  experience.
• What do you consider the most important event of
  the past decade? Why?
• "Human rights" is a term frequently used but
  seldom defined. Discuss what rights should belong
  to every human being.
• If you were guaranteed a steadily improving
  standard of living (in terms of buying power,
  free time, quality of goods and services, etc.),
  would you be willing to give up your right to
  vote? Explain.

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Your thesis statements

• Christopher McCandless is an American Hero
  because he took the risks nobody else would. He
  survived off of the wild and challenged himself
  to be independent. Christopher McCandless should
  be recognized for his heroism.

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Your thesis statements

• Christopher Johnson McCandless, although argued
  by some to be an American hero, is in fact not,
  because his actions, did not really benefit
  anyone but himself.

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Your thesis statements

• Chris McCandless is not a hero he was
  overconfident, and paid for it with his life, but
  his determination to live life to the fullest and
  pursue his dreams should be admired.

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Your thesis statements

• An American hero is someone that shows great
  bravery or patriotism or just embodies what
  America represents. Christopher McCandless is
  not an American hero just because he dared
  himself to think about the ethics about living in
  American society.

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Your thesis statements

• Is Christopher McCandless an American hero? I
  dont think so because he made some stupid
  decisions on his way to Alaska and right before
  he went into the wild.

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Your thesis statements

• A hero is someone who would risk their well being
  for the safety or inspiration of others. In the
  book Into the Wild by John Krakauer Chris
  McCandless portrays the definition of a hero and
  a role model.