Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The characters in John Steinbeck's Cannery Row though vastly different in persona and mannerism all deal with the issue of contentment. The Depression Era in Monterey, California isn't much different than anywhere else in the US, yet you see how different characters take the most of life. Mack and the boys live off borrowed land, and on the outskirts of societal and cultural values, yet are always satisfied, while Doc, the richest and most cultured in Monterey passes day by day wasting his life away depressed, and yearning for more. It is this dynamic of contentment that gives life to these characters somewhat disillusioned stories.

The purpose of my paper is to discuss/illustrate the
  1. Contrast between Doc and the boys in what they live life for.
  2. Contrast between the satisfaction felt by Doc and other characters around him.
  3. Reasons for these contrasts
in order to show-
How these contrast impact the overarching meaning of a book about finding the best in life through unlikely people, and how Monterey symbolizes society as a whole.

3 comments:

Justin Park said...

1. Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?

Its a bit vague, and isnt clearly highlighted, but you can get the geist of where you are trying to go with it. Condense more, and it may be easier to follow. One sentence perhaps?

2. Is my thesis statement specific enough?

It's is very specific. What you could do is cut off a bit from it, and just hint at what is to come, while still maintaining detail, to make your thesis more evident.

3. Does my thesis pass the “so what?” test?

Yes. you illustrate what you plan to discuss, and you make your argument clear.

4. Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test?

Yes. you give accurate descriptions of how the characters are somewhat disillusioned. THe "why" aspect remains a bit unclear to me.


Your thesis was good. I would just condense more, and try to make your compare and contrasts more evident in the thesis.

Colleen V. said...

1. Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?

While the thesis isn't complete yet, I think it will be strong. I think you will have to specify how the author symbolizes society as a whole in order to provide controversey.

2. Is my thesis statement specific enough?

Not quite, like I said in the last question.

3. Does my thesis pass the “so what?” test?

Once you state what the author is trying to prove and why, it will pass the test.

4. Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test?

Yes, to both questions.

Reena Patel said...

I think your thesis could be stronger. I think more detail would help. Expand more on it. It passes the so what and how/why test. Just provide more details and make your position stronger.