To make sure everyone is on the right track for the argument essay, please complete the following pre-writing activity:
Write a working thesis based on the tips in the “Writing an Effective Thesis Statement” handout linked below and in the essay guidelines. Please make sure your thesis is clearly labeled; it should only be one or two sentences.
Writing an Effective Thesis Statement.pdf
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Write a short paragraph (at least 200 words) explaining how you plan to support your thesis and organize your key points. Give me the gist of your argument so that I have an idea of where you think you’re headed and can offer guidance if I think you need it. (Feel free to ask questions if you have them, but please list them after your paragraph.)
Some things to keep in mind:
Your thesis needs to be focused on the topic you wrote about for the annotated bibliography.
Your thesis needs to be a claim with which a reasonable person could disagree.
You shouldn’t make an announcement or use the first person in your thesis (“In this essay, I am going to…”)
It’s okay if you find that your thesis or initial plan needs to be adjusted once you start drafting; that’s often part of the writing process. The goal here is to start planning. If things change later on and you worry you may be veering off track, you can always email me to discuss your concerns. 🙂
Reminder from topic proposal guidelines of some topics that students have used in the past that have worked well:
The accuracy of historical films like Clint Eastwood’s The Alamo, Spotlight, and Schindler’s List,
The accuracy of biopics like Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin) and The Theory of Everything (Stephen Hawking)
The scientific feasibility of films like Interstellar and Martian
Adaptations of books into films like The Shining and Little Women
The symbolism found in films like Star Wars and Citizen Kane,
Comparisons between different versions of films like Aladdin and Oldboy
Conversely, some kinds of arguments are usually less effective:
Everyone should see this movie because it is life-changing.
Here’s why this movie is the greatest of all time.
Video games/violent media/films about serial killers and so forth do/don’t cause/glorify violence.
X is a bad influence on children/society/men/women/etc.
Hollywood should stop making X genre or type of film.
Children shouldn’t be exposed to X.
