Making an Argument about Books

First, you have to think about something related to the book that interests you.

Example: Bless Me Ultima:
Interest: Death and how it shapes Antonio

Brainstorm! Ask yourself questions. Why am I interested in this idea of death? How does it shape Antonio?

Answer the questions

• Every time someone dies, it changed Antonio's view on the world
• Through the final death of Ultima, he learns that we should appreciate the cycle of life.
• It also helps him realize his own sense of religion

So, let's put your argument together in ONE sentence:

In Bless Me Ultima, death allows Antonio to fully realize the beauty of life, which also serves as a way he can construct his own belief system.

The Test: Can I oppose what I just said?

Your argument is not an argument unless someone can oppose you. Then, it is fact

Examples of facts

• Death surrounds Antonio
• Antonio questions his religion
• You cannot find an opposition for these facts because they are indisputable!

Possible oppositions to Argument

• Death traumatizes young Antonio and keeps him away from his religion
• Death shows Antonio the harshness or randomness of life

I passed the test!

So, now we add our opposition to our sentence as succinctly as possible.

While some may say death traumatizes Antonio and causes him to distrust God, in actuality, death allows Antonio to realize the beauty of life, which is also how he constructs his own belief system.

Oppositions that are not great

• Death has no impact on Antonio
• Death has nothing to do with Antonio's view on religion
• These would be nearly impossible to argue!

So What?

We make arguments about literature because we can connect them to our everyday lives.

So, we add one more sentence to our thesis answering the question, why should we, as readers living in 2016, care about Antonio and death and religion?

We have to ask ourselves: how do we as a society think about or deal with death?

This is important because our society looks at death negatively, and while death is a sad event, it also can allow one to appreciate and make sense of one's own existence.

All together now:

While some may say death traumatizes Antonio and causes him to distrust God, in actuality, death allows Antonio to realize the beauty of life, which is also how he constructs his own belief system. This is important because our society looks at death negatively, and while death is mournful, it can also allow one to appreciate and make sense of one's existence.

You got a thesis!