| Expository
Writing Assignments that Work |
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| Definition
of a Term, Concept, or Idea |
(contributed
by Darren Crovitz)
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Background
From
Neil Postman's "The Word Weavers/ The World Makers"…
In
an effort to clear up confusion (or ignorance) about the meaning
of a word, does anyone ask, What is a definition of this
word? Just about always, the way of putting the question is, What
is the definition of this word? The difference between a
and the in this context is vast, and I have no choice but
to blame the schools for the mischief created by an inadequate understanding
of what a definition is. From the earliest grades through high school,
students are given definitions and, with few exceptions, are not
told whose definitions they are, for what purposes they were invented,
and what alternative definitions might serve equally as well. The
result is that students come to believe that definitions are not
invented; that they are not even human creations…
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The
Idea
This essay
focuses on definition as a method for constructing specific meaning.
The first
trick in approaching this assignment is to fight off the tyrannical idea
that definitions exist beyond the scope of human influence. Definitions
serve our purposes, which might naturally lead us to the question of whose
purpose. Once we view definitions as things capable of evolving or being
created, we can then become "world makers" and approach any term or concept
and so offer our own interpretations of reality.
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If
all of this sounds too abstract, let's consider some examples.
Example
#1
Concept:
a joke
What's
the standard definition of a "joke"? According to Webster's, it's "something
said or done to provoke laughter, especially a brief oral narrative
with a climactic, humorous twist."
But is
that it? Is a joke a joke if no one laughs? Or if no one understands?
Do jokes have to be funny? What's the difference between a good joke
and a bad joke? If more people laugh, is the joke better? Do jokes have
to have a punch-line? Can jokes be unintentional? Who decides what a
joke is and what it isn't? What's the difference between a joke, a gag,
and a prank? What about the phrase "the Clinton administration is a
joke," or "the platypus is God's joke." How do they fit in?
Did Andy
Kaufman do "jokes" on stage? Just what was that, anyway?
The topic
is ripe for closer examination….
Example
#2
Concept:
intelligence
We often
think of intelligence as something one "has." For instance, IQ tests
gauge how much smarts we have. But is this accurate? Can intelligence
be measured? Is it a quantity or quality? Do intelligent people always
do intelligent things? Are they intelligent all the time? In all situations?
In all contexts? Or is it something people do rather than have?
Is intelligence a matter of action or potential? A matter of memorization
or imagination, or something else? How does creativity or motivation
fit in, if it does? If you do intelligent things, does this make you
intelligent?
Example
#3
Concept:
a cheapskate
What is
a cheapskate? What qualities and characteristics define cheapskatitude?
What's the difference between being a cheapskate and being frugal, or
thrifty? Or a skinflint? Or a tightwad? Or a penny-pincher? What's its
relationship to generosity? Can cheapskates be kind? What circumstances
define a cheapskate act? How does one know when one is a cheapskate?
Who decides? Are cheapskates capable of realizing what they are? Does
being a cheapskate just refer to material or monetary matters?
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Assignment
Write a 1200-1600
word essay that uses strong personal voice, interpretive explanation,
and specific informative detail to investigate a particular term or concept
of your choosing. Come to a larger understanding--a fuller definition--of
the concept through your analysis.
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Purpose:
- To understand
the nature of definitions and the purposes they serve
- To question
the source of power behind definitions
- To understand
the function of classification, comparison, and hierarchy
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Suggested
Process:
- Choose
a focus…a particular term or concept you are interested in exploring
- Consider
a plan of action, an outline for your exploration. As Trimmer and Hairston
note, there are a variety of ways to define something, including
- providing
examples
- analyzing
qualities (the features that distinguish one thing from another)
- attributing
characteristics (those things unique to the topic)
- defining
negatively (what something is not)
- using
analogies (or metaphors!)
- giving
functions (what does it do?)
- Structure
your essay in a way that engages readers with an investigation of your
topic, and leads towards a more complete understanding. This can certainly
be an essay in the original meaning of the word--an attempt at coming
to conclusions through a process of discovery and contemplation.
- The specific
format is up to you. Feel free to use elements of personal narrative
if you like, or to pursue the assignment as a persuasive piece, or to
establish a standard. Whichever structure you choose, your essay should
invite the reader into your thinking, and so engage, inform…and possibly
entertain.
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