University of Newfoundland's Tips for Thesis Writing
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
Steps to Writing an Annotated Bibliography
1. The first sentence should summarize the author’s thesis.
2. The next three sentences should provide three of the author’s supporting arguments or points.
3. The final sentence should tell whether or not the source works well for your research or project.
2. The next three sentences should provide three of the author’s supporting arguments or points.
3. The final sentence should tell whether or not the source works well for your research or project.
Steps to Writing a Thesis Statement
JFK's Inaugural Address
Develop a thesis statement for an essay that analyzes how the author's style affects the purpose of the speech.
Question 1 - Why are so many of the words abstract? How do words like freedom, poverty, devotion, loyalty, and sacrifice set the tone of the speech.
Answer: I believe all of these words are strong sources of emotional persuasion (pathos). They set a formal tone, appropriate for the occasion of a new president taking office. They also allow the listener to interpret the ideas in a personal way, while touching that emotional cord within all of us. What do freedom look like to you? Poverty? How am I affected?
Thesis - John F. Kennedy uses a variety of abstract words in his inaugural address which both strike an emotional cord within the listener and allow the listener to interpret the ideas in a personal way.
Thesis - John F. Kennedy uses a variety of abstract words in his inaugural address that set a formal tone appropriate to the occasion of a new president of the United States taking office.
Question 2: Find examples of rhetorical devices such as metaphor and personification.
Answer: Some examples of metaphors are "bonds of mass misery" (par. 8), "beachhead of cooperation" (par. 19), and "jungle of suspicion" (par. 19). An example of personification is "sister republics" (par. 9).
Thesis - John F. Kennedy uses metaphors in his inaugural address to contrast the differences between the problems of the past and his hope for the future.
How do we begin to compare and contrast two vastly different texts?
Understand both texts - Read the second text for comprehension then annotate, question, or create a graphic organizer.
**Ask similar questions of each text.
Step 1 - Examine Eleanor Clift's Inside Kennedy's Inauguration, 50 Years On.
Step 2 - Ask similar questions.
So, does Clift use abstract language in her essay, and if so, why?
Or, does Clift use metaphors or personification, and if so, why?
Step 3 - Try to answer the questions.
So, Clift does use some abstract language, but it is different from the language used by JFK. She also aims to capture the emotion of that very special day but in an effort to recreate the moment; whereas, JFK aimed to inspire individuals with his emotion in an effort to evoke change.
Or, Clift does not use as many metaphors as JFK did; however, she allows us to experience the changes that took place that day in other ways. For example, Clift provides quotes from a variety of people that demonstrate that there just
seemed to be a "different feeling in the air" that day he spoke.
Step 4: Make connections and create a thesis that can be supported and addresses the prompt.
Develop a thesis statement for an essay that compares and contrasts the styles of the three documents, focusing on the legacy of JFK.
Thesis - Although John F. Kennedy and Elanor Clift use different language, they both seek to evoke an emotional response from their audience, Clift to recreate the emotion of that day in her article Inside Kennedy's Inauguration, 50 Years On, and John F. Kennedy to inspire a nation in his inaugural address.
Thesis - In Elanor Clift's article, Inside Kennedy's Inauguration, 50 Years On, and John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, change is the focus of the day; however, both use different methods to evoke the feeling of change, Clift through personal experience and Kennedy through the use of metaphor comparing past and present situations.
Develop a thesis statement for an essay that analyzes how the author's style affects the purpose of the speech.
Question 1 - Why are so many of the words abstract? How do words like freedom, poverty, devotion, loyalty, and sacrifice set the tone of the speech.
Answer: I believe all of these words are strong sources of emotional persuasion (pathos). They set a formal tone, appropriate for the occasion of a new president taking office. They also allow the listener to interpret the ideas in a personal way, while touching that emotional cord within all of us. What do freedom look like to you? Poverty? How am I affected?
Thesis - John F. Kennedy uses a variety of abstract words in his inaugural address which both strike an emotional cord within the listener and allow the listener to interpret the ideas in a personal way.
Thesis - John F. Kennedy uses a variety of abstract words in his inaugural address that set a formal tone appropriate to the occasion of a new president of the United States taking office.
Question 2: Find examples of rhetorical devices such as metaphor and personification.
Answer: Some examples of metaphors are "bonds of mass misery" (par. 8), "beachhead of cooperation" (par. 19), and "jungle of suspicion" (par. 19). An example of personification is "sister republics" (par. 9).
Thesis - John F. Kennedy uses metaphors in his inaugural address to contrast the differences between the problems of the past and his hope for the future.
How do we begin to compare and contrast two vastly different texts?
Understand both texts - Read the second text for comprehension then annotate, question, or create a graphic organizer.
**Ask similar questions of each text.
Step 1 - Examine Eleanor Clift's Inside Kennedy's Inauguration, 50 Years On.
Step 2 - Ask similar questions.
So, does Clift use abstract language in her essay, and if so, why?
Or, does Clift use metaphors or personification, and if so, why?
Step 3 - Try to answer the questions.
So, Clift does use some abstract language, but it is different from the language used by JFK. She also aims to capture the emotion of that very special day but in an effort to recreate the moment; whereas, JFK aimed to inspire individuals with his emotion in an effort to evoke change.
Or, Clift does not use as many metaphors as JFK did; however, she allows us to experience the changes that took place that day in other ways. For example, Clift provides quotes from a variety of people that demonstrate that there just
seemed to be a "different feeling in the air" that day he spoke.
Step 4: Make connections and create a thesis that can be supported and addresses the prompt.
Develop a thesis statement for an essay that compares and contrasts the styles of the three documents, focusing on the legacy of JFK.
Thesis - Although John F. Kennedy and Elanor Clift use different language, they both seek to evoke an emotional response from their audience, Clift to recreate the emotion of that day in her article Inside Kennedy's Inauguration, 50 Years On, and John F. Kennedy to inspire a nation in his inaugural address.
Thesis - In Elanor Clift's article, Inside Kennedy's Inauguration, 50 Years On, and John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, change is the focus of the day; however, both use different methods to evoke the feeling of change, Clift through personal experience and Kennedy through the use of metaphor comparing past and present situations.
Writing Effective Summaries
guidelines_for_writing_a_summary.html | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | html |