After you have studied the Thesis Statement Guidelines, your first task is to evaluate a number of thesis statements.  Here are three prospective theses for each of the plays we have read so far (Oedipus the King, Death of a Salesman, The Importance of Being Earnest).  Some of them offer a reasonable prospect of leading to a good five-page literature paper; others do not.  For each statement, either indicate “good thesis” or “poor thesis” (you need not copy the theses onto your own paper — simply identify them by number).  If the thesis is not good, explain what is wrong with it in a single sentence.  Note:  The issue here is not whether you agree with the thesis, but only if the sentence could serve as a thesis to a paper for this class.  Remember, by definition a good thesis must require support.  By itself, even the best thesis would never be convincing.  Also, the grammar, style, vocabulary, and other technical aspects of all the thesis statements I am giving you are correct, so do not try to argue that a thesis is poor because it is badly written or “doesn’t make sense.”  

Choose one of the thesis statements you have identified as a good thesis and write two complete introductory paragraphs of 125-160 words each; in other words, both paragraphs should be for the same thesis.  For the first, you should imagine that the paragraph is for a closed-form paper; for the second, an open-form paper.  In the paragraph for the closed-form paper, the thesis statement, exactly as it appears on the attached document, should come at the end of the paragraph.  In the paragraph for the open-form paper, the thesis should not appear in the paragraph, but the paragraph should end with either a question that the thesis answers, or a statement that you think does a good job of framing the issue the thesis statement addresses.  Both paragraphs should be cohesive, interesting, and well-written in a style appropriate to a scholarly paper.  Of course, correct grammar, spelling, and format (double-spaced, with correct font and spacing, an appropriate header, and so forth) are all important. 

Provide an appropriate title for the essay for which this paragraph will serve as the introduction.  Before attempting this, read the guidelines on titles on the Conventions for Papers in the Humanities page.  

9 July, by noon..  Revision (see note below) due 13 July by 4:00 p.m.

As noted in the syllabus, all writing assignments should be sent to me via e-mail as MSWord (.doc or .docx) attachments.  To be considered on-time, the file must be sent by the time it is due.  Do not worry if the system is slow; I care when you send the assignment, not when it arrives in my mailbox.  Note that you are responsible for making sure the file attached properly to your e-mail.  Simply look in your “Sent” folder for the size of the message:  a message with an attachment should be at least 18 or 20k; if your message is 1 or 2k, you did not attach the file properly.  If you send me a message without an attachment and do not correct the problem yourself, I will consider the exercise late.  

Identifying the good thesis statements requires only two words (“good thesis” — I’ll even accept one word, “good”) each.  For the poor thesis statements, you need to provide a single sentence explaining why the thesis is bad.  When you add the two paragraphs of 125-160 words each (properly formatted) and the title, this entire assignment should not require more than two pages.  

Properly identifying which theses are good and explaining why others are not, and taking the correct approach to the two introductions will determine your Content score.  Not giving your exercise a proper title will result in a one full grade deduction. I will multiply that score by a Style and Format score that will be determined by the quality of your writing, including  your grammar, style, concision, and adherence to the format rules.  The Content Score can range from F (55) to A+ (100).  The Style and Format Score can range from .5 (unacceptable work) to 1.1 (exceptional work). Thus your final score for this essay can be as high as 110% of full credit.  Note that failing to follow the Format Rules will result in a .1 deduction to the second grade; these rules apply to every exercise and essay you write this semester, so you may as well get used to them now.   

Revisions are required if the content grade is a C- or lower, or if the grammar, style, and format multiplier is below .85; they are optional otherwise.  Note, however, that a barely acceptable mininum grade of C/.85 earns only 6.4 of 10 points available for this assignment, so a revision is probably a good idea unless you are happy with the number of points you have earned.  If you hand in the revision on time, I will average the grades; if you do not hand in the revision on time, the original grade will stand and you are still required to give me a revision or meet with me for help; if you do not fuflfill these conditions, you cannot sign up for the major essays.  

Consult Thesis Statements, Form, Introductions, Conclusions, Format Rules, Some Stylistic Conventions for Papers in the Humanities, The Inexcusable Error List, and Advice on Cutting Words for help.