Hey! I am writing a thesis paper on Oedipus the King and I think my thesis statement needs some work. I am not sure if I used ";" in the right place... im a just trying to fit all this information into one sentence. Can anyone help me? Here is my thesis:
Oedipus is "blind" throughout the story by his inability to understand that the prophecy has come true and scorns the ones who try to guide him; however, Tiresias' physical blindness leads him to "see" the truth; and Jocasta is blind to realize that she is married and has had children with her son.
Hello,
these seem like supporting facts rather than a thesis. It sounds like your thesis is more like "Blindness in Oedipus Rex represents peoples inability to see the truth until it is too late" Or "Blindness represents how people often refuse to see horrible truths that happen right in front of them". Your supporting facts will be 1)Oedipus is "blind" throughout the story by his inability to understand that the prophecy has come true and scorns the ones who try to guide him;
2)however, Tiresias' physical blindness leads him to "see" the truth; and
3)Jocasta is blind to realize that she is married and has had children with her son.
Oedipus and Jocasta refuse to see how they have acted in ways that made the prophecy. However, the only man who is physically blind can see the truth, demonstrating how physical sight does not mean people can see the truth.
I think this will become a great essay if you organize it right. Good luck!
Hey! I am writing a thesis paper on Oedipus the King and I think my thesis statement needs some work. I am not sure if I used ";" in the right place... im a just trying to fit all this information into one sentence. Can anyone help me? Here is my thesis:
Oedipus is "blind" throughout the story because of his inability to understand that the prophecy has come true and scorns the ones who try to guide him; however, Tiresias' physical blindness leads him to "see" the truth, and Jocasta is also "blind" to realize that she is married and has had children with her son.
think you know what you're trying to say, just needing a little structural tightness. I think if you use the same expression for Oedipus and Jocasta, you should quote it, which I did. and because you are comparing both Tiresias and Jocasta to Oedipus, you can put them in the second half of the sentence together, without the third semi-colon.
I think you're on the right track, but you should play with the format and content of your thesis, until you get it right, as it's the most important sentence of the essay. You are introducing the characters to be discussed, and mentioning their conflict. That's a good summation of what the essay will be about, in my opinion. What I mean by play around with it, is, you can try several, about three versions, on paper, and then see which you like the best. I think that given all the info you needed to get in one sentence, you did a good job!
ef_carol