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Title: Welcome%20back,%20folks


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Welcome back, folks
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Writing Workout

• In an open letter, article, or rant to the
  tourists, explain both what is GREAT about
  tourism and what is NEGATIVE about Austin
  invaders.

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Get ready for ARGUMENTATION

1. Analytical Essay developing a thesis/literary
   argument
2. Journal Assessment accept or appeal
3. Advocacy Project convince your audience to
   listen, to care, to take action
4. TGPLAN Essay build a case, explaining who the
   leaders, visionaries and pot-stirrers are
5. A Small Place consider point of view and other
   rhetorical strategies

• Other reminders
• Typed QUIZZAMS and answer keys are due
  Wednesday/Thursday.
• Permission slips are due on Wednesday.
• Journal grade appeals are due by Friday.

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Ugh. I have to write an essay.Where do I start?

• Start with a small seed of an idea,
• then water it,
• nurture it, talk to it,
• and watch it grow!

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Start with a topic end up with a thesis
statement.

• A thesis statement is a sentence (or two) that
  provides a roadmap for the rest of the essay.
• A thesis statement expresses an opinion that can
  be argued.
• A thesis statement is specific, but it relates to
  a larger, universal truth.
• For literary analysis, a thesis statement refers
  to METHOD and MEANING.

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Envision THESIS PIECES

• SUBJECT (limited, specific, contextual)
• POSITION (precise opinion, assertion, an arguable
  point)
• BLUEPRINT OF REASONS (a roadmap)
• Possibly
• CONCESSION or QUALIFICATION

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crack babies

• This is only a topic, because
• its not a complete sentence
• it doesnt express an opinion that someone could
  argue against
• it doesnt say anythingwhat about these babies
  born addicted to drugs?

Acknowledgement This example is taken from the
Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University USA
. It is available on their website
www.indiana.edu/wts/.
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programs for crack babies

• Its BETTER, because its more specific.
• Its still not a sentence.
• still not arguable.
• still not detailed enough to provide a road map
  for the rest of the essay.
• Suggestion to the writer take a position!
• Andummaybe use a phrase other than crack
  babies?!?

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More attention should be paid to the environment
that babies who are born addicted to crack might
grow up in

• It does state an opinion.
• It IS a complete sentence (although a clunky one)
• The reader knows what the paper might be about.
• The problem? Still too vague. environment?
  attention? what does the writer really think?

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Experts estimate that half of babies born
addicted to crack cocaine will grow up in home
environments lacking rich cognitive and emotional
stimulation.
It demonstrates more thought and sounds better,
but its missing the other components of a
thesis. (Its not really arguable. It doesnt
give the reader a road map. But dont delete
it! You might use this sentence in your
introduction or conclusion!
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Because half of all babies who are born addicted
to crack coacaine are likely to grow up in homes
lacking good cognitive and emotional stimulation,
the federal government should finance programs to
supplement parental care for this special needs
group of children.
Complete sentencecheck. Arguable
positioncheck. Road map for the
essaycheck. Specific languagecheck.
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Thoughts about theses

• Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a great American
  novel.
• In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a
  contrast between life on the river and life on
  the shore.
• Through its contrasting river and shore scenes,
  Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find
  the true expression of American democratic
  ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go
  back to nature.

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But Im writing about a boooook
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Method and Meaning

• How methods the author uses, such as imagery,
  diction, allegory, irony, magical realism
• Why the meaning (message, moral, theme!) the
  author is trying to convey
• What Lame. This writer just explains what
  happened in the book, without actually analyzing
  the HOW or the WHY.

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Building the FoundationThesis Check

• Have you written a
• complete sentence?
• Does it convey an opinion that someone could
  argue against?
• Does it provide a roadmap of the essay for the
  reader?
• Does it mention METHOD (the how of a writers
  craft) and MEANING (the why of writing writers
  message?)
• Have you included the authors name and title of
  the book in the thesis?

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Whats the big idea?MeaningTheme
Have you determined a theme? Novels often have
multiple themes you only need to write about
one. What universal truth is conveyed to the
reader?
The author wants the reader to see that (fill
in the blank)
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Novel Theme (Meaning) Literary Devices (Method)
Life of Pi Fiction may not reveal what is real, but it can capture what is true. Plot twists Allegory Contrast between the two stories
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Novel Theme (Meaning) Literary Devices (Method)
Ramayana and/or Siddhartha Following the right path allows one to overcome great obstacles and become triumphant in the end. Character development Hero cycle Imagery and diction Contrast between good and evil
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Novel Theme (Meaning) Literary Devices (Method)
Antigone Sometimes, breaking the law is justifiable. Character motivation Diction/tone (related to gender roles and cultural expectations)
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Novel Theme (Meaning) Literary Devices (Method)
Candide We are mice on the ship claiming to know Gods plan for us is ludicrous. Satire Metaphor Techniques of humor (hyperbole, understatement, repetition)
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Novel Theme (Meaning) Literary Devices (Method)
The Inferno Humans are flawed by nature, but Gods justice represents perfection. The number 3 Poetic justice of punishments Motifs (light vs. dark beautiful vs. bestial)
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Novel Theme (Meaning) Literary Devices (Method)
Title of your Latin American Novel What is the lesson to be learned from reading this novel? What devices really stood out while you were reading?
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Feel like youre halfway there?

• If you have an idea about the meaning, its time
  to jump into the book to see HOW the meaning was
  conveyed.
• If you dont know the theme of the book, its
  time to collect some of the most significant
  moments to see if you can identify devices and
  determine WHY they are being used.

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Thesis Formula(very basic, very dry, very
formulaicbut an okay place to start)

• In (title of poem/novel/play), (author's name)
  uses (1st literary device), (2nd literary
  device), and (3rd literary device) to
  (show/criticize/explain/etc.) (some aspect of
  human nature).

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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. Note If all you do in one body
paragraph is give a few examples of diction from
the text and simply identify them as diction,
then you haven't analyzed anything. The analysis
part involves explaining how those examples are
effective diction and how they help to
communicate the theme of the passage.
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Sample student-written theses

• In his magnum opus Labyrinths, Jorge Luis Borges
  employs the technique of magical realism to
  express the disillusionment and utter confusion
  his fellow Latin Americans feel as a result of
  the colonial period.

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Sample student-written theses

• In One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel
  Garcia Marquez, isolation and solitude allow for
  a new world in which fantastic and unreal
  events are the norm. Marquez uses magical
  realism as a device to create a sense of
  alternate reality, a means of escapism, and a
  barrier between the civilized world and the
  fictional town of Macondo.

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Sample student-written theses

• In Labyrinths, Borges uses the motifs of mazes,
  paths, and codes to explore the concepts of
  infinity, immortality, and the mystery of death.

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Nowgo to it!

• Take a look at your first draft thesis, and
  rewrite, if necessary.
• Write an additional thesis statement as an
  alternate.
• Share your first efforts with your lit. circle
  buds and trouble-shoot them.

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Still feeling stuck?Back to brainstorming

• Ask yourself some questions (look back at your
  lit. circle work or your quizzam to get a
  jumpstart). Then FREE WRITE or BUBBLE CHART to
  discover your ideas.
• What is the role of prophecy or clairvoyance in
  the novel? How does that contrast or connect to
  fate?
• What do the (fill in the blank wings, statues,
  labyrinths, tatoos, coins, recipes) symbolize?
  When you find the abstract word, decide what you
  think the author is trying to say about that
  concept.
• How does (fill in the blank) gain power as the
  story progresses?
• Do authors hide touchy subjects by including
  the fantastic elements of magical realism?

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Even more questions to consider

• Why is there a female narrator AND a male
  narrator in
• House of the Spirits?
• Why does Laura Esquivel include so much about
  food and cooking in Like Water For Chocolate?
• What does the title One Hundred Years of Solitude
  mean? What kinds of solitude does the author
  explore?
• What role does Catholicism play in The War of the
  Saints?
• How do reality and imagination collide in the
  works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

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Novel Theme (Meaning) Literary Devices (Method)
Title of your Latin American Novel What is the lesson to be learned from reading this novel? What devices really stood out while you were reading?
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Thesis Formula(very basic, very dry, very
formulaicbut an okay place to start)

• In (title of poem/novel/play), (author's name)
  uses (1st literary device), (2nd literary
  device), and (3rd literary device) to
  (show/criticize/explain/etc.) (some aspect of
  human nature).

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The Next Step

• Deductive thinkers If your thesis statement is
  already guiding you to topic sentences, draft
  them first, then search for evidence to support
  each topic sentence.
• Inductive thinkers If your topic sentences
  arent writing themselves, go straight to the
  search for evidence. Find key passages that
  relate to the idea expressed in your thesis
  statement, then organize the quotes into
  categories. (Those will become your body
  paragraphs.)

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• The pages are still blank, but there is a
  miraculous feeling of the words being there,
  written in invisible ink and clamoring to become
  visible.  Vladimir Nabakov

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Intro thesis statement
Begin with broader statements about the topic
that lead up to a clear, concise, roadmap of a
thesis.
Each body paragraph should work to prove the
thesis. If something doesnt connect, either cut
it or rewrite the thesis.
Body Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 2
Hooks and transitions link the paragraphs
together so ideas FLOW.
Body Paragraph 3
Conclusions echo the thesis (without repeating it
verbatim), then move to a broader idea (how the
novel connects to life experiences, how the essay
topic relates to the novel as a whole).
conclusion
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Blueprint for a Body Paragraph
Topic sentences make an argument that supports
the thesis.
Assertion
Context Concrete Detail
Context explains where the quote is found a
concrete detail is direct evidence from the text
that illustrates your point.
Commentary
CM your explanation of how the detail proves
the assertion (may include interpretation,
insight, analysis, reflection). You should have
twice as much commentary as concrete
detail. Concluding sentence ties the CDs and CM
back to thesis.
Transition
Context Concrete Detail
Commentary
Clincher
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• (TS) In the beginning, the boys view the conch
  as an important symbol
• that unites them and gives them the power to deal
  with their difficult
• situation. (CT) When the conch is first found and
  blown, it brings
• everyone together (CD) Ralph found his breath
  and blew a series of
• short blasts. Piggy exclaimed, Theres one!
  (Golding 16). (CM) Here
• Piggy observes one boy emerging from the jungle
  but soon boys form
• all around. Each comes for his own reason some
  for plain curiosity,
• other for the prospect of rescue. They all form
  the first assembly thanks
• to the conch. The first job of this assembly is
  to unite even further and
• choose a leader or chief. (Transition) Once again
  the conch plays an
• important role. (CT) It is Ralph who is chosen
  to be chief, and the main
• reason for this is because he holds the conch.
  When it is put to a vote,
• the boys exclaim, (CD) Him with the shell.
  Ralph! Ralph! Let him be
• chief with the trumpet-thing (Golding 21). (CM)
  Because Ralph
• possesses the conch, a symbol of power and
  authority, he is chosen
• chief. (CS) Thus, at first the conch is an
  important object bringing
• civilizing influences to the boys as they work
  together to make the best
• of a bad situation.

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• N. Scott Momoday has created a masterpiece by
  using diction and imagery alone. One good
  example of diction is when he uses the words
  exotic corner. He could have just said cool
  corner or amazing corner, but he uses good word
  choice (or diction) to make the story more
  enticing. Another good example of diction is
  when he uses the word embarked. He could have
  just used the word went or traveled. Yet
  again, Momaday has good diction to help make his
  story ever more fantastic. Finally, Momaday has
  once again made a fine word choice when he uses
  the word landscape. He could have used the
  words place or just land. Overall, N. Scott
  Momaday has used extremely good word choice.

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• Momaday uses excellent imagery in his
  well-written passage. When he says in the
  bright New Mexican morning, he really shows that
  he woke up on a bright morning. It gives you an
  image of a bright morning. Another good example
  of imagery is when he says I looked southward
  into the plain there a caravan of covered wagons
  reached as far as the eye could see, he really
  shows that covered wagons were all over the
  plains as far as the eye can see. Finally, a very
  good example of imagery is when he says, It was
  as if that whole proud people, the Dine, had been
  concentrated into one endless migration. It
  shows how descriptive Momaday was when he wrote
  this. You can see it when you read it.

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Back to the beginning

• Go back to the intro strategies packet you
  received earlier in the semester.
• Introductory paragraphs need to
• start broad and move into the specific thesis
• interest the reader from the first moment
• provide a roadmap for the rest of the essay

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AVOID

• Telling the writer what you are about to tell
  them This essay will prove that
• Dawn of man phrases Throughout time,
  Throughout history, For all of humanity,
• Filling an entire page with an anecdote that just
  barely connects to the rest of your essay get
  to the point!

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So whats left?

• The so what and so why should I care is
  left!
• Conclusion paragraphs should
• bring everything back to the thesis, without
  repeating the thesis statement word for word
• help the reader see the point of the entire
  essay connect it to the novel as a whole or to
  some universal about life
• give the reader a sense of closure

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AVOID

• telling the writer what you just told them As
  you can see, I have proven my thesis
• trite phrases like In conclusion, or In
  closing,
• making sentimental or emotional appeals that are
  out of character for the rest of the essay
• introducing a totally new idea or including
  evidence that should have been in the body

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• Writing Workshop Time