Read part III of On the Road.
Read Hacker, pp 9-11, 67-84, 318-320.
Read "Kerouac's ON THE ROAD," a critical essay by Norma Walrath Goldstein. (I handed these out in class, but I'll embed it below in case you need another copy.)
Please construct an outline of Goldstein's essay, much the same way you would make an outline of a paper that you were planning to write. You must include the essay's thesis statement, the topic sentence of each paragraph, and the evidence that the author uses to back up her statements.
You must also come in with a thesis statement of your own, based on any aspect of On the Road. Think of this thesis statement as a first draft of the thesis statement that you will use to write your first paper. In other words, spend some real time thinking about it and crafting it carefully. The more you do now, the better shape you'll be in later.
As yourself: Is your thesis specific enough that you can reasonably prove it in 2-4 pages, but not so specific that it won't hold up under 2-4 pages of scrutiny? Can you think of 3-4 examples from the text that you will quote to prove your point? Consult the Hacker reading about what makes a good thesis statement. The Writer's Reference website has a number of good exercises on thesis statements. If you are struggling, try a few of them. (Once you're on the Writer's Reference site, click on "Writing Exercises," then "E-ex C2-1: Thesis statments." You can also click on "Research exercises," then "Researching (general)," then "E-ex R1-1: Research Questions.")
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