Developing your own opinion
What is belonging?
You can't write an essay about belonging if you don't know what belonging means to you. Create a bank of definitions you can draw on in your essays. This may include dictionary definitions, random quotes from the internet, quotes from non-fiction, quotes by characters in your texts. You won’t use all of them, but listing the quotes will help you work out different patterns of argument.
Annie's English [http://anniesenglish.com/?page_id=76] has some excellent points to start you thinking.
Getting started?
One of the worst things you can do in English is to start off by reading a study guide. If you read a study guide first, you will end up with someone else's opinion (and thesis) instead of your own - and this is probably the same opinion that thousands of other students in the state are using!
Before you read a study guide, ask yourself the following questions:
If you can answer these questions, you are ready to create a thesis about belonging. What does you set text say about belonging that is different from what other texts have to say about belonging? Even though everyone in your class has read the same text, everyone will find a different meaning in the text. You can find some suggestions here.
Once you have a thesis, study guides can be a useful way to help find points that back up your thesis (really good English students also look for points against their thesis - this helps them look at both sides of the argument and think of more arguments that refute the other viewpoint). However, nothing is better than re-reading the text and finding your own evidence!
You can't write an essay about belonging if you don't know what belonging means to you. Create a bank of definitions you can draw on in your essays. This may include dictionary definitions, random quotes from the internet, quotes from non-fiction, quotes by characters in your texts. You won’t use all of them, but listing the quotes will help you work out different patterns of argument.
Annie's English [http://anniesenglish.com/?page_id=76] has some excellent points to start you thinking.
Getting started?
One of the worst things you can do in English is to start off by reading a study guide. If you read a study guide first, you will end up with someone else's opinion (and thesis) instead of your own - and this is probably the same opinion that thousands of other students in the state are using!
Before you read a study guide, ask yourself the following questions:
- Which characters do you like - why?
- What does belonging mean to these characters?
- Are there situations or people that help these characters belong?
- Are there situations or people that prevent these characters from belonging?
- What places are used in the settings? Which places are linked to belonging and/or alienation?
- What are the themes of the text? How do these themes relate to belonging.
If you can answer these questions, you are ready to create a thesis about belonging. What does you set text say about belonging that is different from what other texts have to say about belonging? Even though everyone in your class has read the same text, everyone will find a different meaning in the text. You can find some suggestions here.
Once you have a thesis, study guides can be a useful way to help find points that back up your thesis (really good English students also look for points against their thesis - this helps them look at both sides of the argument and think of more arguments that refute the other viewpoint). However, nothing is better than re-reading the text and finding your own evidence!
