4.29.14+and+4.30.14

Discuss HW from Monday:

Thesis workshop: We worked on the back of the first page of the packet attached below. Ultimately, start with a question about //The Odyssey// that you want to answer in your essay. Your thesis is an answer to that question that makes a clear argument ("so what"). For example, you might ask, "Is Odysseus a hero or not? and the answer becomes the basis for your thesis. **In //The Odyssey,// Odysseus is a man who often completes extraordinary feats and surpasses other men in intelligence; however, __because many of his actions serve himself more than the group and because his pride causes pain and suffering for the crew, he fails to achieve hero status.__ (The underlined section is the "so what?" element.)**

Essay topic brainstorms:

HW: Come to class on Thursday/Friday with a completed thesis and your topic sentences. There is room for up to four topic sentences in your packet, but you might only need two or three depending on your essay's organization.