Last week was your second interpretive thesis; this week is your third interpretive thesis. Are you getting used to them, yet? Why do them? Learning to take a theory and apply it to a reading, person, or situation is going to help you in all kinds of fields in your future majors in college and, for many of you, in your future jobs. Have you figured out how to do it comfortably, yet? Or are you still just muddling along? Or is this simply not your type of paper, and you can't wait for it to be done? Feel free to comment and, in your responses, offer helpful suggestions to each other.

Catherine

March 13, 2017 at 9:59 AM

After writing all three of my interpretive theses, I can honestly say that I rather enjoyed the process. For example, my favorite literary theory was Joseph Campbell’s the Hero’s Journey. This theory outlines the archetypal characters and maps out the standard stages to which most stories adhere. After learning and writing about the Hero’s Journey, I find myself applying it to other literary and even non-literary works. In short, although it was challenging, I did enjoy writing my interpretive theses; and I now look forward to our next writing assignment.

Chase

March 13 at 8:53 PM

I just finished my third interpretive thesis today, and I can honestly say that the papers have grown on me. It’s difficult to avoid writing simply about themes in this story. For example, there are so many great themes in Beowulf. There are themes of greed, and how material possessions don’t always bring happiness. There are some themes about the struggle of leading, and how to successfully lead people. Along with courage vs. cowardice, success vs. defeat, the material is seemingly endless. So, to push yourself to write about something not apparent in a simple of reading of the text was challenging and rewarding. My recommendations for people writing interpretive thesis papers is to put a lot more effort into brainstorming ideas, and allow time for research. I almost never brainstormed for papers prior to these, and with this paper, it’s almost a necessity. Make a list of apparent themes in the paper, find similarities, then attempt to find a theory that can connect those themes without them directly being the themes.

My first question is, what did you find helpful or effective when writing these [interpretive thesis] papers? 

Second, are you happy to be moving on to literary reviews next week, or do you wish [interpretive] thesis papers stuck around longer?

Kallie

March 13 at 9:23 PM

To Chase: To answer your question, I am looking forward to transitioning over to literary reviews next week as they seem to be a better fit for me. Although I enjoyed the challenge the interpretive thesis gave me, it was difficult finding suitable theories with specific examples from the story I was reading. I like your suggestion of brainstorming and doing research instead of just tackling the interpretive thesis straight on. For my last interpretive thesis I made notes of important parts of the book as guidance as to what type of theory I might want to use.

Mary

March 16 at 11:44 AM

To Catherine: At first I was very intimidated by the idea of writing the Interpretive Thesis; however after actually writing the first one it was easier to understand what we were supposed to be doing. Even though I ended up enjoying writing the Interpretive Theses, it will be interesting to move on to the Literary Review and see what that is like too. I really like learning different ways to write to literature through the multiple types of papers in this course! I saw the video for Macbeth and I think that it looks very interesting and quite haunting. I believe that it would be a great experience to watch other Shakespeare plays after going to the Guthrie! 

Catherine

March 16 at 12:08 PM

To Chase: To begin, I found that just pausing and thinking about the story was a helpful brainstorming tactic for me when writing my interpretive theses. In regards to your second question, I prefer the known rather than the unknown as a rule. However, I am cautiously looking forward to writing my first literary review next week.

Chase

March 16 at 2:07 PM 

To Catherine: I found the interpretive thesis paper to be difficult only in finding a theory. Once you had a good theory, it was pretty easy to make connections to the novel, and the paper was pretty short so that was nice too! Overall I enjoyed writing it more than I thought I would, and I feel that the experience I gained from it will be helpful in future academic papers.

To Kallie: I, too, struggled in finding a nice list of theories. I instead searched for theories in the areas of psychology and philosophy. These areas have the most general theories, and the most relatable to our lives, as they are human sciences. I sympathize with your frustration finding theories!

Anaiah

March 16 at 8:37 PM

So, this was the third week of the interpretive thesis writings. I think I am starting to get the hang of it now. I initially thought they were hard to do, but I was super surprised over just three weeks how easy, in a way, they have become. The first one took me quite a few hours to do, and now I am able to write one of these papers in a fraction of the time. I also feel like the quality on these papers has gotten much better the more I have done them. They are still not my most favorite paper to write, but I feel like I am beginning to understand their usefulness as well as the patience required to write one

Although I may not be using this exact interpretive thesis much as an engineer, I do think it is very helpful to understand how to do one. It taught me better how to take a position and give several points of evidence that supported that given position. It was sort of difficult to consistently find a way to show how the story supported the given theory for the given week, but I managed to find ways to apply each of them to the theories I had chosen back in Wk. 2.

Questions:

Why, if you ever did, do you think the interpretive theses were hard to write?

When you see something along the lines of an interpretive thesis now, do you think any differently about it now than you did before writing these papers?  

Anaiah

March 16 at 9:33 PM

To Kallie: I don’t have any really good suggestions on where to find theories. I just went to Wikipedia and started searching something like social theories, and pulled a few that sounded somewhat interesting. I like the interpretive thesis’ because I got to learn about some somewhat random theories that I would otherwise not have learned about. I think finding theories to apply to a certain story was hard to begin with, but got much easier with each paper. I didn’t have much of a problem using all my original theories; I just had to look carefully. I think there is at least some evidence in any story for most theories; you just have to find where it is and shape the paper to fit it.

To Catherine: I found the interpretive theses to be somewhat in the middle of difficulty. As I did more they got progressively easier, and I think that trend would continue should I do more. I have not read The Tragedy of Macbeth before, however it does sound like it would be a good play to attend. I may have attended a Shakespeare play when I was much younger, I don’t remember for sure. So either way, The Tragedy of King Leer will be the first real Shakespeare play for me.

To Chase: I found it was most productive to get a reasonable understanding of the theory first, then I could start to recognize where that theory was displayed in the story as I was reading along, taking mental notes of where I saw the theory as I read. That seemed to work ok for me, although there was room for improvement. I don’t mind doing the thesis papers, but I will be looking forward to the upcoming literary reviews.

Yazmin

March 18 at 8:42 PM

In response to the interpretive thesis, I feel that I am getting better at doing them. It is not taking me so long. Although, I do feel that I tend to write a little more than what is expected. I am not sure if this is good or bad.  At first I found it hard to associate theories with the stories that we are reading. However, I find that I am seeing a connection between the stories at theories as I am reading the stories. I think that writing interpretive theses on the books that we are reading has helped me to better understand the author and the plot of the story. It gives the literature a more in-depth meaning.  I am finding ways of connecting what I am reading to current things that may be happening or different ways of life that are still practiced. It is interesting how we change as a society, yet we do not. Things that do not seem relevant to us now seem to still be very present in other ways. So I do think that this form of writing is very helpful in terms of understanding literature. In thinking about my future, I do not think that I will be using this type of writing. However, as a Social Worker, it is very important to understand the different areas of a person’s life as a way to connect and create rapport. So this type of thinking can be very helpful to me.

Yazmin

March 18 at 8:53 PM

To Anaiah: I do think that the interpretive theses were a bit hard to write at first, but it was only because I was not sure that I was understanding the assignment in general. I was not able to form a connection between the theories and stories at the top of my head. I find it a lot easier now that we have been writing them for a while and understand the basis of doing them.

To Chase: I did find these papers to be helpful for me. I find that they offered me a different way of looking at the literature and understand it. I am not sure what they next assignments are but I am a bit nervous to start a new style of writing. I find them a bit hard in the beginning. I do wish that we held on to the different writing styles a little longer, although I do not think that we would be able to cover them all if we did. 

Elisabeth

March 18 at 9:16 PM

I have to say, I'm actually really enjoying writing these Interpretive Theses! I really like being able to go into the elements of The Arabian Nights. The themes are so interesting and fun to read if you look hard enough, and the characters have a lot of depth as well. I find it helpful having a structure to go by, too, so I know what to look for and what to pay close attention to. Last week I did an Interpretive Thesis on how the main character, Shahrazad, fits all of the qualifications of a hero/heroine. I had a lot of fun writing this and going in to look more into Shahrazad’s character. If I wasn't originally reading this critically, I would have never of thought she could qualify as a heroine, so it was interesting looking at all of the elements of a hero / heroine and discovering how much she fits the description!

Questions:
Do you enjoy writing Interpretive Theses?
If you've read The Arabian Nights, do you see how Shahrazad would fit the hero/heroine qualifications?

Elisabeth

March 18 at 9:46 PM

To Chase: I found the Interpretive Thesis extremely helpful for me. It was nice to have a three-sentence structure to go by so I knew what to look for. And I definitely will miss writing Interpretive Theses when we move on next week, but I'm also really excited to see what's next. If anything, the Literary Reviews might be even more fun to write!

Cole

March 19 at 8:12 PM

Writing all of the Interpretive Theses wasn't as bad as I thought they were going to be.  I didn't mind applying theories that I learned about during high school and my first year at Inver.  I used feminism for Lysistrata and a psych theory on attachment for Beowulf.  Both applied extremely well I thought.  The push for female rights to be equal with men in Lysistrata is the whole point of why it was written.  Comparing Greek history to our current situation was very interesting.  I could apply current news to it.  The psychology theories I used for Beowulf were all about egos.  The main point I pulled out from it was decision-making can show people’s true personality.  How Beowulf decided to always care about fame and glory showed that his personality is all about making himself look stronger than others.   

Cole

March 19 at 8:30 PM

To Anaiah:  I felt starting [the Interpretive Thesis] was the hardest.  Trying to find a solid theory to use throughout your whole thesis took some time for me.  I was extremely picky and now I feel like I didn't really need to.  I should have just picked a random theory and forced it to work, to be honest.

To Chase: I found studying the theory for a while made the paper easier to write.  Understanding the theory very well let you be able to write knowledgably.  If I didn't know the theory on the back of my hand it would have taken a lot longer.  Having to jump back and forth between the definition of the theory and the thesis would be annoying.  I want to move on, because I think having to find a theory is tedious.  I wish we were just given a theory or three to choose from.  Pick your favorite of the three and get going on the paper.  Having every theory available to you made it hard to narrow it down.

To Layne:  I prefer movies, because I know which actors are my favorites.  If I watch a play I rarely know who the actors are by name.  So, I could end up wasting my time watching bad actors portraying the story.  I like being able to know ahead of time who is in the movie.  I have certain actors that make the story enjoyable. 

Brooke

March 20 at 7:38 PM

To Chase: I am excited to be moving on to the next type of paper next week from the interpretive thesis.’ I was not a fan of the interpretive thesis because I never got a good grasp on them or on how to write them. I think that they were an interesting type of writing that is not as common as most and I can see why it isn’t as common. 

Sandra

Thu at 9:27 AM

At first I thought that writing an interpretive thesis would be rather difficult and challenging. Although I did come upon a few little challenges writing my first one, I managed to get through it pretty well. After completing my first one, I somewhat enjoy writing them. It is interesting to take or find a theory that is related to the reading and when you are able to pick out how much of the theory is present in the reading it gives some feeling of astonishment. I was also able to find interesting theories that I never even knew exist which I was able to learn more about. Also to add, I like that I am able in a way to learn two things at once and put it together to make it one. I have not really done writings like this before, at least not this way where it is rather more general and basic in a way where I can slowly but surely build my writing. Overall I am continuing to writing my third one and I am finding it easier, but yet again challenging when it comes to finding a theory that would be fit for the reading I choose to do.

Alexandra

Thu at 5:12 PM

To Chase: I found it difficult to write an interpretative thesis when I didn't enjoy the text. If I enjoyed the text it was relatively easy. While I was reading The Myths of the Ancient Greeks I found it hard to concentrate and be able to examine the text. But while I read The Arabian Nights, a text I enjoyed a great deal, I thought about the text, its meaning and purpose, and was able to see it in different lights.

To Anaiah: Before I learned about how to write an interpretive thesis, I didn't know how to collect signs to form a thesis and rarely noticed them. Now when I read, in class and on my own, I began to notice things I hadn't before, and that has made me a better reader. 

Ciara

Thu at 6:38 PM

We have now written three interpretive thesis papers. I have personally found these papers to be the most difficult to write. I had written a few interpretive thesis papers in high school, but the ones that are required for this class require a lot more thought and planning.

I have found it easiest to write out a rough draft of an interpretive thesis first. In the draft I make sure to group my ideas into sections that make the most sense together. Then, I use those groups to construct my essay by ordering them the way that makes the most sense.

Lastly, I add a conclusion to the end and then it is complete. These papers cannot be written in one sitting, and that is something I have come to realize through this course. I’m used to being able to sit down and grind out an essay in one sitting.

An interpretive thesis cannot be written in one sitting. It requires organization and construction. I have gotten the hang of writing these papers but I definitely have things I can continue to improve on. Now, I do not dread writing an interpretive thesis because I feel I have created the tools to create one.

In response to Anaiah’s ”Why, if you ever did, do you think the interpretive thesis were hard to write?”: I had to write a few interpretive thesis papers in high school for an advanced placement literature class. I found it to be pretty challenging, but after a few rough drafts I got the hang of it. The expectations of those essays were much lower than a college course, but I am happy I had some practice with writing them. I still think interpretive thesis papers can be difficult to write, but I have developed a system that works well for me.

In response to Catherine’s “Did you find writing your interpretive theses horribly hard, extremely easy, or something in between?”: I found this course’s interpretive thesis papers to be something in between horribly hard and extremely easy. The first one was definitely hard for me to get started. But, after practicing and creating a few rough drafts I was able to come up with a way to organize the construction of the thesis.

In response to Chase’s “My first question is, what did you find helpful or effective when writing these papers?”: The most helpful thing that I did for myself when writing the interpretive thesis papers was organizing them in to sections before writing. I would write an idea or thought for a paragraph and then add to that. After creating enough groups of ideas, I form them in to an order that makes sense and then the essay is done.

Vivian

Thu at 6:52 PM

I am getting used to writing an interpretive thesis because of how many times we are writing them. I think the purpose of these is because they help us find a universal connection in the readings, and writing about them makes us go deeper into the reading. Though I may be used to writing an interpretive thesis, I still think that finding a good theory that connects to the reading can be a bit challenging. Overall, I think these are not my type of paper because I do not like the process of finding the theories.

Vivian Vue

Thu at 7:09 PM

To Catherine: For me personally, I find writing an interpretive thesis somewhere in between. I guess it is a balance because I find it very difficult to find a theory that relates to the reading, but once I do find one, I can write these up pretty easily, and find good evidence to support the theory.

To Chase: I thought that writing an interpretive thesis is helpful because it helps you go more into depth with your reading and so you can understand it better. You can also have a different perspective from after reanalyzing your book after writing an interpretive thesis. I am happy to be moving onto literary reviews because I did not enjoy searching for theories to relate to the reading.

Aidan

Thu at 9:53 PM

I found it difficult to write the interpretive thesis over these past couple weeks. One of the biggest problems was finding a theory that would fit with the story. Then finding examples from the story that prove the theory was equally difficult. But in the end it was not as bad as I had anticipated.

Aidan

Thu at 9:53 PM

To Catherine: I found that writing the interpretive thesis was rather difficult but they got easier after the first one. The hardest part was finding a theory that fit the story and then coming up with valid ways that it fit.

Hunter

Fri at 10:54 AM

The interpretive theses aren't hard if you find a theory that's easy to prove in the particular reading. The hardest part about them is figuring out reasons or ways it applies to it, but once I come up with ways it applies, they’re super easy. This type of writing is definitely not something I like, and I'm glad that they're done now.

Hunter

Fri at 11:11 AM

To Anaiah: I definitely thought the interpretive thesis papers were hard to write mainly because of the three reasons or ways you have to find to prove it works with your reading. I could find a theme easily but then I would get stuck trying to figure out reasons and eventually do something else. I don't think any different about them because they're pretty irritating honestly.

To Catherine: I found writing the interpretive thesis somewhat in between horribly hard and kind of easy, it was hard finding the ways the theory fit into the story but easy to write once I figured out some ways.