I need to write an essay that will include the following: The Iliad, Richard III, War and Peach and Henry IV. I need to compare and contrast these four stories in relation to war. Can someone help me 1.) with a possible thesis and 2.) how to go about constructing an outline on what to write about.

Question

Thanks,
Michelle

Answer 1

Is this in place of the topic you wrote about last night? Or in addition to it?

Answer 2

In place of, I didn't realize I had to use all four readings to do my essay.

Answer 3

Think about this for a thesis statement.

For justice, for pride, for peace, for independence - war has been fought for all of these. I believe each of those wars can be linked to one of those "causes".

Answer 4

You could do the same thing, except you'd be doing a contrast and comparison among the four.

Or you might try this: Identify one major character in each work who would qualify as a war hero -- http://www.answers.com/topic/hero -- and describe each character completely along these lines. Then compare/contrast those characters.

Your thesis statement could be something about how people's concept of a war hero has changed over time. If you choose to do this, you should arrange the characters in your paper chronologically so that readers' concept(s) of the war hero (at the time of the work, as well as for readers of today) would be presented from earliest to most recent.

Here are two excellent links to help you differentiate between bad or non thesis statements and good thesis statements:

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html

http://blog.eduify.com/index.php/2009/06/21/5-tips-on-how-to-write-a-strong-thesis-statement/

Remember: Your thesis statement must include factual information plus your position/opinion/stance. Without your position on the topic, it isn't a true thesis statement. So think of this sentence as the angle you want to take on the topic and what you intend to prove by the end of your paper. (If your statement is simply factual, then there's nothing to prove!)

Answer 5

Thanks for the possible thesis (sounds great)

What do you think would be a good title for this essay?

I'm not good at writing, can you offer any help on I can transition each of these wars and how I would compare and contrast each.
Michelle

Answer 6

Don't worry about a title yet. How can you introduce a paper that you haven't written yet? Follow the writing process:

Prewriting: brainstorm, research, plan, outline, thesis statement

Writing: write first draft by starting with section II of your outline; write introduction after the body of the paper is written; write the conclusion last.

Polishing: revise, concentrating first on the body of the paper, then the intro, then the concl (revision = making sure ideas are logical and sequential and support your thesis); proofread (spelling, grammar, usage, etc.)

Make sure you do your researching, note-taking about each book, brainstorming, etc., and then your thesis statement draft FIRST.

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/catalogue.html#org
from http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/catalogue.html

http://www.angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
Check in the Essay & Research Paper Level.