First, you’ll want to review the essay #1 topic, which can be found in Course Documents under Essay Prompts in the Modules section of Canvas. After doing so, reconsider the wording of the “Context” section of the essay prompt, but especially the “The Assignment” and “Essay Topic Question” portions, which can be found on page 1 of the assignment. The “Essay Topic Question,” by far, is what you should continually refer back to as you consider how you’ll respond to the assignment, as that question will become instrumental for your thesis statement and topic sentences that begin your body paragraphs.
Your Thesis Statement:
Your thesis should contain the following 3 parts. And your thesis should only be 1 sentence:
1. Clearly define in as few words as possible Paulo Freire’s “explicit” (surface) or “implicit” (below the surface) argument.
2. Identify which character or characters you will focus on for your essay.
3. Address the HOW and/or WHY of the essay topic question in your thesis.
Sample Thesis (Focusing on the Explicit):
Paulo Freire’s explicit argument that problem-posing teachers can help liberate students is evident in Dead Poets Society in the relationship between John Keating and Todd Anderson, since Anderson achieves self-actualization, independence, and finds his own voice with Keating’s help by the film’s end.
Sample Topic Sentence for Body Paragraph #1 (based on the above Explicit thesis):
Freire’s argument regarding liberation is especially recognizable in Todd Anderson, when Keating lays the framework for Anderson’s self-actualization in the poetry recitation scene fairly early in the film.
Sample Thesis (Focusing on the Implicit):
Paulo Freire’s implied argument that societal institutions primarily serve to oppress the lower classes in an effort to undermine democracy in favor of hierarchy is made clear through the push-and-pull relationship between Headmaster Nolan and John Keating, since Nolan symbolizes the old, yet oppressive, social order, while Keating represents the democratic ideals of freedom and self-expression.
Sample Topic Sentence for Body Paragraph #1 (based on the above Implicit thesis):
Freire’s argument regarding democracies and hierarchies is first suggested in Dead Poets Society when Nolan confronts Keating regarding the courtyard episode, wherein Keating’s lesson focused on the pitfalls of groupthink while encouraging the students’ sense of freedom while discovering their own mode of expression.
