Two Part Thesis Statements

Argh! What the heck is this!?!?

A Normal Paragraph1. Topic Sentence2. Lead-in 3. Quote4. Analysis

But…what if you have two parts to your thesis?

• Edwards uses threatening imagery in order to provoke change.

You actually have to prove TWO things here:1. There is threatening imagery2. Edwards wants to provoke change.

So your paragraph becomes...1. Topic sentence: remind of thesis, hint

toward example2. Lead-in3. Quote: Threatening Imagery4. Analysis: analyze what image means;

explain WHY it is threatening. 5. Lead-in6. Quote: Provoke change7. Analysis: analyze WHAT CHANGE is

happening and explain how this change IS AFFECTED by the threatening imagery.

So your paragraph becomes...1. Topic sentence: remind of thesis, hint

toward example2. Lead-in3. Quote: Threatening Imagery4. Analysis: analyze what image means;

explain WHY it is threatening. 5. Lead-in6. Quote: Threatening Imagery7. Analysis: analyze what image means;

explain WHY it is threatening.

What happens when we get multiple paragraphs?

Option One1. Paragraph One:

proves BOTH parts of thesis with examples for both parts

2. Paragraph Two: proves BOTH parts of thesis with examples for both parts

Option Two1. Paragraph One: proves

THREATENING IMAGERY PART with two examples

2. Paragraph Two: proves PROVOKING CHANGE part with two examples

***Tricky part: Paragraph Two needs to have a connection to the imagery!!

What happens when we get a big paper??

Option One1. Threatening

Imagery2. Provoke

Change3. Threatening

Imagery4. Provoke

Change

Option Two1. Threatening

Imagery2. Threatening

Imagery3. Provoke

Change4. Provoke

Change

Thesis Paragraphs

Two parts1. Theme Sentence: here, you give

your argument2. Supporting Points Sentence: here,

you specify to the reader what examples you are going to use.

Example• In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry

God,” Jonathan Edwards uses threatening imagery in order to provoke change. He shows his desire to change his congregation for the better through his imagery about fire and spiders.

Thesis: In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards uses threatening imagery in order to provoke change. He shows his desire to change his congregation for the better

through his imagery about fire and spiders.

Use the thesis to create topic sentences:• Topic Sentence One: Edwards creates a

desire for betterment in his congregation by using menacing imagery about the fires of hell.

• Topic Sentence Two: Edwards compares humans to spiders dangled over a pit of flames in order to showcase the human need for spiritual enhancement.

Integrating Quotes

A Review

• Used to blend the quote with introductory clause that ends in a “speaking verb” (explains, suggests, says, declares…)

Describing the Nun, the narrator explains, “[S]he had little dogs she would be feeding/ With roasted flesh, or milk, or fine white bread./ And bitterly she wept if one were dead” (7).

COMMA METHOD

• Used to blend the quote with lead-in that ends in something other than a “speaking verb”

• Used when either side of the colon is a FULL SENTENCE

The narrator describes the Nun: “[S]he had little dogs she would be feeding/ With roasted flesh, or milk, or fine white bread./ And bitterly she wept if one were dead” (7).

COLON METHOD

Used to blend the quote with lead-in seamlessly. When you read the paper aloud, you can’t tell what is the writer’s words and what is the author’s words; in this case:

The narrator explains that the Nun “ha[s] little dogs she … feed[s]/ With roasted flesh, or milk, or fine white bread./ And bitterly she [weeps] if one [is] dead” (ll. 150-152).

SMOOTH METHOD (Advanced Skill)

Analysis Review

Job of the Analysis• Explain what the quote means• Explain WHY the quote is important• Explain WHY/HOW the quote relates

to the thesis

“The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, til an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its

course, when it is let loose” (103).• Here, Edwards uses threatening

imagery of “great waters” that are “dammed for the present.” These images are menacing because the “longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course.” This makes people feel threatened and worried about what the future might bring.

“The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, til an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its

course, when it is let loose” (103).• Here, Edwards creates an image of impending doom. First,

Edwards compares God to “great waters” in order to show how God is as powerful as water is. Water can do great damage – it can flood, drown, destroy and ruin objects of all sizes. Edwards then tells his listeners that water that has been dammed only “increase[s]” as time goes on: this comparison shows how God’s anger only increases over time as well. This image of mounting wrath creates tension for the listeners since the listeners do not know when God’s wrath might come rushing down upon them. In fact, Edwards says that God’s wrath, when it is “let loose,” will be “rapid and mighty.” The idea that a “rapid and mighty” anger might hit the listener at any time threatens the happy world that the listeners have created for themselves. By emphasizing the unknown quality of God’s emotions, Edwards makes the reader feel threatened with the thought of violence.

Tasks Today• Revise and add to analysis portions of

paragraphs• Write Explanation as last paragraph:–Which way did you organize your paragraphs–Why did you choose you organize your

paragraphs this way? – Do you still think that this is the best way to

organize your work? Why or why not?• Turn in your essay to turnitin.com– 4 paragraphs: thesis, 2 body, 1 explanation

at the end