Homework Assignment 6:  Brainstorming Sheet for Essay #2

This brainstorming sheet is designed to help you develop a thesis and provide evidence to support the thesis.  The sheet will also help you to determine which aspects of your argument you need to concentrate on as you work toward your first draft of Essay #2.   

Answer the following questions in as much detail as possible.  Bring two copies of the brainstorming sheet to class on Monday, February 28. 

1. Restate, in your own words, what the topic you have selected for Essay #2 requires you to do. 

2. Develop a tentative thesis.  Based on ideas that have come to mind as you watched the film(s), composed viewing journals, and participated in discussion and lecture, what argument can you make about formal resolutions, vision, or another topic?

3. What points will you need to make in order to convince the reader of the validity of your thesis?  List each point you plan to make and explain its relation to the thesis in one or two sentences.

4. What evidence will you use to support each of your points?  Describe the evidence for each of your points.  After your citation of the evidence, briefly explain why the particular evidence you have selected supports your point.  In other words, what is the connection between your point and your evidence? 

5. On Monday, we will discuss the brainstorming sheets.  What questions or concerns do you have about your thesis, evidence, and overall plan for the paper?