In preparation for tomorrow's final essay test on "Billy Budd" today I worked with Joshua on writing the introduction and the conclusion of an essay. I emphasized the distinction between a summary and an analytic thesis and conclusion and provided examples. I further reviewed with Joshua his prior draft and explained where he needed to reorder sentences , correct vague pronoun references ,and, most critically, incorporate a large thematic idea or thesis into the introductory paragraph. After Joshua rewrote his introduction, I again provided suggestions for a thematic focus which could serve as a basis for further examination in the conclusion . I provided some ideas for a conclusion after which Joshua revised his final paragraph by eliminating the summary and instead addressing a thematic aspect of the novel.