Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0 Thesis Writing. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0 In the following pairs you will find a...
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Transcript of Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0 Thesis Writing. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0 In the following pairs you will find a...
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Thesis Writing
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
In the following pairs you will find a series of possible thesis statements. In each pair, one is labelled “a good thesis” and the other “not a thesis”. Study these pairs and figure out what a good
thesis must include.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 1:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisThe American space shuttle program.
The space shuttle program is an expensive luxury.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 2:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisFlex-time. This company should
allow flex-time.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 3:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisOwning your home. Owning your home is
the American nightmare.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
What can you conclude about a good thesis from these first three pairs?
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Now look at these pairs.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 1:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisIn this paper I will discuss computers.
Computers can make human beings more powerful.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 2:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisRabies will be the subject of this essay.
Every pet should be inoculated against rabies.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 3:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisThere are a number of pros and cons to nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy is too dangerous to be used as a source of energy.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 4:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisThe proposal for a mandatory seat belt law is very controversial.
All drivers should be required by law to wear seat belts.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
What can you conclude about a good thesis
statement from these pairs?
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Now look at these pairs.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 1:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisIs Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Vertigo, a perfect thriller?
Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Vertigo, is a perfect thriller.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 2:
Not a Thesis A Good ThesisIs it possible to have a perfectly good marriage without love?
It is possible to have a perfectly good marriage without love.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
What can you conclude about a good thesis
statement from these pairs?
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Now look at these pairs.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 1:
Weak Thesis Weak ThesisThe Palestinians do not have a homeland.
Something should be done about the Palestinians.
Good ThesisA homeland must be created for the
Palestinians.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 2:
Weak Thesis Weak ThesisHarry Truman was the only president to use nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons are a powerful force in the world today.
Good ThesisThe nuclear bombs we exploded on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki were a crime against the human race.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Pair # 3:
Weak Thesis Weak ThesisBurning coal with a high sulphur content contributes to acid rain.
The federal government should take a stand on acid rain.
Good ThesisIt should be made illegal to burn high-sulphur
coal.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
What can you conclude about a good thesis
statement from examples?
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Use what you have learned about thesis statements to
evaluate each of the following. If it is a good
thesis, leave it alone. If it is a weak thesis, revise it to
make it effective.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Religion in America will be the focus of this paper.
Example # 1
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Lyndon Johnson was the president who first
committed American troops in Vietnam.
Example # 2
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Required courses are opposed by many.
Example # 3
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Who really assassinated President Kennedy?
Example # 4
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Violence on TV provides a harmless outlet for the natural violence we all
sometimes feel.
Example # 5
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Something must be done about the divorce rate in
this country.
Example # 6
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Maclennan exposes the dark side of religion in
Each Man’s Son.
Example # 7
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Although it may appear that human corruption attacks
from the outside, in Othello its true source is from within
the individual.
Example # 8
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
In The Double Hook, the use of symbols is an important
feature in her writing.
Example # 9
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Watson adapts traditional symbols from Christian and
Indian mythology to underscore the theme of
spiritual death and regeneration.
Example # 10
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Seven Errors to Avoid When Composing a
Thesis
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
1. A thesis cannot be a fragment; it must be expressed in a sentence.
Poor BetterHow life is in the inner city.
Residents of the inner city tend to have a higher death rate, higher disease rates, and higher psychosis rates than do any other residents in Canadian cities.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
2. A thesis must not be in the form of a question (usually the answer to that question could be the thesis).
Poor BetterShould eighteen-year-olds have the right to vote?
Anyone who is old enough to fight a war is old enough to vote.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
3. A thesis must not contain such phrases as “I think” as they merely weaken the statement or argument.
Poor BetterIn my opinion, most men wear beards because they are trying to find themselves.
The current beard fad may be an attempt on the part of men to emphasize their male identity.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
4. A thesis must not contain elements that are not clearly related.
Poor BetterAll novelists seek the truth; therefore some novelists are good psychologists.
In the attempt to probe human nature, many novelists appear to be good psychologists.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
5. A thesis must not be expressed in vague language.
Poor BetterSome people do not think wage and price controls did too much for inflation, despite the politicians saying it would.
Contrary to what politicians believed, wage and price controls did not stop inflation.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
6. A thesis must not be expressed in muddled or incoherent language.
Poor BetterAll students should not think that university is for everyone because for many people they have a career that high school was all they needed.
Students should realize that many people have good careers without having attended university.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
7. A thesis should not be written in figurative language.
Poor BetterLove is the rose in the garden of our existence.
Love is the true basis of human happiness.
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Thesis Flow ChartText Related Subjects
Questions
Focused Topics
Questions
Thesis Statements
Major ideas or topics directly related to the text
Questions you ask about the text to gain a clearer, more focused understanding of your subject
Ideas that are specific enough to engineer a thesis
Questions that will develop a logical, focused and arguable statement that can be supported in an essay
You should know this
Mr. MehrotraENG 4U0
Thesis Flow Chart & Animal FarmText Related Subjects
Questions
Focused Topics
Questions Thesis Statements
WAR How does war affect the characters?
What do characters learn about themselves?
Are there positives and negatives to war?
How does war benefit the characters?
The emotional affects of War.
War and character development
What are characters emotional reactions?
Do characters gain a better understanding of themselves?
War causes destructive emotional reactions in the characters.
War forces characters to gain a deeper understanding of themselves.