Winter's Night Blog

I am very excited about the essays you all are working on. Most of you seemed comfortable with the outline overview I gave in class, but if you were absent or still have questions, here is an overview:

You will need to have at least four sources for this paper. Two of these will be from your previous presentation to the class, while the remaining two were collected earlier this week.

I have spoken to each of you about a part of your topic on which to concentrate, but if you are still undecided, please email me.

The outlines are due tomorrow. Here is the format:

Thesis statement. What are you arguing?

1. Topic phrase for first body paragraph.
   
   1. Location of support (must be page number, song name, time during movie, etc) for topic phrase
      
   2. Location of support for topic phrase
      
   3. Location of support for topic phrase
      
2. Topic phrase for second body paragraph.
   
   1. Etc.
      

Basically, I am looking for your thesis statement, the topic for each body paragraph, and the support (quotation) for each paragraph. Before turning in your outline tomorrow, make sure of a few things:

• Your thesis statement argues a position. "The Beatles and the Rolling Stones are both from different parts of England. These parts are…" Is not an argument. "The musical styles of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were heavily influenced by the social status of the members of each band. While the Fab Four came from a predominantly blue collar section…" Is an argument. The author is arguing that the history of each band heavily influenced the later sound of each band.
  
• Your topic phrases and support relate to your thesis and support your argument. This is why we write outlines before writing essays. If your argument is not supported, no matter how well you craft your words, the essay will not be a good one.
  

So, compile your notes from the past two days and write your thesis. The outlines will be graded in class tomorrow, and I will give you suggestions at that time. If you have any questions tonight, please email me or comment on this post.

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