Painted Door Thesis Statement Activity

Writing Thesis Statements for the Critical Analytical Essay
GO 2.1 Students will:
2.1.1.a Explain the text creator’s purpose
2.1.1d Identify the impact of personal experience and prior knowledge on constructing meaning from text
2.1.2.b Analyze the relationships among controlling ideas, supporting ideas and supporting details in a text

a) You will be given a topic
b) You will ask yourself the following question:
“What does _______________(my author)_______ suggest about ________(given topic)_________ in the __________________ (genre and name of text) “
c) Your answer to the question is your thesis statement.

For example: Given topic

What does your author suggest about the effects of isolation

Question:
“What does Sinclair Ross suggest about effects of isolation in the short story, “The Painted Door”?

The answer to this question is my thesis: Sample Thesis:
In the short story “The Painted Door,” Sinclair Ross suggests that Anne’s isolation resulted in feelings of discontent which caused her betrayal and ultimate regret.

Practice Writing Thesis Statements
The thesis statement provides the controlling idea that is the reason to write the essay; as such, when the thesis statement is weak or absent there is no point to the essay. The essay becomes merely plot summary and even if the plot summary is bang-on correct and uses wonderfully embedded quotations, you’re still facing 2/5 maximum in the categories of Thought and Understanding, Supporting Evidence, and Form and Structure. Why? Because your thesis shows no understanding of what the text suggests about the topic, the evidence isn’t supporting an idea, and there is no form and structure at all because the body paragraphs are not working towards proving anything.
This activity is designed to force you to sharpen your skills and demonstrate your ability to write thesis statements. Select three of the six essay questions given below and write a question and a thesis statement for each following the example I gave you. Each response will be marked out of 5 according to the Thought and Understanding category of the Critical/Analytical Response to Texts rubric.

• conflict between pursuing a personal desire and choosing to conform
• the desire to escape
• the ways in which individuals deal with dilemma
• the ways in which individuals pursue or compromise their happiness
• living with conflict
• living with regret

Topic # 1
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Thesis
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Topic # 2
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Thesis
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Topic # 3
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Thesis
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