Thesis Statements and Color of Water

Qualities of a Good Thesis Statement

An argument
When you write an extended literary essay, often one requiring research, you are essentially making an argument. You are arguing that your perspective-an interpretation, an evaluative judgment, or a critical evaluation-is a valid one.

For your top three favorite topics, create a thesis statement that would fit the criteria discussed in class

For homework, post your thesis statement by 12am tonight!

Bad Thesis Statement Example:

You would not want to make an argument of this sort:

Shakespeare's Hamlet is a play about a young man who seeks revenge.

That doesn't say anything-it's basically just a summary and is hardly debatable.

A better thesis would be this:

Hamlet experiences internal conflict because he is in love with his mother.

That is debatable, controversial even. The rest of a paper with this argument as its thesis will be an attempt to show, using specific examples from the text an

The Color of Water--Passage Analysis 1

Directions:  Pick 8-10 lines from The Color of Water (you can use any lines up to page 95).  Once you pick the passage, write a 250 word response about the passage.  Consider all of the following:  Why is the passage important?  What new information do we receive from this passage?  How does the passage help us understand the character better?  How does the passage relate to other parts of the text?

TEWWG Movie Reflection

After watching the movie, post a reflection (at least 250 words long) comparing and contrasting the novel and the film.  When writing your reflection, you may want to consider the following questions:

• Did the film makers portray the characters and events as you had imagined them?
• Was there anything that you would have changed about the film to better communicate the message of the book?
• Which did you like better and why?

Remember that you are always welcome to comment on other people's posting in addition to posting your own relfection.  Reflection Due by Sunday 10/25 at 10pm.