Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Mmmmmmm, thesis


This one will be short and sweet. I am thinking about adding a clause in all future syllabi that reads something like:

"Under no circumstances will a thesis statement in the form of 'X and Y are similar yet different' be considered acceptable."

12 comments:

  1. Frog and ToadJuly 6, 2011 at 2:41 PM

    Well of course not, because a thesis has to be something you could argue with.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LexJuly 6, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    Every since the dawn of human society, literature has reflected many different ideas and themes, which can be seen from the comparison of two authors and the writing in their texts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Blogless A.R.July 6, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    Communication has existed since the beginning of time and is all around us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LexJuly 6, 2011 at 3:38 PM

    BTW, does anyone else get uncomfortable saying the word "theses" in class?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Snarky WriterJuly 6, 2011 at 3:58 PM

    @Lex: I usually say "thesisises" just to make the students giggle.

    ReplyDelete
  6. schnitzelbankJuly 6, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    I think that the author is right, and I will show several examples of this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. StellafromSparksburgJuly 6, 2011 at 6:44 PM

    I am going to write about death in the works of Percey Byshhe Shelly.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Frog and ToadJuly 6, 2011 at 10:56 PM

    The poet uses many examples of literary techniques to get his message across and make it flow.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Thin WomanJuly 7, 2011 at 7:12 AM

    Both articles tell about the way the sailors were captured and killed by the pirates.

    Sigh.

    To cover your behind, you may want to define "not acceptable." I've found that some students think, ahem, opine, that "unacceptable" merely means they cannot earn an A or B.

    ReplyDelete
  10. EnglishDocJuly 7, 2011 at 7:22 PM

    The purpose of this essay is to explain the three reasons why I think the death penalty/abortion/gun control should be legal/illegal.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The_MythJuly 7, 2011 at 7:51 PM

    Thesis statement? Your students can write a thesis statement?

    Even the crapfesty examples you've all provided would be an excellent place for me to start with my flakes!

    But then I'd just get evals that said I was smug and expected too much when I corrected them and tried to teach them how to improve their writing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Contemplative CynicJuly 9, 2011 at 3:32 PM

    Oh, dear! Yes, the non-comparison... I love the ones that inadvertently turn into a review of how well the student understood the essay:

    The author did a really good job of making his piece readable and understandable for me...

    ReplyDelete

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