Prepare:

First, read the information on the Ashford Writing Center's web page, Thesis Statements. Pay close attention to the body paragraphs and thesis statements.

Reflect: Compare your working thesis statement to the thesis statement in the Sample Literary Analysis. Does your thesis address relevant points like the example thesis? Then, look at a body paragraph in the sample Literary Analysis. Compare its construction to a body paragraph in your own paper.

Write: Post your working thesis and your strongest body paragraph into the discussion by Thursday (Day 3) at midnight; do not attach it as a separate document. For the purposes of this discussion only, signify your working thesis by including it in bold type and italicize the topic sentence of your body paragraph. Your body paragraph should include at least three examples of paraphrases and/or quotations (there should be at least one of each) with correct citations in APA format. After the body paragraph, be sure to include reference page citations for the paraphrased and cited sources. Then, answer the following three questions:

Explain the connection between the topic sentence and your working thesis. Would this connection be clear to someone without your explanation? If so, why? If not, how can you modify your topic sentence and/or thesis statement to make this connection more clear?

Explain the choice of reference material. How do the references support the topic sentence? Would this connection be clear to someone without your explanation? If so, why? If not, what information should you add to the paragraph to make this connection more clear?

Does the paragraph contain any unnecessary information? Does everything in it work to support the topic sentence? What information could be added or removed? In essence, you are being asked to evaluate the cohesion of your paragraph.

Note any other specific challenges faced or successes experienced when writing this paragraph or completing this discussion post.