Transcript Where do I begin?   Focus refers to the central idea your paper, as a whole, is built around. This focal point is.

Where do I begin?
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Focus refers to the central idea your paper, as a whole, is built around.
This focal point is often called a thesis statement. You can also think of it
as a promise statement. It makes a promise, to the reader, that your paper
is going to prove something very specific. The rest of the paper then
keeps that promise. Your readers will look for this overall promise
statement, or thesis, at the end of your introductory paragraph.
Just as your paper, as a whole, is built around a unifying central idea,
each paragraph opens with a central idea that unifies the assertions
development and reasoning in that paragraph. Through it, you are
making a promise to the reader that your paragraph is going to prove
something very specific. The rest of your paragraph then keeps that
promise. Your readers will look for each subtopic ‘s thesis at the very
beginning of the paragraph in question.
I. Main Focus Point (Overall Thesis)
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Is the overall thesis statement clear and specific, and does it meet
the specific requirements for the paper in question, in terms of its
subject matter?
Is the overall thesis statement subjective? Does it present a
specific opinion in need of proving, rather than a fact or vague
idea?
Does the paper keep the exact promise made by the overall thesis
statement?
II. Subtopic Focus Points (Paragraph Theses)
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Is each subtopic thesis statement clear, specific, subjective and
adhered to in the paragraph it opens?
Does each subtopic thesis statement fit the entirety of the
paragraph it opens?
Does each subtopic thesis statement reflect a specific opinion
regarding something in need of developing? Would a reasonable
person argue an opposing position?
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Development refers to the evidence and reasoning you use to keep
the promises made by your overall thesis statement and subtopic
theses.
Essentially, development refers to patterns of assertions, evidence
and the logical reasoning that connects the two. Every time you
make a point, you should back it up with specific evidence, be it in
the form of direct quotes or references to events in the text. You
often need to then interpret that evidence, so your reader
understands exactly why you see it as meaningful. Just as lawyers
in court proceedings interpret evidence to support the
presumption of guilt or innocence, a writer not only provides
evidence but also interprets it.
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For example, let’s say you want to build a paragraph around the
unifying idea that the speaker of Tennyson’s “Maud” is insane.
You may open this paragraph with a thesis statement similar to
the following:
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When the speaker reappears, in the garden scene in Act 3, it is clear
that he has descended into madness.
You have just made a very specific promise to the reader, and in
order to keep that promise, you need to back your assertion up
with evidence. Now, your paragraph may look like this:
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When the speaker reappears, in the garden scene in act 3, it is clear
that he has descended into madness. This is evident in his
identification with the passion of the rose and the melancholy of the
lily.
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The problem is, you are asking your reader to agree with your
interpretation without clearly showing how your evidence supports it.
How does being passionate or sad, or feeling a heightened sense of either
emotion when viewing a flower, represent madness? Don’t people send
flowers on Valentine’s Day, or as a way of apologizing, precisely because
of their ability to evoke emotions? The problem is that the writer has left
gaps for the reader to fill in, forcing that reader to make the connection
between the evidence and the point it is designed to prove. Essentially,
the writer has asked the reader to interpret his or her interpretation.
Never ask your reader to interpret your own interpretation.
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Let’s try another version:
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When the speaker reappears, in the garden scene in Act 3, it is clear that
he has descended into madness. This is evident in his identification with
the passion of the rose and the melancholy of the lily. Where he once
described his love interest as “Queen Lily and Rose in one” (3.1. 56),
praising her innocence while playfully noting the passion she inspired in
him, he now identifies both flowers with himself . Moreover, the
identification is full of anger and visions of death. Like himself, the rose
is now a “young Lord lover” (3.1. 29) who wastes his sighs on a careless
mistress, while the lily trembles in frustration. The flowers, like the young
suitor, can find relief only in death, forgotten in the “earthy bed” (3.1.
70) she carelessly tramples. Here, the flowers once again symbolize his
emotional response to her, but it is response characterizes by imagery
suggesting death and madness, a far cry from the innocent fondness he
once enjoyed.
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Does the development avoid summarizing plot and instead analyze
what’s happening below the surface of the text? Is it interpretive, or
does it just restate things that happen- things that will be obvious to
anyone who reads the work in question?
Does the development clearly support the specific idea presented in
each subtopic thesis statement?
When the writer incorporates evidence from the text, is that evidence
well selected, necessary, meaningful and smoothly incorporated? Is
it always worked smoothly into the writer’s own sentences? Is it
always clear whose words or ideas are being represented?
Are all sources appropriately cited, both parenthetically and in
corresponding works cited entries?
Is the evidence interpreted, when interpretation is necessary in order
for the reader to understand why or how it supports the point it
supposedly proves?
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Organization is very clearly tied to focus. If a paper is well organized, its system of
organization will be clear and apparent to the reader, and the reader will always be
aware of the direction in which the paper is going. If a paper has strong specific
thesis statements, and engages the specific promises made by those statements
,without working in unrelated material, it is likely to be well-organized.
Some popular organizational patterns are: chronological structure, reverse
chronological structure with flashbacks and subject-based part whole format. The
latter is probably the best organizational pattern to use when writing literary
analysis essays.
In subject-based part whole format, the introduction closes with a clear, specific
and subjective overall thesis statement . Each subtopic then opens with its own
thesis, and this thesis develops a facet of the overall thesis. You may want to think
of an essay that uses subject-based part whole format as a pie. The whole pie is like
an essay in its entirety: one large unified thing made of related but individual
pieces. Each individual piece, like a subtopic paragraph, is autonomous, but the
pieces seamlessly come together to form the pie, or position, as a whole.
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Is the system of organization clear and
consistent?
Are the subtopics well organized around
specific thesis statements?
Does the writing make fluid transitions
between ideas?
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It is not unusual for this last category to seem intimidating to
student writers, many of whom lack the confidence, exposure or
vocabulary needed to comfortably evaluate their use of language,
sentence structure and traditional English grammar. If such is the
case with you, you may want to visit your instructor, or one of the
SCF academic resource centers, for individual tutoring. For an
excellent grammar and general mechanics resource you can access
online, you may want to visit Commnet’s Fabulous Grammar and
Writing Guide .
Remember, too, that SCF provides its students with the Smart
Thinking online tutoring and essay review service. Links to the
Smart Thinking resources are available through your course Angel
portal.
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Is the language used clear and appropriate for the writing situation?
Does the paper contained proofreading errors, and do they interfere with
clarity?
Does the writer avoid overusing vague verbs and pronouns? Is the
sentence structure somewhat varied, through the use of transitions and
embedded clauses? Does it combine long fluid sentences with
contrasting short sentences? Does the writer use variety and contrast to
add tension and emphasis, at significant points in the study?
Does the paper well use punctuation, for both variety and correctness? If
you need extra assistance with punctuation, you may want to obtain a
copy of “Punctuation Made Simple. “This unique and valuable resource
is available, free, through a basic Google search.
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Does the writer stay in the eternal present tense when analyzing
literature?
Do the nouns and verbs agree - in tense, case and number? Commnet’s
Fabulous Grammar and Writing Guide has excellent resources for issues
related to mastering traditional English grammar. Remember, too, that
SCF provides ESL tutoring in its academic resource centers.
While this overview is not exhaustive, and no
single overview will reflect the specific
standards and priorities of every instructor, this
presentation should provide you with an
excellent starting place, for peer and selfrevision.
Best of luck, and happy drafting!