The Magic Thesis Statement Formula
Step One
Step One
• You
You must ALWAYS INCLUDE the author
must ALWAYS INCLUDE the author’ss name. • “George Orwell’s novel…
Step Two
Step Two
• You
You must ALWAYS include the title of the piece must ALWAYS include the title of the piece
or pieces you are analyzing
• “George Orwell’s novel 1984….
• Or
• “George Orwell’s two stories 1984 and Animal Farm
Step Three
Step Three
• A GOOD verb
A GOOD verb
– Suggests, implies, demonstrates, proves, celebrates challenges attacks etc
celebrates, challenges, attacks, etc.
– These verbs are always what the work or what the author is DOING, not what the plot is doing
author is DOING, not what the plot is doing
• “George
George Orwell
Orwell’ss novel 1984
novel 1984 challenges…
challenges
Step Four
Step Four
• Your
Your actual argument
actual argument
• This is the most important… it’s what you’re going to be proving!
going to be proving!
• It’s the author’s purpose…what is the work trying to communicate?
trying to communicate? • “George
George Orwell
Orwell’ss novel 1984
novel 1984 challenges the challenges the
idea that big government is better for society….
Step Five
Step Five
• Preview of things to come
g
– This is how you will prove your thesis throughout the rest of the paragraph
– It
It’ss often at the end of the sentence and is set off by a often at the end of the sentence and is set off by a
word like “by” or “through”
• “George Orwell’s novel 1984 challenges the idea that big government is good for society by
creating a malevolent leader, showing how it
creating a malevolent leader, showing how it takes away individual freedom, and how the characters are constantly living in fear. “
Additional Help
Additional Help
• You can start your sentence in several ways with words like “although, in, because”
– “Although the characters in George Orwell’s 1984 know nothing different than their current reality, Orwell challenges the idea that big government is better for society by creating a that big government is better for society
by creating a
malevolent leader, showing how it takes away individual freedom, and how the characters are constantly living in fear.”
• As
As long as all 5 steps are included in one sentence the order long as all 5 steps are included in one sentence the order
of the steps doesn’t matter
– Through creating a malevolent leader, showing how it takes away individual freedom, and how the characters are constantly y
,
y
living in fear, in 1984 by George Orwell, he suggests that big government is a terrible force for a society. • All in one sentence!
• Keep it verbs that you use in present tense? Why? Because Literature is ALIVE