Hello again my fellow Tigs!

We’ve finally cleared the turn from winter to spring. It has become the most wonderful time of year where we’ve all begun coughing violently, Googling symptoms to receive our death sentences and hoping to survive the pollen onslaught all while forcing ourselves to go outside. Be sure to take some Zyrtec, drink a cup of hot tea and take a few trips to the gym to keep your internal boiler room from exploding. Until then, the best medicines are advice and laughter, and I’m here to provide both via all of your intriguing and difficult questions. My name is Davis White, and welcome back to another edition of Tiger to Tiger.

Question #1: What are the best movies to watch on Netflix right now?

An excellent question. If you’re geared toward action, but also enjoy movies like Superbad or The Wolf of Wall Street, Todd Phillip’s War Dogs is the film for you. Known for projects ranging wildly from comedies like The Hangover trilogy to 2019’s startling and unsettling Joker, Phillip’s film follows the almost true story of David Packouz (Miles Teller), who leaves a dead-end career in massage therapy to partner with his questionable middle-school best friend, Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) in the wondrous world of arms dealing. These two man-children become dangerously high-stakes players in the defense industry and the military-industrial complex, and Phillips uses his film to demonstrate the flimsy, dark-alley handoff trading that can occur in the system that provides the world’s largest military with its supplies. This movie is not one to miss.

My recommendations on the comedic side of the spectrum wouldn’t be complete without the mention of Mike Clattenburg’s film, Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day. This film could very well serve as the final entry to the franchise, which wrapped its television run on the Canadian network, Showcase, in 2007 after seven seasons. However, as all good franchises these days seemingly are, it was commanded by Swearnet.com and Netflix to rise from the tomb within which it lay, setting the ball rolling for multiple seasons of mediocre material, cash-grabbing live performances and an absurd animated series. Regardless of these blunders, TPB:CLD capitalizes on the most valuable jokes and aspects of the original series, while scaling them up with a movie budget in order to provide die-hard fans with an even wilder ride than couldn’t have been possible with the minimalist series’ budget. It’s the Endgame of Julian, Ricky, Bubbles and Mr. Lahey that uses the show’s original, neat formula to carefully weave a surprisingly tight quilt of plots that is satisfying to every degree. If nothing else, at least add it to your Netflix watchlist. 

Question #2: What is the greatest Kanye West song of all time?

Wow! This is where we step into the minefield of opinion. Personally, my favorite is  “All of the Lights” from the album, My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy, which dropped in November of 2010. There is an a-team of talent behind the piece. West produced, co-wrote and performed the song, and while Rihanna is the only other musician credited, other performers on the track include Drake, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Kid Cudi, Elly Jackson, Fergie, Elton John (what?) and more. The song loads the pop-culture bases, referencing the death of Michael Jackson, Rihanna’s battle over domestic violence with Chris Brown, West’s feud with Amber Rose and more of the significant happenings of the time. The song draws the listener into the world of the celebrities, all of its “cop lights, flashlights, spotlights, strobe lights, streetlights” and the like. It’s an invitation to see both sides of the coin of fame, how it can destroy the finer things of one’s life like personal wellbeing, relationships, wealth and sanity, while also describing the life in question as a world of luxury. As many fans have followed, West has lately claimed that his new, most important form of currency is relationships, which is a complete turnaround from the message within this song. On the less critical note, the song is extremely catchy, featuring piano, string and percussion sections that are liable to force you to loop the song as it nears its end. 

Question #3: How do I write the perfect thesis statement? 

Thesis statements are hard. There, I said it. You may have a big, jumbled mess of ideas on routes you’d like for your paper to follow, quotes you’d like to utilize, counterarguments that you could call on, but finding that short, pungent summation of all of your thoughts to use as your launchpad is no easy feat. Here are a few tips to inspire you:

Remember that the thesis is the central thought, focus or claim of your essay. Many of my professors in the past have referred to your thesis as the answer to your overarching “so what” question of why anyone should read your essay. Understanding how you feel about a topic that you’re writing on and why that’s important to both yourself and your reader will help to sharpen your sentence(s) into a clean idea that can kickoff and help organize the rest of your work.

Place your thesis somewhere near the end of your introductory paragraph. Dropping your thesis on a reader too early could leave them with too little context, background or explanation to fully understand the points you’re making. Rather, ending your introduction with the main idea will help to hook your reader, direct them and plainly establish your position on an issue. 

In order to make your thesis go the distance, it must be arguable. If your thesis is just a sentence that states something about your topic, it will flounder because it’s got nothing left to expand. Your main point should be counterable, or able to be argued by someone else, in order to give yourself a bit of legroom in the writing process. If your main point is an argument, then you’re already required to back up your claims, or write the body of your paper, to make your point. The thesis is the first link on which the rest of the chain sways. For help on your papers and more, you can always visit the Clemson University Writing Center online at: https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/writing/index.html.

That’s all I’ve got for today, folks! Many thanks for your excellent questions, and don’t forget to keep them coming at tinyurl.com/tig2tig.