Journal - What Makes a Good Thesis

A thesis statement is a brief summary of the goal/purpose of your paper. It allows the reader to understand that every point/argument described throughout the paper will justify a specific overall idea. In order for a thesis statement to be strong, it must include both a statement of fact and opinion. The thesis statement should serve as a guide for the reader to follow as they continue to read the paper. It is most common to include your thesis statement as one sentence in the introduction paragraph in order to introduce your main purpose of your paper. However, thesis statements may be longer than one sentence and located in a place other than the introduction, depending on how the paper is organized. It is very important to have a strong, clear thesis statement because if the thesis statement is weak, the reader will not have a clear understanding of what they are supposed to learn and pay attention to while reading your paper.

To better illustrate my ideas of what constitutes a good thesis statement, I came up with two thesis statements that I consider to be strong:

1. The emission of fossil fuels causes a negative impact on the environment by producing air pollution.

2. Bungee jumping is a dangerous practice that should not be continued.

The first example represents a strong thesis statement because it includes a statement of fact and opinion. This sentence tells the reader that the paper will discuss how the emission of fossil fuels effects/relates to air pollution, which is the statement of fact. It also includes a statement of opinion because it tells the reader that the author believes that the impact is negative. Therefore, the reader can expect to read about claims as to why the author believes that the emission of fossil fuels and producing air pollution are negative impacts on the environment. The second example also represents a strong thesis statement because it includes the two properties of a good thesis statement (statement of fact and opinion) as well. The statement of fact in this sentence is that bungee jumping is a dangerous practice. The statement of opinion comes in the second half of the sentence when it says that it should not be continued. Therefore, from this sentence, the reader is able to understand that the paper will discuss the dangers of bungee jumping and reasons for why the act should not be continued.
These short, clear thesis statements are important guide for the reader that leads to a much better understanding of the idea that the author is trying to get across. A good paper should always teach some kind of lesson, and a strong thesis statement allows authors to do just that.

Analysis of Project 1 - Narrative

My process in beginning to write this narrative paper began with brainstorming a list of events and experiences that have had some kind of impact in my life. I chose to write about my trip to Austria and Hungary because it was an exciting event in my life in which I learned and experienced enough to write a novel. Therefore, I knew I would be able to write enough to satisfy the five-page minimum length. The trip occurred last summer (2009), so it was recent enough for me to remember a lot of intricate detail about everything I did/saw on the trip so that I would be able to make my paper interesting and unique. I keep a daily journal, and I actually wrote about every day of my trip to Austria and Hungary, so I was able to look back at my journal entries from the summer to refresh my memory on everything I did and how I felt during the trip. I decided to write my paper in chronological order of when events occurred, just like how I did in my journal. Since my trip to Europe was 10 days long and I have so many memories, I had several wonderful experiences that I wanted to include in my paper. However, my paper would have ended up being extremely long. Therefore, I decided to focus only on the big events that highlighted my cultural experience in Austria and Hungary. By narrowing down the events in which I was going to discuss in my paper to portray a specific idea, I developed my theme: to compare and contrast my culture to the cultures I observed in Austria and Hungary. Pathos was seen in my paper because I used descriptive words that allows readers to picture exactly what I was experiencing in Austria Hungary. Logos was used when I mentioned specific locations or facts that I learned about during my trip. The information that I provided in my paper about the Austrian and Hungarian culture allows my reader to learn more about the topic. I used ethos by being so descriptive and thorough in my writing. By doing this, I prove myself to be a credible source of the information that I provide because the reader can tell that I really did travel to Austria and Hungary. Kairos describes the relevance of the topic. This element is seen in my paper because traveling is always relevant, no matter what time period it is. Also, the fact that my trip was recent makes the topic relevant because it made an impact on my life that I can remember very clearly and accurately. The trip has made a lasting impact on my life that affects my view of the world and other cultures today. I wrote in a sophisticated, educated fashion, but also in and easy-to-understand style. Therefore, my paper reaches out to audiences of any age level. My main focus in my audience was to write as though I was telling a story about my trip to my peers or an adult. If I were to write this paper again, I would try to focus more on the narrative elements as I revise my paper, and try to include as many of the elements as possible. For example, I did try to keep it simple and find a subject I care about, but I would like to have found a way to sound more like myself in my writing. My paper does express my voice and personality somewhat, but it does not seem as unique or special as I might like. Also, in my first couple of drafts, I tended to ramble at the ends of my sentences, and I did not notice that I did that until I went into the Visor Center for revision help. I would like to be able to identify on my own when I am rambling and need to cut things out. In other words, I need to gain confidence in my ability to cut unnecessary words.