Once you know the essay topic, you can develop thesis statement
(the idea you will prove by writing your essay).
A
strong thesis statement directly addresses the topic and enables you to write a full and complete essay. Because this particular prompt asks you to assess whether or not Napoleon reversed the goals of the French Revolution, you need to take a stand on a topic and argue your point of view
. Your thesis can express that you agree with the topic, disagree with topic, or that you both agree and disagree. Your thesis statement must . . . directly address the topic. make a clear and interesting argument. use universal language (avoid “I, me, my”). be well written and not contain distracting mechanical errors. Assessing Thesis Statements
Here is the essay prompt: Assess the validity of the following statement:
All the goals of the French Revolution were lost during the years Napoleon ruled France. Reviewing Sample Thesis Statements
Using the bulleted criteria above, rank the following thesis statements in order of excellence in the way each is written
(you do not need to rank them based on whether or not you agree with the position taken, just based on how well it is written). Rate #1 be the strongest statement, #5 the weakest statement. ______ Even though Napoleon’s actions were often autocratic, many goals of the French Revolution were met during his reign over France. ______ He actually went along with a lot of the changes made by the french revolution. Napoleon did not ruin the goals of the french revolution! ______ I think that Napoleon made many changes to France. ______ All the goals of the French revolution were lost during the years Napoleon ruled France. ______ The fight for freedom and equality was the goal for the French revolt, but when Napoleon crowned himself emperor was it for better of worse? Why did you choose the thesis statement you did as the best? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ the worst?
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In the space below, draft a thesis for yourself which you will prove in your essay Draft thesis statement:
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