English Thesis Help!

sanzi · 10-05-2004, 06:39 PM

Ok, again and now it's the short form of everything i tried to post twice before

frustrating.

I have an essay due in a couple weeks and I'm having huge problems with my thesis. What is the problem? I just can't figure it out.

Topic: "Wisdom begins in wonder" (Socrates) Explain HOW Homer's account of his heroes tries to cultivate arete in his reader. Refer specifically to passages from the Iliad or the Odyssey to support your answer.

thought process for thesis:

-since I'm talking about arete, that should be included in the thesis.
-prospective thesis: Strength, beauty, wisdom and wealth are the main attriutes to arete and this is how it is cultivated in the Iliad.
-that sounds like an introduction and not a thesis at all!!

then there was this:

Homer's account of Achilles in the Iliad is an excellent example of the pursuance of arete.

And since it's the third time I'm posting it, it's getting a little better worded, but still. I don't feel like that is addressing the question the way I'm supposed to. I feel like it's part of what I need to talk about but not all of it.

sanzi · 10-05-2004, 06:41 PM

sorry for the double post...i didn't think the other one went through...Can someone delete the other thread?

jbm222 · 10-05-2004, 10:25 PM

Is that the exact prompt you were given? If it is that doesn't make much sense.

sanzi · 10-06-2004, 08:15 PM

i talked to my prof and he said I'm supposed to talk about how the heroes like Achilles makes us want to achieve arete ourselves. So I'm figuring if i somehow integrate that into my thesis i'll be ok...opinions?

sanzi · 10-07-2004, 08:49 PM

so then what about this? ANYONE?

Homer’s account of Achilles in The Iliad is an excellent example of the pursuance of arête and how his aims encourage the reader to pursue similar ideals.

jbm222 · 10-08-2004, 02:14 AM

You ought to play around with the wording a bit, but it seems like you have the right idea.

When you're writing a literary criticism, it's tough sometimes to come up with a strong thesis. I would purposely keep the thesis statement somewhat vague, providing a very general introduction to what your writing about. Divide the ideas you can strongly support between the 2nd and 2nd to last paragraphs, write a closing paragraph that restates your strongest ideas, then shove filler in the middle 'til it meets length requirements.

sanzi · 10-08-2004, 02:26 PM

thanks dude...what's your name?

anyway, that's a good idea. I'll for sure do that.

guitarfan01 · 10-08-2004, 02:37 PM

I don't even know what "arete" is. I'd help you, Vikki, but I'm just too stupid.

sanzi · 10-08-2004, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarfan01

I don't even know what "arete" is. I'd help you, Vikki, but I'm just too stupid.

you're sure not stupid, besides i basically tell you what arete is in my first post weirdo!!

jbm222 · 10-08-2004, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanzi

thanks dude...what's your name?

anyway, that's a good idea. I'll for sure do that.

Most of my friends call me brian, but I'll answer to just about anything that's not insulting.

I'm just telling you what I remember from my English composition class last year. If I had actually read the Illiad I could probably help more, but I only know it from being a TA for an English teacher in high school who was teaching it at the time.

sanzi · 10-10-2004, 12:24 PM

ok...Brianator!!! kinda like burninator, only not. thanks!

i just needed a bit of direction for the thesis, the writing isn't that hard, i just have to get going on it. so now i can do that!

new idea for a thesis...playin with words like you said.

The account of Achilles in The Iliad is an excellent example of arête and how the reader is engaged in similar ideals

sanzi · 10-10-2004, 09:44 PM

this is what one of my friends came up with (just fooling with the words) and thank God for him because he's in fourth year university. So he can give me a hand with this stuff for now.

Homer encourages the reader to pursue arête and similar ideals through his account of Achilles in his writing of The Iliad

Nate · 10-10-2004, 10:08 PM

I've never understood thinking so long and so hard about your "thesis". Just write the darned essay, and make sure to write it well. Why bother about all this formal procedural stuff? If you have a basic grasp of how to write well, a thesis type of statement should just naturally develop itself in the course of your first couple paragraphs. The fact that you feel you have to think so hard about your thesis concerns me. I would recommend that you just get started on the body of your essay (keep the assignment in front of you at all times so that you can see what you're supposed to be answering), then go back through and see if you've introduced and concluded your argument convincingly.

Sorry if that's not much help.

In His love,
Nate

sanzi · 10-10-2004, 11:12 PM

i'd do that, but i have the hardest marker in the school and he fails at least a third of his class at the end of the semester i've been told. i want to do it well and if that means taking so much time to figure it out then i'll do that. I know what i want to talk about, so it was fairly easy to figure out something.

As I said before (maybe not here though) I've been out of school for a year and some so it's taking me some time to get back into the swing of things.

jbm222 · 10-11-2004, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanzi

this is what one of my friends came up with (just fooling with the words) and thank God for him because he's in fourth year university. So he can give me a hand with this stuff for now.

Homer encourages the reader to pursue arête and similar ideals through his account of Achilles in his writing of The Iliad

That's a sounds pretty good. I might change it to:

Homer encourages the reader to pursue arête and similar ideals through his account of Achilles in The Iliad.

"in his writing of" is sort of redundant. I try to write concisely unless I think meeting length is going to present a problem.

Nate, thinking through carefully can about a thesis can help you gather your thoughts about what you're going to write about. I've done it both ways and I think it's just a matter of preference.

Sanzi, Brianator works, but only if I can call you Sanzifier.