Finding a Thesis for Your Literary Analysis Paper
English 10: The Great Gatsby
Jour
nal P
rom
pt
(Woo
hoo
!!!)
Tell me what you have learned about thesis statements in the past. How should they be formatted? Where do they go? What is their function?
A th
esis
is. .
. A statement regarding an observation that you made about the genre, time period, social aspect that you are research about film
A statement that you can spend the rest of your paper backing up!
Goes at the end of your introduction
Remember, don’t stray from the thesis in your paper!
Yeah
, but
how
do
I com
e up
with
on
e?
My answer to you is to work backwards!
That means: Look at your packet,
activities, notes What observations have you/
the class made about the novel?
Which of the prompts do you believe that you have the most to say about?
Exam
ple:
Par
t On
e
I’m doing my literary analysis paper on how the color white is used in The Great Gatsby
While reading the play with the class, I noticed a few things. . .Daisy seems to be associated
with whiteJordan does as wellOther symbols of white used
too
Exam
ple:
Par
t Tw
o
Figure out how you can support these observations in a paper
Example: Daisy associated with white
White dress White house White face
Other symbolic images are as well White pathway that Daisy and Gatsby
walked on White steps where an obscene word
was written Jordan
White dress White golf shoes
Exam
ple:
Par
t Th
ree
What are some things that these three elements might have in common? Daisy’s whiteness Other whiteness in the
novel Jordan’s whiteness
Brainstorm with the people around you!
Exam
ple:
Par
t Th
ree These were the things
that I thought they had in common. . . All of these aspects had
to deal with corruption in some way
Each of the white things listed were actually the opposite of the color’s usual meaning (purity)
Exam
ple:
Par
t Fo
ur
Now, use these commonalities to make a thesis!!!
My Thesis:The Great Gatsby uses the color white, usually associated with purity, to suggest that even the most innocent-seeming of things can be corrupt in some way.
Now
it’s y
our
turn
! Get in groups based on your topic (one, two, or three)
SHARE with one another the particular aspect that you are studying
Work together to fill out the handout given
Bounce ideas off of each other to come up with a thesis!!!
