This Formative guides the students through writing a clear, arguable three-prong thesis.
In this Formative, you will accomplish 3 important tasks:
1. Choose one rhetorical strategy to focus on in your paper
2. Choose three literary devices to focus on in your paper
3. Draft your thesis statement
Ready?
Paste a link to your ad here. Open your ad in a separate tab so that you have it handy as you work.
Choose everything you see in your ad.
My ad....
Which strategy do you see most clearly in your ad? This will be the strategy you focus on analyzing in your paper.
Based on my earlier answers, my paper will focus on:
Choose everything that is true for your ad.
Based on your answers in #5, choose the three literary devices you want to write about in your paper. You will write about one literary device in each body paragraph.
Ask for help if you need it.
I will write about...
Write your Thesis Statement
Now that you have chosen your rhetorical strategy and your 3 literary devices, you are ready to write the thesis of your paper. This will end up being the last sentence in your introduction.
Remember that a thesis is a one sentence statement of your paper’s argument. It tells the reader where the paper is going and what you (the author) will persuade them (the reader) to do or think.
Write one complete sentence linking your ad’s rhetorical strategy to the three literary devices you chose.
Follow this format to make sure your thesis has all the right parts.
__(Name of ad)___________ succeeds because it uses___ (literary devices 1, 2, and 3)_____to create a strong rhetorical appeal to ____(ethos, pathos, or logos).
Feel free to play with the wording once you have a draft.
Example: The iPhone 7 ad called “The City” reaches its audience by combining memorable imagery, a romantic mood, and subtle situational irony into an effective rhetorical appeal to pathos.
Congratulations, you have a thesis! That’s an essential step towards your paper.