Use this post as an essay development tool.
You have already presented a potential thesis and some content for the final essay in
your Issue Summary 2. And you have all received some peer and instructional
feedback. If you now look ahead and review what will change for the Research Essay
you develop from that work, you’ll see that you’re being asked to refine your analysis
voice a bit further:
BUT, for this essay, you will shift your approach a bit. Instead of the “best ever” logic
applied to the Issue Summary, refine your claim voice and seek out a strong analysis
thesis. This could, for example, shift your focus to a historical study of the cultural arena
you worked on (i.e., “Although their music at times appropriated Black blues, The
Beatles influenced later popular music in the following unprecedented ways: “). This will
line up your evidence responsibilities and will also control your central idea so that it is
not too broad and bombastic.
You’ll notice that my hypothetical thesis here uses a great technique– the ‘although
clause’– and perhaps guesses at one of the possible counterarguments a peer would
have left for you on your Issue Summary 2! Now you are incorporating it here as an
important consideration or opposition that will be dealt with in the essay’s argument.
That’s a major component: demonstrating meaningful, thoughtful incorporation of Issue
Summary peer feedback (and also any instructor grading remarks/feedback) toward
effective revision and development.
OK, so for this post, go ahead and devise a draft thesis that follows these loose
guidelines and starts to build that sort of longer essay. And then go ahead and try
to develop a substantial body paragraph that presents that potential counter
argument your peer suggested in a way that still helps you build and defend
YOUR main point.
200+ words.
