Anecdotal Introductions
Article: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/talking-female-circumcision-out-of-existence/
You'll have to forgive my taking such a serious article and focusing solely on its rhetoric, for the manner in which Ms. Tina Rosenberg introduces the topic is a classic technique worth analyzing for pedagogical purposes.
In my meetings with students to discuss the essay portion of the SAT, I have emphasized the difficulty of moving past an aggregate score of 8 as graders are typically unwilling to grant essays an individual score of 5 or 6. In order to persuade a grader to score an essay at a 5 or 6, the essay writer must write an exceptional paper, one that breaks from the norm. While there are a number of ways one can write an exceptional paper, one method that I have advocated is to use an anecdotal hook.
For the most part, students are familiar with the concept of hooks. They generally know that a hook is meant to catch a reader's attention, though they forget to add that hooks must be pertinent to the topic at hand (to remind students of this, I ask whether dropping a profanity at the beginning of my essay would be an effective hook). While some may deride hooks as gimmicks to be used by beginning writers, I would argue that this gimmick, for certain genres of writing, remains rather effective.
Let us consider our attendant example. In the article, Ms. Rosenberg spends the first two paragraphs of her article on the (horrifying) story of Gebre's forced circumcision and then proceeds to an exposition of the facts. Could the article have done without the first two paragraphs? In theory, yes. However, what would be lost? It would seem that the graphic description has a rather paradoxical effect: rather than repelling the reader from continuing on, Ms. Rosenberg's description pulls the reader to consider the matter more carefully. Suddenly the facts and figures that Ms. Rosenberg presents are humanized; we are not just dealing with numbers, but human lives--little girls like Bogaletch Gebre.
I would invite you to find articles with similar structures and consider the efficacy of their introductions and conclusions. Where the introductions and conclusions are well-written, appropriate the technique. Where they are found wanting, consider why and avoid following suit.
You'll have to forgive my taking such a serious article and focusing solely on its rhetoric, for the manner in which Ms. Tina Rosenberg introduces the topic is a classic technique worth analyzing for pedagogical purposes.
In my meetings with students to discuss the essay portion of the SAT, I have emphasized the difficulty of moving past an aggregate score of 8 as graders are typically unwilling to grant essays an individual score of 5 or 6. In order to persuade a grader to score an essay at a 5 or 6, the essay writer must write an exceptional paper, one that breaks from the norm. While there are a number of ways one can write an exceptional paper, one method that I have advocated is to use an anecdotal hook.
For the most part, students are familiar with the concept of hooks. They generally know that a hook is meant to catch a reader's attention, though they forget to add that hooks must be pertinent to the topic at hand (to remind students of this, I ask whether dropping a profanity at the beginning of my essay would be an effective hook). While some may deride hooks as gimmicks to be used by beginning writers, I would argue that this gimmick, for certain genres of writing, remains rather effective.
Let us consider our attendant example. In the article, Ms. Rosenberg spends the first two paragraphs of her article on the (horrifying) story of Gebre's forced circumcision and then proceeds to an exposition of the facts. Could the article have done without the first two paragraphs? In theory, yes. However, what would be lost? It would seem that the graphic description has a rather paradoxical effect: rather than repelling the reader from continuing on, Ms. Rosenberg's description pulls the reader to consider the matter more carefully. Suddenly the facts and figures that Ms. Rosenberg presents are humanized; we are not just dealing with numbers, but human lives--little girls like Bogaletch Gebre.
I would invite you to find articles with similar structures and consider the efficacy of their introductions and conclusions. Where the introductions and conclusions are well-written, appropriate the technique. Where they are found wanting, consider why and avoid following suit.
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ReplyDeleteDarryl, I want you to know that I did post a comment on Sam Cho's recent blog. I forgot to add my name on that comment though. But I have proof
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