Parable of the Sower- Octavia Butler

Guidelines for Thesis and Outline

1. Your thesis is one of the most important components of the research paper. Your thesis should include the author and title of the work plus the point you will make within your research paper. The thesis should be worded to cover everything you will prove. It is the sentence that addresses the themes, underlying meanings, and messages of the novel that you WILL prove using your primary and secondary sources.
2. Your preliminary outline (Due Feb 2^nd ) must include at least four major points with at least two sub-points of evidence. However, if you can provide more detail do so. It will be best to have a topic sentence for each paragraph created and all sub-points. It will also help when researching. Remember your major points and sub-points MUST all directly relate to your thesis statement.
3. When submitting your outline to your instructor, at minimum you should have a full thesis statement, meeting all requirements of #1 on this page, four major points and two sub-points of evidence for each major point. It must be in MLA format!

Example:
Thesis: The Great Gatsby clearly depicts the death of the American Dream through the characters of Jordan, Daisy, Nick and Gatsby himself.

1. Jordan
   Dream
   b. Death of Dream
2. Daisy
   Dream
   b. Death of Dream

• Nick
  Dream
  b. Death of Dream

1. Gatsby
2. Dream
3. Death of Dream