Dr. Mark Jordan ~ ENGL 1301: Composition & Rhetoric Three-Part Format: Definition  As with the various other modes, the Definition mode also is a variation of the basic three-part writing format. However, as explained below, it has no particular outline to call its own, but rather draws on the other modes, singly or in combination, for its outline. For this reason, it is very suitable for use as part of the final examination for this course. ~ ~ ~ In order to more easily navigate in the six overall sections dealing with the three-part document structure, use the Modes Navigation Bar below: Modes Navigation Bar Basic Format ~ Narration ~ Classification ~ Comparison/Contrast ~ Definition ~ Cause/Effect In order to return to any of the other main sections of the website, use the general navigation bar below or at the top of this page.

The Definition Mode What Is the Definition Mode?  Most basically, this mode is simply another in the lineup of different ways to examine a particular topic. There is little left hidden by its name: to explore a topic with the definition mode, you attempt to define that topic. In other words, you tell what it is, and you do this in a full enough sense so that a reader comes away with a useful understanding of the topic, and you yourself come away with a better understanding of it than you began with.  Features of the Definition Mode  As mentioned above, this mode has one unique feature which stands out compared to the other modes: it has no outline, format, or approach to call its own. That is, in a sense, its uniqueness is its very lack of uniqueness.  Where does that leave a writer trying to use this mode, though? The answer is simple enough: When you use the definition mode, you have to choose another primary mode with which to carry or reveal the definition you're seeking. This means that to write a definition essay, you will choose either the example mode (supporting a thesis by describing several general contexts or situations in which that thesis holds true); the persuasive mode (supporting a thesis with several logical reasons why that position or opinion should be accepted); or the classification mode (supporting a thesis or exploring an issue by breaking a whole into its parts); or the comparison mode (supporting a position by referring to a similar case in a like context); or the contrast mode (supporting a position by showing how two things or situations are unlike); or the cause mode (exploring the causes of a given situation--sometimes appears similar to the persuasive mode); or the effect mode (exploring the effects of a given situation). Other possible options are the narrative mode, the descriptive mode, the process analysis mode, and so forth. If you are using the definition mode for the purpose of the final exam for this course, you would do best to choose a primary mode with which you are most comfortable. Truthfully, one thing which writers begin to realize at some point is that a writer never sticks purely with one mode in the first place. This means, for instance, that you have used the narrative and descriptive modes within your SE and GEof any body paragraph, among other places. It also means that whether you plan it or not, you will end up using more than one mode.  That point brings me to an important piece of advice about writing with this mode: Don't get too fancy. I mean it's not necessary to go out of your way to include 3 or 4 modes in your essay. They'll almost certainly be there anyhow. So if you just choose a primary mode and go from there, the rest will usually take care of itself. And here's another point to remember while planning and writing: Your primary choice of mode should be apparent in your essay when I evaluate it. If it is, that's good and you gain points. If it's not, you lose some points.

Using Different Primary Modes to Build a Definition Essay  Let's take a sample topic, one which is abstract and intangible, not a physical object-in other words, a topic similar to what my typical assignment calls for. I'll sketch out how several different modes might be used to define this topic. For these brief sketches, I'll use the concept of kinship. The Example Mode You can define something by giving examples of it. If I am trying to define kinship in this way, I would look around myself for good examples of what I feel represents true kinship. I could easily start with my family, as most writers probably would. But here, I might make a shift, the sort which makes a topic more personal and unique. I might give examples of "kin" who are not blood relations. Perhaps my final definition, portrayed by these examples, might have more to do with demonstrated loyalty than with ancestry. Perhaps I never realized this myself, until I explored the concept of kinship by examining those people I consider akin to me, without before now asking myself why.  The Classification Mode Another way to explore kinship could be to break it into its component, crucial parts. I've already given a hint of this approach above, when I mentioned loyalty. That might become one of my "categories," which would consist of the most significant charactenstics, generally speaking, of one who is kin. Other "categories" or characteristics might be trustworthiness, a willingness to listen, and so forth. My approach this time might be to first discuss these characteristics (in my GE) before telling stories featuring them (my SE); this might differ from my body paragraphs in an Example approach in that those might consist more heavily of SE; and more importantly, those examples might not include all the basic characteristics of kinship, which a classification essay should.  The Comparison/Contrast Mode The seed of this approach was also visible in my description of using the Example mode, when I mentioned loyalty as a characteristic instead of ancestry. Those words "instead of" imply a contrast. If I wished, this mode could become the whole organizing principle of my essay. I might find myself contrasting a list of qualities which don't guarantee kinship against a list of those which do. At some point, I might realize that I was combining contrast with classification, or example, which would be fine, but there is no need for me to go out of my way either to seek to do that or to avoid it; as I say, the modes tend naturally to merge to some extent. If you choose a primary mode and remain focused on it, your primary focus will be obvious. If I don't wish to define kinship by use of a contrast, I might most easily define it by comparing it to another concept or feeling which comes closest to it, and with which I'm perhaps more familiar. Along this line, I might choose to compare kinship to something like empathy, or maybe "best-friendship."  The Cause/Effect Mode Lastly, I might feel most comfortable in defining kinship by discussing its causes. I might list causes like common goals; similar reactions to certain situations; common likes and dislikes; and so forth. Or, I might define kinship in terms of its effects, such as a sense of belonging; of being listened to, and valued; and so forth. One Last Word--on Outlines  To outline your definition essay, simply use the appropriate outline for the primary mode you've chosen. If need be, you can refer back to previous sections of my text.

A SampleEssay Education: Uncertain Certainty When I was a little girl, I used to lie on my bed and watch the sun stream in through the window. The sunbeam fascinated me because it was always alive with glittering, dancing dust-motes. I'd reach for a handful, but each time I opened my clenched fist to look at my treasures, my hand was empty. Trying to decide what makes a person educated is a little like trying to capture a handful of dust motes because what defines an educated person is too free-floating. But we can at least approach an answer, first by looking at some things that an educated person is not, then by suggesting some qualities that she or he might possess. First of all, an educated person is not necessarily one with a great deal of book-learning. When most people think of "education" they see a multiple-degree holding egghead. Booklearning is important, but unfortunately, a person can be well-schooled without being educated. Rick, a person I knew in high school and college, decided very early in life that he wanted to be a Ph.D. chemist, and he set about becoming the best chemist he could be. In the process, he stopped reading anything but chemistry books and chemistry journals; he lost interest in attending movies or plays; he rarely listened to the news or looked at a newspaper. He also developed a disturbing intolerance for anyone who was not scientifically inclined. He once archly told me that he'd be an English major too if he had time for casual pursuits, implying, ofcourse, that English wasn't a study really worth his while. A bonafide doctor of chemistry now, he is very intelligent, but he's so intolerant 0f anything not scientific that I don't consider him educated. He's too one-sided. Often, when I ask my classes what an educated person is, someone always tells about his uncle who only got a sixth-grade education and now brings in many hundreds of thousands of dollars a year by working hard and using the common sense that God gave him. A good paycheck and a successful business sense are admirable. But just as education is more than book-learning, it also has to be more than common sense. Those with contempt for any kind of booklearning shut themselves off from a large part of what it means to be a human being. The person who relies exclusively on his own common sense for enlightenment is like a person reinventing the wheel because he's too oblivious or too stubborn to benefit from someone else's prior insight. A person can learn to support himself without books or school, but life needs to be more than just bringing home a paycheck. Both my parents died when I was relatively young, my dad of heart disease and my mom of cancer. I asked the question everyone asks: If God is good, why does He permit suffering and evil? Through my booklearning, I've heard other people's answers to those questions. Sartre and Camus say that there is no God. Shakespeare through Hamlet says that God expects man to use the evil things that happen to him to grow. From Job I learned that since God is God, He doesn't have to explain Himself to anybody. The comfort I get from these and other sources is that every problem I encounter, someone else has encountered it before me and someone after me will encounter it as well. I think part of our meaning on earth is to understand what has gone before. Why should I rely only on myself and my own common sense to cope in life when I can have access through booklearning to the greatest minds that have ever lived? An educated person isn't just someone with book-learning or common sense. He or she has both, but this person also has a special kind of personality that allows one to get the most out of everything one has. The educated person is open to new discoveries and willing to use new knowledge. And in order to be open to new discoveries, one must be a little child-like. A person with a child-like personality is curious about her environment, interested in things she doesn't understand, and eager for new experiences and new ideas. Last year, I sponsored a group of students on a trip to Austin. Out of that group of eight students, only one had the special personality it takes for discovery. When we arrived on campus, seven wanted to shop in the stores surrounding the school; one asked to be shown around campus. She and I wandered through the libraries, prowled in some of the older, more architecturally interesting buildings, walked by the outdoor sculptures, slipped into the museum for a look at the Gutenberg Bible, and rode the elevator to the top of the tower on campus. We finished the tour by going to the journalism building, where this student convinced some people on the school's newspaper staff to give us a tour of their facility. Later that night we went to Sixth Street and ended up in a place called Maggie Mae's where an Irish folk group was entertaining a curious mix of preppies and hippie street people. As the seven complained about how weird the environment was and openly wished for a shopping mall and a pizza from Mr. Gatti's, the one student sat at the bar, watching and listening with pleasure. She later talked about transferring to U.T. and trying to become the editor of their newspaper. Out of all the people there, she was the only one who enjoyed the newness and looked for things she hadn't already experienced. Interestingly, she was one of the oldest students there. Once a person opens up to new discoveries, that person must also be willing to apply this new knowledge. The educated person is constantly changing, and she adapts to what she encounters. I know of one marriage that seemed doomed from the start. She was almost thirty and had never married; he had failed in two prior marriages. The first two years, they fought almost constantly about the other's little inconsiderate traits. Each stubbornly decided that the other would have to be the one to give up, so to make life tolerable in the meantime, each started making small adjustments in their lifestyle to maintain daily peace. He stopped insisting that he should go out with friends three or four nights a week and she stopped bringing work home nights and weekends. He started helping with the housework more and she tried to be less messy. After awhile, each realized that the other was slowly changing. Their marriage is fairly solid now because each was adaptable enough to realize personal shortcomings and make appropriate changes. This process of discovery and application becomes a way for a person with an educated mind to operate on a daily basis. Accustomed to thinking, evaluating, and questioning. this person realizes that no one has all the answers and is cynical enough to be suspicious of anyone who claims they do. My mother gave me a significant illustration of this state of mind. When the doctors diagnosed her breast cancer, they recommended that she have both breasts removed. She weighed their advice, did some investigation of her own, and opted for radiation therapy. She lived longer than anyone thought she would. Today, experts recommend that cancer patients take responsibility for themselves, citing studies that show how people who actively question their treatment do better than people who passively accept the doctor's advice. Though she had only a high school education, she stood up to the doctors. She sought information, analyzed it, and applied it according to her own instincts and judgments. Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that all people have worthwhile knowledge. But he made a distinction between those who choose to be oblivious and those who choose to use their minds. Emerson said that God offers each individual the choice between unquestioningly accepting comfortable philosophies and seeking truth and knowledge. The first person feels secure, but never finds the truth of his own mind. But of the other, Emerson says, "He submits to the inconvenience of suspense and imperfect opinion, but he is a candidate for truth, as the other is not, and respects the highest law of his being." Thinking is a responsibility one has to oneself, and the educated person is one who is willing to put up with the difficulty and the uncertainty of thinking independently by using all available resources. This person asks questions that have no answers and attempts things that can't be done. Most importantly, this person knows that no matter how much is learned, education will always be unfinished.

mjordan@odessa.edu work: 432.335.6549 home: 432.332.5847 fax: 432.335.6559 surface mail c/o Odessa College, 201 W. University, Odessa TX 79764