Achievement of Desire 2

Chapters 1, 2 and 5 [pages 99-104] Notes from
The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing

Closed-form writing consists of

• An explicit thesis in the introduction that informs readers of the point of the entire essay • Unified and coherent paragraphs • Sustained development of that thesis without digressions

Open-form prose consists of

• No reduction to a single, summarizable thesis • The use of story or narrative as an organizing principle through which a point emerges suggestively • Focus of open-form prose is more like a theme in fiction

The thesis statement is the main point a writer wants to make in an essay

• Behind every thesis statement is an explicit or implied thesis question, which is the problem or issue to which the thesis responds • An essay’s thesis statement is actually the writer’s proposed answer to this question; this question has propelled the writer’s thinking

Rhetoric is the study of how human beings use language and other symbols to influence the attitudes, beliefs, and actions of others

• Rhetoric is the art of making messages persuasive • To think rhetorically, writers consider questions like these:

Purpose: What am I trying to accomplish in this paper? What do I want my readers to know believe, see, or do?

Audience: Who are my intended readers, and what are their values and assumptions? What do they already know or believe about my subject? How much do they care about it?

Genre: What kind of document am I writing? What are its requirements for structure, style, and document design?

In order to stimulate writing, “wallow in complexity”

• Wallowing in complexity involves asking open-ended questions that focus on unknowns or uncertainties rather than single, correct answers • Good open-ended questions invite multiple points of view or alternative hypotheses

A strong thesis statement surprises readers with something new or challenging

• In closed-form prose surprise requires an argumentative, risky, or contestable thesis • Two ways of creating a surprising thesis:

1. Trying to change the reader’s view of your subject

2. Giving a thesis tension through “surprising reversal”: ex. “Many people believe X about such-and-such topic, but I believe Y.”

In closed-form prose, a typical introduction starts with the problem, not the thesis

• Background needed to identify the topic area and provide context • A direct or implied question • An indication of how the question invites tension or is otherwise problematic • An indication of how the question is significant or worth examining • The writer’s thesis, which brings something new to the audience

Thesis statements in closed-form prose are supported hierarchically with points and particulars

• The thesis must be believable as well as surprising • Particulars—evidence—support thesis • Points—ideas or generalizations—organize particulars • Removing particulars creates a summary

A summary is a condensed version of a text that extracts and presents main ideas in a way that does justice to the text

Summary writing entails

• (1) distinguishing between the main and subordinate points in a text • (2) providing even coverage of the text • (3) convey the main ideas in a limited number of words (100 or 200 words)

Frame summary so your own ideas are separated from those of the author

• attributive tags: “Jones claims”; “according to Jones”; “Jones states”
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