E405- Expository Composition

1. E405- Expository Composition February 20-24

2. Exemplification journal • Take a look at the picture on the next page. Look at it for a few minutes to soak it all in, then form some opinion of the picture: • This picture is lame… • This picture illustrates the battle between good and evil… • This picture rocks my world… • This picture makes me feel anxious... • I don’t get this picture at all… Then, once you’ve formed an opinion, defend that opinion using examples from the picture as support.

4. Sharing is Caring • Get with a partner. One of you take the plunge and read your piece aloud to the other. • Afterwards, the other person should tell them: • What they liked about their piece? • The best example in the piece and why it’s the best. • The worst example in the piece and how to make it better. Repeat with the other person. Underline your favorite line from your piece.

5. Exemplification Father: “Let’s sit down and watch this show, son.” Son: “Why?” Father: “Because it’s a good show.” Son: “Why?” Father: “I don’t know. It’s funny.” Son: “Why?” Father: “Because the actors are funny. It makes me laugh.” Son: “Why?” What is the father missing? How can he get the son to stop saying, “Why?”

6. Exemplification Specifics • Different from other papers: create a thesis first and then think of different examples to support your thesis. • Think of building a lighthouse- you MUST have a strong base in order to support it. Similarly, you must develop strong support to defend your argument.

7. Writing with a Purpose • Manufacture a thesis statement FIRST! • Will this change? Of course, but not much. • Thesis statements MUST be an opinion, not a fact. • Generate a list of opinion statements… • …Some can be personal • Comedians are MASTERS of this technique…

8. George Carlin- The Master of Exemplification • List all the different examples Carlin provides for why our lives revolve around our “stuff.” • Why are his examples so effective? YouTube - George Carlin Talks About "Stuff"

9. Creeper Journal #2 • On a separate sheet of paper, write down one statement of opinion and below it, make a T-chart. • Make one side- Agree and the other side- Disagree. • Roam the cafeteria asking people to give examples for whichever side they are on. • Get at least 4 total examples.

10. How many examples??? • Use your instincts! • When that fails, peer revision will help. • Key: Quality over quantity. • Few developed examples outweigh many underdeveloped examples.

11. Examples: Right amount or too many? Identify which of the two examples below is better developed. Identify the main topic for the paragraph and then list the examples used to support it: A pit bull is a dog that is often misunderstood. Most people think of them as menacing and aggressive for many reasons. Take a friend of mine, who once was chased by one through a park near his house. True, the dog chased him for a bit, but he didn’t think about the fact that he was jogging and the dog was out with no leash. Wouldn’t other dogs chase a fast moving object? I think so. This everyday occurrence is something that most “pit bull haters” don’t take into account. Additionally, pit bulls look very strong, which often leads people to think they are dangerous. My brother’s two pit bulls both have about 5% body fat on their 70 pounds bodies. That’s a lot of muscle, and muscle is often confused for danger in our society. Pit bull’s can be confused as mean animals. They look very mean, but really aren’t. They also act mean sometimes, too. Also, they have often been associated with bad people in our society. Therefore, people think they are bad, too. Usually pit bulls are put into fights by these bad people, and fighting is considered bad. Nevertheless, pit bulls are often seen as mean animals.

12. Types of Examples • Personal examples: examples from your own life. • My brother’s pit bull is as loveable as can be. There isn’t a time that Briggs won’t approach me with her tail wagging or to simply say hello. • Hypothetical examples: imagine a situation to support a claim. • Think about it. Which would you rather have in the event of a burglary: a poodle or a pit bull? No robber is going to fear a poodle, but based simply on its reputation and appearance, a pit bull will strike fear in the hearts of grown men. • Factual examples: providing hard evidence to support their claim. • It isn’t a well known fact, but according to the American Temperament Test Society, pit bulls pass with a rate of 82.6% as compared to the average of all other breeds with a 77% passing rate.

13. And now, entering the ring… • Hulk Hogan • Now, pick your own entrance music and decide what the song says about you. Does the music define your personality? Or, do the words describe a personal quality of yours? Would you be portrayed as a good guy or bad guy? What would the announcer say as you came to the ring?

14. Picking a Topicsee pp. 145-146 For Help • Pick a topic that you WANT to write about. • Is it something you’re passionate about? • Is it something you know will catch other’s attention? • Right now, come up with at least 3 ideas for your paper. Roam the room and have your peers rank them from 1 (least) to 5 (most) in interest.

15. Creating Different Types of Examples • Once you’ve picked a topic (you don’t need to RIGHT now), write it as ONE statement across the top of a page. • Create THREE columns below and label the 3 different types: factual, personal, and hypothetical. • Produce as many examples as you can for each.

16. Map Your Examples • Once your thesis is in place and examples are abundant, sift through those examples and select the ones you find most effective. • Then, decide which topics these examples fit under and place those topics in an informal outline. An example is on page 139.

17. Seamlessly Link your Ideas: Transitions • Purpose: to link one sentence or paragraph to another. To lightly nudge the reader to the next idea, while simultaneously referring to the previous idea. • Obvious transitions: nevertheless, moreover, furthermore, yadayadayada…. • Stay away! But, see page 142. • Subtle transitions: “Throughout his career George Washington faced all his duties with utmost seriousness. As an infantryman he toiled night and day…” Somebody please read the quote from Maxine Hairston on page 141….