11: sample planning for 3 Sisters essay

This is the practice we did in class, developing a thesis for a Three Sisters essay.

This was our first thesis:

In her interactions with other characters, Natasha creates conflict and identifies the weakness of the middle class.

Tehn we started working on an introduction that would define terms and introduce a theory. In the process of doing so, we changed the thesis statement.:

Theatre is basically interaction. The meaning and interest of a play grow out of the interactions of the character with each other: their dialogue, physical interaction, and even subtlety of their presence on the stage at the same time. Through their interaction, a single character can be a catalyst not only for the rest of the characters, but even for the movement of the plot and the creation of themes. Natasha in The Three Sisters is such a character. In her interactions with other characters, Natasha accelerates the central conflict of the play by exposing the aristocratic characters to the reality of their situation.

This was the paragraph outline. IIRC, we changed the thesis again as we developed the outline.

1. conflict before Natasha (t.s.: Before Natasha appears in the play, the other characters find themselves in a conflict about their desires and the reality of their situation.)

2. Natasha’s interaction with the sisters

3. Natasha’s interaction (or lack of it) with Andrey