Practice with thesis statements and topic sentences.

Why do you need to grasp these concepts? A working thesis statement and strong topic

sentences are necessary. They hold the essay together….

Tragic hero topic:compare and contrast

There is room for improvement:

• Thesis-

This essay will explore the three tragic hero attributes of having much to lose, being respected and flawed, and how they apply to John Proctor.

Acceptable:• Thesis-John Proctor, the protagonist

of the play The Crucible, possesses a major flaw, suffers a great loss, and eventually comes to a realization; therefore, making him an ideal example of a tragic hero.

Sexual Repression topic:Compare and contrast

There is room for improvement:

• Thesis-I will explore John Proctor the

unfaithful husband, John Proctor the morally conflicted man, and last but not least, John Proctor the honest and truthful.

Acceptable:

• Thesis-Without John Proctor and

Abigail’s scandalous affair there would be no conflict, no symbolic resurrection, and no one would have died as a result of accusations.

Transformation/changing topic:compare and contrast

There is room for improvement:

• Thesis-Mary Warren changes a few

times throughout the story which greatly affects the outcome of the story for the worse.

Acceptable• Thesis-Throughout the play, Mary

morphs from a naive girl to a treacherous woman of power, and finally into a more intelligent woman who can take care of herself by any means.

Topic Sentences

• Each topic sentence must directly relate to thesis. The reader should understand your direction, purpose, and argument after studying the topic sentence.

See the next few slides for examples…..

• Thesis: John Proctor, the protagonist of the play The Crucible, possesses a major flaw, suffers a great loss, and eventually comes to a realization, therefore making him an ideal example of a tragic hero.

Topic Sentence 1: John Proctor possessed the unforgivable flaw of adultery, and this categorizes him as a tragic hero.

Topic Sentence 2: John Proctor is a tragic hero because he lost his reputation and freedom.

Topic Sentence 3: John Proctor’s realization, that he must confess to lies and hold on to his dignity, enables him to identify with the ideal tragic hero.

• Thesis: Without John Proctor and Elizabeth’s scandalous affair there would be no conflict, no symbolic resurrection, and no one would have died as a result of accusations.

Topic sentence 1:

Topic sentence 2:

Topic sentence 3:

• Thesis: Throughout the play, Mary morphs from a naive girl to a treacherous woman of power, and finally into a more intelligent woman who can take care of herself by any means.

Topic Sentence 1:

Topic Sentence 2:

Topic Sentence 3: