etc.) them. See Chapter 15 for more help with this.
Does not
explain why or
show how
his/her claim is
true.
Stating a claim and giving proof from the text is only part of your job as a writer.
You need to explain what you mean. You need to show how or why what you say is
true. Many times students think an idea is self evident, so they leave it to explain
itself. This is a poor strategy. Find sample essays that have been given high scores
and analyze how those students develop their thinking with solid explanations.Has too many
claims.
If you have too many claims in support of your thesis, your analysis is most likely
going to be superficial. It is best to settle on several significant aspects of the text,
rather than point out every little thing. Your essay is not to be a frenzied show of
how much you noticed, but instead, it should show your ability to distinguish
between meaningless and truly arguable claims and between those that are, while
true, somewhat flat in their relevance.If you have six claims you can argue, pick the best three or four. Depth, not breadth,
is what is called for.