A prolific painter of portraits before and after the French Revolution ...

ch07.qxd 12/2/04 11:58 AM Page 331
explaining:
the writing process
331
Explaining: The Writing Process
ASSIGNMENT FOR EXPLAINING
After assessing your rhetorical situation, explain what something means or is,
how it should be done or how it occurs, and/or why something occurs. Your purpose
is to explain something as clearly as possible for your audience by analyzing,
showing relationships, and demonstrating with examples, facts, illustrations, data,
or other information.
With a topic in mind, think about your audience and a possible genre. As in
your investigating paper, the amount and kind of detail you need depend on how
much your readers are likely to know about your topic. What do they already know?
What have you discovered in your research that will help explain the topic for
them? Is an essay the most appropriate genre, or would an article, editorial, Internet
posting, pamphlet, or letter be more effective?
TEACHING TIP
In most writing, definition
(what), process analysis
(how), and causal analysis
(why) occur together as
writers explain their subjects.
Because definition
and causal analysis can be
difficult for many writers,
however, teachers may prefer
to give short journal assignments
focusing on each
of the separate strategies
before assigning an integrated
expository essay.
CHOOSING A SUBJECT
If one of your journal entries suggested a possible subject, go on to the collecting and
shaping strategies. If you still need an interesting subject, consider the following
suggestions:
• Reread your authority list or the most interesting journal entries from previous
chapters. Do they contain ideas that you might define or explain,
processes suitable for how-to explanations, or causes or effects that you
could analyze and explain for a certain audience?
• Reread your notes from another class in which you have an upcoming examination.
Select some topic, idea, principle, process, famous person, or
event from the text or your notes. Investigate other texts, popular magazines,
or journals for information on that topic. If appropriate, interview
someone or conduct a survey. Explain this principle or process to a member
of your writing class.
‘‘
You can write
about anything, and
if you write well
enough, even the
reader with no
intrinsic interest in
the subject will
become involved.
’’
— TRACY KIDDER,
NOVELIST
PROFESSIONAL COPY—NOT FOR RESALE