Breakthrough Writer

Writing a Thesis for Film or TV Criticism

An effective way to critique film or television is to write a thesis that contains concession, refutation, and mapping components (underlined below).  Example:

While ABC's Gray's Anatomy is often cleverly written and deals with timely topics that are dramatized in a complex, compelling  manner, the show too often is sodden with cutesy dialog, predictably needy characters who are less endearing than they are chafing,  and highly annoying, "sensitive" scenes that deteriorate into over-stylized MTV-style music videos accompanied by precious and cloying indy-pop folk rock.

The above example has concession by conceding that the show is often "clever," "timely," and "complex"; at the same time, in the thesis' independent clause the writer refutes the show by accusing it of being "cutesy," "chafing," and "annoying." Finally, the thesis has mapping components that outline the body paragraphs and thus give the writer a road map or organizing structure for the essay.

While ABC's Gray's Anatomy is often cleverly written and deals with timely topics that are dramatized in a complex, compelling  manner, the show too often is sodden with cutesy dialog, predictably needy characters who are less endearing than they are chafing,  and highly annoying, "sensitive" scenes that deteriorate into over-stylized MTV-style music videos accompanied by precious and cloying indy-pop folk rock.

The above example has concession by conceding that the show is often "clever," "timely," and "complex"; at the same time, in the thesis' independent clause the writer refutes the show by accusing it of being "cutesy," "chafing," and "annoying." Finally, the thesis has mapping components that outline the body paragraphs and thus give the writer a road map or organizing structure for the essay.

Qualities of an Effective Thesis

1.    One sentence that declares or asserts a position that can be demonstrated with examples.
2.    The examples can be expressed in mapping statements or mapping components.
3.    Avoids being self-evident or obvious but creates new insights.
4.    A good thesis is visceral, from the gut, meaning you have an immediate emotional connection to it. The intellect comes later.

Sample Thesis with Mapping Statements

Phil Connor’s time warp in Groundhog Day is an excellent illustration of Wallace’s warning about the dangerous consequences of us settling into our morally bankrupt “default setting.” First, Connor is a man who has become a slave to his “template” of self-centeredness, unable to connect with the outside world, a form of insanity. Second, he is absent of any beliefs other than conviction of his own vanity making him blind to his own repulsiveness. Third, his misanthropic bitterness creates a self-fulfilling prophesy that brings out the worst in others and therefore reinforces his cynicism. Fourth, he cannot escape his private hell until, in Wallace’s words, he develops a “critical awareness” of his misguided “certainties” and realizes he is “totally wrong and deluded.”

1A Lecture Material for "Letting Go of God"

Lexicon

1.    Benevolence, all-loving
2.    Omnipotent, all-powerful
3.    Capricious, impulsive
4.    Bellicose, warrior-like
5.    theodicy: the justice of God in a world where an omnipotent God allows evil while that same God claims to be benevolent.
6.    Proselytize, to preach with zealous aggression
7.    Zealous, fanatical
8.    Anthropomorphizing God: to give God human qualities
9.    Epiphany, a revelation or dramatic insight that drastically alters one’s life
10.    Exclusivist, one who believes there’s only one way to heaven and the rest are doomed to hell
11.    Inclusiveness or Universalist, one who believes that eventually all shall be saved and go to heaven.
12.    Kool-Aid Drinker, a person who blindly follows whatever is said, “drinks the Kool-Aid.”

Study Questions for Julia Sweeney’s “Letting Go of God?” (327)

One. What benefit did Sweeney gain from her visit with the Mormon missionaries? 331

She assumed all her life that “God loved her with all her heart” and she enjoyed the childhood bliss of innocence without vigorous exploration; it was simply a childhood assumption that she had kicked into default mode for many years and she was comforted by this assumption without ever testing it.

Untested love means nothing. She had reached a point where she could face that fact. Therefore, the missionaries were a catalyst for her to go on a journey to find out what she really believes.

Two. Give four examples Sweeney cites in the Old Testament that contradict her idea that God is a loving deity. 331-334

Genesis, Noah the alcoholic, God is capricious and bellicose; God has regrets after drowning the world, that’s a human trait, not divine; God offers Lot’s daughters to be raped on page 332; God tests Abraham’s loyalty by telling him to kill his son Isaac; in Judges a guy kills his daughter to fulfill a deal with God on page 333.

Three: Give four examples Sweeney cites in the New Testament that contract her idea of Christian wisdom. 335-338

She accuses Jesus of being impatient and “snippy” with her disciples; she objects to the NT’s command for slaves to be obedient to their masters; she objects to Jesus proclaiming that those who don’t recognize him will burn like a withered branch; she objects to the way Jesus condemns a fig tree to death; she objects to the way Jesus impatiently dismisses his mother on page 336; she objects to St. Paul’s command that women should be subservient to men because they are after all inferior on page 337; she objects to the Book of Revelation’s statement that 144,000 will be saved, most likely all men on page 338.

Four: What religious conflict does Sweeney have throughout her essay and how is this conflict relevant to Wallace’s “default setting”? 338-343

She genuinely wants to love God and enjoy the comfort of faith but her reading of Bible paints a God whom she finds abhorrent and morally bankrupt. She is tormented by this dichotomy.

Her understanding of the Bible is such that she believes she’s in a horror film: See page 338

The more she tries to love the Church, the worse things get on page 339

Five: What is Sweeney’s argument against “intelligent design”? 340-341

Her study of the eyes contradicts the idea of ID on page 340 and 341

Six: Why does Sweeney fear she is “cheating on God”? 343

She realizes morality is not created by God but is a social contract to keep the barbarians from taking over the world. A Darwinian survival mechanism.  See 342

Seven: What happens to Sweeney after she says goodbye to God? 344-347

Life makes more sense to her; she doesn’t have to follow a book that asserts cruelty, affirms slavery, and denigrates women; she is ostracized from her family; she loses her childhood comfort womb;

Eight: In your opinion, is Sweeney more or less moral after losing her faith? She has more integrity; she’s not a hypocrite.

Theme of Sweeney’s essay: A faith based on ignorance and the desire for childhood comfort is not worthy of a thinking adult.

Sample essay structure as it applies to David Foster Wallace:

Paragraph 1: Summarize Wallace’s major points.
Paragraph 2, Sample thesis with mapping statements: Sweeney’s study of religion results in a major change in her “default setting.” First, she must look at the causes of her longing to continue the faith of her childhood (nostalgia, family memories, comfort, assumptions about an all-loving God that make life more bearable). Second, she must go through the painful process of recognizing her religious doctrine contradicts logic, morality and her idea of a just God; third, she has to learn to see the world with her “not-believing-in-God glasses.” Fourth, she has to act on her new beliefs.

   

Lexicon for “Letting Go of God” 307

 

1.    Benevolence, all-loving
2.    Omnipotent, all-powerful
3.    Capricious, impulsive
4.    Bellicose, warrior-like
5.    theodicy: the justice of God in a world where an omnipotent God allows evil while that same God claims to be benevolent.
6.    Proselytize, to preach with zealous aggression
7.    Zealous, fanatical
8.    Anthropomorphizing God: to give God human qualities
9.    Epiphany, a revelation or dramatic insight that drastically alters one’s life
10.    Exclusivist, one who believes there’s only one way to heaven and the rest are doomed to hell
11.    Inclusiveness or Universalist, one who believes that eventually all shall be saved and go to heaven.
12.    Kool-Aid Drinker, a person who blindly follows whatever is said, “drinks the Kool-Aid.”

Study Questions for Julia Sweeney’s “Letting Go of God?” (327)

One. What benefit did Sweeney gain from her visit with the Mormon missionaries? 331

She assumed all her life that “God loved her with all her heart” and she enjoyed the childhood bliss of innocence without vigorous exploration; it was simply a childhood assumption that she had kicked into default mode for many years and she was comforted by this assumption without ever testing it.

Untested love means nothing. She had reached a point where she could face that fact. Therefore, the missionaries were a catalyst for her to go on a journey to find out what she really believes.

Two. Give four examples Sweeney cites in the Old Testament that contradict her idea that God is a loving deity. 331-334

Genesis, Noah the alcoholic, God is capricious and bellicose; God has regrets after drowning the world, that’s a human trait, not divine; God offers Lot’s daughters to be raped on page 332; God tests Abraham’s loyalty by telling him to kill his son Isaac; in Judges a guy kills his daughter to fulfill a deal with God on page 333.

Three: Give four examples Sweeney cites in the New Testament that contract her idea of Christian wisdom. 335-338

She accuses Jesus of being impatient and “snippy” with her disciples; she objects to the NT’s command for slaves to be obedient to their masters; she objects to Jesus proclaiming that those who don’t recognize him will burn like a withered branch; she objects to the way Jesus condemns a fig tree to death; she objects to the way Jesus impatiently dismisses his mother on page 336; she objects to St. Paul’s command that women should be subservient to men because they are after all inferior on page 337; she objects to the Book of Revelation’s statement that 144,000 will be saved, most likely all men on page 338.

Four: What religious conflict does Sweeney have throughout her essay and how is this conflict relevant to Wallace’s “default setting”? 338-343

She genuinely wants to love God and enjoy the comfort of faith but her reading of Bible paints a God whom she finds abhorrent and morally bankrupt. She is tormented by this dichotomy.

Her understanding of the Bible is such that she believes she’s in a horror film: See page 338

The more she tries to love the Church, the worse things get on page 339

Five: What is Sweeney’s argument against “intelligent design”? 340-341

Her study of the eyes contradicts the idea of ID on page 340 and 341

Six: Why does Sweeney fear she is “cheating on God”? 343

She realizes morality is not created by God but is a social contract to keep the barbarians from taking over the world. A Darwinian survival mechanism.  See 342

Seven: What happens to Sweeney after she says goodbye to God? 344-347

Life makes more sense to her; she doesn’t have to follow a book that asserts cruelty, affirms slavery, and denigrates women; she is ostracized from her family; she loses her childhood comfort womb;

Eight: In your opinion, is Sweeney more or less moral after losing her faith? She has more integrity; she’s not a hypocrite.

Theme of Sweeney’s essay: A faith based on ignorance and the desire for childhood comfort is not worthy of a thinking adult.

Sample essay structure as it applies to David Foster Wallace:

Paragraph 1: Summarize Wallace’s major points.
Paragraph 2, Sample thesis with mapping statements: Sweeney’s study of religion results in a major change in her “default setting.” First, she must look at the causes of her longing to continue the faith of her childhood (nostalgia, family memories, comfort, assumptions about an all-loving God that make life more bearable). Second, she must go through the painful process of recognizing her religious doctrine contradicts logic, morality and her idea of a just God; third, she has to learn to see the world with her “not-believing-in-God glasses.” Fourth, she has to act on her new beliefs.

1.    Benevolence, all-loving
2.    Omnipotent, all-powerful
3.    Capricious, impulsive
4.    Bellicose, warrior-like
5.    theodicy: the justice of God in a world where an omnipotent God allows evil while that same God claims to be benevolent.
6.    Proselytize, to preach with zealous aggression
7.    Zealous, fanatical
8.    Anthropomorphizing God: to give God human qualities
9.    Epiphany, a revelation or dramatic insight that drastically alters one’s life
10.    Exclusivist, one who believes there’s only one way to heaven and the rest are doomed to hell
11.    Inclusiveness or Universalist, one who believes that eventually all shall be saved and go to heaven.
12.    Kool-Aid Drinker, a person who blindly follows whatever is said, “drinks the Kool-Aid.”

Study Questions for Julia Sweeney’s “Letting Go of God?” (327)

One. What benefit did Sweeney gain from her visit with the Mormon missionaries? 331

She assumed all her life that “God loved her with all her heart” and she enjoyed the childhood bliss of innocence without vigorous exploration; it was simply a childhood assumption that she had kicked into default mode for many years and she was comforted by this assumption without ever testing it.

Untested love means nothing. She had reached a point where she could face that fact. Therefore, the missionaries were a catalyst for her to go on a journey to find out what she really believes.

Two. Give four examples Sweeney cites in the Old Testament that contradict her idea that God is a loving deity. 331-334

Genesis, Noah the alcoholic, God is capricious and bellicose; God has regrets after drowning the world, that’s a human trait, not divine; God offers Lot’s daughters to be raped on page 332; God tests Abraham’s loyalty by telling him to kill his son Isaac; in Judges a guy kills his daughter to fulfill a deal with God on page 333.

Three: Give four examples Sweeney cites in the New Testament that contract her idea of Christian wisdom. 335-338

She accuses Jesus of being impatient and “snippy” with her disciples; she objects to the NT’s command for slaves to be obedient to their masters; she objects to Jesus proclaiming that those who don’t recognize him will burn like a withered branch; she objects to the way Jesus condemns a fig tree to death; she objects to the way Jesus impatiently dismisses his mother on page 336; she objects to St. Paul’s command that women should be subservient to men because they are after all inferior on page 337; she objects to the Book of Revelation’s statement that 144,000 will be saved, most likely all men on page 338.

Four: What religious conflict does Sweeney have throughout her essay and how is this conflict relevant to Wallace’s “default setting”? 338-343

She genuinely wants to love God and enjoy the comfort of faith but her reading of Bible paints a God whom she finds abhorrent and morally bankrupt. She is tormented by this dichotomy.

Her understanding of the Bible is such that she believes she’s in a horror film: See page 338

The more she tries to love the Church, the worse things get on page 339

Five: What is Sweeney’s argument against “intelligent design”? 340-341

Her study of the eyes contradicts the idea of ID on page 340 and 341

Six: Why does Sweeney fear she is “cheating on God”? 343

She realizes morality is not created by God but is a social contract to keep the barbarians from taking over the world. A Darwinian survival mechanism.  See 342

Seven: What happens to Sweeney after she says goodbye to God? 344-347

Life makes more sense to her; she doesn’t have to follow a book that asserts cruelty, affirms slavery, and denigrates women; she is ostracized from her family; she loses her childhood comfort womb;

Eight: In your opinion, is Sweeney more or less moral after losing her faith? She has more integrity; she’s not a hypocrite.

Theme of Sweeney’s essay: A faith based on ignorance and the desire for childhood comfort is not worthy of a thinking adult.

Sample essay structure as it applies to David Foster Wallace:

Paragraph 1: Summarize Wallace’s major points.
Paragraph 2, Sample thesis with mapping statements: Sweeney’s study of religion results in a major change in her “default setting.” First, she must look at the causes of her longing to continue the faith of her childhood (nostalgia, family memories, comfort, assumptions about an all-loving God that make life more bearable). Second, she must go through the painful process of recognizing her religious doctrine contradicts logic, morality and her idea of a just God; third, she has to learn to see the world with her “not-believing-in-God glasses.” Fourth, she has to act on her new beliefs.

Study Questions for “Kenyon Commencement Speech” by David Foster Wallace

One: What is Wallace’s purpose of telling the story about the atheist and the God believer? 356

People interpret things however they want in order to make external events conform to their preconceived notions of life.

Two: What forces limit our choice to think for ourselves? 357: Hard-wiring, upbringing, past traumas, we get “snake-bit” by someone and we generalize; arrogance, the need for comfort, the fear of change, arrogance, we get locked into our “default setting.”

Three: What common default setting imprisons us all? 357, 358: self-centeredness, solipsism; the idea of Ache, which is based on 3 things: we’re no longer the center of the world and the knowledge that our desires will always outstrip our capacity to satisfy them: concupiscence; always in a state of desire. 

A philosopher once said “We can never get enough of what we don’t really want.”

Four: Explain Wallace’s quote about “the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master.” 358

It’s easy to be a slave to one’s appetites and fears but it’s harder to go against the current and have it together, to be in control, to be in charge of your destiny and not some punk at the mercy of Madison Avenue, public opinion, loser hanger-ons, and parasites who are always telling you what to do as if they had your best interests at heart when in fact they have their own interests.

Five: How close do you match Wallace’s portrait of the pissed-off shopper on page 360?

Six: What is Wallace’s criticism of the pissed-off shopper? 361: Self-fulfilling prophesy, you treat people like cattle and morons and they’ll react in kind.

Seven: How convincing is Wallace’s claim on page 362 that none of us are atheists because we all worship something?

Eight: What is Wallace’s definition of freedom? 363

Nine: What tragedy of the mind is Wallace helping his audience avoid? 363, 364

   

 

One: What is Wallace’s purpose of telling the story about the atheist and the God believer? 356

People interpret things however they want in order to make external events conform to their preconceived notions of life.

Two: What forces limit our choice to think for ourselves? 357: Hard-wiring, upbringing, past traumas, we get “snake-bit” by someone and we generalize; arrogance, the need for comfort, the fear of change, arrogance, we get locked into our “default setting.”

Three: What common default setting imprisons us all? 357, 358: self-centeredness, solipsism; the idea of Ache, which is based on 3 things: we’re no longer the center of the world and the knowledge that our desires will always outstrip our capacity to satisfy them: concupiscence; always in a state of desire. 

A philosopher once said “We can never get enough of what we don’t really want.”

Four: Explain Wallace’s quote about “the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master.” 358

It’s easy to be a slave to one’s appetites and fears but it’s harder to go against the current and have it together, to be in control, to be in charge of your destiny and not some punk at the mercy of Madison Avenue, public opinion, loser hanger-ons, and parasites who are always telling you what to do as if they had your best interests at heart when in fact they have their own interests.

Five: How close do you match Wallace’s portrait of the pissed-off shopper on page 360?

Six: What is Wallace’s criticism of the pissed-off shopper? 361: Self-fulfilling prophesy, you treat people like cattle and morons and they’ll react in kind.

Seven: How convincing is Wallace’s claim on page 362 that none of us are atheists because we all worship something?

Eight: What is Wallace’s definition of freedom? 363

Nine: What tragedy of the mind is Wallace helping his audience avoid? 363, 364

One: What is Wallace’s purpose of telling the story about the atheist and the God believer? 356

People interpret things however they want in order to make external events conform to their preconceived notions of life.

Two: What forces limit our choice to think for ourselves? 357: Hard-wiring, upbringing, past traumas, we get “snake-bit” by someone and we generalize; arrogance, the need for comfort, the fear of change, arrogance, we get locked into our “default setting.”

Three: What common default setting imprisons us all? 357, 358: self-centeredness, solipsism; the idea of Ache, which is based on 3 things: we’re no longer the center of the world and the knowledge that our desires will always outstrip our capacity to satisfy them: concupiscence; always in a state of desire. 

A philosopher once said “We can never get enough of what we don’t really want.”

Four: Explain Wallace’s quote about “the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master.” 358

It’s easy to be a slave to one’s appetites and fears but it’s harder to go against the current and have it together, to be in control, to be in charge of your destiny and not some punk at the mercy of Madison Avenue, public opinion, loser hanger-ons, and parasites who are always telling you what to do as if they had your best interests at heart when in fact they have their own interests.

Five: How close do you match Wallace’s portrait of the pissed-off shopper on page 360?

Six: What is Wallace’s criticism of the pissed-off shopper? 361: Self-fulfilling prophesy, you treat people like cattle and morons and they’ll react in kind.

Seven: How convincing is Wallace’s claim on page 362 that none of us are atheists because we all worship something?

Eight: What is Wallace’s definition of freedom? 363

Nine: What tragedy of the mind is Wallace helping his audience avoid? 363, 364