Thesis Statements

1.    “A” This is a weak thesis statement because it makes no claim about The Origin of the Species, or how the writer is going to respond to it. It is also too broad a claim; “Darwin’s concerns” need to be defined.

2.     “A” This statement is too narrow, there is little room for argument.

3.    “B” This statement is obvious or common knowledge.  Makes me think “Well duh.”

4.    “A” makes a broad claim,  it leaves out any argument.

5.    “A” is a personal bias, conviction.  It is not arguable.

Statement for essay #3:

“Further, it, (“faction”) is a tool apropos to the America of O’Brien’s youth, out of the chaos, came clarity.” 

Comment: This will work for a thesis statement, because it can be argued, though I’m hoping to pull something better out of the hat for the final draft.  I support the idea in O’Brien’s text viewed through history. 

Other Thesis for exploration: 

I have questioned why O’Brien uses the two less prominent females mentioned in his book.

One is Kathleen, a daughter character. The other is Linda, his childhood sweetheart. It would be interesting to know who the characters are based on, or if like Norman Bowker, they are real people and that is their actual names.   

Why, as the writer, not the narrator, did O’Brien use each of them? What might their characters represent?

They are minor characters that fill in much of the story. In "Ambush" Kathleen is a starry eyed little girl that, like any kid, can get away with saying things no adult could-nor should they.  In essence she asks her “dad” if he killed anyone in Viet Nam.  It’s a question that goes through the mind of many when they meet a combat veteran.  Kathleen is naive, but without guile.  I think she represent many of the “folks back home” in a war-even one as controversial as Viet Nam.  Not everyone was spitting on soldiers when they returned home.  The narrator wanted to “tell her exactly what happened.”  I think most soldiers want people to understand “exactly what happened.”  Throughout O’Brien’s book are examples of combatants wanting to be understood, the most obvious is Bowker.  

A thesis statement would run something like: “Kathleen represents the home folks, not family, but a population, that were not hostile towards Viet Nam veterans.”

Linda's character in "The Lives of the Dead" could be a explored from the childhood/adult aspect, “survival guilt”, curiosity about the afterlife and probably a lot more. What comes to mind most immediately is she is another innocent little girl, but not naive as Kathleen is, because she has cancer.  She carries much too. 

A thesis might be: “Neither Linda nor O’Brien chose their burdens, but the manner of how they were carried is telling a great character.”  (I know that’s hackneyed, but I’m tired and want to get my homework done. M;)