Claim statements and a "They Say I Say" thesis

Today we reviewed the editorial "Felons and the Right to Vote" and discussed the claims of fact, value and policy at play in that piece.  Where it gets complicated is where they overlap or work together in the same claim.

Then, I introduced the importance of composing thesis statements that include a counterargument.

Consider this example from The Language of Composition:

Although the Harry Potter series may have some literary merit, its popularity has less to do with storytelling than with merchandising (96).

As the text tells us, "doing so may make an argument seem both stronger and more reasonable. It may also create a seamless transition to a more thorough concession and refutation of the counterargument later in the argument" (96).

We practiced creating these kind of thesis statements with sample claims, as well.

We closed class by reading an essay in the Bedford Reader titled "Too Much Pressure." We will fill in the Graff template that I gave you to accompany this essay tomorrow.