THE GLOBAL STATEMENT: What is it and where to use it? Aside from courtesy details, a thesis statement (a more direct statement about the topic/text than the examples below; a simple equation which may help is thesis = topic +opinion) and your road map, an introduction may also offer (usually in the opening sentence) a general or global statement about the nature of texts/ characters/conflicts/ideas/identity/ conventions/responses etc… on all the usual topics you are asked to discuss in essay writing.
You should use the global statements as the opening sentence of your introduction. Ensure your global statement stills offer a sense of where your thesis is heading, that is, it makes reference to an aspect of the topic. The global statement should, however, be much broader than your thesis. It may be useful to think of an introduction as sentences which transition from broad to narrow in sequence i. e. ower structures and identity ( position on hierarchy/social status ( age, sex and occupation affect opportunities and way others behave towards you Here are some examples of global statements to learn/know/experiment with: • Text can often reflect the real world; characters can reflect real people; settings can reflect real places or attempt to predict what the real world might be like in the future (sci-fi or speculative texts).
If you need to discuss how ideas in texts can reflect or interpret the real world you might say – “ Any given text can be considered the author’s attempt to reflect their understanding of the world” – “ Narratives can allow readers to consider the nature of the world/the way the world works” – “ Texts can speculate as to the future of our world” – “ Texts can be critical of the nature of the world/human nature/ humanity” – “ A narrative’s purpose is to communicate an understanding/ interpretation of the world” – “ A text can teach us to appreciate aspects of our world we might take for granted” – “ A text can be critical of those things we forget to question” • Any aspects of identity is a locus (position) of power i. e. Gender is a ocus of power; Class is a locus of power; Age is a locus of power etc… if you need to discuss identity in relation to a text/topic offer something like – “ The identity of any given character determines their position in the social hierarchy” – “ The identity ascribed to a character influences our expectations of them as readers” – “ Identity is a social construct which influences the level of power experienced by an individual” • Narrative techniques and conventions follow patterns to guide readers through texts; the reason you know how to read and comprehend a new text is because you have an awareness of textual conventions based on your reading of other texts. An intertextual topic or question might best be approached by a statement like “ Narratives techniques provide a conceptual framework for comparing individual literary works to others, within and across genres” If your essay topic specifies a discussion of techniques, conventions, elements of construction and reader response you could say – “ An authors’ manipulation and control of narrative techniques/ conventions is used to guide readers to an intended response” – “ All texts are constructed to invite a certain response from the reader” – “ Reader’s are positioned to identify with characters which the author presents favourably” – “ The construction of a text is intrinsically linked to the meanings we make of it” • Keep in mind if you are offering a resistant reading you could argue that despite a narrative leading readers to an intended response, sometimes the opposite happens. Texts may be constructed to guide readers to an invited response, but the values, attitudes and experiences of any given reader will ultimately determine how they feel about the text” • For a topic about conflict/protagonists: – “ Conflict drives the plot of any given text” – “ Conflict is essential for engaging and sustaining audience interest” – “ The easier it is for the protagonist to triumph, the less value there is in the drama of the narrative” – “ A protagonist should be ennobled by his/her struggles by the narrative’s conclusion” • Others which might help: – “ Texts can encourage readers to reconsider their own values and attitudes” – “ Texts can ask reader’s to take action against an issues of controversy” – “ Texts reflect the context of their production”
