Drafting a thesis

DRAFTING A THESIS

1) Write down your observations about the text than you are looking at. Use the pre-writing checklist on Envision, p. 35, and the prompts below to guide you. Write your observations in below.

            Topic:
           Story:
           Audience:
           Author:
            Argument:
            Composition:
            Word and Image:
            Imagery:
            Tone:
            Character & Setting:
            Cultural Resonance:

2) Work with your observations to construct a preliminary thesis statement – that is, an argument or claim about the image. What claim do you want to make about that image or images? Remember, your thesis statement does not necessarily have to take into account ALL of your observations.

PRELIMINARY THESIS:

3) Refine your argument by asking questions that make your statement less general. Write your answers in below:

       How?
      What are the contradictions?
      To what effect? 
       How do I know this?

4) Revise your preliminary thesis statement to be more specific; perhaps include specific evidence that drives your claim.

REVISED THESIS:

5) Further polish your thesis by refining your language and asking questions about the implication of your working thesis statement. Write the answers in below:

What do you find interesting about this observation?

How does it tap into larger social or cultural issues?

6) Write your working thesis to include a sense of the implications of your claims, sometimes referred to as the “So What?” of your claim.