The thesis, it seems, is the Achilles' heel of many student's writing. I can vouch for that as a mentor, an older brother, and as an editor. While an essay (or speech as this case would have it) can be strong, the thesis is often overlooked and understated, which lends itself to confusion in both the audience and the writer. I think that's an issue worthy of blogging about.
The textbook says that the thesis "summarizes your plan for achieving the specific purpose." So right away we know that there is a definitive difference between purpose and thesis. This definition diverges slightly from the literary definition because in critical literary analysis, the thesis is both your plan and your statement. It's what sets your paper apart from the myriad other dissertations about your topic. It should be original and thought-provoking. What this means to me is that speeches, though structurally similar to analytic writing, should be approached with a more liberal perspective. At first I thought I might disagree with the textbook's definition of thesis, but after giving it more thought I understand that the thesis can still be important without focusing on originality and intellectual-rigor. That those elements should still exist in the speech, but should be relied upon as a medium to conversation and discussion. That's probably how the Ancient Greeks, whose word "thesis" meant study, would have applied it.
After reading through chapter four I completely changed my opinion about the text's definition. Conversation, rather than lecture, inspires intellectual comprehension. It engages the audience and allows different perspectives to permeate into the content of the speech. It's better! I can't tell you how much time I've spent riddling my brain for an original thought about Oedipus Rex or some anonymous poem or, most recently and most pertinently, The Brothers Karamazov. Sometimes academia can feel like a lonely path to an unknown territory - it's much better to take friends with you and hear what they have to say. That is how great ideas are formed and great change is made.
Trust me... I'm an English major.
Ivan Fyodorovich Karamazov
This is a very interesting view on the definition of thesis. I like how you analyzed it, but then went back and tried to understand exactly the approach the book was taking. It is hard to have one idea of a definition of an important word and then have a different definition thrown at you. Your comment about how "academia can feel like a lonely path to an unknown territory" is something I can relate to. Sometimes I am just reading my school books and with all the resources in them I still do not know if what I am taking from them is right, so I can not imagine feeling that way with something more complex without as many resources such as Oedipus Rex. Good work not being to set in your ways and analyzing the definition and relating it to the class!
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