Writing Analytically, 6th Edition - Rosenwasser, David & Stephen, Jill [166]
[9] That’s when I realized that maybe what makes Bon Marche so great is that it embodies democracy. It has everything for everybody, and the individual gets to choose what he or she wants, down to the last detail. And the whole place was just bursting with food—there seemed to be abundance for all. It makes available to everyone the experience of international cuisines at affordable prices, whereas in the past you would have had to travel abroad, or at least to expensive restaurants all over the city, to get this diversity. Mall culture offers the world in one convenient location, as Bon Marche exemplifies.
[10] As we were leaving, we saw more evidence for this democracy idea in the uniforms that the staff were wearing. They all had full-length aprons matching the color of their berets—the men all wore green berets while the women wore red ones. This uniform was bright and happy, and the berets seemed to symbolize that everyone was equal. Also the berets seem to go with the restaurant’s French name, except that the berets themselves had these fitted leather bases that made them seem stiffer than traditional French berets.
[11] The cashier was located at the front of the restaurant, and when she gave us our receipts, we also received what they called “exit visas” that we then had to hand to a guy standing about four feet away, just at the interface of the restaurant and the rest of the mall. It was as if we were leaving this fantasy world behind.
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GUIDELINES FOR FINDING AND DEVELOPING A THESIS
A thesis offers a theory about the meaning of evidence that would not have been immediately obvious to your readers.
A thesis is made, not found. It is the result of a process of thinking of about the evidence but is not itself present in the evidence, like a golden egg.
Treat your thesis as a hypothesis to be tested rather than an obvious truth.
Most effective theses contain tension. They are conceptually complex, and that is reflected in their grammatical shape—often they will begin with “although” or incorporate “however.”
The body of your paper should serve not only to substantiate the thesis by demonstrating its value in selecting and explaining evidence, but also to evolve the thesis—move it forward—by uncovering the questions that each new formulation of it prompts you to ask.
When you encounter potentially conflicting evidence (or interpretations of that evidence), don’t simply abandon your thesis. Use the complications to refine your thesis until you arrive at the most accurate explanation of the evidence that you can manage.
To check that your thesis has evolved, locate and compare the various versions of it throughout the draft. Have you done more than demonstrate the general validity of an unqualified claim?
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Assignment: Making a Thesis Evolve
Formulate and Evolve a Thesis on a Film, Painting, or Other Visual Image. Using the models of either Las Meninas or Educating Rita, produce an interpretation of the film or painting or other visual image of your choice.
First, begin by formulating a variety of possible statements about the film or painting that could serve as a working thesis. These might be in answer to the question “What is the film/painting about?” or “What does it ‘say’?” Or you might begin by doing The Method to uncover pattern of repetition or contrast you have observed and can then explain.
Obviously, this assignment could be adapted to other subjects—an essay, the coverage of a current event, and so forth. Here are some specific suggestions:
The contemporary appeal of a cartoon or other popular television character
Differences in political rhetoric between Democrats and Republicans on the same issue
The rhetoric of a popular print or television ad campaign