Examining the evidence: Searching for Patterns for A Thesis Statement & Topic Sentences

Transcription

1 Name: Owens, Matt Examining the evidence: Searching for Patterns for A Thesis Statement & Topic Sentences Topic/Thesis Idea Involvement of divine in mortal affairs Evidence (p#; ch. #) Fill in this box after gathering evidence and making associations (character significance? archetype? setting?) Associations Her gray eyes clear, the goddess Athena answered. He would not fight the orders of Athena. (84, 1) So he launched Athena already poised for action. So Athena fired the fool s heart inside him. (148, 4) And now the prince, the captain of men Aeneas would have died on spot if Zeus s daughter had not marked him quickly, his mother Aphrodite who bore him to King Anchises tending cattle once. Nor do his children ride his knees with cries of Father - home at last from the wars and heat of battle ( , 5) With that vow his mother went away and left him there, alone, his heart inflamed for the sashed and lovely girl they d wrenched away from him against his will. So the two of them made their pact and parted. (92-95, 1) But Hector- Apollo stood by him and drove Submission, obedience, respectfulness, immortals promote fate Promoting violence, aggression, foolishness, falling to temptations of the gods Resisting the gods, gods fearful of man s wraithful nature, involvement of gods prompts mortal resistance Listening to the needs of man, desiring a perverted sense of empathy, gods try to save their champions despite the loss of many Empowerment of Hector, gods manipulate

2 him on, disguised as phaenops, Asius son Abydos-born, dearest to Hector of all his foreign guests. So Meriones yelled and Idomeneus whipped the team with their manes streaming, back to the hollow ships - fear seized the king at last. ( , 17) Helmet flashing, Hector wheeled with a dark glance They gave applause to Hector s ruinous tactics, none to Polydamas, who gave them sound advice. ( , 18) emotions for war, loyalty to the Trojans Neglecting of the gods, leading to destruction of man, lacking foresight Thesis Statement In the epic, The Iliad, Homer employs the involvement of gods in mortal affairs to emphasize the emotional distinctiveness of men and gods. Aspects to remember : 1) The most basic definition of a thesis statement is topic + Associations. Make sure the wording of your sentence makes a debatable claim. 2) Make sure that your thesis is specific. Are there any vague words or phrases? Is there any room for your ideas to be interpreted differently? Example of what NOT to do : Dickens repeats images of "hands" throughout the novel.

3 Different characters affect Pip with desolation in many ways. Over the course of the story, the aunts tell more and more lies and their guilt increases. Examples of what TO DO : - In Great Expectations, the hands motif indicates Pip s location in the journey toward maturity. -The aunts stern understanding of Christianity reveals the purgatorial realm s imperfection and the community s need for merciful deliverance. -Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald associates the color green with moments of prodigious hope to suggest the futile, even destructive nature of these hopes. Topic Sentences - Bold words that indicate organization of paragraphs (time, place, idea) Underline associations that will appear in your topic strings. Aspects to remember : 1) Write sentences that will support the thesis statement. Remember, topic sentence = organizing element + aspect of the thesis. 2) Be sure to establish clear, specific, associations to be used in your topic strings. These will be the unifying tone words for your resulting paragraphs. 3) Organization Choices for paragraphs: time, place, idea[(aristotle s topics) definition, comparison, classification, relationship] Example : Thesis : The marriages in Great Expectations depict the variety of virtues and vices present in the British community. TS1 : Near the story s beginning, the reader encounters the residence of Joe and Mrs. Joe, a home where truth and innocence are preyed upon. TS2 : Later, the reader visits the Pocket s home, a place of idleness and self-centeredness. Topic Sentence #1: The gods use intervention to challenge man s emotional strength and to revitalize vigor in the face of war. EV #1: Down the skies I come to check your rage if only you will yield. He would not fight the orders of Athena (84,1) Associations ( fill in associations here, or use your annotations in your book ): submission, obedience, wisdom in the face of human rage, emotional disconnection between gods and man EV #2: And now as the high gods bantered back and forth Diomedes, losing his war cry, charged Aeneas though what he saw was lord Apollo himself, guarding, spreading his arms above the fighter, but even before the mighty god he would not flinch. (178,5) resilience against gods, gods manifest themselves to check the rage and violence of humanity EV #3: But lord Apollo the distant deadly Archer reassured him: Courage! Look what strong

4 support the son of Cronus speeds from Ida to take your side and shield you-i am Phoebus Apollo, lord of the golden sword! I who saved you before, and along with you your towering city too. So up now, Hector- command your drivers here in all their hundreds to lash their plunging teams at the hollow ships. And I ll surge on ahead, clearing the whole way for the teams assault-i ll bend the Argives back! That breathed tremendous strength back in the famous captain. (396,15) compliance to the gods, the gods encourage the movement of fate in man s life, motivation, mocks hubris EV #4: They gave applause to Hector s ruinous tactics, none to Polydamas, who gave them sound advice. (477, 18) ignorance for the gods will, human stubbornness defies infinite wisdoms, man denies power of fates Topic Sentence #2: Yet despite their challenging of mortals, the gods portray a human empathy for their champions,one which leads to greater conflicts. EV #1: Filled with anger Zeus who marshals the storm clouds answered at last: Disaster. You will drive me into war with Hera. She will provoke me, she with her shrill abuse. Even now in the face of all immortal gods she harries me perpetually, Hera charges me that I always go to battle for the Trojans. Away with you now. Hera might catch us here. I will see to this. I will bring it all to pass. Look, I will bow my head if that will satisfy you. That, I remind you, that among the immortal gods is the strongest, truest sign that I can give. No word or work of mine- nothing can be revoked, there is no treachery, nothing left unfinished once I bow my head to say it shall be done. So he decreed. And Zeus the son of Cronus bowed his craggy dark brows and deathless locks came pouring down from the thunderhead of the great immortal king and giant shockwaves spread through all Olympus. So the two of them made their pact and parted. (95, 1) humanity, maternal love, respect for the mortal champion EV #2: And Hera the Queen, her eyes wide, answered The father of men and gods complied at once. (147, 4) agreeing to compromise to quell the anger of Zeus, desires an equality for the Achaeans on the battlefield, protection for the Achaeans EV #3: And now the prince, the captain of men Aeneas would have died on spot if Zeus s daughter had not marked him quickly, his mother Aphrodite who bore him to King Anchises tending cattle once. (174, 5) saved by gods, seeks to protect those who fate has not willed to death, willingly protects Aeneas despite his state of weakness EV #4: The two powerful sons of Cronus, Zeus and Poseidon, their deathless spirits warring against each other, were building mortal pains for seasoned heroes Both gods knotted the rope of strife and leveling war, strangling both sides at once by stretching the mighty cable, never broken, never slipped, that snapped the knees of thousands. ( , 13)

5 the nature of the war was the obedience to the will of the champions, champions must suffer because of Zeus s obedience to Thetis pact, care creating destruction If needed... Topic Sentence #3: EV #1: EV #2: EV #3: EV #4: Topic Sentence #4: EV #1: EV #2: EV #3: EV #4: When writing-- aspects to remember: 1) The movements throughout each chunk of your paragraph involve Evidence, Elaboration, and Connection [occurs in the topic string and by placing associations around evidence]. DO NOT view these three components as unequivocally three separate sentences. Some sentences may combine these movements into one or two sentences. 2) Remember to place associations in your topic strings --associations that connect back to those in the topic sentence. 3) Remember to place organizational words/phrases before entering each chunk.

6 Example of 1st chunk and movement into second chunk Paragraph organized by Idea --aspects of Gatsby s character. TS: Nick s account of Gatsby s past reveals an American Adam figure whose dreamy ambitions both elevate and mar his character. James Gatz s rejection of his parents, for example, recalls the American Adam s freedom from the hardships of the lower class; Gatz is the son of shiftless and unsuccessful farm people, but he still believes another life lies open to him. The man imagines an extravagant future, never really accepting] [...] his parents, but seeking a life lived in the service of [...] beauty, a life providing him with the drive to pull himself up from the indolence of his parents shiftless lives, a life distinguishing him as a hero. Liberated from his past, free to determine his own destiny, Gatz dreams of himself as Jay Gatsby, a man... Gatz s careless rejection also suggests a man lacking compassion, a man willing to sacrifice the bonds of familial love for his own self-centered dreams. In Book 16 of Homer s epic, the Iliad, Zeus attempts to save his son Sarpedon but Hera denies him promptly as she realizes that if Zeus saves his son, the other gods will attempt to follow suit and save their champions as well. In bringing up the desire to save a mortal, Homer displays a distant, yet empathetic connection between the mortals and immortals despite their differences, contrasting the typical wraithful nature of Mythological gods. Nevertheless, the humanity of gods lasts only for mere seconds as their disconnectivity leads to an envy and desire to experience true human emotions, perhaps subverting the ethical beauty of saving mortal champions. within the context of the epic, the gods involve themselves in mortal affairs, emphasizing their emotional distinctiveness from mortals. The gods use intervention to challenge man s emotional strength and to revitalize vigor in the face of war, yet struggle to control human emotion. Initially, Athena intervenes to the wraithful Achilles as to quell his rage, coming down from the skies to check his rage /if only [he] will yield before her excellence and divinity. Moreover, Athena attempts to reassure Achilles that Hera loves {Agamemnon and Achilles] both, cares for [them] both alike despite their mortal disagreements consequently emphasizing the empathy of gods for their champions. Obediently and wisely, Achilles agrees to stop this fighting and not fight the orders of Athena out of fear and reverence for the infinite wisdom of the goddess. ( ) Later in the novel, Apollo encourages Hector to avoid his hubris similarly to Athena s prior consultation with Achilles, reassur[ing] him that Zeus cares for his survival by sending a strong support, the son of Cronus, who will take [his] side and shield [him] from the vile forces of the Argives during the coming assault. ( ) Despite the revigorating words of the gods, men s emotional drunkenness leads to violence against these divine powers. For example, foolish Hector, after hearing the sound advice of Polydamas, disregards the gods orders by riling up the Trojans who gave applause to Hector s ruinous tactics of avoiding retreat, allowing for the Achaeans to continue their brutal onslaught on the forces of Troy. ( ) Similarly, the mighty Diomedes, blinded by rage, attacks the gods, not flinch[ing] when confronted by their presence as he loos[es] his war cry, charg[ing] Aeneas, whose fate has yet to be sealed, as

7 though something superhuman beyond even the gods powers. However, unlike the folly of Hector, Diomedes avoids invoking the gods, edging clear of the distant Archer s rage, showing his obedience to fate. ( ) Despite their challenging of mortals, the gods portray a human empathy for their champions, one which leads to greater conflicts. Whilst the great Achilles weeps for the loss of Briseis from the greedy Agamemnon, Thetis besets Zeus for mercy, who answers finally after having deliberated on the likelyhood of sparking a war with Hera, resolving to feed Achilles desire of revenge against Agamemnon. Moreover, Zeus reassures that Achilles needs will [be] see[n] to and all [will come] to pass by bow[ing] [his] head in honor of the pact, going so far in as reminding Thetis that honor is the truest sign that [he] can give as the highest of Olympus; however, Zeus also realizes that nothing can be revoked once his vow finishes, proving the certainty of the decree. (see ev1 of ts2) Beyond simply the sealing of mortal desires, the gods actively protect their champions as when Aeneas would have died on the spot in combat if Zeus s daughter had not marked him quickly, rushing down to save the mortal. (see ev3 of ts2) Though this desire to save seems positive, the gods absolutism leads to more conflict, emphasizing their inhumanity and envy for human emotion. For example, both the mighty sons of cronus fight, their deathless spirits warring against each other on opposite sides of the mortal affair, stuck by the rope of strife and leveling war, snapp[ing] the knees of thousands, killing off several mortals simply due to loyalty. (see ev4 of ts2) Attempting to resolve the immortal conflicts, Hera offers the three cities that [she] love best of all to be destroyed by Zeus without grudge [for his] pleasure so long as her labor [will not] come to nothing, ensuring the battles favor the Achaeans over the Trojans. (see ev3 of ts2) Moreover, in sacrificing her cities, Hera assures temporary agreement amongst the warring gods at the cost of future deaths, skewing the supposed righteousness and loyalty to mortals.