Essay #2 (Definition)
Prompts
Choose one of the three prompts below for your essay of definition.
Before starting, consult (however briefly) the doc posted in Bb (Week 8) named “Writing a Definition Essay.” It is bound to help you approach the task wisely, particularly the subsections under “Developing an Essay by Definition.” Those pages truly offer great advice about beginning, organizing, drafting, and proofing. I’ve made the prompts available far earlier than I normally would so that you can take advantage of the guidance in that doc.
1. Write an essay modeled on Naylor’s in which you define “the meanings of a word” (or words). The word you choose might be a stereotype based on ethnicity, gender, appearance, or income, for example. Have you found, like Naylor, that meaning varies with context? If so, make the variations clear.
2. Define the role of a wife or husband, mother or father, sister or brother, daughter or son. In your prewriting write down the responsibilities, activities, and relationships that define that role, and then in your essay elaborate your ideas on the topic. You could, if appropriate, follow Brady’s model by showing how the role is influenced by the expectations of another person (or people), but be careful about the way you do that: Her exaggeration and irony do have a purpose, but writers must take care not to let a good rhetorical tools become abusive: don’t inadvertently ostracize readers by failing to make an appropriate concession or acknowledge an important limit. Brady’s definition may not have reached its full potential since it focuses on only the disappointing or negative.
3. Using Gilb’s essay as a model, write an essay that defines a human feeling or characteristic—happiness, for example, or fear or courage—or some notion that you find important but that you think some (many?) frequently misunderstand. As Gilb does, present a wide range of examples to suggest various aspects of your subject.
NOTE: Remember to adhere to the Graded Essay Standards posted in the Bb Classroom.
