Welcome to your first AP Lit post of the year! This is the spot to post your thesis statement for the first literary essay of the semester. Please include the title and author of the book you will write about. Once you have posted your own thesis, I encourage you to read your classmates' theses and offer your comments on their clarity, depth, and effectiveness. Please post your thesis no later than Wednesday, August 26, 2009.
Charles Frazier uses Inman's journey and his sporadic companionships and meetings along the way to illustrate how humans are in constant search of companionship and benefit from human interaction.
ReplyDeleteTitle: Cold Mountain
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Charles Frazier
Thesis: Charles Frazier, in his novel Cold Mountain, portrays the idea of “you don’t know what you have until you’ve lost it,” through the story of one man’s journey back home, where his isolation from his loved one and all of society has allowed him to search for meaning in a world torn by war and hardship.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
ReplyDeleteIn his novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy relates the struggle of humanity to survive in an animalistic world to "carrying the fire," a phrase the main characters take on as their mission statement.
Title: Atonement
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Ian McEwan
In Atonement, Ian McEwan follows Briony's psychological journey from childhood innocence to maturity and in doing so he defines adulthood using Briony's act of opening Robbie Turner's letter as his cornerstone.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
ReplyDeleteIn Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye, she uses the common motif of beauty, portrayed in this novel as blonde hair and blue eyes, to illuminate the struggle people face to fit in, and the struggle to overcome the harsh realities and prejudices of the world they try so hard to conform to.
The Posionwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
ReplyDeleteBarbara Kingsolver, in her book, The Posionwood Bible, uses Nathan Price's failed attempt gardening to assert the damge that comes when a person tries to subjugate his will on something or someone unwilling to submit.
It seems wordy to me, but I can't figure out how to shorten it. If you have any ideas let me know!
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
ReplyDeleteIn his novel Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier utilizes the motif of crows to symbolize man’s ability to escape the depravity of human nature and to ultimately recover from psychological wounds caused by hardship and violence.
If anyone has any ideas about how to improve my thesis let me know! I need all the help I can get...
Emily: Maybe you could condense your thesis a little by saying something like "In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver uses Nathan Price's failed attempt at gardening to illustrate the consequences of imposing one's will on an involuntary subject" or something like that to make it less wordy.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSander and Adam T --
ReplyDeleteInman's journey is pretty much the whole book. You need to focus on a smaller detail -- perhaps one stop on the journey.
In his book One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García-Márquez challenges traditional perceptions of time by arguing that the past, present and future inseparably comprise one single stream of consciousness. This argument is exemplified in the recyclable metallurgy of Colonial Aureliano Buendia.
ReplyDeleteand of course, if you're seized by a helpful impulse, I would love feedback - it's definitely the wordiest thesis ever. :)
Lane --
ReplyDeleteThis would work best if you could find a literal instance of "carrying the fire" on which the two based their metaphorical slogan. How are some of their sustaining actions like carrying a fire? Why is carrying fire difficult?
Ian McEwan inserts secrets into his novel, Atonement, in order to drive the plot, but also to teach the valuable lesson that a single secret can have more impact on the lives of others than everything a person says out loud over the course of a lifetime.
ReplyDeletePoisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
ReplyDeleteIn her novel Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver employs subtle references to the Congo's parasitic population to illuminate the physical and metaphorical parasitic relationships that maintain balance between life's opposing forces.
I feel that the end of this thesis statement is unclear - let me know what changes I can make to fix it :)
Plainsong by kent haruf
ReplyDeleteIn plainsong, Kent Haruf breaks the novel into chapters associated with each character, eventually this idea shows how all the characters are connected and affect the outcomes of one another.
Paige --
ReplyDeleteBy his cornerstone, do you mean McEwen's, or Robbie's? The thematic part of your thesis needs to be more universal, not just about the characters in the book. What adult act doees opening the letter represent?
Mackenzie --
ReplyDeleteThe blond hair and blue eyes are rather too obvious a symbol, I think. Is there something more subtle on which to focus? Your idea for a theme is fine.
Emily --
ReplyDeleteYour focus idea (the gardening) makes sense. You could shorten your wording by saying, "subjugating unwilling persons." (He''s not subjugating his will, he's trying to use his will to subjugate others.)
Christa --
ReplyDeleteLooks fine as a working thesis.
Laura --
ReplyDeleteYour thesis makes sense to me. Probably a good idea to divide it into 2 sentences as you have done.
Rachel --
ReplyDeleteRather too broad a focus at this point; too many secrets to include in a 3-4 page paper. Besides, using the presence of secrets to prove the power of secrets seems like circle logic to me. Perhaps there's something else that represents secrecy?
Kelly --
ReplyDeleteI agree that the end needs a little work. What does Kingsolver suggest is the result of parasites? How do they affect balance? What do you mean by balance? Good focus.
Jenny --
ReplyDeleteThe structure you describe is pretty common for novels, so I don't know that it will reveal anything about this novel's particular meaning. Is there another symbol for connectedness that you could use?
Book: The Road
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Cormac McCarthy
Presenting the theme of persistence in The Road, Cormac McCarthy builds the character of an old man attempting to escape to the coast despite having almost nothing to his name, suggesting that in any stage of life or any number of circumstances continuing to move forward is a necessity.
Ben Knopf
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
ReplyDelete"Le Guin uses Genry Ai's imprisonment to explore on a basic level the social ramifications of a genderless society."
In Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible", the death of Nathan Price argues that failure to accept change leads to downfall.
ReplyDeleteThe passage that I'm focusing on in the essay says "to live is to change".
Shannon Hea
ReplyDeleteEast of Eden
Thesis: The biblical story of Cain and Abel in the novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck exemplifes the inner struggle of the main character Cal to break from his wicked past and recreate a new life through the centrael theme of Timshel.
Hemmingway uses Count Mippipopolus to contrast the shortcomings and character flaws inherent in both Jake and Brett, arguing that they should be able to overcome their flaws.
ReplyDeleteThe Almost Moon
ReplyDeleteAlice Sebold
Through Helen's explanations of her childhood home, in which her mother lived alone, Sebold portrays life as a prison and death as an escape, and therefore murder as merciful.
Twelfth Night
ReplyDeleteShakespeare
Through the clown Feste's songs in Twelfth Night, Shakespeare reveals his ideas about the inconsistent and fleeting behaivior of youth, espcially having to do with young love. The songs are an integral part of the play because they expose the true nature of adolescence and how young love wavers.
In the novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck uses the symbol of Kate and her lean-to to reveal a side of human nature that is dark and reserved, as well as to warn against allowing the darkness to consume one's life and perspective.
ReplyDeleteSiddhartha - Hermann Hesse
ReplyDeleteIn his novel, Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse harnesses the river that Siddhartha comes across in his difficult journey to find enlightenment as a symbol to display life, time, and the path to enlightenment.
In the novel, "The Amazing Adventure's of Kavalier and Clay," the comic book character "The Escapists" is born from Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay, based off of their deep wish of escaping the difficult situations of their lives. The Escapists symbolizes the human need of escaping in uncomftorable or intolerable situations that plague our lives.
ReplyDeleteThe Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
ReplyDeleteEugenides delineates the mental decay and eventual suicide of Cecelia Lisbon to demonstrate the deleterious effects of the typical suburban lifestyle's tedium and vacuousness on the American psyche.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
ReplyDeleteIn The Road, Cormac McCarthy uses the recurring appearance and emphasis of the little boy’s shoes in order to convey to readers the significance of avoiding luxury in order to hold onto our sense of self and our morals.
In his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, García Marquez details the construction and ruin of a railroad connecting the once secluded Macondo to the outside world as he equates the pursuit of modernity to ultimate demise.
ReplyDeleteThe Road - McCarthy
ReplyDeleteThe Father and Son in Cormac McCarthy's, The Road, are repeatedly said to be "carrying the fire", showing that a parent's and child's love is what separates humans from animals.
Ben K --
ReplyDeleteGood idea about theme. I assume that in your intro you'll introduce the character of "the old man." Be sure to treat him as symbolic of your idea.
Ben H --
ReplyDeleteFor this to work, you'll need to explain the imprisonment as an analog of the larger situation. Make your theme a little more universal; why do we care about a depiction of a genderless society?
Shannon --
ReplyDeleteThe story of Cain and Abel seems to permeate the book, so I wonder if it's a bit too broad as a focus. Is there another symbol or microcosm of timshel you could use?
Matt --
ReplyDeleteLooks good, along with our conversations about the topic. I think you're good to go.
Whitney --
ReplyDeleteLooks good. In your intro, you might emphasize the symbolic nature of the house.
Kenna --
ReplyDeleteAs we talked about, you're ready to write your paper. Thesis look like it will work fine.
Richard --
ReplyDeleteLooks good. I think you're ready to write it.
Connor --
ReplyDeleteThe river should be a good focus. "Life, time, and the path to enlightenment" is rather vague -- you need to nail down the meaning of the river more.
Mikella --
ReplyDeleteThe Escapist character should make a good focus. You might go a little further with your theme. "Desire to escape bad situations" seems a little vague to me. What particular idea about the difficulty or necessity of escape is Chabon exploring?
Tom --
ReplyDeleteHow extensive is the "mental decay" -- is it a long process in the book, or a sidelight to the main story? If it's a main part of the plot, you might need a tighter focus, something more focused to represent tedium.
Shelby --
ReplyDeleteLooks good. Write away.
Maddy --
ReplyDeleteLooks good. be sure to explain the construction of the railroad as an analogy or symbol of the themeatic idea.
Adam --
ReplyDelete"Carrying the fire" is their metaphorical phrase; you'll need to explain how the implications of the phrase's literal meaning connect to the idea of parent/child love. How are the two acts similar? I like the idea.
Cold Mountain
ReplyDeleteCharles Frazier
Charles Frazier uses Inman's compaionships with Veasey, the woman whose pig is stolen, and the goat herder woman to illustrate how humans are in constant search of compainionship and that humans benefit from human interaction.
Sander --
ReplyDeleteThis is a better focus, though it could be even stronger if you concentrated on only one of Inman's encounters. Also, your theme seems applicable to almost any book. How is the attitude toward human interaction and interdependence particular to this book?
In Barbara Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible, the Congolese parasites mirror the literal and metaphorical pestilences of humankind to reveal the interdependence of all life and the dire consequences of disrupting this cycle.
ReplyDeleteThis is my revised copy -- I think it is a bit more specific. What do you think?