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TITLE What Can I Write about? 7,000 Topics for High School Students. Second Edition, Revised and Updated. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL. ISBN ISBN-0-8141-5654-1 PUB DATE 2002-00-00 NOTE 153p.; Based on the original edition by David Powell (ED 204 814). AVAILABLE FROM National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096 (Stock no. 56541-1659: $17.95, members; $23.95, nonmembers). Tel: 800-369-6283 (Toll Free); Web site: http://www.ncte.org. PUB TYPE Books (010) Guides Classroom Learner (051) Guides Classroom Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS High Schools; *Writing (Composition); Writing Assignments; *Writing Instruction; *Writing Strategies IDENTIFIERS Genre Approach; *Writing Topics

ABSTRACT Substantially updated for today's world, this second edition offers chapters on 12 different categories of writing, each of which is briefly introduced with a definition, notes on appropriate writing strategies, and suggestions for using the book to locate topics. Types of writing covered include description, comparison/contrast, process, narrative, classification/division, cause-and-effect writing, exposition, argumentation, definition, research-and-report writing, creative writing, and critical writing. Ideas in the book range from the profound to the everyday to the topical--e.g., describe a terrible beauty; write a narrative about the ultimate eccentric; classify kinds of body alterations. With hundreds of new topics, the book is intended to be a resource for teachers and students alike. (NKA)

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AVAILABLE 2 BEST COPY I"at Ca I Write About?

7,000 Topics for High School Students

Second Edition

Revised and Updated

Based on the Original by David Powell

National Council of Teachers of English 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096

3 Staff Editors: Kurt Austin, Zarina Hock, Tom Tiller

Book Design: Tom Jaczak

NCTE Stock Number: 56541-3050

©2002 by the National Council of Teachers of English.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright holder. Printed in the United States of America.

It is the policy of NCTE in its journals and other publications to provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, or the member- ship at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data What can I write about? : 7,000 topics for high school students. 2nd ed., rev. and updated. p. cm. "Based on the original by David Powell." Rev. ed. of: What can I write about? / David Powell. c1981. ISBN 0-8141-5654-1 (pbk.) 1. English languageComposition and exercises. 2. Creative writing (Secondary education) I. National Council of Teachers of English. II. Powell, David, 1934- What can I write about? LB1631 .P66 2002 808'.042'0712dc21 2002015465

4 Contents

Acknowledgment vii Preface to the First Edition ix Foreword xi

1 Description 1 Nature and Natural Settings 2 Creature Life 3 Human Beings, Individuals 4 Human Beings, Groups 8 Places and Things 9 Senses, Intangibles 11 Actions/Miscellaneous 12 Celebrations 13

2 Comparison/Contrast 14 People 15 Human Conditions 17 Science and Nature 18 Language 19 Education, Knowledge 20 Places, Perspectives 20 Economy, Trade 21 Measurement 22 Art and Entertainment 22 Past and Present 22 Analogy 23

3 Process 25 Food and Drink 26 Writing 26 Education, Learning Processes 26 History 27 Nature 27 Human-and-Creature Processes 28 Games, Sports, Outdoor Activities 28 Religion 29 Airplanes, Air Travel 29 Cars, Road Travel 29 Travel, Travel Preparation 29

iii 5 iv Contents

Telecommunication and Audiovisual Processes 29 Grooming 29 Sleep/Sleep Processes 30 Entertaining, Social Arrangements 30 Safety 30 Medicine, Physiology, Health 30 Constructions, Constructing 31 Repairing, Cleaning, Inspecting 31 Art, Handicrafts, Domestic Arts 31 Plant Life 31 Money, Business, Saving, Theft, Economics 32 Film, Film Media, Photography 32 Language, Information, Communication 33 Mechanical and Chemical Processes 33 Psychology, Emotions, Social Actions 33 Law 34 Government, Politics 34 Miscellaneous Processes 34

4 Narrative 36 Domestic, Personal, and Autobiographical Narratives37 Dreams, Fantasies, Make-Believe 40 Sports and Their Metaphors 40 Travel, Adventure 41 Mystery 42 Miscellaneous 42

5 Classification/Division 44 Animal Life 45 Intellectual, Psychological, and Emotional 45 Perceptions and Reactions Law 45 Human-Made Structures 46 Natural Phenomena 46 Arts and Entertainment 46 Sociopolitical Concerns 47 Religion, Myth, Worldviews 47 Communication and Rhetoric 47 Work, Customs, and Ways of People 48

6 Cause and Effect 50 Art, Drama, Music, Graphics, Film, Etc. 52 Biological Sciences 52 Business, Office, or Bureaucracy 53 Children 53 Economics 53 Education 54 Environment 55 Contents v

Ethics and Philosophy 55 Government, Politics 57 Health 58 History 58 Language 59 Law, Crime 60 Literature, Writing 60 Media 61 Physical Science 62 Psychology 62 Religion 64 Social Science (Sociology, Social Theory, Etc.) 64 Sports and Physical Activities 65

7 Exposition 66 Professions, Occupations 67 Commerce, Finance, Economy, Economics 67 Sports, Entertainment 68 Education 68 Law 69 Travel, Transportation 70 Animals, Plants, Natural Phenomena 70 Religion, Beliefs 71 The Media, Rhetoric, Communication 71 Health, Medicine 72 Politics, Government, History 73

8 Argumentation 75 Education, Learning, Experience 76 Law 78 Government, Politics 80 War and Peace, Strife, Violence 82 Athletics, Outdoor Activities 83 Freedom, Free Will 83 Transportation 83 Eating, Drinking, Health 84 Religion, Ethics 84 Medicine, Psychology 84 Science and Progress 85 Language and Communication 85 Society, Social Interaction 86 Economy, Employment 87 Time and Eternity, Life Pursuits, Death and Life 87

9 Definition 89 Human Beings and Human Types for Definition 91 Human Conditions, Human Relations, Sociology 98 Nonhuman Life/Creatures 100

7 vi Contents

Paradox 101 Psychology and the Mind, Emotions 101 Ambiguity, Infinity, and the Kitchen Sink 101 A Game of Fictionary 107

10Research and Report 108 Individual Personalities 109 Places, Events, Conditions 113 World Peoples, Ancient and Modern 114 War, Political Strife, Wartime Conditions 114 and Operations Philosophical, Political, and Religious Groups 115 or Movements Nonhuman Creature Life 116 Language-Related Subjects 116 Medical Subjects 117 Inventions, Devices, Operations 118 Natural Phenomena 118 Written Media, Special Books 118 Education 118 Professions, Occupations, Employment 119 Human-Made Constructions and Designs 119 Sports, Entertainments, Recognitions 120 Sciences, Studies, Skills, Inquiries, 120 Observations of the Universe Flora and Derivatives 121 Media and Media Events 121 Miscellaneous 121

11 Creative Writing 123 Brainstorming Fictional Themes 125 Questions, Titles, Assignments, and Brainstormers 129 for the Short Story, Novel, Novella, and Fiction Sketch Human Beings and Types for Creative Writing 131 Subjects Creative Language 132 Song and Poetry 133 Creative Writing for a Children's Audience 133 Other Creative Exercises 134 Fun with the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest 135

12 Critical Writing 136 Common Themes in Literature for Critical Analysis 138 Acknowledgment

We are deeply grateful to David Powell for creating original ideas remain. It is for this reason that we the first edition of this book more than two decades have retained David Powell's preface to the first edi- ago. Although we have brought the twenty-first cen- tion and most of his introductory comments to indi- tury into the book, his framework and many of his vidual chapters.

vii Preface to the First Edition

The question all composition students ask"What come up with on their own. Certainly one of the first can I write about?"is answered more than 7,000 aims of teaching is to bring students to self-discov- times in this volume. The teacher in search of as- ery, and it is no small accomplishment if, by looking signments can simply glance down any page of a outside, students are brought to look within themselves. desired category of writing and see countless ideas Notes heading each of the chapters in What Can I spring forth. Appeals are made throughout the book Write About? briefly define the different kinds of to a comprehensive range of interests, knowledge, writing, tell how to write them, and indicate how the experience, feelings, and thoughts; there is an abun- book may be used to locate topics suited to them, dance of "something for everyone." Furthermore, leaving little need for formal classroom instruction. mind being limitless, these topics passed on from The best (and perhaps the happiest) teacher may be teacher to students should suggest to all students (not the one who has the least to say. just the inquisitive or imaginative ones) still other ideas they can identify with, many of which they may David Powell

ix i0 Foreword

Revising and updating a successful book is no easy widened and shifted. Our challenge, then, of was to matter. In the first edition of this book, David Powell mirror here the diversity, the interests, the media, gave us a rich array of topicssome apparently the technology, and the issues that so profoundly af- simple but surprisingly complex and some so unusual fect our students' lives today. We have captured these as to make us sit up and think about a myriad of in some measure; indeed, in some cases a topic ap- related subjectstopics so varied that it was diffi- pears in more than one chapter, thus reminding the cult to know which ones to delete when the Acquisi- user that there are many ways to approach the same tions editors, Kurt Austin and Tom Tiller, and I be- subject. Now it is for you, the teacher, and you, the gan updating the book. We knew that teachers loved student, to take these topics and genres as starting that first edition and used it enthusiastically. We also points and to go from there to discover and explore knew, however, that many dynamic changes had ideas that will intrigue you; that will fire your imagi- taken place in the United States since the book was nation; and that will help you write well because you writtenthat our classrooms, our demographics, and are engaged in a meaningful enterprise. our universe are all radically different from what they were a few decades ago. Educational concepts of lit- Zarina M Hock, Director of NCTE Book Publica- eracy, of inquiry, and of making meaning have also tions & Senior Editor

xi 11 DESCRIPTION

What Description Is the noun, we can throw an adjective like a lifeline, or a bridge, between the two, always remembering, For our purposes here, we might say that to describe though, that such connections are seldom strong somethingobject, emotion, thought, event, and on enough to support a sentence. over the horizon of human experienceis to sur- Look, for example, at N. Scott Momaday's open- round it with words, much the way lines shape the ing description of a plain in Oklahoma, in "The Way subject of a drawing. The Greek root of the word to Rainy Mountain" (first published in The Reporter, "scribe" is instructive. It means to scratch, or sketch 1967). His words vividly capture the landscape with an outline. Often, in description, that implied light- its "brittle and brown grass," and "its writhing, steam- ness of touch can be important. We should seek to ing foliage." As he paints his picture, you become surround our subjectnot so much to capture it (and the observer in this landscape: "Your imagination least of all to annihilate it) as to liberate it, let it stand comes to life," says Momaday even as he brings the forth in a new fullness and freshness. Descriptive scene to life. The topics offered below encourage writing can free its subject from itself, from the ob- the students to use their imaginations. Personal ex- scurity of experience, and in the same stroke bear it perience, books, videos, and the Internet are among to a life larger than the words surrounding it. The the texts that students will look at as they explore a words should not draw attention to themselves; topic. Let the imagination run free; but finally mold rather, they should scratch a descriptive network so it through carefully chosen words. tough and resilient it can spring the subject free of its own description. But description can also come from piling rich detail after detail, yet never getting so carried away that your description becomes what Locating Subjects for Description critics call "purple prose." However you paint your Description is clearly one of the broadest kinds of picture, the details make it come alive. writing. Just about any subject listed in this book could inspire a descriptive passage. Descriptive writ- How to Write Description ing is, by way of example, sometimes fundamental to creative and narrative writing. This would, then, Good descriptive writing is first of all concrete. be an appropriate time to begin to regard this book Search out the telling detail, the essential character- as a whole and to move, by directing the assignments istic, then nail it down. But the warning above ap- to students, freely from part to part. The subjects in plies here as well: the subject must be nailed down the present chapter will be productive for descrip- without stabbing it to death. We are not out to pin tive writing exercises of all kinds, but the book strives dead dry bugs to a board. Keep them alive. Keep to become, as a whole, a descriptive network not them moving. This is best done with verbs and nouns. unlike the one we have described above, outlining, When we run on to a chasm between the verb and however lightly, the power and possibility of writing.

12 2 What Can i Write About?

Nature and Natural Settings the "roof of the world" a pre-dawn morning Describe: "down-under" skies a morning rain fire on the water snow falling on a city street a lonely mesa a rainstorm over the ocean a watering hole sleeping in a tent in the woods a Peruvian landscape the desert by day a sunset on the river the desert by night a natural bridge outer space a dust storm a fallen tree, dead or still growing a tornado approaching the wilderness next door the dark side of the moon the wilderness in the garden the surface of Mars a blend of mist, geese, sky, and water ice thawing on a pond the spirit, atmosphere, and tone of a natural place sledding how the earth looks to someone from outer space a windstorm a sunflower a place named Windy a muddy road a sun-pounding day walking beans the call of the Rocky Mountains detasseling the lure of the sea weeding a garden treacherous waters gathering firewood a path off the trodden path the center of a cyclone signs and seasons a view of Mount Kilimanjaro or Mount Fuji the sun or moon as a rider of the sky running rapids the beginning of the world an apple tree, a cherry tree, a chinaberry tree, a mul- the world as split open and seen from the inside berry tree, a banyan tree shadowy, mysterious trails a mangrove swamp an approaching storm a bamboo grove a rainbow of flowers a coral reef dandelion season the Everglades walking in the rain April showers a road not taken March winds catching the dawn the Grand Canyon, perhaps by concentrating on its catching a falling star colors, the order of description determined by the change of colors with the season "my woods" the natural scenes seen by Native Americans in North a volcanic eruption America before the Pilgrims arrived (or before the a wildfire early explorers arrived) bringing the country to the city some natural object that suggests something else or the little picture in nature someone else the big picture in nature "my territory" a winter wonderland something sight unseen redwood trees "under the sun" infinity as evidenced in nature a school walk in the mountains, slippery with rain color and light in nature a part of (or something on) the Mississippi as Mark a snow in May Twain saw it coming to life in the spring the landscape as seen from a descending parachute sand castles a mountaintop as seen from it riding in mist a mountaintop as seen from the ground an early snow/a late snow a branch of madder first monsoon rain 13 Description 3

the desert after a rainstorm Creature Life a tropical storm a sunny day Describe: a smiling sky a litter of newborn puppies winds that don't let up a slug moving on the sidewalk tides an eel swimming the "your land" part of "This Land Is Your Land" a shark eating the ending of the day the biggest snake a catwalk over a rockwall canyon, over thundering spiders swinging from their threads water cockroaches scurrying for cover an idyllic setting that conveys a certain mood a home where the buffalo roam a setting with the title of a famous book (such as A Tree butterflies/fireflies by the thousands Grows in Brooklyn) mosquitoes in Paradise the quality of a natural setting by way of some aspect of it circus animals unexplored territory that is terrifying an ant with a grain of sugar the outdoors taken inside an animal that eats humans jogging on a beach a fox seeing a movement in the grass the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen a nest of field mice the view from atop Mount Rainier (or any other a grouse running mountain) a chicken coop the grandeur of Mount Everest the caw of a crow the Earth as "a little island of Creation amid the circumambient Void" birds at a birdfeeder the Earth, as approached via spaceship by friendly a grizzly bear with its cubs extraterrestrials an ant colony vegetation growing through the cracks of an abandoned fish in an aquarium house a bloated tick Iguazn Falls (bigger than Niagara Falls) a bird feeding its young Where the Sidewalk Ends (name of children's book) a trick pony pleasure gardens otters playing on a riverbank country roads a water bird prying open a shell the view from a hilltop overlooking a great city a dragonfly an artificial environment that intrudes on a natural a grasshopper jumping a bumblebee gathering pollen setting a gorilla eating a banana magnificent treasures or scenery available to the a squirrel burying a nut beachcomber a family of chimpanzees grooming one another the same scene today contrasted with that seen by another writer years ago geese in flight snow in the forest (as if you are there in it) a duck landing on a lake a natural world "charged with the grandeur of God" (G. two lion cubs playing M. Hopkins) a bird building a nest a honeycomb (as seen scientifically and then as seen a house cat stalking a bird nonscientifically) a mother bird defending its nest some natural object as for someone who has never seen a hummingbird feeding from a flower one (say, a tree or a certain kind of cloud) a cattle roundup "the Pleiades in a silver row" wild mustangs a natural setting beyond the commercial description of it animals fleeing from the enemy (man or beast) a natural setting as seen by a microscopic eye the flight of an eagle the indifference of nature weightless birds resting on reeds an everyday occurrence in nature a homeless, hungry dog Where the Wild Things Are (name of children's book) Texas or Alaska mosquitoes a small island in a huge, rough sea a snapshot of a beloved pet

14 4 What Can 0 Write About? insects seeking sanctuary from humans who follows fads a praying mantis praying who is double-jointed flamingos in flight who is a late bloomer a whale leaping into the air who opposes something without understanding it a bird colony who writes up the national psychological and vocational a civilization of insects in one room examinations the path of a turtle across the road who is a "living legend" an endangered species who is oracle, sage, and know-it-all a walking fish who is the ultimate fan animals in battle to the death who is left speechless animals fleeing from a fire who has a short fuse a Yellowstone bear hunting food who "says little, thinks less, and does nothing at all" a dog that is the subject of a Beware-of-the-Dog sign (quotation from George Farquhar) who is trying to look sober but is not an animal (or an animal scene) in a medieval bestiary the tiger as an image of awesomeness who would rather give up life than material possessions a household dominated by pet cats or dogs who has a mad impulse a civilized, almost-human, animal who is a pragmatist gerbils jockeying for position in a revolving, circular who is lonely cage who is at a loss for words gorillas in the mist who behaves like a deranged and frightened Ichabod the lamb as an image of innocence Crane the kestrel hawk (the windhover) as an image of who loves tattoos something that does the difficult with great ease who has only one idea, and that one a wrong one scene at a dog obedience school who is a pebble on the beach, one of the crowd an animal adopted by one from another species who is in spirited conversation with himself/herself wildlife on the Serengeti Plain who is a compulsive taker of notes who tries to appeal to everyone Human Beings, Individuals whose identity is revealed only at the end of your description Describe someone: who is shrewd who does as he/she pleases who is one of those who will "inherit the earth" who tells you more than you want to know about one who always says, "Let's get serious." subject or another who is a saver or collector who is "chicken" about one thing or another who recycles compulsively who delights in order who is an unofficial psychoanalyst who delights in disorder who is expert at avoiding serious commitment who wants a tourist to take his/her picture who has to settle for a second choice who is homesick who is just learning self-respect who is superior to others but does not try to show it who is on a soap box who has an inferiority complex who is "worth watching" who epitomizes dignity who is like his or her pet whose fate is a far less happy one than predicted who is in love with love who works just to be busy who has an unusual habit who hates anyone who does not love him/her who has an unusual interest who is a good-natured egotist who is free again who is too hot, or too cold, to handle who has gambling fever who has, in character, many contradictions who looks intelligent who is an authority about something or someone he/she who looks wealthy has no interest in or liking for who looks poor who is a seeker who looks tragic who can't take criticism

15 Description 5 who looks self-pitying who is one of a kind who cuts into line who is his own man/her own woman who takes herself too seriously who is misguidedly zealous who should have quit while he was ahead who has a force or energy born of terror who is mean to animals who is like his or her residence who lives underground who is undeservedly famous who lives in a tree who is undeservedly infamous who rages at God whenever something goes wrong who is pretending to like you (such as bad weather) who is obsessed with you who is an actor without an audience who doesn't have a clue who has too little to do who thinks he's/she's God's gift to women/men who behaves characteristically who can't cope who is like Bartleby, a fictional character who says only, who tries too hard "I would prefer not to." who wishes she could start all over who is a "roads" scholar, a wanderer who is brave in spite of an obstacle to bravery who is always "the one in charge" who is a freelancer at something who sings while at work who is tight-lipped who is always first with the worst who is a "wonder of wonders" who is shaped by experience who is "programmed" who is "crazy like a fox" who is ageless who is a pied piper who is self-consciously middle-aged who succeeds exceptionally well in something he or she does not seem suited for who is a wayfaring stranger who has no enemies who is poetry in motion who has no friends whose behavior is controlled by conditioning who is a "city-slicker" in the country who is responsible for having changed your life who behaves spontaneously who is a hermit in the city who is a quick study, a superb mimic who is outlandish who suffers from the effects of someone else's trying to who is a great impostor break a bad habit who tries to stay on a diet who is in heart but not in sight who tries to give up smoking who likes to dance who tries to give up drinking who is all business who characteristically over-reacts who is dressed up to scare who is right off the comics page who knows how to answer the question "How lazy can whose main weakness is you get?" whose main strength is who learns everything without help who is an angel who has only initials as a name who has escaped from prison who is a name-dropper who is a high-roller who is a troublemaker who is flaky who is a busybody who runs the wrong way who is a heartbreaker who is seeking the unattainable who is a daredevil who is a workaholic who is a class clown who is "strange" who is a "dark horse" who is a born leader who is without vices who is a born follower who is without a single virtue who is in a shaky position who appears, but is not, intelligent who is prematurely old who appears, but is not, ignorant who is cute (or "cutesy") who is an advocate who is, though grown, a baby who monopolizes conversations who is godlike

16 6 What Can U Write About? who is a "good person" who is just now finding a voice who has the gift of gab who never gives in who never confesses to losing an argument who delivers tedious speeches or sermons who has "coffee nerves" who is "asleep at the switch" who has "nicotine fits" who is a "wolf in sheep's clothing" who delivers jeremiads who is an outsider or a pariah who is spoiled by success who is a master fundraiser whose name and personality match exactly who is utterly imperturbable who can't tell the truth who is easily perturbed who is at war with herself who has a name that sometimes causes accidental humor who can't say "I'm sorry" who is hopeful of catching a fish who can't stop talking who is hopeful of finding the right job who can't stand to lose who has incorruptible scruples who can't stand to be alone who is in prison for political reasons who has a special gift who is exhausted almost to the point of death who is like a chameleon in personality who has noble qualities who is describing himself/herself only by what he/she who knows what it's like to be alone sees in a mirror who doesn't know how to be happy who is a caricature who loves the rain who feels discouraged because of having suffered in a who believes he was a dog in a past life natural disaster who has a lot to learn who, even if not known, ought to be Man/Woman of the who stops to smell the roses Year who is compulsively clean who, even if not known, ought to be Student of the Year who is a non-heroic figure who is confused by the world but not worried about it who can be characterized by speech mannerisms who has a face and manner of authority who has a voice "like a great bell swinging in a dome" who wears "the smile of God" (quotation from James Elroy Fletcher) who is a modern Sphinx who is a scholar of esoteric subjects who has absolute confidence who is a member or a joiner who can see though blind who has (in the words of John Ford) "shaked hands with who is coming to terms with the fact of death time" who is a double for someone else who is nameless who is an "All-American" type who dares/who "dares not" do something who is obsessed by TV who is capable of inspiring confidence who is tied up in knots who is exotic who is used up or burnt-out who is a saint who is blissfully unaware who loves the stage (as observer, or as performer) who is austere who has many kinds of deep troubles who is a scapegoat who is a lover of the country who is "cool" who is an audience of one who is egotistical who speaks to one person as if to an audience who has a hidden talent a relative or a close acquaintance who is eccentric someone as the god or goddess of something who is a good judge, though without experience a pickpocket in action who is a picture-straightener a control freak who is a perfectionist the child in you who is in need of special attention someone you love to hate who is "always around" someone with a "singing face" (quotation by John who is "never around" Fletcher) who is a high-climber a child in the White House

17 Description 7 someone trying to sleep when it is impossible to sleep someone surviving the failure of an important examina- a reluctant Santa Claus tion someone who expresses an opinion without thinking someone rushing to catch a bus a great person known to you someone suddenly realizing he or she is late a lunatic employer someone reacting to an unfunny joke a lunatic principal someone reacting to a speech someone surviving the winter someone suddenly remembering something someone with a distinctive laugh yourself as you were at one time someone who is uncommonly shy ...who laughs, for someone, such as a small child, who can get dirty where example, with great embarrassment at just about no dirt is anything someone who walks hundreds of miles to prove love to someone surviving a great public embarrassment the one waiting at the destination someone who is ostracized someone in despair someone who is too conscious of his/her best profile "someone I ought to know better" someone before and after someone who "wrote the book" on someone hard to catch, hard to conquer the top-sergeant, still more active than the recruits after an uninvited guest more than thirty years of military service someone who has weathered everything someone who is lovable and loving someone who is unorthodox an underdog who likes the role of underdog someone throwing a tantrum someone real or fictional who is a slumbering giant awakening someone who is an authority on a wide range of obscure subjects: for example, derbies, hieroglyphs, praying someone who is made up of many different parts, all of mantises which are funny a first-time Broadway playwright awaiting first reviews someone who laughs at everything someone who is a "clear-cut choice" someone who cries at everything someone who has the lowdown on someone someone who needs a good talking to someone who has retained elegance and charm someone who knows how to keep a secret the president as through the eyes of a child an unusual child whom you met on a trip what your inferiority complex is like someone who disproves the following: "No one can read the comment behind an expression." the child in someone a petty bureaucrat an heir a paintingsay, "The Blue Boy" or the "Mona Lisa" a wild public celebration come to life the unknown soldier/the unknown citizen a person who uses ceremonial language for any occa- a bouncer sion a broken individual Hagar as a living type your interview with a famous person Senator Dianne Feinstein someone in the moment before death Muhammad Ali as a legend in his lifetime a veteran Thomas Jefferson at home someone shopping online a once-maligned person who is lauded now someone who lurks on the Internet a once-lauded person who is maligned now someone who gossips compulsively a globe-trotter someone who is self-consciously kind a person described as though by William Faulkner a night security guard at work a thinker/dreamer someone who would like to harm you someone who is fascinated with the ordinary someone watching something intently a shallow person/a dull person an IRS official as seen by a reluctant taxpayer someone with a long comic history invented by you a reluctant taxpayer as seen by an IRS official someone who has beaten the odds the thing in you that others admire someone who was right there where it happened at the someone who is unknowingly self-revealing time it happened someone surviving the loss of the savings of a lifetime yourself as others see you

7. 18 8 What Can 0 Write About? someone who is politely, coolly efficient video game players someone who is shy only because of being too proud to political demonstrators risk being made a fool of soccer hooligans any famous modern person as a child Harley riders yourself as in the first moment of your birth beauty pageants Bill Clinton celebrities and the media Senator Hillary Clinton a daytime talk-show audience Tiger Woods a neighborhood (or a city, or a country) who has its own Madonna personality a psychic a bullfight crowd The Williams sisters (tennis champions) an enthusiastic opera crowd Mephistopheles as a living type everybody trying to get into the act someone made hesitant or too cautious by a bad people with multiple tattoos/piercings experience sightseers a séance Human Beings, Groups a teenage dance Describe: a political convention world response to Princess Diana's death a private club the public's fascination with John Kennedy Jr. a metropolitan bus station autograph hunters people who carry their pasts around paparazzi people who leave their pasts behind Pope John Paul H's appeal to the masses the early Vikings Mother Teresa's impact listeners when a joke falls flat reverence for a local "saint" rabid fans soldiers in the face of battle prisoners evangelical preachers bored teens living in suburbia people celebrating a special occasion people who help others soup kitchens a retirement community dj 's kids playing in a sandbox wanderers, wayfarers, nomadic peoples an ethnic neighborhood snowboarders people who visit skateboarders lunch dates ski bums a spring-break beach surf bums an all-week party people who go into the witness protection program people at Bingo Night professional wrestlers the rat race people who live in retirement an SRO crowd ranchers pie-judging contest at the county fair bikers a POW camp in the United States game show hosts a Japanese internment camp in the U.S. during WW II houseguests a slave auction people who believe they have been abducted by aliens a citizen protest people who follow fashion an old-fashioned talent show people who ignore fashion people who make every day a holiday people who aren't aware of their surroundings muscle flexers stock car drivers sorority/fraternity party Trekkers an amusement-park crowd Rocky Horror Picture Show fans a sidewalk sale/a fire sale/a rummage sale Star Wars fans a hog-calling contest Londoners during wartime attack

19 Description 9

American citizens immediately after the 9/11 terrorism a demolition derby the gates of heaven a night club crowd as you see the people the gates of hell "unpersons" much ado about something missing persons much ado about nothing people invisible to society the end of the world a hometown celebration Places and Things a wedding party Describe: the delivery room of a hospital your favorite museum people in the streets of Paris during the French Revolution table scraps; leftovers people in the streets of Paris celebrating the end of World War II the packaging of your favorite CD group therapy a burning barn a concert a ghost town ice-hockey players a favorite meal pop music concert audience the bottom of the Grand Canyon political activists a recycling center a snowed-in airport a ski resort people at the fall of the Berlin Wall a fully packed jumbo jet the crowds on Fifth Avenue or some other famous New a time capsule from today York City thoroughfare a time capsule from 1980 baseball announcers a time capsule from 1990 the crowded stands at the Super Bowl a new hybrid fruit or vegetable (that you invent) pedestrians, traffic, and the resulting confusion when all a food you hate try to cross a small bridge at the same time a food you love the Bolshoi Ballet a rusty fire escape the ceremony at the beginning of a bullfight an overflowing dumpster a poor singer of the national anthem before a baseball a barren landscape game a flooded basement the Gold Rush a dry riverbed Bohemians at home a desert in spring a shantytown the view from a train window the lost-luggage room of a major airline a hidden treasure an athletic team for which nothing goes right a public notice a bilingual theater troupe a polling booth in Florida "just a big mess," anywhere a historical document kids on the last day of school stained-glass windows teachers on the last day of school a particular painting the subway as hell a "speakeasy" of Prohibition times the firefighters' /police officers' ball a roadside attraction a "blended" family a box of rotting produce a crowded beach a basket of laundry a sleepy village and its inhabitants a messy desk people saying goodbye a sink full of dishes a "country on the brink of democracy"riots, troops in a cluttered basement the streets, etc. a misty morning the scene-behind-the-scenes for a certain film produc- tion a long day a big publishing house a favorite childhood toy newsroom of a major newspaper a dentist's office a county fair a leather jacket

0 I 0 What Can I Write About? a rare gem a single-room schoolhouse a fragile vase a sandbox a stolen moment Air Force One a swaying footbridge something without revealing what it is until the end your bedroom a quiet place your favorite place a shopping mall view from the Sears Tower bumper stickers view from the Empire State Building t-shirt messages on first seeing Ground Zero (New York City) license plate messages view from the Eiffel Tower a campground on first seeing the ruins of Machu Picchu Woodstock (whichever one you choose) a condemned hotel graffiti a lost-and-found office after the wrecking ball strikes Main Street animal shelters hand-me-downs a sound bite a bowl of cherries your grandmother's kitchen a double-dip ice-cream cone a place that's mournful a locked box an overgrown orchard a piece of ancient metalwork a weedy alley a tapestry a place that frightens children an ancient book a place that is too quiet a certain architectural style an empty city lot with a secret a wrecking yard; a car dump a cheese shop that has run out of cheese a deserted stage a library in the middle of the night the world in a grain of sand a shopping mall the day after Thanksgiving (or the day a ferry boat carrying twice the number of passengers it before Christmas) should an old-age home a place named Easy Street an orphanage a ship passing by the dust under the carpet something close-up and then faraway a medal the scene from the inside a reflection the scene as viewed by the Statue of Liberty a mirage the scene from a lighthouse a cellar full of canned goods the view from the St. Louis Arch a soup kitchen the view from Seattle's Space Needle a waterbed something that is sterile in appearance a jewelry store the lure of old almanacs and diaries new sneakers a book by its cover new braces a black book/an address book a gimmick the sense of being there where it happenede.g., at a city you consider to be cosmopolitan or glamorous, Omaha Beach or Pompeii e.g., Las Vegas, Paris, New York an iconic image in a dorm poster cereal-box surprises a mystical setting, using mystical terms The Book of what's in a purse a work and hobby bench what's in a backpack something Byzantine what's in an old trunk in the attic the inside of a doorknob what's in a pirate's sea chest signs of the timesroad signs, etc. what's inside a home on the Aegean Islands/Aran a golf course that has some unusual hazard Islands a pentimento painting a pawn shop a palimpsest

21 Description II what you see from the top of a piano abandoned at a junkyard the land passing by as you stand on a ship a bicycle left outside all winter in Minnesota the scene from the balcony a vacant lot the scene from the back seat a barn fallen into disrepair the scene from the top of the Washington Monument Salvation Army shop window something that is dingy what you imagine the s [decade] to have been something that glitters like Hell as if it were a certain city deserted downtowns items in a house abandoned years ago a greasy-spoon cafe the last book a town dump an image from yesterday the last place on earth velvet paintings old haunts the view from the bottom of a swimming pool a city street at 5:00 a.m. an abandoned well a crowded subway station a rock quarry a cramped city bus a construction site an empty church a house made of glass a luxury doghouse Senses, Intangibles a costume shop Describe: a king's palace having an itch St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the United sneezing States hiccupping Mesa Verde waking up Bath, England, as it was in the Middle Ages or before falling in love a glass menagerie falling asleep a mystical setting, using concrete terms getting dizzy what's in a medicine cabinet a bad headache a bell a paper cut a dilapidated boat riding in a hot-air balloon an unusual house early-morning sounds the local bookstore as a hangout electronic music a single-room house Sunday smells a soldier's home aromas on entering a coffee shop a door smell of hops a map smell of wet wool blankets a Viking ship what you feel when you look into outer space a shelter a certain musical style an oil spill the joy of playing a certain musical instrument your imaginings about a city you'd like to visit but never will "a shining artistic achievement" a future no one expects serenity a picnic time/timelessness/eternity the scene after a parade sounds and sights in the moment between waking and sleeping (or between sleeping and waking) the scene after a party your best friend's laugh a huge foreign city a pregnant pause a small efficiency apartment your dog's personality the underside of a damp log the sound of a snowstorm the contents of a buzzard's nest God your bare foot, as experienced by an ant the Goddess the inside of an old coat pocket 12 What Can I Write About? the "indescribable" by using unusual terms where begins the sixth sense listening in nature "more than a feeling" the joy of solitude (as recorded in a diary) nausea "unbearable lightness" physical manifestations of anxiety terrible beauty springtime scents "winter dreams" Actions/Miscellaneous the ever-changing flame of a candle Describe: a dream house as a house that one has dreams in a favorite kind of job an impulse or a compulsion a bureaucratic operation a situation that admits of ambiguity or ambivalence sticking together the face of hope mending a fence with someone the face of despair beaming signals the misery of something comforting "sublime noise" (E. M. Forster's allusion to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony) the turn of the screw ominous silence breaking the glass ceiling something "full of sound and fury" learning to ride a bike a kind of hush rolling down a hill a "dirge without music" (Millay's term) teaching something to a child a pompous speech how to blow a bubble with bubblegum being alone in outer space the steps involved in getting to know someone Fourth of July spent in a foreign country how to play your favorite computer game Christmas away from home getting home after your curfew "shaking the spheres of the universe" arguing with a sibling "the music of the spheres" making up with a girlfriend or boyfriend "the splendour of a sudden thought" (quotation from overhearing a conversation you weren't meant to hear Robert Browning) finding out a secret feeling free (in the sense of unrestrained) stubbing your toe a dream within a dream dancing in public for the first time flying in a dream a sneak preview the dreamlike quality of something camera eye the feeling you have when you dream you're awake the difficulty of sharing a secret what it feels like to survive an accident or close call the interesting people you meet at the physical aspects of feeling furious going home holding a purring cat undoing a great damage what gravity feels like biting the dust the intangible quality of something bungee jumping surfing a wave skydiving surfing the Web a discus, javelin, or weight throw virtual reality the maneuvers of a non-glamorous position in football déjà vu flying off the handle a dream come true before the dream is dreamed blocking the view "a dream deferred" (Langston Hughes) the last straw "I have a dream" (Martin Luther King Jr.) hunting in a trash pile the action and thought of an instant's time 's Day it (or It) the center of attention a gesture which has deep meaning what there is to do in a state of mind a compromising position to be in "not with a bang but a whimper" (Eliot) so as to answer the question, "What have we got here?"

23 Description I3 on-the-job training Eid swapping roles Hanukkah diversionary tactics Iftaar a showdown Kwanzaa a "smoke and mirrors" technique May Day Native American festival specific to a particular nation Celebrations Seijin No HiJapanese Coming-of-Age Day bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah Thanksgiving Chinese New Year Whitsun Christmas Day a celebration of your choice Diwali

24 Arm COMPARISON/CONTRAST

What Comparison/Contrast is Or we could compare a young guerrilla in an im- poverished country, son or daughter of a peasant, with As a literary device, comparing and contrasting things an American college student who goes to a business to gain a heightened impression of them goes back school, not because he or she feels impelled to work in Western civilization as far back as Homer, in other in business, or is even much interested in it, but be- cultures to an even earlier age. Here, abridged, is cause that is where the surest money is. The com- how James Joyce parodies one of those Homeric parison might lead us to a study in irony, though prob- similes: "Clinging to the sides of the noble bark, they ably there would be little room to sow much seed in linked their shining forms as doth the cunning wheel- the common ground between the two young people. wright when he fashions about the heart of his wheel the equidistant rays whereof each one is sister to This is possibly the place, then, where contrast might be more effective. Let us say that we contrast that another....Even so did they come and set them, those willing nymphs, the undying sisters." Joyce same guerrilla with a young person from the revolu- would have us spoke our literary wheels with a tionary's own country: child of a wealthy landowner, craftsman's care and cunning. One of the handiest graduate student in economics at the University of and most natural ways to do that is to compare two Chicago. The two threads of such a contrast could things that are somehow alike, or contrast one thing weave the social fabric of a nation and pattern the with something dissimilar in a certain telling way. history of our time. One secret of comparison/con- Recall how the contrasting tones of a black-and-white trast, then, is harmony. photograph can cast a face into such compelling re- lief, or how Vermeer's colors beat so vividly in the dim lowland sun. That much and more comparison/ contrast can do for language. Locating Subjects for Comparison/Contrast How to Write Comparison/Contrast Beyond the specific listings in this chapter, this book One way to use this device effectively is to make as a whole might itself become a study in compari- sure the things compared or contrasted fit. We might, son/contrast. It could certainly be readily used that for example, compare a redwood tree with a rose- way. Compare, for example, the chapter on descrip- bush, but it probably would not gain us much be- tion with the chapter on research-and-report writing. yond a laugh. If it is the skyscraping stature of the Contrast creative writing with process analysis writ- redwood we are after, we might compare it instead ing, and so on. All the approaches to writing dis- with the stalk that Jack climbed into the land of gi- cussed here are spokes for the wheelwright's craft, ants. The redwoods would be at home there. all are sisters.

II 4

25 Comparison/Contrast 15

People the Stoic/the Epicurean the lyricist/the composer the real Pocahontas and media images of her a real person/the depiction of him or her on television politician as candidate/politician as officeholder Billy Budd/Claggart shepherds/cattle drivers revivalist/used-car salesperson actors off-screen/actors on-screen right brain/left brain a historical figure in two different periods of his/her life a person before and after winning the lottery cliff dwellers/New York apartment dwellers young Elvis/old Elvis fellow travelers/tourists traveling together spouses/partners the nomad/the homebody defense attorney/prosecutor a certain person/the same person transformed a child before and after gaining a sibling country person/city person a person before and after acquiring a pet kitten or puppy a "nobody"/a "somebody" one rebel/people rising up as one religious leaders of different religions how one sees oneself/how others see one the adolescent as protester/the adult as protester the scholar/the untutored historian/dramatist different parts in same person ("Two souls, sadly, are in model of society/the average person my breast."Goethe) the just/the unjust two football players switching roles a gullible person/a stupid person the actor/the role the actor plays Nelson Mandela/Mahatma Gandhi amateur/professional the same person in and out of uniform attorney/doctor one person in two roles Captain Kirk/Captain Jean-Luc Picard generals/privates Data/Mr. Spock an alcoholic/a drinker Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader innocent today/guilty tomorrow person on offense/person on defense the right person/the wrong person original/imitation two all-time best athletes two TV sitcoms person poor/same person rich seeming free/not being free married person/single person ordinary person/uncommon person Baby Boom generation/Generation X the same person, tough and tender the mathematical mind/the mechanical mind citizen/noncitizen Spanish-speaking people in Europe/Spanish-speaking the best/the worst people in the Americas students in 1900/students in 2000 the needy/the greedy salesclerk/customer congress/parliament hearts made of stone/hearts on fire blue-collar workers/white-collar workers young college students/old college students a past star now not a star Albert Einstein/Stephen Hawking born to lose/born to win compulsive reader/bookworm Henry VIII/Ozymandias pedestrian rights/driver rights fictional TV figure on camera/fictional TV figure off people modern and ancient in their view of the universe camera folk rock singer/hard rock singer a friend now an enemy the forever friend/the sometime friend an enemy now a friend Benedict Arnold, before and after the temperaments of and the one blamed/the one who should be blamed two faces of the powerful/the powerless Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X Shakespeare's Macbeth/a modern Macbeth Dalai Lama/Pope John Paul II adolescents and their values/adults and their values Indira Gandhi/Golda Meir soccer mom/little league dad Harriet Tubman/Sojourner Truth Madonna/ child like an adult/adult like a child William Jefferson Clinton/John F. Kennedy 26 6 What Can II Write About?

George Herbert Walker Bush/George W. Bush Compare/contrast the assassination of one president aristocracy/tyranny with that of another. student unrest/student apathy Compare/contrast yourself with someone like you. scientist's view of the stars/poet's view of the stars Compare/contrast yourself with someone not like you. two major candidates for the same office Compare/contrast two people who are much alike in American opera stars/Italian opera stars many ways. Harvard student/Berkeley student Compare/contrast so as to show someone changing a roleAladdin, for example, doing something for the John McEnroe/Pete Sampras genie. Pete Sampras/Andre Agassi Compare/contrast someone's bark and bite. movie actor/television actor Compare/contrast the TV-watching habit with some movie actor/stage actor other habit or obsession. ideal American/real American Compare/contrast newspaper and TV coverage of the oneself/old friend same story. oneself/new friend Compare/contrast the Russians and the Americans of the swing dancer/step dancer Diomedes Islands. marching bands/orchestras Women spending time together/men spending time together manic/depressive Write a comparison/contrast essay about a comic book Beatles/Rolling Stones hero as presented in the comic book versus as Massachusetts Colony as seen by a pilgrim/Massachu- presented in a movie version. setts Colony as seen by a native person Compare/contrast yourself with your best friend. baseball fan/football fan Compare/contrast a typical day for you during the yourself now/yourself 10 years ago school year versus a typical day during summer spending a night in your own bed/spending a night in a vacation. tent Compare/contrast two different places you have lived. learning something from a book/learning by doing Compare/contrast where you live with where you would the person given the credit/the person who should have like to live. gotten credit Use comparison/contrast to show whether a member of a famous person/someone who looks like the famous the clergy can be an entertainer. person Use comparison/contrast to show whether a teacher can companionship/friendship be an entertainer. what I wanted/what I didn't want Use comparison/contrast to show whether a politician life in a polygamous society/life in a monogamous one can be an entertainer. "day people"/"night people" Use comparison/contrast to show which counts more in football: brawn or brain. Compare/contrast these opposing bases of marriage: In some cultures, it is said that "you don't marry the Use comparison/contrast to show which requires more person you love; you love the person you marry." work: casual dress or fancy dress. Compare/contrast yourself with Thoreau as, for ex- Use comparison/contrast to relate the beginnings of the ample, on the issue of imprisonment. football careers of quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. Compare/contrast opposing parts of your personality. Use comparison/contrast to write on the subject, "If I Compare/contrast short professional basketball players can't have ,I'll take " with tall ones. Use comparison/contrast to show whether the choice at Compare/contrast famous people with their children. the polls is one more of comparison than of contrast. Compare/contrast famous people with their parents. Use comparison/contrast to show that people with Compare/contrast in a theme, "Anything but What I disabilities are more like people without disabilities Expected." than different from them. Compare/contrast the negative views of yourself against Use comparison/contrast to write of someone, unlike the the positive ones. average person, who would take the smallest piece of Compare/contrast one person who has two occupations. something good and give the best and largest piece to Compare/contrast the native of a country with a tourist a neighbor. to that country. Use comparison/contrast to show that, as William Compare/contrast tourists/explorers. Cowper believed, God made the country and human beings made the town.

27 Comparison/Contrast I7

Use comparison/contrast to show how, according to "Americans, of course, hold no monopoly on producing Anna Barbauld, society is worse than solitude, and memoirs. The practice of celebrating the great one human being with another is still the greatest leader's life by putting pen to paper (or hiring a curse. ghost) dates back at least to Caesar's 'Commentar- Use comparison/contrast to show that, as Oliver ies. (re Nixon's memoirs, newspaper article dated Wendell Holmes argued, the world's great people May 29, 1977) have not commonly been great scholars, nor its great "It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love scholars great people. one's neighbor." (Eric Hoffer) Use comparison/contrast to show that, as William Lloyd "The real American is all right; it is the ideal American Garrison believed, our country is the world and our who is all wrong." (G. K. Chesterton) citizens are all humanity. "The people have little intelligence, the great no heart. Use comparison/contrast to show that it is reasonable If I had to choose I should have no hesitation in that, as Madame Cornuel believed, great people are choosing the people." (Bruyer) not great to their valets. "They're only truly great who are truly good." (George Use comparison/contrast to show that, as Oliver Chapman) Goldsmith believed, little things are great to little "If youth but knew; if age but could." (Henri Estienne) people. "Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent Use comparison/contrast to relate Richard Nixon and instantly recognizes genius." (Arthur Conan Doyle's Shakespeare's Richard II. Sherlock Holmes) Comparison/contrast topics about humanity "To be nameless in worthy deeds exceeds an infamous may be drawn from the following: history." (Sir Thomas Browne) "The hunger of love is much more difficult to remove "All the world over, I will back the masses against the than the hunger for bread." (Mother Teresa) classes." (William Gladstone) "It is not enough to prepare our children for the world; "The living need charity more than the dead." (George we must also prepare the world for our children." Arnold) (Luis J. Rodriguez) "I have been a stranger in a strange land." (Bible) "If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, "It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the you will have succeeded" (Maya Angelou). Compare privilege of wisdom to listen." (Oliver Wendell and contrast different kinds of success on the basis of Holmes) this comment. "The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of "Religion without humanity is poor stuff." (Sojourner power is the love of ourselves." (William Hazlitt) Truth) "The most fluent talkers or most plausible reasoners are "There are only two ways of spreading lightto be the not always the justest thinkers." (William Hazlitt) candle or the mirror that reflects it." (Edith Wharton) "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me "I would have girls regard themselves not as adjectives there lay an invincible summer." (Albert Camus) but as nouns." (Elizabeth Cady Stanton) Is "the face the index of a feeling mind"? (George Human Conditions Crabbe) dark days/happy days "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." (John F. Kennedy) choice between two roads "When students get good grades they say Look what I nearsighted, farsighted got; when they get bad grades they say Look what the style, comfort teacher gave me." (newspaper item) discrimination/absence of discrimination "I describe not people, but manners; not an individual, fasting/feasting but a species." (Henry Fielding) orthodox/unorthodox "Be careful with him: He's going to be a father." two kinds of birth (Ronald Colman, speaking of his dog, in a movie) dating in high school/dating in college "There are two kinds of people here in Washington," says a cartoon"those who know what's going on lazing/relaxing

... and the restof us." despair/hope "It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one meditation/daydreaming has plenty of work to do." (Jerome K. Jerome) assisted living/assisted dying "Is a team better off resting for a week or staying sharp family dinners then/now under game conditions?" an AP article asks regarding parents working/parents staying home the NBA playoffs.

28 I 8 What Can I Write About? single-parent home/two-parent home Show by comparison/contrast whether the big things, or pleasure/duty the little ones, shape our lives. being alone/being lonely Consider from the point of view both of individuals and of the United States government whether we know controlling your life/letting your life control you as much how to solve our own problems as those of living deliberately/living accidentally others. new look, new life Compare/contrast on the basis of the title of an article in discrimination of one kind/another kind of discrimination International Wildlife, "Animals Are Only Human." young Americans are healthier today than they were 20 "It has been claimed that war is the ultimate act of years ago/health problems among young Americans patriotism, yet war destroys the humanity in us." have increased in the last 20 years (Zarina Hock) private things/public things Compare and contrast traditional notions of war with obligation/pleasure feminist wars as described in this quotation: "Femi- families today/families 50 years ago nism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no two kinds of death enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its battles have been different ways of mourning for education, for the vote, for better working different funeral customs conditions,. ..for safety on the streets,...for child different marriage customs care, for social welfare, . .. for rape crisis centers, women's refuges, reforms in the law." (Dale different ways to celebrate a birth Spender) body language/verbal language Comparison/contrast topics about the different marriage customs human condition may be drawn from the reading a printed book/reading online following: mind/heart "Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last mind/brain of life, for which the first was made." (Rabbi Ben overconfidence/insecurity Ezra) class clown/class bully "Chains are worse than bayonets." (Douglas Jerrold) honor/fame "Dying is more terrible than death." (Henry Fielding) delusion vs. reality in sports "Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics lean years/fat years with words." (Dorothy Parker) habit/disposition "I'm saddest when I sing." (Thomas Bayly) God's gifts/human dreams "Into each life a little sun must fall." (L. E. Sissman) progress/improvement "The heresy of one age becomes the orthodoxy of the apartment living/dormitory living next." (Helen Keller) Compare/contrast two procedures at birth. "Just remember one thing, son," says a cartoon father: "I know a lot more about being young than you know Compare/contrast the views two different cultures have about being old." of death. "The act is all, the reputation for it nothing." (Goethe) Write a comparison/contrast essay on the subject, Things Gone Good. "Religion's in the heart, not in the knees." (Douglas Jerrold) Write a comparison/contrast essay showing that some things are common to us all. "Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose." (Billie Holiday) Use comparison/contrast to show what the world would be like if millions of people exactly like you had controlled the progress over these past six million Science and Nature years. prairie/mountain Use comparison/contrast to show what it is besides drought/oasis courage that is opposed to cowardice. thorn/flower Use comparison/contrast to show that blindness is, as has been said, "another way of seeing." plowing under/harvesting Show by comparison/contrast that, like a person, a bacteria/virus neighborhood (or a class, or a country) has its own toads/frogs personality. animals as humans/humans as animals

29 Comparison/Contrast 1 9 ethics of cloning sheep/humans known/renown the mallard/the loon thing/thang green/ripe good conversation/ordinary conversation the coral snake/the snake confused with it thought/expression of thought life on earth/life in outer space libel/slander ice/dry ice objectivity/subjectivity animal intelligence/human intelligence radical left as political term/radical right as political two animals in intelligence term fingerprints/retinal scans bureaucratic language/clarity simple foods/fancy foods introvert/extrovert natural gas/lignite major speech/minor speech good things of spring/not-so-good things of spring re-creation /recreation anthropology/sociology possibility/probability science/art something before being translated/something after being translated domestic plant/wild plant Scriptures in one language/Scriptures in another two sides of nature pessimism/optimism typhoon/tornado thinking/writing a doctor of medicine/a doctor of philosophy writing/speaking hay fever/asthma denotation/connotation honey/bee what is said/how it is said coldblooded/warmblooded someone set in nature/nature itself turned on by/turned off by status quo/the norm insect/another of its genera notoriety/fame science/science fiction banter/teasing evolution/creation first language/second language Use comparison/contrast to show that nature has a way of keeping up its own beauty and humanity has not scheming/planning found a way to improve on natural beauty. spin doctor/spokesperson Distinguish between nothing on one hand and, on the reactionary/revolutionary other, coming into existence where there had not spoken language/sign language been anything before. being direct/being rude Compare/contrast the chestnut tree, the tulip, or the exchanging small talk in two different cultures comet described by the scientist on the one hand, the non-scientific philosopher or poet on the other. expressing courtesies in two different cultures Compare/contrast someone who has an affiliation with formal/informal language nature with someone who does not. Show, for speaking as people write/writing as people speak example, how the former can merge naturally with induction/deduction the landscape while the latter seems out of place. legalese / "legal- ease" (to quote Time magazine on Preparing and preserving foods then and now. improved legal terms) Carbon dating techniques in archaeology/another English in England/English in America archaeological dating technique Write a comparison/contrast essay in which you Microwave cooking/crock-pot cooking. delineate a conventional truth using unconventional Experiencing the news on the Internet/the news on terms and ideas. television. Use comparison/contrast to make a dull idea sound Two different ways of listening to music. interesting. Use comparison/contrast to make an interesting idea Language sound dull. Compare/contrast the symbolic languages of music and old saying before/old saying now mathematics. oasis/watering hole Compare/contrast a headline and an article under its inhibition /restraint heading that does not match it in content.

30 20 What Can 0 Write About?

Compare/contrast changing ideas of what "well- professional area: generalist teaching vs. specialist balanced" means to a psychoanalyst, a cook, or a teaching, for example. coach. When do you think best, when you are sitting or when Compare/contrast the views of language and thinking you are on the move? expressed in the following two quotations: (1) "Language shapes the way we think, and Comparison/contrast topics about educa- determines what we can think about." tion and knowledge may be drawn from the (Benjamin Lee Whorf) following: (2) "The words of language, as they are written or "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." spoken, do not seem to play any role in my (Thomas Gray) mechanism of thought." (Albert Einstein) "What I don't know isn't knowledge." (Henry Dude, compare and contrast slang and scholarly Beeching) language. "Knowing things is being them." (Ortega y Gasset) "Words differently arranged have a different meaning, "The unexamined life is not worth living." (Socrates) and meanings differently arranged have a different "As light is greater than darkness so wisdom is greater effect." (Blaise Pascal) than folly." (Bible) "To learn something new, take the path you took Education, Knowledge yesterday." (proverb) wisdom/knowledge "Poetry is something more philosophical and of graver curiosity/inquisitiveness import than history." (Aristotle) innocence/experience "There is no joy in smallness. Joy is in the infinite." (Chandogya Upanishad) conventional teaching/Montessori teaching traditional fairy tales/contemporary children's books Places, Perspectives natural law/divine law thinking/letting the mind wander up close/far away book learning/practical learning clockwise/counterclockwise homework time/television time NYC 1950/NYC today objectivity/subjectivity Chinese communism/ Cuban communism philosophy/religion city alive with activity/large city deserted conventional literacies/other literacies coming/going learning/teaching state/country a book/another book of the same kind living on the margins/living at the center opinion/belief space/the opposite of space mental energy expended over a long time/mental energy military bureaucracy/civilian bureaucracy expended over a short time shopping mall/Main Street, USA logic/instinct same solution, different results knowledge in one situation/knowledge in another bedroom community/suburb what is right/what is taught as being right Silicon Valley/Rust Belt in-person learning/distance learning trip to Las Vegas/trip to the Grand Canyon teacher's role 20 years ago/teacher's role today two different places of burial rational argument/emotional appeal forever-home/sometime-home ethics/morals Alberta/Texas high school graduates then and now Paris, Texas/Paris, France virtual classroom/traditional classroom Venice, California/Venice, Italy learning by doing/learning by thinking Taj Mahal: monument to love/symbol of ego math as language/music as language South American gauchos/North American cowboys the teacher as coach/the teacher as guru (sage) up against the ceiling/up against the wall learning by observing/learning by doing Ground Zero on September 11, 2001/Ground Zero in Compare/contrast the popular idea of what an educated 20_. person is with your own idea. the view from outside/the view from inside Compare/contrast a narrow professional area and a wide the view from below/view from above

31 Comparison/Contrast 2I

the Great Wall of China/the Berlin Wall Compare/contrast the same kinds of orchards in your dream home/your real home different parts of the country. the underlying purpose of building the Suez Canal/the Compare/contrast the Old South and the New South. underlying purpose of building the Panama Canal Compare who you think you are and who your parents a village in the United States/a village in another think you are. country Compare who you think you are and who your teacher a painting by Monet from far away and from up close thinks you are. ups/downs Compare who you think you are and who your class- yin/yang mates think you are. swamp/desert Compare/contrast two kinds of strategies for a cam- paign, a game, or a speech. cave/hilltop Use comparison/contrast to show the way a certain Chicago/New York City building dominates other buildings around it, even if rural community 100 years ago/today the other buildings happen to be taller. light penalty for something/heavy penalty for same thing How does the average citizen of a country in Western poor and rich at the same time Europe live differently from the average citizen of two kinds of hunger 9 youth culture of two kinds Compare/contrast a situation in the "Land where the light is darkness." (Bible) kind cruelty pyramids/Stonehenge Comparison/contrast topics about places prairie sunsets/ocean sunsets and perspectives may be drawn from the my house/your house following: top half, bottom half, each making the other possible "Were Niagara but a cataract of sand, would you travel your thousand miles to see it?" wrote Herman two sides of a certain hotel, house, or town Melville. Use comparison/contrast to show disparity in what free "They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, speech is and what it is not. when they can see nothing but sea." (Sir Francis Use comparison/contrast to answer the question: What Bacon) is happening in this very moment in another part of "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." the world? (Charles Dickens) Use comparison/contrast to show that sometimes "It's always morning somewhere." (Richard Horne) forward and backward, up and down, are all the same. "It's morning in America." (Ronald Reagan) Write a comparison/contrast essay on a change of feeling, place, or situation. Economy, Trade Compare/contrast something other than in the conven- browsing in online bookstores/in traditional bookstores tional or popular way. Compare/contrast ways of spending and misspending. Compare/contrast different attitudes to aging in different Write a comparison/contrast essay about old money vs. cultures. new money. Write a comparison/contrast essay to show that nothing Write a comparison/contrast essay that distinguishes the stays the same. dollar from the confederate note. Write a comparison/contrast essay to show that (to Compare/contrast spending in one part of the country translate from a French expression) the more things with spending in another part. change, the more they remain the same. Compare/contrast the dollar in the United States with Compare/contrast cloak-and-dagger conceptions with the dollar in some other part of the world. real espionage. Compare/contrast two cars you would like to have. Write a comparison/contrast essay that answers the question, What is happening in this very moment in Compare/contrast two jobs you know about. different parts of outer space? Use comparison/contrast to distinguish between Which is better, a harmless lie or a hurtful truth? economy and economics. Compare/contrast the changing perspectives about Use comparison/contrast to distinguish between wet scholarship, law, or machinery. goods and dry goods. Use comparison/contrast to show a person before and Use comparison/contrast to distinguish between old after he or she is out of sight. values of farmland and modern values of farmland.

3? 22 What Can 11 Write About?

Compare/contrast the manufacture of something "reality TV"/reality candles or soap, for examplethen and now. circus from inside/circus from outside Discuss by comparison/contrast: "In this economy wrestler as actor/actor as actor average is below average," says a cartoon. two great architectural types Compare/contrast authentic money and counterfeit art criticism by self/art criticism by others money. hit song/non-hit Compare/contrast stocks and bonds. movie acting/stage acting Compare/contrast online trading with trading through a broker. American movie controversiality vs. foreign movie controversiality Compare/contrast a global economy with a national economy. background vs. foreground in painting or photography humor/macabre humor Measurement movie acting/TV acting British TV ads and frankness /American TV ads and Compare/contrast the Arabic number system and the frankness Roman number system. Seinfeld's world/the Simpsons' world Compare/contrast metric measurement with another principal kind of measurement. fictional character/same character given your name Compare/contrast simplicity and precision. Monet/Manet Compare/contrast two things usually thought to be Impressionism/Expressionism equally good. watching something on TV/watching something on the Compare/contrast two things usually thought to be Internet equally bad. U.S. news reportage of an event/another country's Compare/contrast something thought to be possible by reportage of the same event one, impossible by another. VCR versus DVD player Compare/contrast statistics that mislead and "honest" statistics. Past and Present Compare/contrast a glass that's half empty with one old city, new city side by side that's half full. word processor/pen and paper Compare/contrast compliment and insult. film camera/digital camera Write a comparison/contrast on the subject "Little but Important." the scribe/photocopier Write a comparison/contrast on the subject, "an eye for old demands, old conditions/new demands, new an eye makes the whole world blind" (Mohandas conditions Gandhi). family farm/agribusiness Compare/contrast the degree of frightfulness in the the generation gap then and now realistic and the supernatural. old commandments/new commandments Compare/contrast musical and poetic meter. cooking with a wood stove/cooking with a microwave Comparison/contrast topics about measure- old views of divorce/new views of divorce ment may be drawn from the following: military training then and now "A minute's success pays the failure of years." (Robert spanking/"time-out" Browning) family reunions then and now "Between good sense and good taste there is the same past danger/present danger difference as between cause and effect." (Jean de la the same fable, old and new Bruyere) the family unit, then and now "It is the nature of all greatness not to be exact." old and new dentistry (Edmund Burke) old-time religion/modern religion rt and Entertainment Compare/contrast a situation in which something old has been added. this movie/that movie Compare/contrast what wildcatting was like in Alaska television comedy/society fifty years ago with what it is like today. television shows past/television shows present How did the treatment of children in 4 Th century Oprah/Jerry Springer Europe differ from that of today?

33 Comparison/Contrast 23

Compare/contrast Prohibition laws with today's eternity/moment marijuana laws. life/party Write a comparison/contrast essay to show that things life/TV show are not that simple anymore. life/football game Write a comparison/contrast essay to show that things camera/eye (or, the times) are better, or worse, than they were before. writing/composing music Compare/contrast old and new soap-opera scripts. New York City street/battlefield Compare/contrast a situation in which the modern and music/language the traditional co-exist comfortably side by side. animals/United States presidents Compare/contrast the before-and-after of an old picture marriage/driving or an old event. novice police officers conducting traffic/novice conduc- Compare/contrast the American psyche before and after tors conducting musicians September 11, 2001. a hotel/an ocean liner Compare/contrast a situation in which something new a blind date/ has been added. a child's room/a kingdom Compare/contrast politics (or some part of it such as a mind/a kingdom language) before and after Watergate. an island/ Compare/contrast medieval ways and modern ways. eating with chopsticks/ A cartoon shows that a battering ram was the medieval equivalent of today's doorbell. Using comparison/ mind/eye contrast, draw other relationships of a humorous kind the Irish Sea/ between medieval times and present ways. fame/river See the opening paragraphs of Conrad's Heart of dance hall/church Darkness, where there is a description of England as home/country it must have looked to the conquering Romans. Compare/contrast Conrad's description with a architecture/nature description of the modern scene of the same area Analogical subjects may be drawn from the (even if it is your own description rather than one following: you find). "Every drop of the Thames is liquid history." (John Compare/contrast Dagwood's office and Dilbert's Burns) office. Luther said that people stay busy as a factor making Use comparison/contrast to discuss this quotation from things to worship. Eisenhower: "Things are more like the way they are now than they ever were before." "Slavery is a weed that grows in every soil." (Edmund Burke) Use comparison/contrast to discuss the import of the following: "In old time we had treen chalices and In our destinies are we more like buses, free to move in golden priests, but now we have treen priests and any direction, or like trains, fixed in our tracks? golden chalices." (Bishop John Jewel, 16th century) "Love is like linen often changed, the sweeter." (Phineas Compare/contrast politics before and after the Berlin Fletcher) Wall came down. "Reasons are not like garments, the worse for wearing." Compare/contrast classic westerns with revisionist (Robert Devereux) westerns. "Money speaks sense in a language all nations under- Compare/contrast the attack on Pearl Harbor and the stand." (Aphra Behn) attack on the World Trade Center. "A good book is the purest essence of a human soul." (Thomas Carlyle) Analogy "Justice is truth in action." (Benjamin Disraeli) "It was my tongue, not my soul, that cursed." (Euripides) the body/the body politic "The leaves of life keep falling one by one." (Edward a person's life/a book Fitzgerald, translation of a line in Omar Khayyam) river/mother "The tree is known by his fruit." (Bible) a person/a city "Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny." (Edmund a person/a parade Burke) professional football/warfare "The tongue has no bones," F. L. Lucas said, "but it can an adult's home/a castle break millions of the bones of human beings."

5 4 24 What Can 0 Write About?

"For how agree the kettle and the earthen pot together?" "There will always be some curveballs in your life. (Bible) Teach your children to thrive in that adversity." Show by analogy what sense some nonsense can make. (Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe) "Inflation is the neutron bomb of economics. It destroys "The human mind is not capable of grasping the everything in your bank account while leaving the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge figures intact." (The Houston Chronicle) library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with "Life is like a game of bridge. The players are dealt books in many different tongues. The child knows cards unknown to them. But they can play the game that someone must have written these books. It does well or badly. A skillful player may have a bad deal not know who or how. It does not understand the and yet win the game, whereas a bad player may get languages in which they are written. But the child a good and yet make a mess of it." (S. Radhakrishnan) notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the booksa mysterious order which it does not "There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many comprehend, but only dimly suspects." (Albert of us will have to pass through the valley of the Einstein) shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires." (Nelson Mandela) PROCESS

What Process Writing Is tide in the Scientific American. It has to do with a device that allowed Galileo to use his telescope as a Writing about a process generally tells the reader how measuring instrument: "There was a circular grid to do something, or how something is done, by pro- with a diameter of ten centimeters and a spacing be- ceeding one step at a time. This procedure may be tween rulings of about two millimeters. The grid had used in anything from a recipe to a repair manual to a pin through its center by which it was attached to a the complexities of a political movement. Process rod ending in a ring that fitted snugly around the writing might best be understood as a particularly tube of the telescope. When Galileo looked through disciplined form of exposition. Writing about a pro- the telescope with his right eye, he looked with his cess requires precise writing, often in linear order. left eye at the grid and optically superposed Jupiter on the central pin. The grid was then rotated to align How to Write about a Process a horizontal ruling with the plane of the satellites. ..." As implied above, the central feature of process writ- ing is that it proceeds from one point to another in Locating Subjects for Process Writing whatever sequential order (logical, chronological, physical, mechanical, and so forth) the subject de- Process writing can become an important part of any mands. The key to effective process writing is shaped other type of writing, including the most creative to an orderly selection and presentation of the mate- variety. Its relevance to the other parts of this book rial. In that sense this form is usually more stringent will be evident. But concentrating on some of the than some of the other forms might be. The writer subjects listed in this chapterranging, as they do, who breaks the sequence and disrupts the procedure from "how gravity works" to "how football drafts risks jumbling the process and confusing the reader. work"and moving them step-by-step through a rig- But this does not mean we should use the key to pro- orous, concrete, and clear explanation would be a cess writing to lock the form in its tomb. Robust verbs helpful exercise for anyone who wants to write any- and trenchant nouns will keep it alive. thing at all. Process writing is that fundamental. The This type of writing is especially useful for tech- student who does it well will then be well into the nical subjects. Here is a simple example from an ar- process of learning the writer's craft.

36 25 26 What Can 0 Write About?

Food and Drink sound writing or sound-writing marking compositions making sushi describing your personal writing process making tandoori chicken creating an outline making baked Alaska writing an effective resume making earth bread writing a job description using the microwave how to prepare for a debate using an old-fashioned grill grading or editing another's writing cleaning a fish revising one's writing making sausage composing on a word processor baking in a sand pit registering in writing a complaint about writing making arroz con polio getting down to the agony of writing preparing fried rice preparing refried beans Education, Learning Processes barbecuing searching for a library book using an online catalog broiling making ice cream using the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature making candy reading a dictionary making tacos researching a topic using a search engine making a combination pizza predicting success or failure making a flour tortilla taking an advanced course answering a question making a cake making a spicy spaghetti sauce wasting time effectively presenting a recipe on TV meditating shopping for food in a foreign country using mnemonic devices eating with chopsticks figuring by the Chisanbop method brewing a cup of tea or coffee learning through mistakes how to sprout beans teaching a language by a special method eating a fruit from start to finish saving public schools getting or losing accreditation Writing communicating when you don't know the language bringing out whatever talents you have creating a Web page reading or teaching Braille using endnotes getting preliminary experience or education writing to learning how to read in an unfamiliar subject area writing argumentation learning argumentation by practicing it or reading it writing more simply recording audiobooks using the pronoun "you" learning without taking notes writing pompously using the library card catalog writing an F paper finding out information on organizing a paper how to cut class saying nothing in many words learning to ride a bicycle taking notes using newspapers in the classroom proofreading teaching a first reading lesson achieving clarity, brevity, correctness, simplicity, or choosing children's books thoroughness in writing reading a map educating oneself to know genres one is writing in learning how to ask the right question(s) writing a job application learning a second language writing a short story choosing a major writing an introduction to a composition planning a degree thinking creatively

37 Process 27 reading body language How is the coast defended? planning a road trip using the Web How are votes from certain groups courted? learning to like How did India achieve independence from Britain? telling an illustrative story How did the "slavery triangle" work? preparing an oral presentation How does a presidential election work? learning to balance school and extracurricular activities How did the Cold War end? being more observant Trace the evolution of the Civil Rights movement. making drudgery exciting What is the proper way to display the United States flag? learning how to put things off as long as possible How did New York City physically rebuild after how children play September 11, 2001? how parents can start a school of their own How did the United States emotionally rebuild after September 11, 2001? how Alexander the Great was tutored How can map-making be political? how television has changed learning how computers have changed learning Nature how children were educated in England during the 19th century how the earth is measured how decisions are made in your school how gravity works how to be understood how nature resolves overloading how to solve discipline problems in elementary school how evaporation and condensation work or high school how an ox-bow lake is formed how the Montessori method works how bees build hives how playthings help a child grow how ants construct colonies how a child (grows, learns, loves) how African termites build castles how to skim-read by skipping judiciously how spiders spin webs (according to kinds of webs) how to experiment by the scientific method how the salmon goes upstream critiquing World Wide Web pages and sources how a wasp traps a spider how to write a précis how the cuckoo nests its eggs History how to curb erosion how a beaver builds a dam How were duties relegated in medieval abbeys and how antlers are used monasteries? how fireflies can be used How are war criminals tracked down? how a bloodhound can follow a trail How was apartheid opposed and defeated? how to conserve natural resources How did a certain country put down a coup? how coffee is produced How is the past recaptured? how the weather is predicted How did Napoleon plan the invasion of Russia? how infinity is measured By what process did the British colonies in America how flora and fauna are protected become independent? how fruits and vegetables are inoculated By what process did Hawaii become a U.S. state? how insects, birds, reptiles, etc., live on their internal How did Elizabeth I improve her navy? food reserves What was it like to how snails battle How can the forebears of a certain famous contempo- how ants battle rary be traced? how spontaneous combustion works How does a country surrender to another country in how creatures are protected from extinction time of war? how the Grand Canyon was formed How is wartime neutrality maintained? how glaciers changed the landscape How did De Valera rise to power in Ireland? how monarch butterflies migrate How did the draft system (conscription) come about? How did it first operate? What changes were made in how erosion creates certain geologic/geographic the operation in subsequent years? formations (choose a particular area) How is genealogical research conducted?

38. 28 What Can I Write About?

Human-and-Creature Processes how to maneuver a sailboat how to stay fit for how wildlife is photographed how to shoot a basketball how lakes are stocked with fish how to steal bases how to fish in salt water how to make a certain tennis shot how to breed fish how to get the hang of hang gliding how to tame a rabbit how to run the 100-meter dash how to crossbreed how to use strategy to win the race how whale blubber was sliced in the 19th century how to use strategy rather than brute force in how to get rid of troublesome birds or animals without how to play badminton killing them how to set up the football wishbone; how it works how to train an animal for a television commercial how to challenge an umpire without being thrown out of how to talk with animals the game how to milk by hand how to perform a certain kind of high jump how to rid a dog of fleas how to juggle how to bathe a dog how to ride a unicycle how to bathe a cat how to make a certain wrestling hold or movement how to set up a birdbath how to swim a certain stroke how to breed a mule how to train for a marathon how to shoe a horse how to take an early-morning constitutional how to fish the old way how to get up again after falling down (in skating or how to find the angle for angling skiing) how to bird-watch how to lift weights the wrong way how to fish for halibut how to perform a certain judo hold or movement how to share your backyard with wildlife how to roll a bowling ball how to thwart squirrels from raiding bird feeders how to cut corners in skiing how to deep-sea dive Games, Sports, Outdoor Activities how to ribbon-rope in a rodeo how to judge a contest how to bungee jump how to skate using inline skates how to blaze a trail how to use a sail bike how to break a leg how to perform a certain figure in ice-skating how to play jacks how to get lost in the wilderness how to play checkers how to hunt for underwater treasure how to play pool how to hand-load a how to juggle how to load a blunderbuss how to dribble a ball how to hit the bull's-eye how to fly a kite how to prepare for a hunting trip how to mountain-climb how to buy the right tent how to perform a certain water-skiing maneuver how to equip for a backpacking trip how to skateboard how to practice falconry how to teach visually impaired people to ski how to trail-ride how to ski cross-country how to pick a winner how not to win at how to warm up how to be disqualified in how an umpire/referee makes a call how plays are called from the bench how to keep long-distance bicycling from becoming how to shoot a certain kind of gun painful how to set up a certain chess strategy how women have entered formerly all-male sports how a jockey is responsible for the success of his/her how football drafts work mount

39 Process 29 how to hike with the family Travel, Travel Preparation how to walk a certain style how to pack a suitcase how to run a certain style how to find the best fare online how to perform certain calisthenics how to get a visa Religion how to get a passport how British soldiers crossed the Darien Gap of lower how someone converts to (pick a religion) Panama how someone is exorcised how to get medical help abroad how one becomes canonized how to make reservations how to enter the priesthood/ministry how to travel light how the Pope is chosen how to protect your luggagefrom loss, from theft what happens at a bar/bat mitzvah how to visit what happens at a Hindu "thread" ceremony how to travel in Europe rite of passage (or coming of age ceremony) in a how to travel with a family particular religion how to communicate when you don't know the language (e.g., how to order a meal) Airplanes, Air Travel how flight accidents are investigated Telecommunication how a "black box" works and Audiovisual Processes how to fly a hot air balloon how cellular phones work how to pass time between airline flights how telephone cables work how to survive a plane crash how to trace a telephone call how to skywrite what a telephone operator does how to fly over the Alps (or Andes) how a pager works how to dust crops how the Internet works how to flyas a bird, passenger, or pilot how a telecommunications satellite works how to barnstorm how to build a sound system how to land a plane where there is no airport how to build a radio how a fire-engine airplane works how to install a hard drive how to get through security smoothly how to install a sound card Cars, Road Travel Grooming how to drive defensively how to use dental floss the right way how to catch a car thief how to choose the right clothes for the time of year how to put a car together from scrap how to cut hair how to jump-start a car how to tie a shoe how to ride a motorcycle how to look casually elegant how to take a driver's test how to choose the right soap, shampoo, or other toilet how to control/minimize pollution article how recalls of cars are made how to sew on a button how to care for a car how to care for shoes how to get more miles out of a gallon of gas how to launder clothes how to change a tire how to fold your laundry how to drive on icy roads how to maintain a particular hairdo how to drive on rainy roads how to look cool how to change the oil in a car how to color your hair how to detail a car how to look shocking

40 30 What Can i Write About?

Sleep/Sleep Processes how to avoid unnecessary health-care and hospital expenses how to relax how a bypass operation is performed how to go to sleep by not trying to go to sleep how to put in a contact lens how to wake up a little bit at a time how to gather information on a certain medical topic how to learn the fine art of napping how to deal with jet lag how to handle insomnia how doctors and nurses prep for an operation how not to snore how to treat oxygen lack how to eliminate most deaths from Entertaining, Social Arrangements how scientists proved the link between smoking and how to run a restaurant cancer how to eat at how to save your teeth how to dj a party how to conduct a medical appointment effectively when the doctor is rushing how to be a bore at a party how dialysis works how to have fun at a party how laparoscopy works how to arrange a surprise party how asthma is treated how to arrange a Super Bowl party how the root-canal is treated how to plan a party how a face-lift is performed how to arrange a wedding how cryosurgery works how to arrange a baby or wedding shower that includes both men and women how polio was conquered how to celebrate a special birthday how a certain vaccine was discovered or developed how breast cancer is detected and treated Safety how alcoholism is treated how to test for allergies how to stay safe in a foreign country how AIDS is prevented how to put out an electrical fire how AIDS is treated how to put out an oven fire how to treat bee stings or insect bites how to put out a grease fire how to cure acne how to react if mugged how to deal with frostbite how to prevent electrocution how to stop hiccups how to use a flak jacket how the pacemaker works how to protect yourself in a natural disaster how to use the Heimlich Maneuver to save a choking how to have a contingency drillfor fire, attack, victim disaster, etc. how the heart works how to protect yourself on the street how the brain works how to guard against poisonous plants how to improve your sleep how to prevent childhood accidents or diseases how to correct a "lazy eye" how to make safe how your body tells you you're cold or hot how to cycle safely how the human eye sees how to keep camp life safe how the human ear hears how to make roller-blading safe how the sense of touch works Medicine, Physiology, Health how to perform an ultrasound scan how to test for twins in the last trimester of pregnancy how to take blood from a donor at a blood drive how to determine whether pain relievers advertised on how to give birth at home TV are dependable or safe how the human embryo develops how an MD makes a medical prognosis how to trace the cause of a certain sickness how to cure infection of how Lincoln's medical history could be researched to how to fight against infection speculate on his health during his second term how an organ is transplanted

41 Process 31 how to still butterflies in the stomach how to paint a how to treat snakebite how to refinish a how to perform a certain operation how to repair a heater how to take someone's blood pressure how to repair a bicycle brake how to treat poisoning from poison plants how to service a DVD player how to give artificial respiration how midwifery works Art, Handicrafts, Domestic Arts how to read temperatures how early animation worked Constructions, Constructing how to animate how computer animation works how the Pyramids were constructed how to foreshorten in drawing how sewage systems worked during the Victorian era in how to contour-draw England how an artwork is preserved or repaired how dams are built how an artwork is examined for authenticity how windmills are constructed; how they work how to fake a Jackson Pollock painting how oil pipelines are constructed under water how to fake an Andy Warhol painting how to make adobe bricks how to make a collograph print how to lay the groundwork for a house how to draw with a pencil how to build a crib how to draw with charcoal how not to design an auditorium how to create a chiaroscuro effect how to build a sandbox how to create distressed furniture how to make a chair how to arrange furniture according to principles of feng how to make a table shui how not to build a house how to fake a Renaissance painting how to build a modular home how to engrave how to build a solar-powered house how to turn scraps into decor how to build a personal solar collector for powering, how to hang wallpaper say, your stereo how to decorate a room how to shingle a roof how to quilt how to build a sweat lodge how to sew by a pattern how to construct a model inside a bottle how to make clothes better and more cheaply than you how to perform a certain kind of carpentry can buy them how to make a porcelain figure how to display your collectibles how to build a dugout how to make fractal art how bridges are constructed for strength how to do origami how to make buildings earthquake-proof how to do macrame how to build an inexpensive bookcase how to do batik how to make a sand sculpture Repairing, Cleaning, Inspecting how to make an ice sculpture how to inspect a restaurant for cleanliness how to make pottery how to window-clean tall buildings how to decorate a Christmas tree by theme or color how to clean up a town how to decorate for Halloween how to repair potholes Plant Life how to mow a lawn or trim hedges how to clean a chimney how fruits and vegetables are picked, processed, how to proceed if a bat flies into your house through the packed, and sent to the consumer chimney how to plant grass how to install a doorknob how to clone redwood trees how to install a deadbolt lock how to plan a spring garden

4.2 32 What Can 0 Write About? how a seed grows how students can pay their own college costs how to protect trees how millionaires spend their money how to get an orchard on the way how money is "laundered" how to control the growth of grass how money is printed at the mint how to grow house plants how old money is discarded at the mint how to grow a bonsai tree how an ATM works how to create a "nature garden" how to exchange money at borders how to create a windowbox garden how countries that have disasters are helped financially how to mulch your garden how dividends are determined and distributed how to make compost for your garden how a hospital is administered how to get your violets to bloom how to live within a salary or an allowance how to make an herb garden how charity organizations work how to make a rock garden how to be a philanthropist how to make a rooftop garden how returned goods are paid for in the long run how to start your outdoor garden indoors how a stock exchange works how to do Xeriscape landscaping how grocers stock a produce section how to sell your own book Money, Business, how to hunt for a bargain Saving, Theft, Economics how to buy at an auction how a pyramid scheme works how a Dutch auction works how smuggling is done how a silent auction works how to prevent hotel thefts how to conduct a meeting how to make out an income-tax return how the realtor works after an agreement has been reached to buy or sell a home how to save money on a drug prescription how to trade foreign money without getting taken how to take measures against shoplifting how ancient traders did without money how bill collectors work how to lose a job through incompetence how to collect on your insurance how to do comparative shopping how to save money how to bargain with a car sales representative how travel agencies operate how to save for college how the IRS catches tax-evaders how to travel in on a shoestring budget how to plan an economical trip how the phone company is defrauded out of payment for Film, Film Media, Photography long-distance calls how customers rip-off the electric-power companies how music videos have changed advertising/filmmaking how customers are ripped-off by public utilities compa- how to use a camera in soft light nies how to keep a camera clean how the economy of a foreign country can be undermined how to take a picture with an old camera (specify what how to spot counterfeits kind) how to keep from being reckless with credit cards how to pick out an inexpensive manual camera how to live off the wilderness how to post a photograph on the Web how money is spent by charity organizations how to develop films privately how to live simply how Hollywood screen extras work how to boost tourism in how television ads are pre-screened for bloopers how to collect unemployment how to set up a television translator station how to conserve energy in the home how the laugh track on television works how to sell how an actor or actress plays a double role (or more) in how to have a garage sale the same take how to buy public land how early filmmakers showed the passing of time how to end unemployment how modern filmmakers show the passing of time how early filmmakers moved from one scene to the next

43 Process 33

how modern filmmakers move from one scene to the how to use earphones next how the first liquid-fuel rocket worked how a television producer works how to desalinate water how a movie producer works how to purify water how to program a VCR how to control a certain kind of pollution how to use a digital camera how sugar is refined how to use a CD burner how copper is refined how sulfur is mined Language, Information, how coal was first mined Communication how strip mining is done how to break a code how waste can be converted for use how the Chinese calendar works how mummies were mummified how the Aztec calendar works how bodies are embalmed how the calendar works how e-mail works Psychology, Emotions, Social Actions how to prepare for a job interview how to handle fear of failure how to behave in a job interview how to change jobs how libraries have changed since early days how to prepare for job-hunting how to outline how to pass driver's education without stress how to understand HTML how to check on one's own honesty how Hitler used propaganda how to come to a family decision how the Associated Press works how to make a Zen garden how the news is written how to bring out the best in how the English language developed from its beginnings how a secretary handles the public how a search engine works how to live with a two-year-old child how words change meanings how to meditate how Webster worked on his dictionary how to keep a poker face how James Murray compiled the Oxford English how to manipulate someone Dictionary how the person under psychoanalysis can get along how slang becomes acceptable while the doctor is away how to break the language barrier how to kick a habit how to set up a debate between presidential candidates how to live with a Waterloo how to debate on TV as a presidential candidate how to heal emotional wounds how to speak as an insider to be part of a particular how to control the violence that exists in us all group how to make the mind wander effectively how to cajole or persuade how to relax how to go beyond your endurance Mechanical and Chemical Processes how to end post-meal hunger how a home pregnancy test works how to pull your own strings how to test a driver for alcohol how to get your first job how to program a computer how to handle overworrying how a rotary engine works how the human mindbody system works how to bug an office how to manage kids at a summer camp how a new invention works how to release a friend from an obligation how an oil well works how to fire a friend how can be kept afloat (or aloft) how to help employees work better how to build a better mousetrap how the public is sometimes "emotionally blackmailed" how the Hughes toolbit worked by public servants how a ticker-tape works how to get along with an older (or a younger) brother or sister

41 34 What Can 0 Write About? how to get away from someone Government, Politics how to deprogram a person how to psych out your opponent how a grand jury operates how to recover from an emotional blow how a census works how to get back on the road to confidence how a "political machine" works how to get over feelings of guilt how the government protects historical sites how to avoid a scene (or other unpleasantness) how a town council can bring about the resignation of a city official how to adjust to the first year of high school how to lobby how to adjust to the last year of high school how to burrow into office when another party comes how to prepare for the first year after high school into power how thought worked before the evolution of language how to run a national campaign how to become involved in a community project how computerized voting works (or is supposed to how to organize a community effort work) how to help a visitor to your community how political pressure is applied how to help an exchange student from another country how a government agent penetrated the intelligence feel comfortable apparatus of a foreign power how to set up a wiretap Law how to conduct a nonviolent protest how to organize a boycott how sabotage was committed how to profit from complaining legally how sabotage was discovered how to file a lawsuit how a press secretary operates how to protect yourself legally from the landlord how a Senate committee investigates how the taxpayer can legally revolt how a president is elected how to make a class-action suit how the Supreme Court operates how to settle an account without trouble how to ratify an amendment how to unload a lemon legally how Russia chooses its top government official how border officials crack down on narcotics how the American political process works how aliens are registered in the United States how the "loyal opposition" is supposed to exercise its duty how to get a permit for how whistle-blowers are protected from their superiors how majority rule operates how national polls are taken how the small-claims court works how a bill becomes a law how police use computers in identifying, tracking, and apprehending suspects how to spin bad news how a court decision can be challenged how to run for office in your school how to read fingerprints how to run someone's campaign for office how a police officer is trained how to petition for change in how to make up a legal petition how one registers people to vote how lawyers are protected from those they help convict how eminent domain works Miscellaneous Processes how to fight a traffic ticket how fakery works in how to let thieves know you are not at home how to find the killer how to help police in their work how to speak out against abuses how to proceed if arrested how someone becomes thoroughly Americanized how those who await trial are handled how houses were built in early colonial America how judges perform their duties how to scare a reader or a moviegoer how to make a citizen's arrest how accuracy is checked for world record claims what to do at the scene of a car accident how to select the right sound system or computer how to prevent a certain kind of crime how to change a baby's diaper

45 Process 35 how to feed a baby how to observe something how to bathe a baby how to collect art how the U.S. Geological Survey researches its map how to learn the music scales information how a fire crew responds to a call how to get tickets for a television show how an advertising agency works how the Muppets work how to arrive at the same result by opposing means how to live primitively how to paint what is not there how to behave like a how to read music by sight how to shop at an antiques store how to tune a sitar how to conduct a contest how to conduct a symphony how to collect valuable stamps, coins, etc. how to undo something how applications for employment are verified for such how a major hotel operates things as education and work experience how forest lookouts work how to expose a rip-off or a con job how an airport control tower works how to see backwards into time how the metric system was arrived at how to take apart how a system other than the metric system was arrived at how to meld or blend how to do a pedicure or manicure how to shave comfortably how to make a miniature how to drift how to audition how to chill out how hunger works how to break a routine how to make a guitar how to thwart how to get from here to there how words are added to a language how sweat glands work how to stop how to make radio contact how to keep going in how to get rid of a cold how to get started how to recharge a (something other than a how to perform a certain monumental task battery) how (money, a ship, a grade) was raised (or how missing persons are located can be raised) how to get a job as a forest ranger how to stalk the wild how thinking can be made into a hobby how works how art can enrich life how to revamp how impostors fake their qualifications how to learn the ropes how Pulitzer Prize winners are chosen how to make a practice run at how to support a really worthy cause how to get along better with your how to organize a float for a parade

46 'VI NARRATIVE

What Narrative Writing Is made, but at the same time the narrative form de- mands that the writer be allowed more freedom. A A narrative tells a story or gives an account of what narrative line may often be kept straight and strong happened. It is certainly one of the oldest forms of by twining process techniques through the core of it. communication. One thinks of the ancient epics But here the rope must be allowed to fray, to soak up the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Ramayana and the the smells, the colors, the taste, and the touch of cir- Mahabharata, the trickster tales of West Africa, cumstance. A good storyteller knows how to draw a Beowulf, Grimm's fairy tales, the epic of Gilgamesh, long bow, the better to whistle the arrow dead to the the Cantar de Mio Cidancient narratives from all heart of the matter. parts of the world, capturing the history, the values, Of course there are other, far more radical, narra- and the imagination of a people and transmitting them tive liberties. Many contemporary novelists delight orally or in writing. Even the drawings in prehis- in them. Most beginning writers, however, would toric caves tell their own stories. It's the power of probably do well to learn how to spin a straight yarn story that keeps Scheherazade alive in the Arabic before they tangle it, web intricate plots, and risk story within a story, The Thousand and One Nights. getting the narrative confounded. Life itself is a narrative, a history, a story (Latin, historia). Would anyone's deepest heart not recog- nize and respond to that truth? It seems fair to say that people everywhere have always looked with Locating Narrative Subjects pleasure and a certain awe towards the one who could Everyone has a story to tell, even students who in- tell that story well. sist they have nothing to tell because they think their lives are dull. There are stories everywhere, in just How to Write Narrative about anything, and this book offers no exception to that commonplace. Let's hope that the subjects in It is no accident that this chapter on narrative fol- this chapter will goad memories, spark imaginations, lows the section on writing about a process. There is in a special way. Close attention could as well be no question here about how those two spokes in the paid to the chapters on creative writing, critical writ- rhetorical wheel relate. The "and then and then and ing, and description. There is surely something here then" of the narrative is close indeed to the sequen- that should arouse any student to relive, in writing, tial advance from point to point of process writing. an experience (even if the "experience" originates A similar attempt at precision and clarity should be in the imagination) that ought to be shared.

36

47 Narrative 37

Domestic, Personal, and the first day Autobiographical Narratives the last day cramping my style sibling rivalry all at one time in the middle advancing steadily the coming fury making up for lost time stuck with it your turn now the most important best offer unopposed old catalogs the addict the long, hot summer revealing for the first time joining a family secretest thoughts a student-exchange program five minutes more dream vacation gaffes and bloopers pulling an all-nighter during finals week talking it over walking in the rain curiouser and curiouser a secret vote over the edge bird in the hand over the top a rolling stone under the radar the last one under the boardwalk rising again punning around under dire circumstances good news private word seeking independence working off a debt, moral or financial seeking identity a supernatural happening in the back of my mind disappearing not being predictable closing a chapter ready for a new start leaving someone for the first time blowing dust cover girl or boy on the brink on the take a special sound topping this or that winter love a place of honor summer love with this ring at the wrong hour spiders and snakes a personal message doubtful deeds being spurred on even now skipping class to do something else vacancy/no vacancy job for the inexperienced a week ago peak experience the target of threats determined to be being bitter/not being bitter the oldest of many first visit one example, repeated ad nauseam trouble with the manager plunder claiming to be someone else unexplained act meeting your double ready for prime time home to stay sky's the limit home alone convertible car flirting not ready yet dirty work hot shot more than the usual do or die, now or never hearing/listening in command

48 38 What Can I Write About? last-gasp effort feeling no pressure, feeling no pain fleeing Yuletide precognition getting the gold star short-changing hoax fighting the doldrums urban legends signing on, signing off somewhere between self-righteousness a significant aside just looking on a significant other outside looking in a power trip inside looking out in conquest of others making up playing second fiddle gone but not forgotten to go out, or to eat here some changes or else teacher outdone by pupil show of good faith *$#@! look who's talking something I can't put behind me two for the money small change critic's choice getting down street corner preacher foreign currency alone in one sour note when all is said and done one small step adopting a baby one giant leap for adopting a pet day on the farm the day the terrorists attacked the institution Sunday afternoons "inmates running the asylum" a tornado approaches anything for a drink of water walking on the beach the measure of the face of terror going ballistic rediscoveries going Hollywood frivolity going, going, gone check not in the mail May/December marriage winning a prize broken promise(s) winning the lottery not alone losing your cool sounds and silence under fire sounds of silence hearts on fire end of a song on the hot seat taking consolation nothing the same a roaring wind doing it best once over lightly still up in the air clearing the air in distress passive resistance laughing/not laughing the day happened being ready fearing the "other" World's Greatest understanding the "other" coming out unlearning a response for seven years fin de siecle after school a recycling adventure separate ways pizza parties every step of the way my job as a telemarketer learning to adapt my job as

49 Narrative 39 walking a dog not over yet walking a cat footing the bill bump in the road nerves on edge bump on the head a time and a place bad hair day shut away bad day for a zit last-minute change shielding someone bridal shower following someone a stillness the awful truth when my computer crashed the last laugh farmers' market a country kitchen flea market favorite child a Million March little joyssnow days, flowers growing up through promises to keep pavement feeling good nearing the finish doing good in disgrace waiting for the other shoe to drop asking for money/the car/permission meditation parental bond with child/children many happy returns a charmed life hanging on a flash of insight hanging out graveyard shift a word from home daydream a family affair the midnight hour in the midst of life breaking curfew a day spent with a living legend breaking the ice being an army brat breaking away winning in a bargain or barter with a shrewd individual story behind the story only recently not being afraid sleeping on it they all laughed breaking loose discovery of my father/mother/sister/brother entering the mainstream revitalizing spirits rejecting the mainstream breathing new life spending time friendship with coming home homemaking first results in traditional dress too much of a good thing nursing early responsibility separating seeing the family only rarely one step closer greatest personal success wake-up call caring making merry face to face watching with amazement and alarm coming full circle day or night clearing the tracks being a complete person covering your tracks earning a living in an unusual way owning up eating your heart out lesson from the expert(s) a serious mistake made in childhood talking and thinking backward to remember the past a shot in the arm dogfight a funny kind of a voice from the past variety going through it like everyone else

50 40 What Can 0 Write About? being predictable letting off steam reminding of someone or something forgotten marching to the tune of a different drummer much ado about nothing almost alike Dreams, Fantasies, Make-Believe almost famous a pot of gold unmoving minute hand free as the birds bearing the pain setting the world on fire taking the cake Bigfoot someone following glorifying only yesterday? invincible I made it! the first moments before Creation, when God, in freedom personified in action Shelley's words, was "weary of vacancy" favorite spot windjammer one day at a time meeting an archetype reunion/uniting old pals encounter with a snallygaster the last word(s) dreams in technicolor honest mistake(s) magic a worthy accomplishment end of the rainbow when I fall in love/when I feel in love if I were the opposite sex climbing through the window late at night if I were rich losing the key(s) if there were no rules second helping going home with an extraterrestrial puppy love pantomime love of puppies nightmare(s) on turning 18 till the end of time on turning 21 back from heaven/hell getting my driver's license soapbox slacking with the original Berserkers the ultimate eccentric family dream(s) tempest in a teapot terror from the sky the long road ahead out of time a piercing experience dream(s) making ends meet prophetic dreams where the heart is Nostradamus green, green grass of home rewriting history on the road maelstrom on the river supernova defender of the living symbols and images the day of reckoning the last frontier Ozark living a space odyssey stage fright alien abductions bad moment "If I were queen/king for a day." an instant's lapse of attention teacher for a day humbling experience supplicating Sports and Their Metaphors suffocating interference I can see clearly now winning combination the beautiful today tennis without a net the simple made hard loser take all

51 Narrative 41 crossing the line and away we go leveling the playing field border crossing landing some big ones climbing a mountain giving no quarter slow, unanxious ride reruns/repeats/playbacks meeting in illegal procedure fugitive good sporting behavior muddy road no substitute for rules last journey showcase talent someone met on a trip back seat to no one surviving a natural disaster maximum performance the first/last bus/train/plane home Olympic spirit ships passing in the night passing the torch on the loose two out of three long way yet watching run westward ho! the winner explaining how it was done living on the coast target shooting a long day's journey into night glider, gliding trekking in down the homestretch seven years in a game of inches sailing away for a night and a day (or more) running neck and neck the Great Wall loose ball the route strategic error the yellow brick road making all the difference in the outcome scuba diving coming out swinging a rafting expedition overbearing getting lost in canyon country a lightweight security checks fast service subway adventures rained out captains courageous gone fishing going where? fishing as a "contest against nature" (Steinbeck) having been where? a big sweep roving crossing swords long and winding road throwing down the gauntlet rocky road rolling with the punches the call of faraway places rope-a-dope hard traveling sparring bon voyage shadow boxing taking chances blockbuster train adventure horse race driving over-confident national parks moving the goalposts easy way back getting injured in the game hard way back making the leap the nomad finding a home asking for something in another language Travel, Adventure fording a river driving in a blizzard stopping by the wayside 0, Paris! adrift on the Amazon big move drifting

r4, 42 What Can 0 Write About? international friendships portent atop a double-decker bus undiscovered country strange places an abandoned house pickpocket the attic born to danger rattle in the attic stranded at the airport "You gotta believe me!" waiting all night for a ferry "I didn't do it!" package tour "I know what you did.. ." the cruise left for dead booking online the evil car going to Mexico twilight zone experience the love boat nightmare on your street tourist in space in the cellar celebrity astronaut ghost in the machine roughing it ghostwriter a blowing nor'easter the woman in white the call of the wild the man in black already there the glass eyeball taking the road less traveled the rustling behind the door tunneling through creaking stairs visiting the "Forbidden City" illusion or reality? going on pilgrimage to echoes waiting for what comes next Mystery chasing down a stolen/missing item at a séance strange doings the uninvited flickering lights unexplained incident impending but unseen or unknown danger premonitions reading tarot cards psychics' predictions my visit to the psychic psychological terror Miscellaneous a figure in the shadows a trunkful of old letters out of tune a lost key in the long run a twin brother or sister that no one told you about nose for news a scar threat becoming actuality a raspy voice on the phone folk custom accident, or homicide? tricky going no stone unturned junk-food addiction black cat dealing with bureaucracy looking for the one that got away people of leisure investigation keeping up with the mystery behind reality glad to be here at random at home/not at home first discovery of the strange always watching, always being watched sabotage honor among thieves proofs jury of peers suspicion threat a voice of eternity a lesson for all surprises galore the old boy network

53 Narrative 43 swimming upstream (metaphorically) leaving someone out sitting/standing on ceremony ingroups and outgroups knowing what to do online chat groups breach of faith laughing at/being laughed at/laughing with Write a descriptive narrative in which you re-create in curiosity-seeking the mind of the reader an understanding of some unusual experience you have had (or have heard supporting locals about from someone close to you). maneuver, strategy Write a narrative essay entitled, "Someone for All spitting venom Reasons," about a person who was everyone and shootings everythingsay, a college president or a high school race with the devil principal or a mayor who tended not only to adminis- baring your claws trative matters but also swept the sidewalks. Use the narrative style of one of these writers as a diplomacy starting point for your autobiographical narrative: white-collar criminals Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, James Baldwin, living a la Martha Stewart James Boswell, Charlotte Brontë, Sandra Cisneros, chivalry becomes sexism Charles Dickens, Frederick Douglass, Isak Dinesen, Miss Manners says Madeleine L'Engle, Ralph Ellison, William Faulkner, Anne Frank, Benjamin Franklin, Ernest Hemingway, prom night James Joyce, Jack Kerouac, Jamaica Kincaid, volunteering Stephen King, Jack London, Gabriel Garcia neighborhood watch Marquez, Herman Melville, Nathan McCall, Walter keeping up appearances Dean Myers, V. S. Naipaul, George Orwell, Gary Paulsen, Plutarch, Katherine Anne Porter, Arundhati secular saints Roy, William Saroyan, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, polite applause Brent Staples, Amy Tan, Henry David Thoreau, a joke that fell flat Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Mark Twain, Thomas Wolfe, common-sense scorn, as for UFO sightings Tom Wolfe, Tobias Wolff, William Wordsworth, Malcolm X, Laurence Yep, Paul Zindel. a pledge of quality Write a narrative essay entitled, "If Anything Good Can setting an example Happen, It Probably Will." A possible opening could snubbing be, "To tell the truth I am sickeningly optimistic." covering for someone Use one of the following as a beginning for a narrative dog-biting man essay: handling being famous Without even trying, I have come face to face with follies of the wise choosing only one What I planned to say and what I did say in my first public address were not remotely similar. "oops ... !" Draw suitable narrative topics from the section of this putting your foot in it book on creative writing. "Netiquette"

54- s.0 CLASSIFICATION/DIVISION

What Classification/Division Writing Is son prefers to die. It is easy to see, then, why the kind of writing this chapter is concerned with can be The most immediate example that can be offered of an effective method for exploring such a this kind of writing is the book itself, which at the wide-ranging notion. very least is an extended exercise in classification/ It is also worth noting that mental pain can be re- division. The material of the book is classified in lated to and can even cause physical pain, and vice terms of various types of writing and then divided versa. Thus this example also points up the fact that into more specific categories. Classification, then, seemingly distinct categories can, upon closer ex- is the systematic arrangement of something into amination, blur togetheras well as the fact that, classesgroups usually founded upon some com- oftentimes, distinct categories are established not so mon ground. Those classified groups may then be much because they simply exist in the "real world" divided into their separate parts. Strictly speaking, it but because they are constructed to serve a human is virtually impossible to classify without dividing, purpose. Another example, and one where the hu- but for rhetorical purposes it might be helpful to think man purpose has sometimes been unfortunate, can of division as tending to be more distinct, more par- be seen in the use of various notions of racial identity. ticular. Language-family history provides an excel- lent example of classification: Linguists group lan- guages into language families (Afro-Asiatic, Indo- European, Iroquoian, Niger-Congo, Sino-Tibetan, Locating Subjects Uto-Aztec, to name a few). These in turn can be di- for Classification/Division vided and subdivided into language branches, lan- As pointed out before, this book is a handy example guages, dialects, varieties, and ultimately, idiolects of classification/division. It might be of help to the last term being used to refer to one's own private browse through it to mark how thousands of diverse variety of speech. subjects can be classified and divided. Keep in mind that the same subject can be classified according to How to Write Classification/Division different principles, depending on the criteria or even the classifier. For example, you may classify people As with process writing, the key here is order, the by their age, their ethnicity, their class, their educa- systematic arrangement of our material. An essay on tion or any other criterion, depending on the nature types of pain, for instance, might begin with the clas- of your inquiry. Of course you will be looking at sification of pain into its two general types, mental lists for the most part. Once classification/division and physical. That general classification could then is taken beyond the list format, other writing types be divided into the almost innumerable kinds of and techniques will come along quite naturally, such mental and physical pain. Painphysical, emotional, as description and characterization. For example, psychologicalcan range from a nagging discom- consider subgroups in the student body at your fort to an agony so unbearable that the afflicted per- school, e.g., "nerds," "jocks," "brains," and so on.

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55 Classification/Division 45

Animal Life kinds of perception kinds of "erroneous zones" endangered species ways of observing unique ways of trapping kinds of madness ways of taking care of animals kinds of terror kinds of unwanted animals kinds of symptoms of violent patients emotional problems of animals behaviors deriving from id, ego, superego food habits of animals kinds of conditions under which it is impossible to ways of training animals concentrate hibernation kinds of ways of opening paths to reconciliation bears kinds of emotional retreats metamorphic creatures kinds of pain creatures that use camouflage kinds of psychological games kinds of eyesight kinds of eating pleasures kinds of hearing kinds of stress relievers rodents ways to relieve depression birds ways to cope with fear rare animals ways to offer comfort animal variety on the Galapagos Islands ways to get revenge recognizing poisonous snakes ways in which is manifested the smartest animals kinds of dilemmas the dumbest animals kinds of laughter common diseases of animals personality types selective breeding of dogs kinds of ignorance animal communication new ways to learn group behaviors of animals kinds of temptations vertebrates kinds of taste(s) kinds of thinking Intellectual, Psychological, and kinds of moral courage Emotional Perceptions and Reactions moods according to season moods according to days of the week various ways to look at moods according to certain incidents ways of organizing thoughts for kinds of ways of looking at something (using "Thirteen kinds of nonphysical weapons Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," by Wallace words as weapons Stevens, as a guide) kinds of hints, innuendos, accusations ways of reading the world kinds of old ways to learn kinds of literacy ways of looking at trees kinds of groups within a community kinds of intellectual climate ways to let off steam without violence different kinds of teasing kinds of flattery the dreadful, the bad, and the not-so-bad ways to show appreciation kinds of epiphany that influence life ways of showing respect kinds of impressions teachers/students have of one kinds of humor another kinds of love kinds of response(s) to crises kinds of possessiveness/territorial behavior kinds of time thieves several ways the world reacted to Law emotions involved in courage kinds of logic or rationale kinds of law(s) kinds of knowledge kinds of legal professionals 46 What Can 11 Write About? kinds of legal fields Natural Phenomena kinds of procedure by the defense kinds of indemnity kinds of carnivorous plants kinds of homicide kinds of drinking water kinds of appeals kinds of snow extortion, kidnapping, blackmail distinctions kinds of mind-affecting plants kinds of "strange" laws Alexander Pope's classification, "The Great Chain of Being" degrees of felony kinds of sunsets/sunrises kinds of procedure by the prosecution kinds of colors kinds of jeopardy bodies of water kinds of evidence celestial bodies kinds of British legal professionals (barrister, solicitor, and so forth) gross things in nature kinds of summons beautiful things in nature kinds of legal courts cool things in nature kinds of waivers kinds of teas kinds of fraud kinds of winged insects kinds of conflict between civil and religious laws kinds of Medieval classification of the elements kinds of licenses kinds of clouds kinds of punishment kinds of storms kinds of sounds Human-Made Structures kinds of order among natural things kinds of group/pack behavior kinds of places of worship kinds of chemical elements kinds of living quarters kinds of poisons kinds of architecture of modern times kinds of rock formations kinds of ancient architecture kinds of canyons kinds of toys that are harmful kinds of prairie grasses kinds of harmless toys kinds of canoes/boats Arts and Entertainment kinds of adobe bricks kinds of cheap hotels kinds of crime novels kinds of specialized hotels kinds of action heroes kinds of bridges types of drama kinds of clocks writers imprisoned for their principles kinds of train cars superheroines, real or fictional kinds of furniture ways horror movies scare or surprise us kinds of television sets kinds of popular music kinds of beds that cause trouble in sleeping kinds of art interpretation kinds of towers kinds of literary schools kinds of monuments for self-glorification kinds of technique in art kinds of shopping malls kinds of style in literature kinds of memorials kinds of criticism of art kinds of aircraft country music kinds of baby strollers humor on TV kinds of playgrounds junkyard art sophisticated bicycles found art kinds of automobiles garden/yard art kinds of recreational vehicles types of TV detectives kinds of bridges kinds of video games kinds of parks and monuments kinds of computer games

57 Classification/Division 47 kinds of parades kinds of war kinds of Madonna's personae kinds of governments types of sitcoms kinds of views of what obscenity, profanity, and types of game shows pornography are kinds of pop art kinds of service learning kinds of literary expression (surrealism, expressionism, kinds of youth clubs impressionism, etc.) Saturday night activities kinds of oral entertainment kinds of Web fun kinds of art not requiring special training kinds of "spam" kinds of art kinds of vocal music Religion, Myth, Worldviews Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin as signature astrological groups styles divisions of the Hindu caste system Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Miles Davis as signature styles ways the Medievals viewed the seven deadly sins kinds of composers ways the ancient honored their gods kinds of musicians types and sub-types of religion kinds of British Invasion bands major world religions kinds of musical ensembles kinds of Judaism kinds of talk shows kinds of Islam different audiences as seen by actors various kinds of belief kinds of fictional works kinds of prayer kinds of poetry kinds of paganism kinds of literature kinds of Protestantism kinds of schools of art kinds of spiritual experiences kinds of views of humanity in art kinds of Eastern religion kinds of racing kinds of Western religion kinds of "whodunnits" cosmology of a particular religion kinds of science fiction Native American ways of worship (choose a particular group) kinds of fantasy literature kinds of supernatural figures in folklore Sociopolitical Concerns types of pilgrimages religious rituals involving the use of food organization of the (local, state, federal) government types of religious apparel causes of homelessness types of religious training kinds of social status kinds of sacrifices kinds of city problems kinds of agnosticism divisions of Los Angeles or another city of your choice kinds of atheistic worldviews kinds of slavery (not just physical slavery) kinds of Buddhism kinds of social units approaches to pleasure (e.g., hedonism, asceticism) kinds of discrimination kinds of mourning kinds of animal rights groups kinds of ecstasy kinds of activist groups kinds of religious ceremonies connected with coming of kinds of corporate pollution age types of women's groups kinds of feasting kinds of election conclusions kinds of fasting the boring 1950s, rebellious 1960s, selfish 1970s, greedy 1980s, the 1990s, etc. Communication and Rhetoric kinds of things seen as status symbols in society kinds of sentences types of popular fashion trends internal monologue, monologue, dialogue kinds of mail service in different countries kinds of insults

58 48 What Can 0 Write About?

kinds of questions that children ask kinds of people I like kinds of language you use depending on your audience kinds of people I dislike kinds of television ads people in television ads kinds of titles for royalty people in television shows kinds of laughter people at the stage theater kinds of bumper stickers kinds of workers ways of blowing the car horn to deliver a message to kinds of bores other drivers cool people body language faces facial expressions cultures within your school or another community or kinds of charisma population kinds of language within a single language doctors kinds of narrative lawyers kinds of compliments merchants methods of news analysis kinds of crowds different levels of expression kinds of families kinds of funny things children say kinds of holidays kinds of roles you play depending on your audience kinds of celebrations ways in which language is imperfect kinds of frauds kinds of rhetoric common to rebels of all time kinds of city folk kinds of language within a single group kinds of country folk kinds of comic-page devices for humor types of factory work kinds of testimonials types of farm work things done to poke fun at politicians types of coastal work kinds of touch kinds of friends ways to express the same thing movie audiences parts of a book kinds of TV hosts kinds of editing kinds of workers in television kinds of occupational titles mental health professionals kinds of city language small ambitions kinds of country language kinds of companions ways in which new words come into use kinds of salespersons in different parts of the country kinds of advertising pitches kinds of clowns verbal techniques of telemarketers celebrity models kinds of obfuscation singing/courting customs in kinds of "doublespeak" the staff of the White House kinds of language within a single country types of martial arts kinds of letters expeditions kinds of public speaking kinds of racing ways to define what "is" is types of meditation kinds of written language types of diets ways to communicate displeasure types of volunteering ways to communicate "I told you so" types of body alterations ways to apologize types of hair styles different kinds of tales types of protests Work, Customs, and Ways of People types of extreme sports types of festivals ways to classify the books on your bookshelf types of wildlife enthusiasts ways to be polite in different cultures types of youth groups journalistic types nature lovers

59 Classification/Division 49 types of groups to promote ethnic pride "At twenty years of age," said Benjamin Franklin, "the drinkers will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judg- ment." chewers "Everybody has his own theatre, in which he is manager, walkers actor, prompter, playwright, sceneshifter, boxkeeper, runners doorkeeper, all in one, and audience into the bar- conversationalists gain," said Julius and Augustus Hare. jokes Philip James Bailey said: "America, thou half-brother of kinds of pomposity the world;/With something good and bad of every kinds of humility land." Shakespeare says, "Some are born great, some achieve Classification/Division items may be drawn greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." from these quotations: "Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with "In the language of screen comedians," said James sniffles predominating," said 0. Henry. Agee, "four of the main grades of laugh are the titter, "Nations, like men, have their infancy," said Henry St. the yowl, the belly laugh, and the boffo. The titter is John, Viscount Bolingbroke. just a titter. A yowl is a runaway titter. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure knows all about the belly Elizabeth Barrett Browning: "How do I love thee? Let laugh. The boffo is the laugh that kills." me count the ways." "Broadly speaking," said Winston Churchill, "human "If I were really asked to define myself, I wouldn't start beings may be divided into three classes: those who with race; I wouldn't start with blackness; I wouldn't are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, start with gender; I wouldn't start with feminism. I and those who are bored to death." would start with stripping down to what fundamen- "One religion is as true as another," said Robert Burton. tally informs my life, which is that I'm a seeker on the path." (bell hooks) "To every thing there is a season," says Ecclesiastes.

60 (ES )CAUSE AND EFFECT

What Cause and Effect Writing Is are not just coincidental, that the argument does not fall into the logical fallacy post hoc, ergo propter Cause and effect are correlative terms, and they are hoc: "After this, therefore because of this." As Rob- immensely useful as a rhetorical combination: if this ert Todd Carroll says in The Skeptic's Dictionary, and this and this happen the more or less natural re- "Many events follow sequential patterns without sult will be that (the effect). Or, to turn the technique being causally related. For example, you have a cold, on its deductive head, that happens because of this so you drink fluids and two weeks later your cold and this and this. Humankind has always looked for goes away. You perform some task exceptionally well such connections, always wanted to know why. In after forgetting to bathe, so the next time you have fact, entire philosophical systems were developed out to perform the same task you don't bathe." Are the of cause and effect structures by ancient civilizations events connected by cause and effect? Examining around the world, offering complex or simple the causal relationships, rejecting those that are co- cosmologies to explain the principle of causality, incidental, analyzing logical relationships, all help asking the same question in different ways that to clarify one's thinking, and more important, to theo- Stephen Hawking asks here: "Where do we come rize. from? How did the universe begin? Why is the uni- Despite the uncertainties and the perils, however, verse the way it is? How will it end?... If, like me, writing about cause and effect offers the opportu- you have looked at the stars, and tried to make sense nity to construct order from confusion when dealing of what you see, you too have started to wonder what with the unknown; in matters where a risk is involved, makes the universe exist." in confrontation with chaos, or when something per- sonally vital is on the line, one can reach out to make How to Write Cause and Effect sense out of the muddle. Thus, though we know now more than ever that Identify the fact, the person, thing or condition, de- writing is more than explainingthat it is a way of scribe how that circumstance brings about the more exploring and even constructing realitywe can still or less natural result, and you will find yourself in value an orderly method of interrogating something the midst of writing cause and effect. The method is and of making meaning. As far as humanly possible, orderly and, it would seem, obvious. And yet a cau- given any individual's necessarily limited perspec- tion is necessary at this point to guard against mak- tive, writing helps us to see what is, as we follow in ing too simplistic a connection between cause and its widest sense the imperative that E. M. Forster effect. Twentieth-century physics, in fact, complicates offers: "Only connect!" causality, bringing the very notion into question through the uncertainty principle as defined by Werner Heisenberg, founder of quantum mechanics, Locating Subjects for Cause and Effect and through chaos theory, nonlinearity, and concepts such as the butterfly effect. At the rhetorical level, This chapter is one of the most substantial in the establishing cause and effect entails other perils: we book. Almost anything can be interrogated through need to make sure that the connections being made cause and effect. The approach to this device can

50 61 Cause and Effect 5 easily bring together process, research-and-report, where the inherent faults (causes) in a character of argumentative, and expository writing. It can also whatever nobility effect or at least affect his or her be put to a more explicitly creative use, however. eventual downfall. Consider a mystery story, for example, working its Clearly, cause and effect can be crafted in various way backwards from the corpse to the first cause, ways, but we would do well especially in this kind the prime mover of the deed. Or, to turn the order of writing to let go of our opinion that everything is around, consider a story tragic in a classical sense, as ordered as it seems to be.

6 2 52 What Can I Write About?

Art, Drama, Music, Graphics, Film, Etc. Is there a connection between great art and personal ethics? Why is considered such an accomplished What cause-and-effect lesson is there in the fact that artist? Pandora opened the box? What is the effect of experience on art? Why is the art world usually considered as separate What is the effect of art on experience? from the "real" world? What effects does this way of What is the effect of war on art? On creativity? thinking have? What is the effect of the emotions on art? On creativity? Why do we look up to the starsthat is, movie stars and Why are some artists "discovered" only posthumously? singing stars? What would cause (or what did cause) a great producer, Why do we spend time on art that might be spent more director, or actor to make a bad movie? practically? Discuss in cause-and-effect terms the moral dilemma of Why is a certain television show an unexpected suc- an actor who is asked to play the role of an evil cess? personsay, of a Nazi war criminal. Why does something seen over and over still strike Discuss in cause-and-effect terms the fact that in the some people as funny? movie world "you have to have talent, you have to What drains the life out of creativity? work hard, and it is well to have a talent for luck." Why would you want, or not want, to judge the work of Discuss in cause-and-effect terms the belief that we all your classmates or to have them judge your work? have a little of the musician, the poet, and the crazy Why do we value some artists' work more than others'? person in us. Why do more women than men watch talk shows? Why is pottery a key to understanding past cultures? What makes something art? What are the effects of a particular painting technique? Why are we so interested in child prodigies in music, What effects can be achieved through special camera art, etc.? lenses? What theories have been posited to explain child Why do the works of a certain important artist affect prodigies? Which is the most convincing? you? How does music create atmosphere in a film? Assume that there is always an explanation for a like or How do graphics influence how a message is received? a dislike, and tell why you like or dislike a certain work of art. Choose a film-maker and describe his or her effect on the film-making industry. Through cause and effect, relate psychiatry (not psychodrama) to drama. How does a particular music group connect to popular culture? Where does the inspiration of a song come from? Which comes first, words or music? What things are there all around us that, not taken for granted, could supply Biological Sciences us with material for songs? What effects does oxygen or some other chemical As an exercise in sensuous description, listen to a element have on plants? favorite piece of music and write a description of the What effects do enzymes have on human physiology? effects of the music on your senses. Obviously you will describe the sounds, but also bring your other What causes food to spoil? senses into play: What visual images does the music What damage does a certain non-human creature cause? cause (or create)? What smells, tastes, or textures? In what ways are animal instincts not always best for What particular details of the music cause these certain animals? sensations and associations? Explain the scientific observation that complex animals Pick a particular music group, e.g., Sweet Honey in the survive less well than simple animals do. Rock. Why was the group created, and what has been Why do jumping beans jump? its impact? Why did the dinosaurs become extinct? Why have Is there a cause-and-effect relationship between listen- creatures in modern times become extinct? ing to complex music and improving mental perfor- mance? Why do vines wind a certain way? How does a particular piece of art reflect the artist's What effect does helium have on vocal cords? life? Why is there no cure for a virus? Discuss in cause-and-effect terms whether jazz ex- What enables diseases to become resistant to treatment? presses a unique aspect of American culture. How does introducing nonnative plants or animals How did Pablo Picasso's work change modern art? change the ecosystem? How did surrealism in art become an expression of the How does coloration benefit animals? times? What causes bread to rise?

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How do grapes become wine? Why might Joseph Addison have said that "A good face How do bacteria create edible food? is a letter of recommendation"? Why do mushrooms grow in the dark? What is the status of the solar-energy business? What is its status the effect of? How do the rings of a tree tell time? Why is it true that "all that glitters is not gold"? How is yogurt made? How do seemingly unpleasant processes (fermentation, Why do some businesses fail during hard times? growing molds/bacteria) result in some tasty foods? What factors make a small business succeed or fail? How do marinades work on foods? What causes a decline in the quality of merchandise sold to a mass market? How does composting work? Why has the reputation of the hamburger declined in Business, Office, or Bureaucracy recent years? "A hungry rooster doesn't cackle when it finds a worm," What does industry do (or what can it do) to prevent said Joel Chandler Harris. Explain what effects routine from becoming depressing for its employees? "cackling" in the business world would have. Show why, according to the Bible, "in all labor there is For what reasons can one be denied U.S. citizenship? profit." What are the effects on the individual of a bloated Why should one get a job? bureaucracy? Why can, according to Cervantes, "Many littles make Give an example of how supply and demand works. one big"? How can your body language help or hinder you in a job What factors cause airline prices to rise? interview? What factors cause airline prices to fall. Why is time considered money? Why is money consid- Children ered time? What would be the effect of your invest- ing time? Why do children run away from home? How can complaints bring results? What effects does television violence have on children? Why is it assumed by some that an only child will be Why does the "squeaky wheel get the grease?" Describe a situation where you've seen this phenomenon in spoiled? action. In what ways might it be true that "the child is father to "A lot of determination is behind each little success." the man"or mother to the woman? Explain. Why do siblings quarrel? Why has it been said that "losing a job can be the first What is the effect on a girl who knows that the parent(s) step towards a new and better job"? wanted a boy, or vice versa? What comes of being in the right place at the right time? Why do children need "quality time" with their parents? Does avarice spur industry, as David Hume argued? How do children learn social behavior? What would be the effect(s) of your putting off until In the words of a song by Rodgers and Hammerstein, tomorrow some important task that you have been children "have to be carefully taught" to have advised to do today? prejudice. Is prejudice something that children learn? How does supply and demand affect the market for Can tolerance be learned? Does television teach children (as it has been argued) What factors affect consumer confidence in the stock bad grammar, bad language, bad manners, and bad market? diet? How does shoplifting affect the overall economy? Why do children learn languages more readily than adults? What are the causes of shoplifting? "A child's best friend is ." Why? What causes either the end of plenty or the end of a In what ways is the TV set a bad babysitter? certain shortage? Why do more girls than boys go in for babysitting? What are the effects of inflation on people whose "One thing about raising children is that they grow in incomes are fixed? any soil." How can you justify this statement in terms Why do real estate prices rise and fall? of cause and effect. What effects did the New Deal have on the wealthy? On the poor? Economics Is turmoil the effect of progress? Or the price of "Money is the root of all evil." Show how this saying is progress? true or false. Why are there restrictions on bringing plants and What effects does trucking have on the economy? What uncooked foods across national borders? effects does the economy have on trucking?

64 54 What Can 0 Write About?

What is behind the increase/decrease of in Why might encouragement teach confidence? the economy? Why might differences teach tolerance? How does taxation contribute to a civil society? Why might awareness of difference teach one to What causes certain jobs to fail during hard times? celebrate difference? What causes certain jobs to hold up during both good Why might tolerance teach respect? times and bad? Why might praise teach appreciation? Is it so that, as Benjamin Franklin said, "Necessity Why might approval teach self-respect? never made a good bargain"? Why might acceptance teach love? Why did a certain economic measure fail? Why might love teach acceptance? In what ways can it be said that "poverty's catching" (Aphra Behn)? Why might recognition teach goals? "Change is not made without inconvenience, even from Why might fairness teach justice? worse to better," said Richard Hooker. Apply this Why might security teach faith in self? cause-and-effect argument to economics. Why might friendliness teach friendliness? What were the causes and effects of the collapse of Why might learning often come from the strangest or Enron? least likely experience? Do inflated salaries cause inflation? How can the truth make you free? What is the prediction for the economy five years from Why do some think that it pays to be ignorant? now? Why? Why might community colleges be more attractive What effects do natural conditions such as drought or options than traditional colleges? heavy snow have on the economy? Why, according to Sir Francis Bacon, is knowledge How can "mom and pop" stores compete with power? superstores? How do low test scores among students of a certain area How would the world be different if its material stores affect an industry's decision to move into the area? were equally divided? What could cause us to love reading more? To hate it The family farm can no longer survive because more? What is the consequence of the fact that, as Heraclitus Education said, "All is flux, nothing is fixed"? "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a Does a learning problem necessarily cause a learning man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" (ascribed disability? to Confucius). Apply this saying to any human being What effects do private schools have on public educa- to show how he or she may be empowered. tion? What effects does a multicultural education have on Why did Blake think that "The road of excess leads to you? the palace of wisdom"? How can you promote multicultural awareness in your Why is it considered that the one who knows much school? knowledge knows much sorrow? How does diversity educate your community? What causes graduation depression? How might one's high school experience influence one's What effect(s) did Socrates' ideas have on modern choice of a college? education? What effects does education have on you? What effect(s) did Aristotle's ideas have on modern Why can students in these times say after their educa- education? tion, All of that for nothing? Why do some families/cultures put such a high priority Why is it assumed that a university degree assures the on education? graduate of a better life? What are the effects of learning in isolation rather than Why might students be bored in school? with others? How can extracurricular activities enhance a student's Discuss in terms of cause and effect the statement by life? Disraeli, "Experience is the child of Thought, and Thought is the child of Action." What effects, if any, does knowledge of have on us? Discuss in terms of cause and effect the statement by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, "Treat people as if How might more reading make for more wisdom? they were what they ought to be and you help them to Why might criticism teach condemnation? become what they are capable of being." Why might hostility teach belligerence? Discuss: You have to carry knowledge with you if you Why might fear teach apprehension? want to bring knowledge home. Why might pity teach self-pity?

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What effects did Maria Montessori's ideas have on ozone in ground-level air we breathe and too little modern education? ozone in the atmosphere? What effects did John Dewey's ideas have on modern What are the causes of groundwater contamination? education? What are the effects on people or animals? Why is it necessary to educate for democracy? What are the arguments for and against storing the What comes of learning without preconceptions? nation's nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, Nevada? Why can learning be an effect of dialogue or conversa- How does studying ecology help us better our environ- tion? ment? Why can learning be an effect of introspection? How does recycling a particular product have specific environmental effects? What will be, or what would be, the effects of a nation- wide "scientific illiteracy"? Why is the ocean salty? What would be the effect of learning from a little bit of Why is the Dead Sea the saltiest? adversity at a time? Why do some creatures prey on their own species? What would be the teaching effects if (some Discuss in terms of cause and effect the processes of public figure) were a teacher? natural selection and evolutionary change as Darwin Knowledge helps us "escape the hell of subjectivity," explains them. said Samuel Johnson. Why should that be so? Discuss in terms of cause and effect: "The history of life What causes experience, and what does experience tends to move in quick and quirky episodes, rather cause? than by gradual improvement." (Stephen J. Gould on evolutionary change) "Age teaches," says a Spanish proverb. What does age teach? "No one is deafer than the one who does not choose to Ethics and Philosophy hear," says a Spanish proverb. Discuss this statement Discuss from either side of the ambiguity/ambivalence in terms of cause and effect. the statement that nothing comes from nothing. "Wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the Is there ever "a victim of circumstance"? best means," said Francis Hutcheson. Discuss this statement in terms of cause and effect. Discuss whether or not ideas always have consequences. Discuss whether in education "better late than never" Discuss whether it is possible for good to exist without applies. evil or for evil to exist without good. In what way will society be affected by your education? What is the effect of having someone else's thoughts in your mind? What effects might a college education have on you as a person? Why can adversity be described as "bread"? "You can't win unless you learn how to lose." (Kareem Discuss whether or not it is true that, according to Abdul-Jabbar) Byron, the weak alone repent. "A little learning is a dangerous thing." (Alexander Explain in terms of cause and effect what Shakespeare Pope) meant by the comment that conscience makes cowards of us all. "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." (Thomas Gray) Why do some people need keys to open doors that are already open? "The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, Was Browning right in saying, "Truth never hurts the tolerant, just and peaceful life for all." (Aung San teller"? Suu Kyi) Is humanity the sole mistake of Nature, as William "Learning is a place where paradise can be created." Gilbert said? (bell hooks) Is it better to die on your feet than to live on your knees, as Dolores Ibarruri said? Environment Does virtue breed happiness, as Benjamin Franklin claimed? What effects does building a dam have on animal, plant, Discuss mind over matter/matter over mind in terms of and human life in the surrounding area? cause and effect. What are the arguments for and against saving rain Show whether it is true in life that when one door forests? closes, others open. What are the arguments for and against drilling for oil in Is it human nature to enjoy the struggle more than the Alaska? achievement? What are the causes and effects of having too much Discuss whether it is true that, as Thomas Hardy said, life offers, only to deny.

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Is it better to lose with friends than to win with enemies? What does it mean, in cause-and-effect terms, to "keep Discuss a situation where cause is effect. your mind level" when "life's path is steep"? An idea from Edward Fitzgerald's translation of Omar What makes people believe in, or want to believe in, Khayyam is that "the flower that once has blown for immortality? ever dies." Discuss in terms of cause and effect. Why does tradition exercise such a powerful hold on Is it better, as a Spanish proverb says, to be loved than us? not hated? Link the following ideas through cause and effect: love, Is it so, as a Spanish proverb says, that one who walks death, money, and life. from flower to flower will finally choose the worst? Why can intended good at times be harmful? Discuss Thomas Henry Huxley's position that "it is the Do we try too hard to make it in the world and thus customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and allow too much good to pass us by? to end as superstitions." Why does Robert Frost's idea of "the road not taken" Does, as Mahatma Gandhi suggested, an eye for an eye arouse such interest? leave the world blind? What are the consequences of bucking tradition? What are the effects of the condition that, according to Describe a personal encounter with the law of karma. the Spanish proverb, the first one to get wet has more time to get dry? Address the following quotations in cause- Why do people seek success? Why do people fear and-effect terms: success? "Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one How is time an "effect" of life, or vice versa? Discuss walks." (Gloria Anzaldaa) Benjamin Franklin's comment: "If you love life, do "The mind is everything; what you think, you become." not squander time, of which life is made." (Gautama Buddha) Is life-after-life or death-after-life the effect of living? "I think, therefore I am." (Descartes) Why? "Humankind cannot bear very much reality." (T. S. If you believe there is a next world, what is necessary in Eliot) this world to enjoy the next? "If I enclosed truths with my hands, I would be wary not What is the effect of the pursuit of perfection? to open them." (Fontenelle) What is the effect of pursuing "sweetness and light," as "The unexamined life is not worth living." (Plato) Matthew Arnold used the term? "The unlived life is not worth examining." (Tomas What effect does freedom have on human relationships? Shrink) What are effects of allowing or barring stem-cell "The long habit of living indisposes us for dying." research? (Thomas Browne) Discuss in cause-and-effect terms the observation by "The one who lives on hope dies fasting." (Benjamin Emerson that "the reward of a thing well done, is to Franklin) have done it." "People who fight fire with fire usually end up with Why would you be satisfied, or not be satisfied, with ashes." (Abigail Van Buren [ "Dear Abby"]) enough if others had more? "I make myself laugh at everything, for fear of having to Trace the cause-and effect reasoning or the events weep." (Beaumarchais) behind a particular belief you hold. "Prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth Apply Huckleberry Finn's comment "All right, then, I'll best discover virtue." (Sir Francis Bacon) go to hell .. ." to a real-life situation. "What does it profit to know the world but not oneself'?" Why does our inability to conceive of the size of the (Jean de La Fontaine) universe lead us back to thinking about ourselves? "Religion without humanity is very poor human stuff." Do you control circumstance, or are you controlled by (Sojourner Truth) it? "I was raised to believe that excellence is the best How have attitudes about sex been affected by birth deterrent to racism or sexism." (Oprah Winfrey) control? "Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find Discuss in terms of cause and effect: "Youth is wasted peace." (Gautama Buddha) on the young." "As a person acts, so he [or she] becomes in life." What effects does belonging to a group have on us? (Kena Upanishad) If you help yourself, will heaven help you, as Jean de La "Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose." Fontaine declared? (Billie Holiday) Discuss the proverb, "Man proposes, God disposes, and "We are shaped and fashioned by what we love." the devil discomposes." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

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"Who steals my purse steals trash; 't is something, nothing; Will reforming a bureaucracy simply cause more 'T was mine, 't is his, and has been slave to thousands; bureaucracy? But he that filches from me my good name What ails (now, or at any time) the American spirit? Robs me of that which not enriches him What invigorates (now, or at any time) the American And makes me poor indeed." (William Shakespeare) spirit? "Because our every action has a universal dimension, a Why is it so that, as Richard Hooker said, "One who potential impact on others' happiness, ethics are goes about to persuade people that they are not as necessary as a means to ensure that we do not harm well-governed as they ought to be will always have others." (Dalai Lama) listeners"? "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only What effect does bureaucracy have on idealism? through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success What effect does idealism have on bureaucracy? achieved." (Helen Keller) What changes can student government make in your "I am a part of all that I have met." (Alfred Tennyson) school? "Everything you don't do has an effect." (Kurt Austin) In politics why is it so that (as James Anthony Froude said) "Experience teaches slowly, and at the cost of "Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is mistakes"? always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." (Nathaniel In cause-and-effect terms, answer the question "What is Hawthorne) happening to the American dream?" "Knowledge and experience bring contentment." Why does common interest not always determine what (Bhagavad Gita) happens in a democracy? "Eternity is not something that begins after you are Why do negative campaign ads sometimes succeed? dead. It is going on all the time. We are in it now." How does the media influence the results of political (Charlotte Perkins Gilman) races? "Hatred, which could destroy so much, never failed to Discuss Jeremy Bentham's statement, "The greatest destroy the man who hated, and this was an immu- happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of table law." (James Baldwin) morals and legislation." "Everything that lives, / Lives not alone, nor for itself." Tell what caused certain U.S. Congress members or (William Blake) Senators to leave office willingly rather than pursue "There never was a good war, or a bad peace." (Benjamin other terms. Franklin) Discuss what makes stories of political chicanery so "Life demands to be lived." (H. L. Mencken) interesting. "Lying is done with words and also with silence." What effects will government have on education in the (Adrienne Rich) near future? "To enjoy freedom we have to control ourselves." How does personal charisma help build a political (Virginia Woolf) career? "In adverse fortune the worst sting of misery is to have Apply to politics the cause-and-effect Spanish proverb, been happy." (Boethius) "The one who walks with wolves will learn to howl." "There are two ways of spreading lightto be the How do regional backgrounds of certain presidents candle or the mirror that reflects it." (Edith Wharton) affect their presidential style? Why is the government so often reactive rather than Government, Politics proactive? What effects does being president have on the presi- Dennis Brutus said, "Never take the students too lightly. dent? What does the presidency do to or for the Students have very often been the spearhead of the moral stature of the person holding the office? struggle in this [South Africa] and in other coun- What has caused aristocracies to fail? tries." Discuss the effect of student involvement in a specific political movement. What brought about the downfall of Why, in voting, is a political incumbent usually favored Is it true in politics at any level that, as the Bible says, to win? "A soft answer turns away wrath"? "What is past my help is past my care," said John Why does the government resort to doublespeak? Fletcher. Does this view explain why people take the What does reason teach/not teach in government and attitude they take towards politics? politics? Why do friends (and relatives) in politics sometimes What happens to military personnel who challenge the cause more trouble than enemies? military?

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What happens to government personnel who challenge Why is "happiness the sister of health"? the government? Why do eating habits affect health? Discuss in terms of government and politics the Biblical What are some of the different causes of heart disease? quotation, "One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one. Discuss these quotations from Sir Francis Bacon: "Cure the disease and kill the patient." "The remedy is Why did a certain government or country come into worse than the disease." being? Why was the frontal lobotomy outlawed? In what ways did the end of apartheid affect the political balance in South Africa? What can be the bad effects of too much exercise? What factors contributed to the rise of terrorism in a How does pollution affect the health? particular country (such as Ireland, India, Germany, Why does one have to know the cause of something Japan, the United States)? before suggesting its remedy? "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, commit- What are the drawbacks of extending the human ted citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the lifespan? only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead) How might this statement be true or untrue: "Cheerful- "Feminism is the single most powerful social movement ness is the very flower of health." (Japanese proverb) of our time, one that addresses every aspect of "Health is not a condition of matter, but of mind." human and social life." (Richard Epstein) (Mary Baker Eddy) "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." (Lord Acton) History "Children, who play life, discern its true law and relations more clearly than men, who fail to live it How have the definitions of "great men" and "great worthily, but who think that they are wiser by women" changed over time? experience, that is, by failure." (Henry David What makes immigration to the United States so Thoreau) attractive? "Freedom never descends upon people; it is always Why are civil liberties considered a mixed blessing? bought with a price." (Harry T. Moore) Why will be less visited than before? "This struggle [against slavery] may be a moral one; or What made the 1960s a decade of violence? it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and Discuss Malcolm X's quotation, "History is a people's physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes memory, and without memory man is demoted to the nothing without a demand. It never did and it never lower animals." will." (Frederick Douglass on abolition) What cause-and-effect connection was there between slavery and "Manifest Destiny"? ealth In history, has force been a remedy? What are causes of acne? Discuss Thomas Jefferson's quotation, "The tree of Why is acne more than skin deep? liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural ma- Why does caffeine affect you as it does? nure." What are the effects of rest and time off as remedies for Why was a certain city or a certain university founded? health? Why was there such a delay in ending the Korean War? What are the effects of a smoker's stopping smoking? What positive effects in human rights would we see How has the changing perception of HIV affected today if slavery had really ended with the Civil War? peoples' behavior? Why is the private life of the President of the United Why do miscarriages happen? States expected to be impeccable? What causes kitchen accidents? bathroom accidents? Explain why Thomas Jefferson is so maligned. What are the causes and effects of E. coli contamina- Explain why Thomas Jefferson is so admired. tion? Explain why Franklin Delano Roosevelt (or John F. What causes anorexia, snoring, depression, asthma, Kennedy, or Bill Clinton) is so maligned. insomnia, ADHD, obesity? Explain why Franklin Delano Roosevelt (or John F. What is a cure for each of the conditions noted just Kennedy, or Bill Clinton) is so admired. above? What unusual cure(s) do you know of? What, specifically, do we gain from learning about Why is sound body related to sound mind? history? What cause-and-effect relationship is there between How have computers changed the lives of human exercise and mental health? beings? Why do people in Mediterranean countries have a low Explain why a certain great historical event came about. rate of heart problems?

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Does greatness result from intention, necessity, or What have been the effects, historically, of "gentle accident? persuasion"? Associate by cause and effect terrorism and Why are the United States and wary of as it relates to September 11, 2001. each other? Point up some present influence from a past idea. What has reason taught/not taught to history? Discuss Edmund Burke's quotation, "You can never Discuss in historical cause-and-effect terms Chaucer's plan the future by the past." quotation, "It is not good a sleeping hound to wake." Discuss John Lennon's quotation, "Life is what happens Is custom, as David Hume said, the "great guide of to you while you're busy making other plans." human life"? Show what caused someone to be accidentally thrust Why should Aristotle have considered poetry as into greatness. "something more philosophic and of graver import Will there be a World War III? Why or why not? And if than history"? so, what effects will it have? "History is the version of past events that people have What were the causes and effects of the Persian Gulf decided to agree upon." (Napoleon Bonaparte) War? Discuss Disraeli's quotation, "Assassination has never What were the causes and effects of the Spanish Civil changed the history of the world." War? Discuss Paula Gunn Allen's quotation, "I have noticed What is the effect of the war in Afghanistan? that as soon as you have soldiers the story is called history." What have been the effects of the Watergate scandal? What recent event in the nation or the world will be What is the effect of instantaneous telecommunications considered significant years from now? on our sense of history? Why might the following statement by Chinese prime Why does bad news dominate the newspaper and TV minister, Zhu Rongji, be accurate? "History can newscasts? never be covered up." Why might one think of historyas Daisy Ashford referred to itas "piffle before the wind"? Language What drives explorers to explore? Discuss Thomas Paine's quotation, "Every quiet method Why did language begin? for peace hath been ineffectual." Why do new times bring new language(s)? Discuss a large injustice in terms of cause and effect. How has the Internet (e-mail, the World Wide Web) How has recent history given vindication for someone influenced language? or something wronged in the past? What happens to babies who are not exposed to a rich What is behind a prediction by a modern "prophet"? variety of language? Why should we view history with the phrase "truth or Why are some languages valued more than others? consequences" in mind? Why do we speak differently in different situations (for Whatconsidering recent historyare the future example, at home versus at school)? effects of tradition? Does language make its user, or does the user of it make Why do other countries worry so much about U. S. language? policies? What makes a language fall out of use? In recent history, where have we come from and where Discuss in terms of cause and effect: "Writing teaches are we going? us our mysteries." (Marie de l'Incarnation) Discuss Thomas Henry Huxley's quotation, "Logical What social factors influence language change? consequences are the scarecrows of fools and the Explain why English was not replaced by French after beacons of [the] wise." the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Why does each generation tend to view past generations Using cause and effect, outline the general path of the nostalgically? English language from its beginnings to the present. What are the effects of isolationism as a national Why does legal language read as it does? policy? How does body language speak for us? Discuss with reference to history the quotation by William Norman Ewer, "I gave my life for free- Why does slang change so rapidly? domThis I know: / For those who bade me fight Why could someone who becomes fluent in a foreign had told me so." language still have difficulty communicating with a What has become of a celebrated figure among Ameri- native speaker? cans during the last ten or fifteen years? What caused To what extent and why does "inflammatory language" him or her to continue rising in esteem, or to fall? inflame? How do some words or terms become value-laden? 60 What Can 0 Write About?

What causes communication problems between genera- Why does crime break out in the streets during a tions? blackout of power in a major city? What causes semantic changes? What is gained, if anything, by punishing those who What languages other than English are having an break the law? influence on world politics? What effects do parents who commit crimes have on Aphra Behn said, "Money speaks sense in a language all their families? nations understand." flow can language be consid- Why are celebrities who break the law often treated ered money and money be considered language? differently than "regular" people? How can learning another language change one's view Why do old statutes remain on the books? of the world? Does a focus on "quality of life" crimes (littering, How can being bilingual help or hurt you? vandalism) help contribute to a lower rate of major Why do some immigrants give up their native languages crimes? when they come to the United States? What causes police brutality (or what allows it to Why do some people drop their home dialect or happen) where it occurs? language while others continue to value and use it? Discuss the probable result of dispensing justice Why is Yiddish not spoken as much as it used to be? according to "an eye for an eye." Why is one language or another gaining supremacy in Why are some drug crimes punished more harshly than the world ? others? Why is one language or another gaining supremacy in How does prison overcrowding affect punishment and world politics? parole decisions? Why is English a world language? What is the effect on crime in states that support the Will English ever be replaced as the dominant language death penalty? of the United States? What could cause such a Discuss the probable result of following the quotation change? by Edmund Burke, "Liberty must be limited in order Describe the impact of an event or action that has been to be possessed." taken "in the name of God." Why are all of us affected by major crimes? What would be the effect of legislation that makes What causes child abuse? English the official language of the United States? Why are there inequities in the law in the way the poor "We write because we believe the human spirit cannot and the rich are treated? be tamed and should not be trained." (Nikki Explain why a particular mystery remains unsolved. Giovanni) What is the effect of enforcing personal safety laws (car "A riot is the language of the unheard." (Martin Luther seats for infants, bicycle and motorcycle helmets, King Jr.) drinking age)? "Language is the roadmap of a culture." (Rita Mae How does the Internet make some crimes easier to Brown) commit? How does the Internet make some crimes easier to Law, Crime track? Explore the cause and effect of speaking out or keeping "Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the silent about sexual harassment. State becomes lawless or, which is the same thing, corrupt." (Mahatma Gandhi) How was the Underground Railroad an act of civil Literature, Writing disobedience? "The world I create in the writing compensates for what Why is the crime rate higher in some areas than in the real world does not give me." (Gloria Anzaldua) others? Show how fairy tales can condition our responses. What would happen if everyone were a lawmaker? Why is the computer said to take over the writer's What would happen if there were no laws, restrictions, control? or police? Why do scholars of composition say that the computer What is the effect of law by vigilantes? can improve our writing skills? Discuss the result of a certain recent investigation Discuss how literature can manipulate others, for good (presidential conduct, a major bankruptcy, terrorism). or bad. What accounts for the belief that "a police officer is What makes a piece of writing "literature"? Who never around when needed"? decides what is literature, and what criteria do they How does upholding some laws have a negative effect use? on society? What "causes" literature?

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What are the effects of literature? What has been the effect of cable networks on the What benefits result from literature? Are people television industry? changed for the better by moral literature, that is, Why do networks play down certain world news? literature which demonstrates what ethical behavior What are the effects of advertising? ought to be? Why do advertisements often have such little connec- What effect(s) can one word have in a sentence? In tion with reality? society? What are the effects of the "hidden persuaders" in the What are the effects of a report that is easy to under- media? stand? Why might a newspaper lose its readership? What are the effects of a report that is hard to under- stand? Why are people gullible about the news? Why do many people not like literature? How does cigarette advertising make smokers out of nonsmokers? Why are Homer, Dante, Milton, and Shakespeare difficult to read? Why do people smoke despite anti-smoking campaigns publicizing clear evidence that smoking is harmful to Explain in cause-and-effect terms the quotation by Sir one's health? Arthur Helps, "Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought." How have advertisers responded to changing gender roles? Why is it that some women and minority writers of the past are being "discovered" only now? What effect do spin doctors have in politics? Is it true that, as Bacon said, writing makes one "exact"? What are the benefits and dangers of instantaneous telecommunications? "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." (Percy Bysshe Shelley) What impact has television had on education? "Poetry makes nothing happen." (W. H. Auden) What impact has television had on thought? "A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at Why is television called the opiate of the masses? frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the Why do magazines and newspapers collapse? What has world, and stop it going to sleep." (Salman Rushdie) caused the collapse of a particular magazine or 'And where is the use of a book,' thought Alice, newspaper that was very famous? `without pictures or conversations?'" (Lewis Carroll) How are advertisers capable of manipulating people? Describe the effect of a piece of literature in terms of Why are certain facts released only gradually by the what Stephen King says here: "I don't want to just media? mess with your head. I want to mess with your life. I Why is a very popular magazine? want you to miss appointments, burn dinner, skip Why is a very popular television program? your homework." What is the influence of the media in national politics? W. Ross Winterowd has said that "critical readers learn Discuss the causes and effects of the development of more and certainly enjoy their reading more than printing. passive readers." Why might this be so? "She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain" Discuss the effect of watching a sitcom that uses a laugh track versus one that does not. (Louisa May Alcott). Show how this might apply to you. What is the effect of selling reputations through the media? "Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled 'This could change your life."' (Helen Exley) Why do soap operas appeal to so many? "A book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen Why do game shows appeal to so many? inside our soul." (Franz Kafka) Why does "reality TV" appeal to so many? "The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to Discuss the quotation by the television commentator familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the Sander Vanocur, "How do you balance the necessity test of their power" (Toni Morrison). Use cause and to be entertaining but at the same time informative?" effect to show how an author has familiarized and Discuss the quotation by Arnold Bennett, "Journalists mystified something for you. say a thing that they know isn't true, in the hope that if they keep on saying it long enough it will be true." Media How does "public service" advertising help big busi- ness? What is lost or gained by watching a film instead of reading the original book? How are contemporary beauty pageants trying to cope with feminist expectations? How do Disney film versions of stories change the original source materials?

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Physical Science What motivates courage? What motivates fear? "Landscape shapes culture." (Terry Tempest Williams) Why does losing breed losing? What causes "acid rain"? Why does winning breed winning? What are the causes of a certain weather condition? What are the possible effects of being "burned" emo- What are the effects of a certain weather condition? tionally? What are the causes and effects of "star death"? Why might someone be made, in Thomas Hood's What causes tornados? words, "Mad from life's history"? What causes windows to steam up? Why is it, as Jean de La Fontaine says, "a double What is the value of studying astronomy? pleasure... todeceive the deceiver"? What causes smog? What can prevent smog? What caused to come emotionally into her/ his/their own? What are the positive effects of having been to the moon? Why do people behave as they do in elevators? What causes static electricity? What purpose do emoticons serve in electronic commu- Is there any effect in physical science for which there is nication? no cause? Does everything in the world having to do with physical science have a cause? What are the causes and effects of charisma? Discuss Robert Ingersoll's quotation, "In nature there Why do some psychiatrists say there is no such thing as are neither rewards nor punishmentsthere are an accident? consequences." How can a single person's personality influence many Why is it, as Sherlock Holmes says, "a capital mistake others? to theorize before one has data"? What psychological effect is there in standing over What scientific evidence, if any, exists to indicate the someone? time and cause of the end of the world? What are the effects of having a psychological edge on What effect has Rachel Carson's Silent Spring had on someone? the world? Why do we acquire habits? What causes habit to rule What was the cause behind a certain major power our lives? failure? What makes one method of persuasion more effective Thomas Henry Huxley said, "The great tragedy of than another? Sciencethe slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an Why does the simple often become difficult? ugly fact." Apply this quotation to a major scientific What good results can we have by applying animal or medical discovery. behavior to human behavior? Discuss the quotation by Dr. George Polya, a mathema- Why did a certain experiment with animals lead to a tician, "What is the scientific method except Guess better understanding of them and/or of human and Test?" behavior? Drawing from the range of both superstition and fact, What is the reason behind a bully's behavior? discuss some element of scientific revolution. Why are "Some people... sofond of ill-luck that they What causes global warming? run half-way to meet it," as Douglas Jerrold said? Why are coral reefs dying? Which makes the individual: heredity, or environment? What caused a certain geological formation (such as Why do wives/husbands/children run away? natural bridges, the Grand Canyon)? What explains why some people choose one part of the What are the consequences of relying upon a particular room to sit in and other people choose another? energy source? Why do smiles, winks, or sympathetic grunts affect us What are the limits of recycling? as they do? What have been the effects of the nuclear accidents at Why do some people who have nothing to say talk Three Mile Island and Chernobyl? anyhow? Read David Hernandez's poem "The Butterfly Effect." What are the effects of a good/a bad sense of humor? What does the poet say about causality? Explain what causes employers to react as they do to Discuss El Niiio in terms of cause and effect. prospective employees who have a history of illness What effect has the Green Revolution had on develop- or who have been in prison. ing countries? What causes one phobia or another? What are its effects? Psychology What causes one mania or another? What are its effects? Why are stories of near-death experiences fascinating to What causes an obsession? What are its effects? most of us? Explain what psychological factors were responsible for

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a good/a bad turnout for a recent eventan election, Why are some shopping malls designed to mimic a for example, or a major athletic event. small-town main street? Why do we forget what we did? What are the psychological effects of urban sprawl? Why do we deceive ourselves in thinking that time spent Why are some people hypnotizable and others are not? on an effort is all we need to accomplish it? What are the causes and effects of deep despair? What causes stereotypes? What causes prejudice? What causes accident-proneness? Why do popular superstitions persist? Why does staying bitter cause more pain? Some people say they aren't "mechanically inclined." What are the roots of, and causes of, embarrassment? Why? Why is one kind of death more terrifying than another? Why do we remember some things and not others? Does television contribute to, or detract from, the What determines the physical distance one keeps from thinking process? others in conversation? What explains an individual's handwriting, especially What accounted for the fact that a certain day of yours the way we sign our names? went wrong/right? Discuss James Anthony Froude's statement, "Fear is the Why do you feel/not feel at home at parent of cruelty." Why does love stoop in order to rise, as Robert Brown- Discuss Matthew Arnold's statement, "We forget ing has said? because we must and not because we will." Why does love cease to be a pleasure, as Aphra Behn Why does crying help us emotionally? says, "when it ceases to be a secret"? Discuss the relationship between the brain's biochemis- Why does the world have little to offer "where two fond try and mental illness. hearts in equal love are joined," as Anna Barbauld Draw a cause-effect relationship between electricity and said? the brain. Discuss the opinion of Alfred Tennyson that "'Tis better Discuss a specific example of the relationship between to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at 11 bodily changes and emotions. all. Why do those we love have the "most power to hurt Discuss this lyric by the rock group Yes: "Owner of a us"? lonely heart, much better than owner of a broken heart." How can a moral strength sometimes have negative consequences? Discuss in psychological cause-effect terms the quota- tion, "When the wine is in, the wit is out." What are the causes and effects of anger? Why are happy surprises good for us? Is cursing a sign of laziness, intelligence, vitality, or what? Why do we need praise to do well? Discuss the phenomenon of "behavior control." Why do insignificant memories sometimes take prece- dence over important ones? Why do certain kinds of sounds or words convey certain feelings? How does laughter help mental health? Discuss the proverb: "Tell me who your friends are and Why do people lie about their ages? I will tell you who you are." What, psychologically, is behind our drive to "save Apply this statement by Jean de La Fontaine to psychol- time"? ogy: "I bend but do not break." Why do you and not get along as well as Discuss this cartoon caption: "I finally got rid of my you once did? inferiority complex, but it loosened my grip on How is self-torture related to self-pity? reality." Discuss the causes for, and effects of, psychological What effects do feelings have on the facial expression? crutches and psychological retreats. What effects have advances in medicine had on our fear Why is it accurate, or why is it not accurate, to say of (or lack of fear of) death? "What I'm to be I am now becoming"? What causes you to be who you are? How can imagination or dreaming make us happy? What are the effects of pain on the mind? Why is there such an emphasis on youth in U.S. popular Discuss these lines from William Blake: culture? I was angry with my friend: Might there be such a thing as reasonable paranoia? I told my wrath, my wrath did end. What are the causes and effects of frustration? I was angry with my foe: What are the causes and effects of different methods of I told it not, my wrath did grow. disciplining children? Discuss a specific mind-body connection. What are the causes and effects of gossiping? Discuss how belonging to a support group can have What are the causes and effects of venting? positive health benefits.

7 41 64 What Can 0 Write About?

How does political satire benefit society? What causes people to believe that they are doing the What makes some people more likely to indulge in will of God ? binge drinking? Do the religious convictions of persons determine how Why does hazing continue to be popular? much help they are willing to give those in need? What are the effects of making or not making eye Discuss this quotation from William Blake, "Love seeks contact with someone you are interacting with? not itself to please." How does being online affect the persona you present to Why do people watch religious services on television? the world? What are the reasons for televangelism and what are its Why might different people remember the same event effects on society? differently? How did a particular religion shape the course of world What could cause a person to "invent" childhood events? memories? Has religion done more good or bad in the world? Why? Why do they say opposites attract? Might this change? How can we learn from our dreams? How would the world be different if all people practiced the same religion, or if all people were atheists? Why do we dream what we do? How do "blind spots" affect human behavior? "True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness." (Albert What makes some people become quiet when they are Einstein) angry and others become loud? How might religious conviction motivate you to do the Why do people sometimes remain in destructive right thing for the wrong reason? relationships? How might religious conviction motivate you to do the Why might you act like one person with one friend and wrong thing for the right reason? like a different person with another friend? What makes you want to get to know someone? Social Science Why do people sometimes confuse power with love? (Sociology, Social Theory, Etc.) Why do people sometimes confuse dependence with love? How do different cultures use shame to shape behavior? What could cause someone to act against her or his "We all do 'do, re, mi,' but you have got to find the individual principles when in a group? other notes yourself." (Louis Armstrong) What are What causes mob psychology? the implications of this statement as a metaphor? What makes people want to be part of a group? Why is it acceptable to be "classy" but unacceptable to What are the effects of sleep deprivation? be "classist"? What are the effects of falling in love? "There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love." (Martin Luther King Jr.) What does it mean to "stoop to conquer"? Why were people so divided over the outcome of the Describe the purpose of "tough love." 0. J. Simpson trial? Why do we procrastinate? Why do we vote as we do? "You lose a lot of time, hating people." (Marian What causes giddiness? Why are laughter and yawning Anderson) contagious? Religion Why do couples break up? What makes a town begin in a place where there is Is morality an effect of religion? "nothing"? Why do athletesfrom opposing teamspray for What causes people to engage in "ethnic cleansing"? victory? What is the current trend in marriage-divorce statistics? Why are there so many major similarities between Why? major religions of the world? What effect did televising the Gulf War have on U. S. What effect has religion had on a certain period of audiences' perception of the war ? Why? history? In what ways can natural surroundings determine a Can good in the religious sense exercise influence on people's practical and cultural ways of life? evil? What will people do, or not do, to gain fame, money, or Can evil exercise influence on good in the religious public office? sense? Tell what would happen in your life if you lived with or What causes a religious believer to see the light? to be without pets. reborn? Why do some places have higher suicide rates than others?

75 Cause and (Effect 65

Does custom reconcile us to everything, as Edmund Discuss an example of the domino effect in society. Burke declared? Apply to your life the metaphor of cause and effect Why do people like cell phones? described in this nursery rhyme: Why do the works of certain authors come into, then fall For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; out of, public favor? For want of a shoe, the horse was lost; Why are people fascinated with fire-eaters and other For want of a horse, the rider was lost; daredevils? For want of a rider, a message was lost; What effects does convention have on society? For want of a message, the battle was lost; For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost! Why do we lie? Why do we make excuses? Why are beauty pageants popular? Sports and Physical Activities What explains the compulsion we have to be with others? Why is the human being basically not a lone Discuss Bill Russell's argument that winning and losing animal? depend more on "chemistry" than on skill or good What are the first concerns and questions among family players. members united after an exceptionally long separa- Why do people jog, or run? tion? Why? Why do people who have no chance of winning a What does its graffiti tell us about a community or about marathon still participate? its individuals? Why should a certain baseball player have felt obligated What social phenomena are revealed when there is a to give up part of his salary while he was in a slump? newly vacant seat on a crowded bus? Define sporting behavior in terms of cause and effect. How does the definition of "society" vary from one In what ways is sport some people's religion? person to the next? What do athletes think about while they are partici- What common values exist in society, and why? pating in their sports? Why? What causes us to realize when we are most alone? Can nutrition and training make an athlete? How does group behavior change in an electronic Why is winning so important to most athletes? classroom? In a chat room? Why does one select one sport rather than another? What are the arguments for and against adopting a child What aside from losing can break a team's morale? from a different culture than the parents'? Why are some mascots or team names considered How does the untimely death of a famous person affect offensive? that person's public image? Why might an athlete prefer to set records rather than Why are societies so slow to correct pollution prob- help the team win (or vice versa)? lems? What really constitutes or brings about "individual Explain the results of the 2000 presidential election in effort" in sports? terms of cause and effect. What accounted for the fact that a certain sports upset How does a victim's speaking out against wrongdoing took place? affect an institution or society? Are athletes controlled more by themselves, or by What is the effect of breaking a corporation's monopoly circumstances? over certain products? What, besides age, causes decline in an athlete? What are the arguments for and against legalizing same- sex marriages? Can one by intense exercise make up for years of leisure and physical non-activity? Is development of public land always in the best interests of society? Why or why not? Why don't more people exercise? What questions does a poor person have who falls in Why are some people obsessed with exercise? love with a rich person? Why? How has the role of the coach changed in the era of big- What questions does a rich person have who falls in money athletics? love with a poor person? Why? What is the effect of trash talking in sports? Discuss this quotation from Henry Fielding: "Some Is it more effective for a coach to be nice to players or folks rail against other folks, because other folks mean to them? have what some folks would be glad of." Why are athletes called heroes when what they are What questions does a person who marries someone doing is playing a game? from another culture have? Why do some athletes use visualization techniques? Why do people appear as guests on tell-all talk shows? What cause-and-effect thinking underlay Muhammad Why do people like to watch such shows? Ali's rope-a-dope boxing strategy. Why does it become chic to have certain problems?

76 0111 II EXPOSITION

What Exposition Os cipline, useful in nearly any other kind of writing and fundamental to most. Exposition is the setting forth of purpose or mean- ingnot, in a strict sense at least, to criticize, argue, or develop a subject, but to open it up, lay its bones Locating Subjects for Exposition bare. A more literal image of the art might be de- We have held to the stricter sense of exposition here scribed as moving the subject out of position, coax- partly because broader senses are more explicitly ing, jolting, or driving it into a fresh new perspec- engaged in other sections of this book. Exposition tive, so that it will stand more clearly forth and ex- shares a common root with the word "expound," pose itself for what it is. which also describes a way of presenting a subject. But expounding on a subject will more likely lead beyond bare explanation into interpretation, argu- How to Write Exposition mentation, or other critical techniques best consid- ered in their own right. Of course, almost any sub- Clarity is essential in exposition. Limit your subject. ject listed in those other chapters is open to an ex- Keep it tight, unified, concrete. Do all that yet let pository treatment in the stricter sense we are strug- the subject breathe and you will have turned the trick gling to maintain here as well. (It might be helpful to of exposition. Perhaps that can best be done by al- recall that in certain musical forms the "exposition" lowing the subject to explain itself, expose itself from refers to the first part in which the thematic material within, from that depth where the bones are barest. is straightforwardly presented. Later in the move- Impose an explanation of your own and there is ev- ment other techniques are used to shape, develop, ery chance you will violate that stricter sense of the and adorn that same material.) form. Therefore, this form would probably be better An expository essay on exposition itself might used to explain a subject you know well, rather than toughen its definition by contrasting it with narra- to explore something you are only just discovering. tion. It would take an excellent student essayist to In any case, effective exposition is good writing dis- explain a story without explaining it away.

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7 7 ., Exposition 67

Professions, Occupations Discuss the estate tax. What is a venture in which young people have become What jobs hold up best during both good times and bad financially successful? times? Describe the growth of the telemarketing industry and For what is Buckminster Fuller known? the backlash against it. For what is Bill Gates known? Discuss the increasing globalization of business. For what is Mother Teresa known? Trace the increasing interconnections between educa- For what is Nelson Mandela known? tional institutions and big business. For what is Marie Curie known? How is Internet commerce changing the nature of For what is Mother Jones known? buying and selling? For what is Albert Einstein known? Why does one job pay more than another, even though both require specialized training? How has prophecy become a profession? Describe the shift from the family farm to agribusiness. What criteria qualify someone as an expert? Why does economic trouble in one country cause Describe the value of the profession to problems in others? society. What "extras" are offered by the telephone company but What factors have encouraged people to retire at a later not generally known to the public? age? are not getting any cheaper/are not getting What new field creates many new professions? any easier to come by. Why are farmers sometimes paid not to grow crops? How accurately does Hollywood portray the financial Why are employees less likely to feel loyalty to a single world as it really is? company? Why has social security lost its status? What must a poet laureate do to qualify for the title? Discuss the practice of giving children allowances. Describe Gloria Steinem's role in the women's movement. Discuss owning a farm. What is a career politician? How has online shopping had an impact on department stores? Commerce, Finance, How are our tax dollars used? Economy, Economics Discuss television networks and money. What were some common ways of making a living Write of an unusual entrepreneurial venture. during the Depression? Are you, in these times, "what you own" or "what you What assumptions are implied by the statement "the owe"? customer is always right"? Write an extended example of how money makes Discuss the growth of multinational corporations. money, or how money buys time. Discuss how debts are paid. Discuss insurance abuses, from both sides: the consum- ers and the businesses. Discuss whether the average person has the ability to make a lot of money. Discuss the growing divorce "business." What are some major financial frauds? How independent is a salesperson? What will stores of the future be like? What happens in an audit? Describe the history and current state of car pools. What employment prospects are there in the field of ecology? Discuss Harry S. Truman's fight against hoarding. How can one drive a hard bargain? Discuss government efforts to encourage consumer spending in times of economic crisis. Discuss taxpayer revolts. Discuss money devaluation. What caused an isolated (that is, not a national) labor- management dispute? Discuss the battle for control of a certain company. How does the stock market work? What are alternate energy production incentives? Describe the problem of credit-card debt among What tax breaks exist for individuals? For companies? students. What are some calculated billing snares for credit-card Describe the environmental impact of SUVs. holders? Describe the Enron debacle. Discuss government-supported student loan programs. Describe the ongoing debate about affirmative action. To what extent does customer protest affect the price of goods? Discuss the ongoing debate on whether to privatize the social security system. Discuss the abuse of expense accounts.

78 68 What Can V Write About?

"From lemonade stand to ." Describe Give to a layperson some understanding of a difficult the jobs you've held. subject, such as a scientific law. Describe barter as a means of commerce in a particular Discuss the rationale of organizing schools on the basis culture. of grade level. "America was built with small farms. They keep saying How is reading taught? the farmer is the country's backbone. I never heard How is writing taught? anything about agribusiness being the backbone of What do group homes offer people with disabilities? the country." Jessie Lopez De La Cruz. Describe how the farmer is the country's backbone. What difficulties do public schools in urban areas have? In rural areas? Sports, Entertainment Is it possible not to think? Explain a common logical fallacy. Discuss the events that typify the Tour de France. Discuss self-education. Discuss the set up of the winter Olympics. Discuss the challenge of balancing school security with Is there a way in sports in which both opponents can student freedom. lose? At what age do we first become aware of ourselves and How accurately does Hollywood portray the sports others? world? Why do some high schools require proficiency tests for Discuss the phenomenon of a new craze or fad. graduation? How do such tests work? Discuss a certain sports scandal. What is cultural literacy? Discuss athletes and religion. What purpose do college summer programs serve? Discuss the fan phenomenon known as "the wave" and/ Write on the revival of or other sports crowd behavior(s) of your choosing. Emerson said that life consists in what one is thinking Discuss rituals observed at sporting events. all day. Discuss. Why do more and more fans stay home and watch What new practices exist for grading papers? sports on television? What new teaching trends are there, either in methodol- Is it true that "there's no business like show business"? ogy or subject matter? Discuss the history of ratings systems for Hollywood What are the responsibilities of students in high school? films. Develop the thesis: " is an education." Discuss sports (radio, television) announcers. What is "emotional intelligence"? Discuss free agents in sports. What does the term "multiple intelligences" mean? Discuss a certain child superstar, such as Michael What will your child's first teacher expect of him/her? Jackson or Shirley Temple. "He [or she] is wise who learns from everyone," says a Discuss time as it applies to the athlete. proverb. Discuss. Trace an athlete's career from player to coach. Write on self-improvement. What do families do on weekends? John Donne said, "Go, and catch a falling star ... ." Do sports spectators like violence? How can you apply this to your life? Why are stars (athletes, actors) paid so much? Why is the college presidency such a difficult profession? Discuss drug abuse among Olympic athletes. What is service-learning? Describe how college coaches recruit future players. Discuss opening up new worlds in education. Trace an athlete's career during and after the playing Discuss learning all the angles of days. Discuss a significant discovery about Describe an athlete-recruiting incident that made What did Helen Keller say she would concentrate on headlines. looking at if given only three days to see? Discuss Discuss a favorite form of entertainment for you and her answer as it concerns you. your friends. Judge the employment outlook over the next ten years in various areas of teaching (or in some other profes- Education sion). Many adults in the United States are functionally Discuss the battle for control of a certain school or illiterate. Discuss this condition. school system. What is the role of an educator as defined in your Discuss the idea that all teaching is political. community? Be an expert in a specialized topic and, using the special What role does the school board serve in your school language associated with it, explain it to someone district? who is unacquainted with it.

79 Exposition 69

Discuss a key issue in university admissions policies. Discuss the issue of gays in the military. What is a search engine, and how does it work? Do research, and then write, on the question of who Discuss how the human brain isand is notlike a owns the mailbox legally. Does the government own computer. it, or does the person whose mail is directed to it? In some (few) schools, teachers do not assign grades. What restrictions and so forth are there on and for What are the potential pros and cons of this ap- mailboxes? proach? What was prison life like in the Gulag Archipelago? In many parts of the United States, some public schools What are some typical laws about posterskinds of are much better funded than other schools are. What posters, kinds of display, and so forth? is the history of this problem? What is being done (or How can one legally protect his or her job? suggested) to fix it? Where does the court stand on obscenity? What are "charter schools," and what debate has arisen What ordinances about pornography exist at the small- over them? town level? Discuss the debate over whether evolution or creation- Do military or political bodies in the United States have ism should be taught in public schools. a record of "dealing with" people who threaten to Cable television programming is piped into some blow the whistle on them? classrooms. What arguments have been made for or Write about the pickpocket conditions of a certain area. against this practice? What may happen in the future regarding this practice? Discuss the law about racial-ethnic listings or identifi- cations. Discuss the lunches provided in your school's cafeteria from a nutritional standpoint. Are they healthy or Discuss a loophole in the law. unhealthy? Who decides what will be on the menu? Discuss personal property and the law. Where does funding for your school come from? Has Tell what it was like during the 1950s Red Scare in the there been debate about whether to increase or cut United States. funding to your school in recent years? If so, what Discuss violent encounters outside the law. were the arguments, and what happened? Discuss mail fraud. What policy does your school (or school system) have Discuss counterfeit documentspassports, visas, about censorship? How was this policy developed? recommendations, birth certificates, graduation Who decides which books you will read in your English certificates, university transcripts, and so forth. class? What factors go into this decision? Discuss the law and the right to protect news sources. In what ways is computer technology changing public What does the law do about rape? school education? What debates exist over how to What does the law do about child abuse? use the Internet in education? What happens in small claims court? Discuss censorship and freedom of expression as they relate to student publications (print and nonprint). What are some legal abuses by the FBI? The CIA? What is a "renaissance man"or woman? Discuss cracking down on Discuss the comeback(s) of "blacklisted" writers. Law Discuss consumer protection and the law. Discuss solitary confinement and the law. Discuss legal proceedings on television. Can students collect legal damages from their schools? Discuss first offenders and the law. What are your rights concerning the pledge of allegiance? Discuss abuses in the armed forces. Considered from the legal side, does our patent system Discuss illegal drugs in high school. work? Discuss "the law's delay" (Hamlet). Discuss gang control of the law and government. Discuss how one can legally fight the boss. Discuss witness protection under the law. What does the Are there any uniform prison/jail standards? law do about threats? How do natural-disaster victims appeal for government- Discuss the law and bribery. assistance funds? Discuss identity-theft crimestelephone calls made How is the legal system being called upon to judge free, misuse of bank credit cards, illegal bank mother against father, one lifestyle against another? withdrawals, and so forth. What are some unusual legal or insurance services? Discuss Internet crimes. What are labor unions? How do they affect the relation- What are "right to work" laws? How do they affect the ship between an employer and employees? relationship between an employer and an employee? Discuss debate over cameras in courtrooms. What is "welfare-to-work" legislation? How has it Discuss women in the military. affected welfare recipients' lives in recent years?

r 70 What Can i Write About?

Some courts now apply harsh drug laws that sentence Discuss the popularity of a certain vacation spot. relatively minor offenders to long prison terms. What Discuss high-speed trains. are the arguments for and against this practice? Discuss prospects for increased mass transportation. When and why did the practice of searching students' Discuss the differences in pollution laws for cars vs. school lockers begin? What debate has arisen about those for buses and trucks. it? Discuss current work on cars using renewable energy What new legal questions have arisen with the rapid sources. development of the Internet? (Or pick one such question and lay out its dimensions and significance.) Discuss "alternative spring breaks." Research and write about debate over "racial profiling"? Discuss plans for a particular kind of expedition. Some localities have enacted laws giving same-sex unions similar legal status to that of married couples. Animals, Plants, Natural Phenomena What arguments are made for and against such laws? Discuss the "animals nobody loves." In many areas, eighteen-year-olds can be drafted into military service but cannot legally buy or consume Discuss the illegal use of contaminated animals for alcoholic beverages. Why this difference? food. Summarize the debate over whether it should be legal to Discuss the abuse of animals. smoke marijuana. Discuss the animal rights movement. In response to the September 11 terror attacks, some Discuss cat personality. lawmakers wanted to give more power to the Discuss dog personality. authorities who fight terror while others wanted to Discuss pet cemeteries. ensure protection of the many freedoms that U.S. Discuss the intelligence of animals. citizens enjoy. Summarize the resulting debate. Discuss the Homeland Security Department created by Discuss the emotions of animals. President George W. Bush after the September 11 How do elephants establish graveyards? terror attacks. How do animals demonstrate territoriality? Explain the ongoing debate about school prayer. Discuss animals and language. Discuss current issues relating to laws prohibiting Discuss animals and neurosis. sexual harassment. Discuss the habits and characteristics of kangaroos. Discuss lawsuits against tobacco makers. What does it mean that the mother mink sets out five Discuss educational programs in prisons. food settings for her five children? Explore how white collar crime is treated differently How does the film Jaws differ from the reality of from other crimes. sharks? Discuss ostrich ranching. Travel, Transportation Do we have anything to fear from birds? Describe Route 66. What is the truth about the black widow spider? Discuss the rigors of traveling to remote places. Discuss the spread of fire ants in the United States. Write of a classic car. Discuss hunting for truffles. Write about ways in which automakers put profits ahead Discuss the ecosphere, the area from which our natural of lives. resources (everything needed to support life, in this case) come. Discuss long-distance car travel. Discuss the origin and/or control of forest fires. Discuss modern ways of improving cars for luxury or comfort. What should plants be fed? Discuss changes in air safety since 9/11/01. Discuss global warming. Discuss modern ways of improving cars for safety. Discuss the El Nino effect. Discuss driving in a foreign country. Discuss desert agriculture. Discuss bicycle speed barriers. Discuss Siberian resources. Discuss the popularity of SUVs. What is the value of a swamp? Discuss road rage. Discuss the nature of electricity. Discuss big-city driving. Discuss the "challenge of the deep." Discuss Americans' attitudes toward their cars. Discuss current uses of the laser. Discuss the development of airbags in cars. Consider the ramifications of the Law of Entropythe theory that the universe has reached its peak and is Discuss child-safety features in cars. winding down.

81 Exposition 7 1

Discuss the Big Bang Theory. If people were taped so that they knew what they sound Discuss String Theory. like, would they change in their speech habits or their Take a light-hearted look at Chaos Theory in your life. behavior? How has the development of cable and satellite televi- Relligion, Beliefs sion changed the media industry? Discuss the appeal of African American rap music to What did early human beings believe about the natural White teenagers. world that we now do not believe? Discuss changing standards of what is acceptable on What is involved in spiritual freedom? television. What are some current religious problems? Discuss the cult of personality in media. What are some religious questions that are unsettled? What are some reasons movie producers have for Discuss some intimations of mortality/immortality. delaying the release of their films? Discuss the belief that there are ghosts that don't know Discuss a famous composer-lyricist team. what happened to them, that don't know, for ex- How is audio-visual technology used in the field of ample, that they are ghosts or how they died. medicine? Discuss the role of magic in ancient times. How does TV present useful information in an interest- Discuss the role of magic in modern times. ing way? What is the role of the Bible in U.S. national life? What is a "real" person in fiction? Write about snake handlers, an American religious sect. How is a symphony like a play? Write about new religions. Should news reporters be entertainers? Discuss Wicca as a recent popular religion. Write of a campaign waged against a certain advertise- ment or against certain kinds of advertisements. Discuss Quakers and their beliefs. Discuss how the reception of a given show/film has Discuss the Amish and their beliefs. changed over time. Discuss Christian Scientists and their beliefs. How might a writer's characters come to gain control of Write about the expansion of religion into television. the writer? Write about the growing relationship between religion Discuss the use of movie ratings. and politics. What do we mean when we say that a certain TV show Pick a belief system and explain its features. is "predictable"? Predictable why? Describe how Eastern religions/philosophies have Discuss the changing content of television. influenced the West. Discuss multiculturalism on television. Discuss similarities/differences between various Write on legal language. mythologies. In what ways have certain futuristic novels (such as Discuss various beliefs about what happens after death. Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984) How did the "founding fathers" view religion? proved themselves to have been accurate forecasts? What role does religion play in the conflict in Write on the destruction of important records in a significant public event. What do Hindus mean by "transmigration of souls"? Write on "weasel words" used in advertising. Discuss the Buddhist eightfold path as a code of Write on TV and censorship. conduct. Discuss how you can tell that a commercial is locally Discuss Yin and Yang as Taoist principles. produced. Discuss Islam's belief in a just God. Discuss advertisements/commercials in which the Discuss a basic teaching from Judaism. product is hardly shown/discussed. Tell what the Burma Shave commercials (or other past The Media, Rhetoric, Communication American folklore items in advertisements) were like. Discuss motivations for writing. Write about bumper stickers as American dialogue. Discuss propaganda and elections. Describe an incident of censorship in schools. Discuss the use of negative campaigning. Discuss the Harry Potter books and censorship. Do people really listen to the words of popular music? Write on editorial cartoons. Describe an instance of a song becoming popular Discuss reading trends among the American people. despite widespread misunderstanding of its lyrics. How accurate are newspapers as keepers of history? How do newspapers determine what is "news"? How accurate are historians as keepers of history? How can the audience affect programming on television? 82 72 What Can ii Write About?

"The strength of a community comes from the ability tions each makes about the work, about the process and desire of its people to communicate with one of watching or reading, or about readers of the another," a newspaper item says. Discuss. review. Write on propaganda in Soviet life in the 1960s. Describe some of the ways that women are Write on censorship in a foreign country. "commodified" on television (shows or commercials). Write on censorship in advertising. Describe commercials that deconstruct conventional What is the translator's greatest problem? images and notions. Write on the battle for possession of the mindthrough radio, television, books, religion, and so forth. Health, Medicine Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of local reportage. Write of someone who has regained eyesight after What role does public television have in United States blindness. society? Write about required drug warnings. Write of a program in which business executives are Write about healthy hobbies. learning how to communicate in other cultures. Write about the link between the mind and the body. Write about audio books. Write about schizophrenia. Write on the decline of the LP. Discuss the pros and cons of laser eye surgery. Write an essay about the golden age of radio. Write about cellular phones and radiation fears. Write about how people adjust their speech to fit a Write about research into cures for HIV/AIDS. given context. Write about a high-functioning autistic person. Write on the growing importance of English as a political and commercial language of the world. What are the newest medical developments regarding (condition)? Write on the use of doublespeak. Write on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). What makes a commercial/advertisement effective? Write about food poisoning. How might the author of a classic from the last century react to today's analysis of the book? Write on the health problems caused by the Chernobyl disaster. Write on over-correctness or pseudo-correctness. Write about research into cures for cancer. Write on the government and television. Write about allergies in the home. Write on exchanges of favors among television networks. Write about the common cold. Write on advertising in which there are direct attacks on opposing commercial products. Write about radioactive fallout and health. Write on what television advertisers and television Write about medical uses of plants and herbs. producers do to avoid unfortunate juxtaposition Write about anthrax contamination. between products and shows. Write about smallpox contamination. What are some important misconceptions about Safe Nuclear Burial Unlikely: Geologists, says a language? headline. Discuss. Why do people write to the editor of the newspaper? Write about intravenous feeding.

How can "plain talk" be used to manipulate an audience? Write about emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Do words often conceal more than they express? Write about an emergency room. How does slang/jargon mark a person as a member of a Write about carbon monoxide poisoning. particular group? What can be done to protect public water from being Write about current technology used to make media sabotaged? accessible to people with sight or hearing impairments. What can be done to make drinking water safe? How has the Internet changed publishing? Write about reconstructive surgery. How has the Internet changed reporting? What are some complications of pregnancy? How are computers complicating the meaning of the What are operational problems of a veterans' hospital? "written word"? What new directions have been taken in epidemiology? Compare several news accounts of the same event. Draw out their differences, and explore how these What does Aristotle observe about sleep and sleepless- differences present the event in a different lightor ness? even as a different event altogether. Write on non-Western healing techniques. Compare several reviews of the same movie or book. Write on the use of stem cells in the treatment of genetic Draw out their differences, and explore the assump- disorders.

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Write about groundwater contamination. Write on political sloganry. Write about asbestos contamination. Write on the transition from one president to the next. Write on chiropractic care. Write on the bureaucratic use of government vehicles Write on prenatal technology. and other items. Discuss recent medical breakthroughs in surgery. How popular is Britain's royal family? Write about a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea. Write on White House news conferences. Write about autism. Summarize a certain public figure's position on a Discuss the rising level of obesity in the United States. certain issue terrorism, welfare, the environment, for example. Write about organ donation. What are the vital functions of the United States Census Discuss race and the prevalence of a certain disease. Bureau? How much of one's health is determined by genetics? Write on government in the former Soviet republics. Write on research studies on women's health. Write on island-hopping during World War II. Discuss the relative lack of insurance coverage for What crises play big parts in elections? mental health care. Write on prisoner exchanges or spy exchanges. Discuss the problem of rising health care costs. What determines who can run for political office? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of HMOs. Explain the Teapot Dome Scandal. Write about virus mutations. What was the last blow to the South in the American Write on public health services. Civil War? Write on modern medical uses of the leech. What was the Iran/Contra scandal? Write about the benefits of taking dogs to nursing What happened to the Watergate conspirators? homes. Write about a human rights watchdog group. Write about guide and care-giving dogs for people who live alone. Write on White House media relations. Describe vector-borne diseases. Write on fictionalized media portrayals of the White House/the presidency. Describe how you think a cold might spread in school. Write about an espionage case. What are the health hazards of asbestos? Write about Operation Desert Storm. What are the health hazards of radon? Write on the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy regarding Describe the health-giving properties of a particular food. gays in the U. S. military. Describe "comfort" foods. Discuss corporate welfare. Write about impeachment. Politics, Government, History Write about lobbying on Capitol Hill. What are some examples of intelligence failures by the Write about efforts toward campaign finance reform. FBI and CIA? Write about voting irregularities in the 2000 presidential Write of someone who was immensely successful in a election. first venture at politics. Write about redistricting. The personal is political. Discuss. What is pork in government? How does the Chinese government put down dissidents? Describe the structure of your local government. Write on the erosion of freedom in democratic states. Write on globalization. Can freedom be too much for many people to handle? What role has Nelson Mandela played in South African How is an aristocrat trained for rule? politics? Write of an attack that has been made on a certain Write about the end of communism in eastern Europe. political group. Write about the reunification of Germany. How do intelligence agencies work to put down those Write about the creation of Pakistan. against them? Write about Hong Kong returning to Chinese rule. Discuss the passing of the cavalry. Write about a civil rights movement. How accurately does Hollywood portray historical Write about parliamentary democracy. events? What usually happens in off-year elections? Discuss immigration (or emigration) policies. Write on the concept of global responsibility. What goes on in the armed forces that the armed forces would prefer the public not know? Write of minority representation in American government.

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Write of foreign influence on American governmental Write of so-called "instant history"bringing the decisions. pyramids, bridges, and so forth of the famous past to Why did a certain Japanese admiral say, "We have the United States. waked a sleeping giant"? Write on this quotation from Bill Moyers: "Most Why does the United States government not enforce the presidents don't rise above their times. They reflect metric switch? their times." What part does celebrity status play in politics? Describe the different kinds of voting methods in the Write about living history in Florida presidential election of 2000. (Williamsburg, St. Augustine, etc.). Describe what experts claim that computers can do to Write of some issue having to do with territorial rights. count ballots. Describe why the claims may be untrue. What happened at Babi Yar? Describe the role of women voters in a particular election. What procedure is behind a presidential decision? What is political asylum?

85 What rgumentation Os remember that the faster the heart races, the tighter the rein. In its root sense, argumentation musters proof and It can be instructive simply to argue a position for brings it forth in order to persuade, defend, or, at the fun of it, to play the devil's advocate. But when times, attack. In that stricter sense this process of you turn serious about it and are out to win the day, writing is logical and formal. Let us free the term you had best believe in what you are doing. Be sin- from its dictionary sense and let it come to grips with cere. Sincerity convinces. It will help you see clearly anything from a legal brief to a political showdown. through the thick of things. Anything else will work Exposition strives to explain, argumentation strives against you. Truth persists between the lines of a to win. hypocritical page like checked light through a lat- tice. How torite Argumentation Integrity, then, is the place where you make your stand. Imagination can broaden the field. Reason, Once again, clarity is essential as with any kind of logic, emotion, humor, irony, satireany of these writing. We emphasize it again here because argu- can be viable forms of argumentation. How you use ment so often tends to become melded with emo- them is another matter. You might find yourself bran- tion. Even if argumentative material demands a cer- dishing a polemical club. Or is it an irenic olive tain degree of ambiguity or subjectiveness, the one branch you brush across the page? Then maybe you who argues should be clear about it. The word "ar- turn acrobat, tumble your argument on its grinning gue" is derived from the Latin arguere, which ac- head, much as Swift did when he made his modest cording to the Oxford English Dictionary, means "to proposal. Circumstance will have its say. Only stand demonstrate, make clear." As the OED tells us, the firmly in the integrity of your argument. word is derived from the same root as that underly- ing argentums, meaning "silver," and originally re- Locating Subjects forrgumentation ferred to that which was "brightly shining," hence also "clear." Argumentation is another substantial section of this A balanced, reasonable approach is often most ef- book. Almost anything can become controversial, fective, and it is always better to gather more proof including most of the subjects listed in this book. A than opinion. Nothing is more likely to put people word of caution, though, before this chapter is off than a hedgehog piece of writing bristling with crossed with other disciplines and techniques: It is opinions. Reason and logic are not the end-all of best to keep forms and priorities straight. Although anything, however, though we sometimes find it com- creative and imaginative thinking are necessary for forting to believe they might be. Emotion is power- a powerful argument, creative writing as such is, gen- ful; it has moved nations. But emotional appeals are erally speaking, ill suited for the purpose of argu- skittish. They tend to bolt off the track. Riding them mentation. Powerful arguments can be made cre- rhetorically is dangerous even for experienced writ- atively, but the difference between argumentation and ers. Anyone attempting to argue from emotion should art is definitive.

75 86 76 What Can 0 Write About?

Education, Learning, Experience Argue for/against stricter college entrance requirements. Argue for/against school vouchers. Argue for or against: "Literature, whether handed down Argue for/against textbooks. by word or mouth or in print, gives us a second handle on reality" (Chinua Achebe). Argue for/against censorship of certain kinds of books. Should high school students be required to learn a Argue for/against peer teaching. foreign language? Argue for/against public discipline by teachers. Do Americans tend to undervalue intellectuals? Argue for/against a specific change in the curriculum. Why is it important to study history? Argue for/against a university education. What educational philosophy of the past continues to Argue for/against periodically evaluating teachers on influence education today? their knowledge of the subjects they teach. Argue for/against school uniforms. Argue for/against periodically evaluating teachers on Should there be bilingual education in the United States? their teaching ability. Should we read "the classics"? Argue for/against fraternities/sororities. What should the university demand of its students? Argue for/against student government. Where should college and university costs be cut? Argue for/against strictness of form in schoolwork. How should public funding for schools be determined? Argue for/against all-boys and all-girls schools. Is there too much hair-splitting in education? Argue for/against busing of students to promote integration. Which is it better to see: the forest, or the trees? Argue for/against setting a life goal at an early age. What is the place of, or what should be the place of, a public intellectual? Argue for/against parents' determining their children's careers. What are the most important factors to consider when choosing a college to attend? Argue for/against high registration fees. What is the best way to prioritize your school activities? Who ought to be permitted to serve on the school board? Argue for/against standardized testing. Who ought to have the responsibility (and authority) for Argue for/against exit exams in high school. educational policy? Argue for/against travel as education. What should be the limit, if any, of academic freedom? Argue for/against grade inflation. What measures of academic ability should be used in Argue for/against letter grades. schools? Argue for/against allowing students (especially young Agree/disagree: In the current age of specialization, it is children) to choose for themselves among educa- impossible to be an expert in many things. tional alternatives. Argue with reference to your own experience: "The Agree/disagree: "A little learning is a dangerous thing" most interesting things are those that didn't occur." (Alexander Pope). Agree/disagree: Sometimes children misbehave because Agree/disagree with the argument that politicians and they want to be corrected. bureaucrats should be required to take literacy tests. Argue for/against the idea that youth is wasted on the Agree/disagree with the practice of block scheduling. young. Agree/disagree: The public education system is broken. Argue for/against spanking. Agree/disagree: There are too many restrictions on Argue for/against curfews. teaching. Agree/disagree: "Humankind cannot bear very much Agree/disagree: There are not enough restrictions on reality" (T. S. Eliot). students. Whose history does American history as it is taught in Agree/disagree: There is too much time off among your school represent? students for special activities. Agree/disagree: "There's nothing wrong with Argue for/against school prayers. sameness." Argue for/against sex education. Agree/disagree: "It is easier to be reasonable than Argue for/against teacher strikes. unreasonable." Argue for/against private schools. Agree/disagree: Solitude is one of the happiest routes to Argue for/against a "value-added" approach versus a happiness. "weed them out" approach to education. Agree/disagree: Solitude is one of our best teachers. Agree/disagree with the practice of year-round schooling. What opportunities should schools offer students to use Agree/disagree: College entrance exams should be what Howard Gardner calls "multiple intelligences"? changed. Argue for/against prayer in schools.

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Agree/disagree with the opinion about experience that young minds"? Does school education thwart, or good is not always rewarded and evil is not always does it assist, life education? punished. Discuss argumentatively T. S. Eliot's poetic statement, In growing up, does Hope reign supreme, or does it not "Teach us to care and not to care. / Teach us to sit even reign at all? still." Agree/disagree, with regards to education and experi- Discuss argumentatively Max Beerbohm's statement, ence: "The road of excess leads to the palace of "The Socratic manner is not a game at which two can wisdom" (William Blake). play." Does philosophy have a real place in the world? Discuss argumentatively Emerson's statement, "A Should everyone be admitted to the university? Should foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." there be no restrictions on entry? Discuss argumentatively the statement popularized by Agree/disagree: The Internet improves education. Hillary Clinton, "It takes a village to raise a child." Agree/disagree that students should be allowed to sue Discuss argumentatively: "A worthy idea is one that schools for wrongly educating them. withstands resistance." What should be taught? Agree/disagree with Thoreau's argument that it is not necessary to travel in order to learn. What should not be taught? Discuss argumentatively: "Knowledge will forever Who should decide what curriculum is followed? govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their Argue for/against federal spending for education. own governors must arm themselves with the power Argue for/against student employment as an educational which knowledge gives" (James Madison). or otherwise important experience. Discuss argumentatively Sir Francis Bacon's statement, Argue for/against viewing the university as a giver of "Silence is the virtue of fools." moral education. Discuss argumentatively Sir Thomas Browne's state- What modern songwriter's songs could be fruitfully ment, "We carry within us the wonders we seek studied in school? without [outside of] us." Agree/disagree: "Education makes a people easy to Discuss argumentatively Thomas Henry Huxley's lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but statement, "Irrationally held truths may be more impossible to enslave." harmful than reasoned errors." Should students be paid as an encouragement to make Argue for/against attending an Ivy League school. good grades? Agree/disagree: "Still waters run deep." Agree/disagree: Teachers should enliven their classes Agree/disagree with the argument that grades indicate with entertainment. something about achievement. Discuss argumentatively any book which educated and How can it be that, as John Donne said, "affliction is a changed the world. treasure"? Argue for a particular way in which textbooks should be Argue a particular formula or standard for judging when chosen. a person is educated. Argue whether near-misses teach anything. Argue whether it is fun to have to work in order to know. Argue what truth is and where to find it. Argue what is the best lesson that education gives. Agree/disagree with the opinion that knowledge can get Argue whether history is "bunk." in the way. Argue for/against reading only for pleasure. Does what we don't know hurt us? Argue for/against the opinion that there is too much Agree/disagree: The personal digital assistant in learning and too little common sense. education is a fad. Argue for/against the junior college or community Agree/disagree: Parents should be allowed to sue college. teachers for giving students poor grades. Argue for/against some procedure at a junior college or Argue for/against gifted and remedial classes. a community college. Argue for/against standardized testing. How would you teach a particular class unit? Argue for Argue for/against tracking by ability. this approach. Argue for/against athletic scholarships. Agree/disagree: "A man's reach should exceed his Argue for/against charter schools. grasp, / Or what's a heaven for?" (Robert Browning). What, if anything, should be done about absenteeism in Agree/disagree: Education should be more connected to school? the real world. Is it true that, as novelist John Gardner has said, our Argue for/against the statement "Those who can, do; schools are "thrown up like barricades in the way of those who can't, teach." 78 What Can 0 Write About?

Argue for/against Santayana's idea that those who forget Argue for/against vehicular speed limits. the past are doomed to repeat it. Argue what ought to be done about hard drugs. Argue for/against the idea that some questions might be Argue what ought to be done about drug dealers. asked but shouldn't be answered. If you want to effect change, is it better to fight the Argue for/against the opinion that teachers have enough system or work within it? time to teach. What should the law be concerning censorship? Argue for/against the opinion that people are what they observe and absorb. Or think. Or do. What should be done to protect patients in nursing homes? Argue for/against having security guards in schools. What ought to be done under the law about stray animals? What should be done to solve the problem of disparity in school funding? Argue for/against capital punishment. Argue for/against home schooling. Argue for/against plea bargaining. "There is no true love without some sensuality. One is Argue for/against zero-tolerance policies/laws. not happy in books unless one loves to caress them" Argue for/against gun control. (Anatole France). How would you argue for/against Argue for/against "three strikes" laws. this statement in an age of electronic books? Argue for/against abortion being legal. Present an argument for or against this: "The function of Argue for/against parental notification laws covering education...is to teach one to think intensively and abortion. to think critically" (Martin Luther King Jr.). Argue for/against a certain hunting or fishing law. "The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to Argue for/against acting as your own lawyer. make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because Argue for/against diplomatic immunity. they control the minds of the masses" (Malcolm X). Argue for/against a world court. Argue for or against this statement. Argue for/against unmarked police cars. Argue for/against ambulance chasers. Law Argue for/against minor offenses being legally treated Argue for/against closed meetings of governmental as major ones. bodies. Argue for/against major offenses being legally treated as Argue what should be done about spouse abuse. minor ones. Argue what should be done about child abuse. Argue for/against stronger laws against corporate crime. Argue for/against noise ordinances. Argue for/against treating adolescents as adults are treated under the law. Argue what should be done under the law to regulate charity organizations. Argue for/against a certain light sentence or heavy sentence handed down. Argue for/against the decriminalization of marijuana. Argue what ought to be legally done to punish a foreign Argue for/against lie-detector tests. nation that has committed a crime against the United What should be done under the law about spam (junk States. e-mail)? Argue for/against questioning the judge. How do some people justify profiling by a given Argue for/against televising court proceedings. characteristic (race, age)? What is your view? Argue for/against televising executions. What law(s) should be created for certain new ways of life? Argue for/against the jury system as it is. Argue for/against assisted suicide laws. Argue the point whether illegal acts by a president are ever excusable. Argue for/against "privilege under law." Argue what ought to be done with the accused who What old laws, if any, should be reinstituted? await trial. Argue for/against some general position the law takes. Argue whether violent acts in self-defense are defensible. What can be done, or what should be done, to a biased Argue for/against certain parking laws. or prejudiced judge? Argue for/against FBI raids without recourse by the How can public defenders' offices be made more persons raided. effective? Argue for/against easing a certain ban. Argue for/against raising the driving age to eighteen. Argue for/against being required to serve on a jury. Argue for/against the existing high car insurance rates for male drivers under the age of 25. Argue whether or not jury verdicts should be unanimous. Argue for/against laws against cellular phone use while Argue for/against oaths of loyalty. driving. Argue for/against subliminal advertising.

89 Argumentation 79

Argue for/against electronic eavesdropping. Argue for/against capital punishment as seen only from Argue for/against allowing smoking in public places. the concept of justice. Argue for/against the conscience as law. Argue for/against presidential pardons. Argue for/against no-fault insurance. Argue for/against a certain extradition. Argue for/against change of venue (generally or in Argue for/against minding your own business (as specific cases). regards the law). Argue for/against a catchall lawthat is, one that Argue for/against the nonenforcement of a certain law. covers many things at one time. Argue what the rights of children ought to be under the What ought to be done under the law about antitrust law. violations? Argue for/against the stricter enforcement of speeding What standards ought there to be for medical lawsuits? laws. Argue for/against the practice of awarding monetary Should failure to honor campaign promises be consid- damages in wrongful death lawsuits. ered a crime? What safety codes ought there to be for police chases, Argue for/against the measure-for-measure, eye-for-an- ambulances, and so forth? eye law. Argue for/against cracking down on jaywalkers. Should those who make war be the only ones who have to fight it? Should a lawyer seek the truth or pull out all the stops to free/convict a defendant? Argue whether or not the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. Argue for/against attorney-client privilege. Argue for/against using marijuana as a painkiller. Argue what should be the basis for deciding who gets custody of a child. Argue for/against buying goods manufactured in sweatshops. Argue what should be done about deadbeat parents. How should multinational corporations be regulated? Argue for/against public funding of political campaigns. Argue for/against the United Nations. Argue for/against proportional government. What ought to be the laws regarding sexual harassment? Argue for/against the right to die. Argue for/against the position that the self is private Argue whether or not needle-exchange programs should property. be legal. What ought to be the law for protecting private citizens Argue whether actors should be legally responsible for against harassment by government officials? claims they make for the products they endorse. Discuss John Locke's statement, "The end of the law is, Who ought to be responsible for paying for a window not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge broken by a legal minor? freedom." What should the penalty be for kidnapping? Argue for/against a law that restricts freedom. What standards ought there to be for legal remunerative Argue for/against absolute free speech. awards? Argue for/against the right of bigots to be heard, to be What laws should there be to protect innocent bystanders? read, to march, to protest. Discuss argumentatively Thomas Drummond's state- Argue for/against a specific legal position regarding ment, "Property has its duties as well as its rights." athletics. Argue whether drivers should be regularly retested. Agree/disagree: "No one has the right to destroy the Who, legally considered, should/should not be allowed land one owns." to drive? Can (and should) punishment always "fit the crime"? Argue whether there should be a maximum age for What ought to be done to protect people from being drivers. indiscriminately committed to mental health facilities? Argue whether a stock market investor should be How should property taxes be determined and used? considered (for tax purposes, let us say) a legal gambler. What should be the punishment for second offenders? for first offenders? (Choose a crime.) What laws ought there to be to protect privacy? What qualifications should a police chief have? What laws ought there to be to protect confidentiality? What qualifications should a trial judge have? What laws ought there to be to protect workers from their bosses? Argue for/against the statement: We reserve the right to What laws ought there to be to protect bosses from their workers? What recourse under the law is there for What recourse should there be? Discuss argumentatively Edmund Burke's statement, "There is a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a Discuss argumentatively the right to remain silent and virtue." not reveal the source of certain information.

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Discuss argumentatively the headline, Escapee Sues Government, Politics Jailers for Allowing Him to Break Out. Interpret argumentatively a single passage of the United Argue for/against this statement: "It is common knowl- States Constitution regarding elections, immigration, edge among lendersbut a secret they keep from personal rights, gun laws, or another issue. borrowersthat creditors are dependent on their Argue who ought to have immunity from prosecution in major debtors for their own well-being" (Jeremy politics, medicine, law, religion. Brecher and Dennis Brutus). Argue who owns space. Argue for/against this statement: "Africa doesn't need charity, Africa needs Liberation" (Ngugi Wa Argue who owns the seas. Thiong'o). Argue for/against increased security measures in Argue for/against this statement: "The most powerful airports. weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of Argue for/against increased security measures in the oppressed" (Stephen Biko). schools. Should proceedings of office holders be televised? Argue for/against state lotteries as a source of public Argue for/against MacArthur's firing by Truman. revenue. Argue some point having to do with local or regional Argue for/against unionization. interests. Argue who owns Antarctica. Argue for/against Clinton's impeachment. Should HMOs be able to determine what health care a Argue for/against legal rights for domestic partners. policyholder receives? Should publicly funded health care be provided for Should students be required to recite the pledge of allegiance? children of illegal immigrants? Should the government provide universal health care? Argue for/against the concept of private property. Argue about some aspect of the 2000 presidential Argue what limits there should be on the right to litigate. election. Argue for/against living wills. Should electronic sharing of copyrighted music be legal? Argue the point whether grand juries further justice or Should tobacco companies be liable for damage to hinder it. smokers' health? Argue whether there was obstruction of justice at Kent Argue for/against campaign spending limits. State. Argue for/against televising presidential debates. Argue what should be done under the law with terrorists when they are captured. Argue for/against reform of political lobbying laws. Look into the local laws and see which of them ought to Argue whether or'not further limits should be imposed be obsolete. on immigration. Argue who can be legally excluded from receiving What should be the restrictions on public funds used by financial credit. politicians? Argue for/against the position taken by Emperor Argue for/against Ayn Rand's position(s) as elaborated Ferdinand I, "Let justice be done, though the world in her books. perish." Agree/disagree: "The world needs troublemakers." Argue for/against stricter DUI/DWI laws. Was Clarence Thomas treated unfairly in his confirma- Argue for/against telecommunications deregulation. tion hearing? Should he have been made a member of the Supreme Court? Discuss the pros and cons of Blue Laws. Agree or disagree with the opinion that Sir Thomas Write an argumentative essay entitled, "Which Is More was the admirable person that popular history BetterMilitary Justice or Civilian Justice?" says he was. How should police be involved during strikes? Argue for/against a certain position taken by a president. Should flag burning be legal as a form of protest? Argue what a recent poll proves/disproves. Argue for/against this statement: "The history of Should the United States government make reparations women's work in this country shows that legislation to the descendants of slaves? To Native Americans? has been the only force which has improved the working conditions of any large number of women Argue whether Puerto Rico should become a state in the wage-earners" (Helen L. Summer). United States. Argue for/against this statement: "No written law has Argue what the United States can do to control treat- ever been more binding than unwritten custom ment of foreign peoples in their own countries. supported by popular opinion" (Carrie Chapman Catt). Argue for/against isolationism.

91 Argumentation 8I

Argue whether the United States is prepared for Argue for/against revealing government secrets. Argue for/against the opinion of John Dryden, "Better Argue how the United States might prepare for one suffer, than a nation grieve." "The king never dies," said Sir William Blackstone. Argue for/against keeping things the way they are in Argue whether the President of the United States ever dies. Argue for/against the premise of a certain movie on Argue for/against parliamentary versus presidential politics or government. democracy. Argue for/against restraints on freedom of the press. Argue for/against the Constitution. Argue for/against reform of voting methods. Discuss argumentatively the contention by Charles Argue for/against voting via the Internet. James Fox that "the right of governing is a trust, not Argue for/against write-in ballots. a property." Argue for/against a political watchdog program. Discuss argumentatively the statement by Thomas Jefferson, "No duty the Executive had to perform Argue for/against warrantless activities by the govern- was so trying as to put the right man in the right ment. place." Argue for/against campaign finance reform. Discuss argumentatively the opinion that those who are Argue for/against young people in high political places. behind the president are the ones who really ought to Argue for/against very old people serving in high be watched carefully. political places. Argue for/against appointing rather than electing people Argue for/against a larger role for the federal government. to certain political offices. Discuss Walt Whitman's statement, "The United States Why hasn't the United States had a woman president? themselves are essentially the greatest poem." Just to sharpen your argumentative skills, argue against Discuss whether our foreign policy is misguided. voting. Agree/disagree: "There are too many peopleand Argue a certain appointment that the president ought to consequently there is too much confusionin Civil make. Service." Argue what you can do when you disagree with the Agree/disagree: "Only in America do we pretend to government. worship the majority, reverently listening to the herd Argue what the postal service can do to come out even, as it Gallups this way and that" (Gore Vidal). or perhaps even make money. Agree/disagree: "There's one sure way to tell when Agree/disagree with the opinion that we need political politicians aren't telling the truththeir lips move" heroes today. (Felicity Kendall). Discuss argumentatively this quotation from Thomas Argue for/against an independent Quebec. Jefferson: "When a man assumes a public trust, he Argue for/against executive privilege. should consider himself a public property." Argue for/against the use of Internet filters in public Discuss argumentatively this quotation from Robert libraries. Frost: "Good fences make good neighbors." What should be done about Internet spam? Argue for/against the opinion that the state is the Argue whether or not the United States should be the greatest danger to the well-being of humanity. police officer for the world. Argue for/against a constitutional amendment allowing Argue for/against the creation of a Department of prayer in schools. Homeland Defense. Argue for/against a military draft. Argue for/against the abolition of the Department of Would you vote for a candidate you didn't like in order Education. to elect the first woman or minority president? Argue for/against term limits for congresspeople. Does polling have a good or bad effect on elections? Argue for/against military government. Argue whether or not power corrupts. Argue for/against: "The government should be respon- Argue for/against a public monument to a certain sible for toxic-waste problems." political figure. Argue for/against a political individual who is generally Argue for/against an isolationist approach to foreign considered radical. policy. Argue for/against the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps. Argue for/against proportional government. Argue for/against the opinion of Samuel Johnson, Discuss argumentatively how we can pay back the "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." founders of the nation.

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Discuss argumentatively what fight ought to be waged Argue what is necessary for peace between Palestinians over America's future. and Israelis. Discuss argumentatively what should be the prime target Argue what is necessary to resolve the conflict over of government reform. Kashmir. Discuss argumentatively whether nice guys finish last in Argue for/against developing the neutron bomb. politics. Argue for/against possessing weapons of mass destruc- Argue whether it is reasonable to think that people don't tion as a deterrent to war. really want bureaucracies to end. Argue where the moral responsibility lies for atrocities Discuss argumentatively the Spanish proverb, "The of warwhether with the political leaders, the monkey dressed in silk is still a monkey." military leaders, the enlisted soldiers, the munitions Argue whether leaders are born great, or whether they factory employees, the inventors or developers of rise to greatness. weaponry, or the people as a whole. Argue what the government can do to help those without Argue whether TV violence makes people more violent. food. Which is worse, pornography or, to quote Tom Wolfe, Argue whether government would protect freedom of "pornoviolence "? speech where the people did not insist upon it. Discuss argumentatively the Biblical statement, "The What should be done about Social Security? race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong." Argue for/against the value of having more than two Argue for/against the loving of one's enemies. political parties dominate government. Argue for/against the opinion that the saying should be: Argue what is an inescapable future for the United "Speak loudly but carry a little stick." States. Discuss argumentatively the violence in sports, to Argue whether it is possible to be truly independent in include violence in the grandstands among sports politics. spectators. Argue whether the American Civil War has been the Discuss argumentatively (but with reference to his worst internal event of the United States. obvious irony) George Orwell's statement in 1989: What should the government do to ensure that all "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is citizens have health care? Strength." Argue for/against televising presidential debates. Argue how much force is enough and how much force is too much. Argue for/against making it difficult to fire civil servants. Discuss argumentatively what can most assure national Take a stance on a local government issue. security. World security? What should be the limits of government surveillance? Discuss argumentatively Richard L. Tobin's statement Argue what the role of the president's spouse should be. about television violence: "There is little connection How does television influence the public's perception of evinced between the use of violence and the suffering candidates? such acts [of violence] would inflict in real life." Argue for or against political figures making public Argue for/against allowing children to play violent confessions of personal indiscretions. video games. Is there more violence today or merely more reporting War and Peace, Strife,Vio0ence of violence? How did live coverage of the Gulf War affect the Discuss argumentatively Thomas Jefferson's saying, "A public's perception of it? little rebellion now and then is a good thing." How would you define justifiable police violence? Discuss argumentatively the quotation from Ibsen's What role does oil play in current global unrest? dramatic work, "One shouldn't put on his best trousers to fight for what is right." What limits, if any, should there be on hate speech? Argue for/against conscientious objectors. What is the best way to deal with hate groups? Is it sometimes necessary to fight fire with fire? What is the best way to minimize terrorism? Argue for/against the statement, "If you can't say How are corporations involved in violent conflicts anything good about somebody, don't say anything at around the world? all." Why did the September 11 terrorists do what they did? Argue for/against protesting the protester. Discuss argumentatively whether a personsay, a Argue for/against the contention that war is, according presidentshould be honored for having changed a to Norman Angell, "the great illusion." position that had been harmful to humanity. Argue which is more threatening to the human race: Argue what is the root of all evil. nuclear war or biological war. Argue for a particular method of nonviolent activism.

93 Argumentation 83

Argue for or against going to war with a particular Freedom, Free Will country. Agree/disagree: "We have reached a place where it is Agree or disagree with playwright Wok Soyinka: "The not a question of 'can we live in the same world and greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criti- cooperate' but 'we must live in the same world and cism." learn to cooperate" (Eleanor Roosevelt). Argue for/against standing alone for one's convictions. Argue for/against cooperation with a perceived enemy. Should one be required to stand during the national anthem? Athletics, Outdoor Activities Argue for/against "the right to die." Discuss argumentatively: "Freedom of the press belongs Argue for/against challenging the referee's decision. to the one who owns the press." Argue for/against a certain athlete's retirement. Discuss argumentatively the opinion of Samuel Johnson, Argue whether or not celebrity athletes are role models/ "The will is free, and that's that." heroes. "Some say that free will does not exist, but I find it Argue for/against the calling of a certain play. useful to say that it does." (Tom Tiller) Argue for/against the pay of professional athletes. Agree/disagree: "Freedom is survival." Argue for/against paying college athletes. Agree/disagree: "All Americans are free." Argue for/against social protest by way of athletic events. Agree/disagree: "The worst frustration of all is getting Argue for/against the instant replay as arbitrator. what you want." Agree/disagree: In working for perfection in their Agree/disagree: "All the world's a stage, / And all the sports, many athletes practice the wrong things. men and women merely players." (Shakespeare) Argue for/against the contention that coaches should be Agree/disagree: Freedom depends on self-discipline. given a certain time to produce winning teams. Agree/disagree: You can't have a true democracy until Argue for/against the high or low rating of a certain everyone's stomach is full. athlete. Do animals have free will? Do humans? Argue for/against hunting or fishingor the killing of a Your freedom to swing your arm ends at the tip of my particular creature, such as the eagle. nose. Agree or disagree. Argue for/against fireworks. Argue for/against stricter rules regarding steroid use. Transportation Argue for/against giving student athletes special Argue whether or not the federal government should academic treatment. subsidize Amtrak. Argue for/against a coach making more than the Argue whether or not the federal government should president of a university. subsidize the airline industry. Argue for/against keeping a school mascot/team name even though some groups find it offensive. Argue whether a certain major roadway is correctly designed for smooth transit. Argue for/against boycotting the Olympics for political Argue whether Japanese cars are as good as they are reasons. said to be. Do the Olympics really promote international under- Argue for/against bicycles as replacements for cars in a standing and solidarity? certain locale. Argue for/against allowing professional athletes to Argue for/against using a car in New York City. compete in the Olympics. Argue for/against reporting on the personal lives of Argue for/against expanding train service. athletes. Argue for/against seat belts. Argue for/against athletic scholarships. Argue what the best outboard motor is. Should physical education be mandatory at the K-12 Argue what the best transport for cargo by land is. level? Argue whether public transportation servants are Do sports teach competition or cooperation? overworked. Why are men's sports generally better attended than Argue what the old had that the new one does women's? not. Should "recreational vehicles" be allowed in national Argue what the new has that the old one did parks? not. Is golf a sport? Is bowling? Should commercial trucks be restricted to nighttime travel?

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What role should public mass transit play in the United Is there ever a time, in ethical terms, when lying or even States? hypocrisy is better than truth? Argue for/against carpooling. Can science and religion be reconciled? How can cities be designed to make transportation Should parents try to instill their beliefs about religion easier? in their children or leave it up to them to decide? Argue for/against subways in your city. What argumentative position does some sacred book What should be done to reduce pollution from cars? (New Testament, Torah, or Koran, for example) take What should gas mileage requirements be for cars? on a public question such as capital punishment, abortion, pacifism? What should be done to improve air travel? Discuss argumentatively this newspaper quotation: "A Roman Catholic bishop says restoration of the death Eating, Drinking, Health penalty is 'counterproductive to the pro-life crusade of the church.'" Argue for/against the supposed health benefits of garlic. Argue for/against the Biblical injunction, "Judge not, Argue for/against exercising. that you be not judged." Argue for/against fasting. Argue whether the content of holy scripture is the same Argue for/against dieting. in any language. Argue whether it is the same, Argue for/against a certain diet. consistently, even in a single language. Argue for/against the latest health-food trend. Argue for/against in vitro fertilization. Argue for/against allowing fast-food companies to Argue for/against doing the right thing for the wrong furnish school lunches. reasons. Argue for/against the effectiveness of Vitamin C for Argue for/against: the ends justify the means. controlling colds. Can religion and culture be separated within an Argue for/against eating a vegetarian diet. individual's life? Argue for/against organic foods. Should members of the clergy be held to a higher Argue for/against bioengineering foods. standard? Argue what the most useful food is. Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry? Argue how you can get by in a drinking crowd without Argue for/against posting the Ten Commandments in drinking but without making a big deal about it. public places. Argue whether there ought to be a law against television Should the phrase "In God We Trust" be removed from commercials that advertise foods children ought not U. S. currency? to eat. Should there be a Christmas tree on the White House What is the best way to reduce smoking among teens? lawn? What is the best way to reduce the tendency toward Is it ever all right to cheat? To lie? obesity among children? Medicine, Psychology Religion, Ethics Agree/disagree: Sometimes people don't feel well Argue whether or not confessions made to clergy should because they don't want to. be confidential. Argue what the obligation is of a medical doctor. Star Trek's Mr. Spock once said, "The good of the many Argue for/against faith healing. outweighs the good of the few." Argue for/against Argue for/against medical treatment. this idea. Argue for/against treatment with herbs. Argue for/against doing the "wrong thing" for the right reason. Argue for/against donation of human organs. Argue for/against natural childbirth. Argue for/against doubt, unbelief, or questioning. Argue for/against alternative medicine. Argue for/against the ethic of this ancient Sanskrit saying: "Be like the sandalwood tree that perfumes Argue for/against holistic medicine. the very ax that cuts it." Argue for/against cosmetic surgery. Discuss argumentatively this quotation from novelist Argue for/against using organs form animals in humans. John Gardner: "Religion's chief value is its conserva- Argue for/against the merits of biofeedback. tism: It keeps us in touch with what at least one Argue the best way to break an unhealthy habit. section of humanity has believed for centuries." Argue for/against taking a certain injection or pill. What, in religious terms, is the highest good? The lowest evil? Argue for/against reducing the number of and power of X-rays.

95 Argumentation 85

Argue for/against stricter qualifications for medical Argue for/against the use of face-recognition technology doctors. in public places. Discuss argumentatively, and in terms of psychology: "I Argue for/against the growth of big-box chain stores. love to keep work by me: the idea of getting rid of it Argue for/against hybrid cars. nearly breaks my heart" (paraphrased from Jerome K. Jerome). Should national chain stores be required to blend in with existing local architecture? Discuss argumentatively, and in terms of psychology: "The existence of ESP cannot be proved." Argue for/against investing money in space exploration. Argue for/against the idea that there is alien life. Discuss argumentatively, and in terms of psychology: "'Deny yourself' is the never-ending song" (Johann Argue for/against requiring Internet access in all public Wolfgang von Goethe). schools. Discuss argumentatively, and in terms of psychology: What should the international community do to respond Regarding change, "it is often a comfort to shift to global warming? one's position and be bruised in a new place." Which is better: polyester fleece or wool? Argue for/against the use of fetal tissue for medical research and treatment. Language and Communication Argue for/against animal experimentation. Argue for/against: "I like to tell the truth as I see it. Argue for/against international family planning pro- That's why literature is so important. We cannot grams. possibly leave it to history as a discipline nor to What is the best way to improve nutrition in a develop- sociology nor science nor economics to tell the story ing country? of our people. It's not a ladder we are climbing, it's What should be done to respond to the AIDS crisis in literature we're producing, and there will always be developing countries? someone to read it" (Nikki Giovanni). Argue for/against human cloning. Argue for/against: "Music is the greatest communication What should be done to reduce the price of prescription in the world" (Lou Rawls). drugs? Argue for/against practicing public speaking in front of a mirror. Science and Progress Argue for/against observing the rules of "Netiquette." Argue for/against requiring high school students to Argue for/against the use of nuclear power. study a foreign language. Argue for/against the theory of Argue for/against adopting a new trend in public Argue for/against recycling. language. Argue for/against a new form of, or new source of, Argue for/against diagramming sentences. energy. Argue for/against a certain language usage. Agree/disagree: "In almost every case, progress takes Argue for/against the prohibition against using your first back what it gives." language when it is not the first language of the Agree/disagree: "Science is spoiling our way of life." society. Agree/disagree: "Progress makes us lazy." Agree/disagree: "There is nothing sacred about words in Argue for/against the contention that scientists are print." responsible for the destructive uses to which their Agree/disagree: "One should fear silence." discoveries are put. Agree/disagree: "Silence is golden." Argue whether science cares about art. Agree/disagree: "All writing is persuasion." Argue whether art cares about science. Agree/disagree: "All language is persuasion." Argue for/against the opinion that the moon has lost its Agree/disagree: "We speak even in our silences." poetic charm because human beings have walked on it. Agree/disagree: "Anyone can write, anyone can create." Agree/disagree: "There is delight in simple things." Agree/disagree: "There is an immense amount of biased Agree/disagree: "Science is more moral than we usually listening and inaccurate listening" (Eric Sevareid). give it credit for." Agree/disagree on the point of whether language sets Argue for/against daylight saving time. the tone of civilization. Argue for/against the contention that progress of a Agree/disagree with the argument that language does material kind holds back, or interferes with, spiritual not always mean what it says. progress. Discuss argumentatively the battle over the right to Argue whether it is possible to argue with facts as one's own languageChicano Spanish, for example, posited by science. or Quebec French.

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Agree/disagree: "There are times when good language is Agree/disagree: Concern for others is concern for self. bad sense." Argue what the matter is with you/me/them. Argue whether docudramas are distorted and therefore, Agree/disagree: Divorcing parents ought to think first of as the writer Mark Harris has said, dangerous. their children. Argue for/against secrecy in a certain matter. Agree/disagree: Apologies are usually better for those Want to Land a Job? You Might Try Lying, says a who do the apologizing than for those apologized to. headline, with the idea that those who tell the truth, Argue for/against adoption by single parents. or too much of it, on job applications are often not Argue for/against adoption by same-sex parents. hired. Discuss argumentatively. Argue what should be parental responsibility under the Agree/disagree: "No people or group can be put under law. one heading." Argue whether it depends on the individual to say what Argue whether language is interpreted in different ways is good and what is bad. in a court of law depending on the persons being tried. Discuss argumentatively Walter Van Tilburg Clark's statement, "A mob is no more intelligent than its least Argue for/against less formality in e-mail correspon- intelligent member." dence. Argue what our most worthy inheritance is as a society. Argue the merits of a particular form of discourse in public speaking. Explain argumentatively a certain shift of population that has occurred. How do a contemporary culture's commercials comment on its values? Argue for/against early marriage. Is advertising more communicative or more manipula- Argue for/against arranged marriages. tive? Argue for/against the "money dance" (in which those Is surfing the Web an active or passive process? who attend a wedding reception pin money on the bride's dress). Argue for/against commercial sponsorship of public broadcasting. Argue for/against birthright. Argue for/against commercial sponsorship of scholar- Argue what is reasonable adult or mature behavior in ships. public. Argue for/against keeping your variety of English, using Agree/disagree: "You can take a person out of this rationale from Chinua Achebe: "The African but you can't take out of a writer should aim to use English in a way that brings person." out his message best without altering the language to Agree/disagree: It is a stereotype that old people are the extent that its value as a medium of international conservative. exchange will be lost. He should aim at fashioning Argue for/against suburbia. out an English which is at once universal and able to Argue for/against birth control. carry his peculiar experience." Argue for/against being married. Argue who won a political debate based on your reading of the transcript. Argue for/against being single. Look at two newspapers and argue which is the best, Agree/disagree: Having biological offspring does not and why. make one a parent. Argue the strengths and weaknesses of a particular Agree/disagree: Every child should be raised by his or political candidate's communication style. her natural parents. Argue what a particular society needs to cure its ills. Society, Social] Onteraction Agree/disagree: Tradition should be maintained at all costs. What is the most effective metaphor for American What should be the roles for surrogate mothers? culture: melting pot, salad, mosaic? Agree/disagree: A home without a pet is not complete. Argue for/against Jesse Jackson's interpretation of the melting pot: "I hear that melting-pot stuff a lot, and Agree/disagree: "A person does not do enough merely all I can say is that we haven't melted." to acknowledge equality." Argue for/against "gated" communities. Agree/disagree: "All of the nation suffers when one person suffers the loss of civil rights." Are you your brother's or your sister's keeper? Agree/disagree: "So far is it from being true that people Each for oneself? All for one and one for all? are naturally equal, that no two people can be half an Argue for/against joining hour together, but one shall acquire an evident Agree/disagree: To remake the world we have to start superiority over the other." with ourselves as individuals. Argue whether any individual is indispensable.

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Argue whether neighbors are necessary. Argue for/against subsidizing farms. Argue for/against giving up one's religion for someone. Argue for/against subsidizing corporations. Discuss argumentatively this quotation from Sir Thomas Argue for/against free bus travel for certain citizens Browne: "Charity begins at home, is the voice of the over certain short routes. world." Argue for/against a certain tax reform. Argue when it is best not to be frank. Argue what the best place is for inexpensive living for Argue whether the world, as Wordsworth says, "is too retired people. much with us." Argue for/against parking meters. Argue the redeeming qualities of someone or something Argue for/against tipping. not considered as having any. Argue for/against farming as a profession. Argue what psychiatry has done for society. Argue whether one should be exempted from high Argue some issue of feminism that until now has been payments of car insurance if proven accident-free. completely ignored. Argue who should, or who should not, keep receiving Argue for/against a universal definition of feminism. financial support from the government. Take a stance on a local feminist issue in your commu- Discuss argumentatively this quotation from Thomas nity. Jefferson: "Never spend your money before you have Argue whether or not discretion is the better part of it." valor. Argue for/against patronizing locally owned businesses Argue whether there is any use in society for Mother's instead of chain stores. Day and Father's Day. Argue for/against joining a food co-op. Discuss argumentatively the quotation from Hart Crane: Argue for/against "sin taxes" (such as on cigarettes). "For we can still love the world, who find a famished kitten on the step." Argue for/against the idea that the customer is always right. Argue for/against labor unions. What is the fairest way to determine who gets laid off? Argue for/against your joining a union. Argue for/against investing in the stock market. Argue for/against: "No people come into possession of Should people not spend money on nonessentials? a culture without having paid a heavy price for it" (James Baldwin). Argue for/against: "We have become ninety-nine Time and Eternity, percent money mad. The method of living at home Life Pursuits, Death and Life modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for the proverbial rainy day which is Agree/disagree: "No man can serve two masters" due to come, can almost be listed among the lost (Bible). arts" (George Washington Carver). Agree/disagree: "It is the best of all trades, to make Argue the worth of a certain city because of the things songs, and the second best to sing them" (Hilaire to do there. Belloc). Argue for/against putting the individual above the "Desire for the fruit of one's actions is responsible for community. [a person's] bondage to the cycle of birth and death. [A person's] right is to work only, not to the fruit of Economy, Employment his [or her] actions" (Bhagavad Gita). Argue for/ against this position. Is anything ever "absolutely free"? "All that we are is the result of what we have thought. Argue for/against a certain boycott. We are formed and molded by our thoughts." (Gautama Buddha) Argue whether it is true that two can live as cheaply as one. "What does it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul?" (Gospel according to Try to persuade your boss on a certain issue or plan at Matthew). When have these words been relevant in work. your life? Argue your worth to a certain employer. Argue for/against "wasting" time. Argue for/against gold, or silver, as the money standard. Argue for a past custom that is worth bringing back. Argue for/against a particular measure to reduce the Argue for/against the four-day work week. energy crisis. Argue how one should spend time. Argue what government spending should give priority to. Argue for a particular pastime. Argue for/against a national debt. Agree/disagree: "There is nothing wrong with chasing Argue what our assets are nationally. rainbows."

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Argue for/against the idea "carpe diem." Argue that time will show that Agree/disagree: "In landlessness alone resides the Argue what in life, or in all eternity, is our greatest highest truth" (Herman Melville). resource. Argue how our lives would be different if there were no Agree/disagree: "Truly loving another means letting go recorded history. of all expectations. It means full acceptance, even Argue whether modern people are significantly different celebration of another's personhood" (Karen Casey). from people of ancient times or of medieval times. Agree/disagree: "If you judge people, you have no time Argue for/against age-defying drugs (such as hormones). to love them" (Mother Teresa). Agree/disagree: Humanity will not only endure; it will Agree/disagree: "Love without reason lasts the longest" prevail (paraphrased from William Faulkner). (unknown). Agree/disagree: "Our life is frittered away by detail" Agree/disagree: "If I had to choose between betraying (Henry David Thoreau). my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country" (E. M. Forster). Agree/disagree: "It's hell to be old in the United States." Agree/disagree: "Friends are God's way of apologizing Argue whether there is an age when a person can get by to us for our families" (unknown). with just about anything. Agree/disagree: "It's no good trying to keep up old Argue whether age is necessary for experience. friendships. It's painful for both sides. The fact is, Argue whether you should buy life insurance. one grows out of people, and the only thing is to face Agree/disagree: "Why fear death? It is the most beauti- it" (W. Somerset Maugham). ful adventure in life" (Charles Frohman). What benefits will come from extending the human Argue whether life is a line, or a circle. lifespan? Argue what the milestones of life are. What problems will come from extending the human Argue what the millstones of life are. lifespan? Argue for/against belief in life after life. Argue whether the arts are essential. Agree/disagree: "It matters not how one dies, but how What is the best balance between a life of action and a one lives." life of contemplation? Argue for/against cremation rather than burial. Agree or disagree: the devil is in the details. Argue the point technically and spiritually: When is At what age does one handle success best? death, when is life? Argue for/against keeping one's cultural identity rather Discuss argumentatively this quotation from John than trying to assimilate. Donne: "Death be not proud." Argue whether or not it is sometimes okay to "sweat the Discuss argumentatively this quotation from the poet small stuff." William Ernest Henley: "I am the master of my fate: According to this saying, "We were given memories so I am the captain of my soul." we could have roses in winter." Argue for/against Agree/disagree: "Nature's Time should be left as it is." what memory affords us. Agree/disagree: "Time is your best ally."

99 EFINITE

What Definition As the word, imbuing it with a positive value, empha- sizing that "black is beautiful." Definition seeks to establish the limits or boundaries It might be helpful to think of definition as a way of a word as it is used in any given context. This of describing a word (in terms of our approach to book offers only the most immediate example of the description, say, which appeared earlier in this book). topic at hand. Each introduction attempts to define a Here again our ultimate aim is not to capture our particular kind of writing for the specific purposes subjectand certainly not to bring it to a permanent of this volume. Many approaches are used. Some may endbut to set it free. Definition is one of the spokes appear almost to throw off the dictionary meanings in the rhetorical wheel we have been spinning through as they wrestle with the demands of circumstances, these pages and (to give the analogy one final turn) but each definition is etymologically rooted. The ety- it is also part of the hub grease that keeps the wheel mology of definition itself has to do with "bringing turning freely. to an end." But no dictionary definition is defini- tivenot in a living language. It may determine the meaning(s) of a word for the time being, settle the How to Write Definition boundaries of a word, but not its hash. Words are alive, and, like any other living thing, Definition is not only a way of explaining a word words grow and change. In fact, as linguists Hans clearly, precisely, concretely; it is also a way of ex- Henrich Hock and Brian Joseph tell us, "Whole books ploring both the word and how it relates to its pri- are writtenand indeed have been written for cen- vate context. Sometimes it seems we do not really turieswarning of impending doom, prophesying know what a word meansor what it means to us that our language will go to the dogs....[However,] until we attempt to describe it on paper. Definition, attempts at stemming the tide of change are ineffec- much like any other form of writing, is a way of think- tual: Language changes inexorably" (Language His- ing and of discovering what we know, of looking at tory, Language Change, and Language Relation- all the many accretions of meaning that enrich it. An ship). Nowhere is language change more visible than essay in definition could hardly avoid, nonetheless, in slang, where, Hock and Joseph say, "the motiva- digging into the roots of a subject, investigating its tion for constant lexical renewal is similar to the history. That kind of groundwork tends to deepen a motivation for constant change in dress fashion[s]. word, build its muscle, give it centuries of room in There is nothing more stale than outdated slangor which to swing its arms. yesterday's fashion." Slang aside, however, even in Surely the writer ought always to know the mean- more formal language you can trace how a word ing of any word he or she uses. In the age of what grows and changes in value and meaning. Take, for Orwell called "doublethink," definition is not only example, the word black, which has through the ages imperative but crucial. Can there ever be a holy war? carried negative value in the English language. The Are people oppressed to be free? Are countries de- civil rights movement of the midtwentieth century, stroyed to be saved? By all means, let us define our and especially the Black Power movement, redefined terms.

89 i U 0 90 What Can 0 Write About?

Locating Subjects for Definition Many of the subjects listed in this chapter are quota- Definition rightly claims its own spoke on that tions. Often they are aphoristic and their sense de- rhetorical wheel. But the crafty wheelwright will pends upon word definitions that are at once strin- shape it clear round the rim. Argumentation, exposi- gent and free. Wrestling with some of them will be tion, research and report, critical writingnone of vigorous exercise, both for the muscle-bound writer these will get very far without some solid element of and the writer whose loose-limbed prose sprawls all definition. over the page.

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Human eings Caruso, Casanova, Casaubon, cavalier, cavalry, celebrity, Wilt Chamberlain, chameleon personality, and Human Types for Definition Charlie Chaplin, charlatan, Cesar Chavez, Chief of Protocol, the child inside, Christ as portrayed on A television and in movies, Cleopatra, Bill and Hillary Abe lard, absent-minded professor, Chinua Achebe, Clinton, Kurt Cobain, Joe College of the '50s, "cop," acrobat, activist, actuary, adolescence, African, Joseph Cornell, Crazy Jane as created by William agnostic, airline pilot, air-traffic controller, Lewis Butler Yeats, Creole, Davy Crockett, Walter Carroll's Alice, alpha male, amateur/professional, Cronkite, crusader, Marie Curie Amazon, the American people, Anasazi, Andromeda, anonymous, army brat, Asian, astronaut, atheist, What does the following poetical definition by John athlete, auctioneer, Australian, auto mechanic, Collins Bossidy tell you about the Cabots, the average citizen Lowells, and other Bostonians high and low? And this is good old Boston, What are the criteria for judging a great actor? The home of the bean and the cod. What are the criteria for judging a great athlete? Where the Lowells talk to the Cabots, Athlete-recruitment programsdefine ethical or And the Cabots talk only to God. unethical recruitment. How would you define Calvin (of "Calvin and Hobbes") How would you define the "earliest American"? or some other famous cartoon character? "We are all Armenians," said William Saroyan. What Explain how this is possible: "Character is destiny." did he mean, in terms of definition? "The Child is father of the Man," said William Define someone with "attitude." Wordsworth. What special definition of the child is Wordsworth using? B The Children's Crusade is a book about a real move- Babbitt, Bach, backpacker, backwoods people, bad/ ment by 50,000 children in 1212 to stop war. What good neighbor, Bilbo Baggins, Pearl Bailey, James characteristics of this movement can be defined in Baldwin, top banana, barnstormer, Dave Barry, terms of what has happened in recent history? bartender, Count Basie, Batman, Mr. Bean, the The Chinese have stopped using the term Mandarin Beatles, Harry Belafonte, Beltway bureaucrats, best because it is too class-conscious. Define some class- friend (or dog's best friend), Benazir Bhutto, Big conscious term formerly used in the United States. Brother as created by George Orwell, Larry Bird, the Shirley Chisholm of the U.S. House of Representatives Black Panthers, blusterer, James Bond, bookworm, wants to be remembered, she says, for what she is bouncer, "boy band," braggart, Brahmin, Brand X, able to do to help her constituents. What does her brat, Eva Braun, breadwinner, brother, Charlie statement have to do with definition of the politician? Brown, the Brownings, bullies, bumpkin, George Explain the definition implied in the fact that certain Burns, George W. Bush churchgoers were reprimanded by the courts for making their "joyful noise unto the Lord" too loud. Discuss in terms of definition the fact that Mel Blanc Distinguish between a Christian Scientist and a Chris- created his voices from the beginningbefore the tian scientist. cartoons. A headline reads, Citizen Catches Police. Even if you Benevolent despot. do not know the subject of the article that follows, How would you define a Boston Brahmin? what fixed definitions come to your mind immedi- What stereotype definition is understood in this cartoon ately? item?"He doesn't know the meaning of the word A certain coach says that his team is number 2, not fear, or anything else for that matter," a manager says number 1. Another coach, referring to his playing a of his boxer. team now that formerly trounced his team, says that Bristly personality. revenge does not fit into his vocabulary. Discuss both these coaches in terms of definition. Discuss Jack Anderson's saying, "All the world's a stage and bureaucrats play it." According to current world conditions, what is a communist? Define the British sense of humor. George Eliot said that conceited people carry their Is a bookish person different from a bookworm? comfort around with them. How would you define a C conceited person? Cadillac, Cajun, Calamity Jane, Caliban, Canadians as What do conservatives usually denounce about society? seen by the Japanese, Captain Kirk, cardiologist, What stereotypes of Asians are encouraged by the Andrew Carnegie, Lewis Carroll, Kit Carson, Enrico Charlie Chan movies?

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Is there any difference between a moral coward and a F physical coward? Can a coward be brave and moral? Define in your own terms what a coward is. Face in the crowd, fair-weather friend, fakir, Falstaff, the American family, the "blended" family, the "extended" "Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all" family, fanatic, farrier, Fascist, father, Father, faun, (Shakespeare, Hamlet). Define how this can happen. Fenian, Millard Fillmore, firefighter, firestarter, flower Why does Curious George have so much appeal to child, football widow, fox in the henhouse, Franken- children? stein, freedom fighters, friend, fundamentalist D The Dalai Lama, Salvador Dali, a dangerous liaison, What face is on a certain coin or bill? Why that face on daredevil, Darth Vader, daughter, "Deadhead," James that item rather than another face? Dean, Agnes de Mille, Cecil B. De Mille, Democrat/ What can one do to determine human definition when Republican, deus ex machina, devil's advocate, the following is true?"It is the common wonder of Princess Diana, Dickensian, dictator, dilettante, all men, how among so many millions of faces, there Dionysian, the dispossessed, diva, do-gooder, should be none alike" (Sir Thomas Browne). Donald Duck, dot-com millionaire, Doubting "The family that prays together stays together." Discuss Thomas, Frederick Douglass, down-home person, this slogan, or another that it reminds you of, so as to dowser, Dr. Dolittle, dreamer, drone, Isadora indicate that slogans do not define particularly but Duncan, dunce only generally. (One example of this fact: The Manson group called itself a family and had its own How does the biblical character Delilah become a kind of prayers.) symbol that feminists reject? How do movies about the famous portray them? Define what a doctor is in light of the following: Is a To what extent has the attitude expressed in the follow- PhD, a Doctor of Philosophy, a doctor? ing statement (by H. L. Mencken, the famous "Over-Doctor" is the Japanese term for an overedu- journalist) become a stereotyped definition of cated, unplaced, unemployable PhD. farmers: "The only political idea he can grasp is one which promises him a direct profit." "Every physician almost hath his favourite disease," Henry Fielding wrote in the eighteenth century. Does If you are on file somewhere, are you therefore defined his statement still define the doctor, in part? as no more than the file says you are? Are you merely the sum of the personal items mentioned there? "Anger makes dull men witty," said the first Queen Elizabeth. How do you define a dull person? W. C. Fields was democratic: he hated everyone equally. What playful, complete definition do we have of E W. C. Fields on the basis of his movies and popular image? Each and every one, early riser, Clint Eastwood, easy rider, eccentric, egghead, egotist, Elvis, emigrant/ The Bible says "A fool utters all his mind" and "Answer immigrant, Eminem, worst enemy, proponents of the a fool according to his folly." What, by your defini- English-Only movement, evangelist, Everyman or tion, is a fool? Everywoman, everyone a stranger How do descriptions of us sometimes limit or confound what we are? Note that sometimes people get swallowed up by name and town descriptions of A certain entertainer's talent is that he can make himself them: "With him is his wife the former Mary Smith look like any make of car. What other entertainer do of Johnsonville." Does the word former mean that you know who is defined by an unusual talent? Mary no longer exists? Is Johnsonville where she Everyone has some kind of handicap, it has been said. lives now or where she used to live? In what important ways can everyone be defined as What, in definition, is behind the fact that Franklin is being like everyone else? the name most used in naming American towns? How did Elvis redefine his image throughout his career? "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, / Nor "Evitashe has been called whore, feminist, tyrant, and hell a fury like a woman scorned" (William saint. Evita was the beautiful, legendary woman who Congreve). How would you define a woman's fury in rose from poverty to become the hypnotically feminist terms? powerful First Lady of Argentina." What definitions of Evita emerge in the film, in the musical, and in C historical accounts? Clark Gable, gadfly, a gallant man in today's context, How did Elizabeth I, queen of England, define her Mohandas Gandhi, Bill Gates, geek, geisha, Genera- nation and her era? tion X, Mirza Ghalib, gift horse, God, God as How does Elizabeth II, queen of England, define her defined by a child, Goddess, Goethe, Katharine nation and her era? Graham, a great person, Che Guevara, Lady Jane Grey (The Nine Days' Queen), guru, Gutenberg

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How would you define a genius? Does a genius have "God is love." (New Testament) time for the ordinary world? Is everyone a genius? "Is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then he is Does genius require only a high IQ? Is a genius very not omnipotent. Is he able but not willing? Then he is much different from you and me? "To know what a malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then genius is," says a GE advertisement, "ask a genius." whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? "Genius is of no country," said Charles Churchill. Then why call him God?" (Epicurus) What can "godfather" imply? From the Rigveda: Define a gospel singer as someone who does more than Whence did this creation make "a joyful noise unto the Lord." Come into being? What stereotypes are suggested by the word "grandpar- Whether He supported it or He did not ent"? The one who dwells in the highest region watches it, Define a grave (serious) person after consulting this He alone knows it, quotation from G. K. Chesterton: "It is really a Or perhaps He knows it not. natural trend to lapse into taking oneself gravely, From the Bible: because it is the easiest thing to do; for solemnity flows out of men naturally, but laughter is a leap. It is The Lord is my shepherd; easy to be heavy; hard to be light. Satan fell by force I shall not want. of gravity." He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; What defines a great person? Is it misleading to call He leadeth me beside still waters. persons the "all-time greatest" in their fields? What He restoreth my soul: definition enters into the idea in this quotation from He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Robinson Jeffers?"Greatness is but less little; and name's sake. death's changed life." Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some of death, achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; upon 'em" (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night). How would Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. you define greatness? Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of Some views of God for definition: mine enemies: "And God said unto Moses: 'I AM THAT I AM'; and Thou anointest my head with oil; He said: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of My cup runneth over. Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you.'" (Torah, Exodus Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 3) days of my life; "An honest God is the noblest work of man." (Robert And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Ingersoll) "We must question the story logic of having an all- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty God, and the Word was God. The same was in the Humans, then blames them for his own mistakes." beginning with God. All things were made by him; (Gene Roddenberry) and without him was not any thing made that was From the Koran: made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds! darkness comprehended it not." (Gospel according to The compassionate, the merciful! John) King on the Day of reckoning! Thee only do we worship, and to Thee do we cry "It is God's trade to pardon." (paraphrased from for help. Heinrich Heine) Guide Thou us on the straight path. "If God really existed, it would be necessary to abolish The path of those to whom Thou has been him." (Mikhail Bakunin) gracious;with "The nature of God is a circle of which the center is Whom Thou art not angry, and who go not astray. everywhere and the circumference is nowhere." The Upanishads (the ancient Hindu scriptures) teach (Anonymous) that "Atman (individual soul) is Brahman (the God is the oldest of poets. (proverb) supreme Godhead, beyond all distinctions or God is forms)." "The groves were God's first temples." (William Cullen The Band'i Scripture says: "Light is good in whatsoever Bryant) lamp it is burning. A rose is beautiful in whatsoever garden it may bloom. A star has the same radiance if "It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship it shines from the east or the west. Be free of God, but to create him." (Arthur C. Clarke) prejudice so that you will love the Sun of Truth from "Nature is the art of God." (Sir Thomas Browne) whatsoever point in the horizon it may arise."

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"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature." (Frank Lloyd Wright) J Jesse Jackson, Jazz musicians, Jelly Roll Morton, How do the following words define a person's relation- Jeremiah, Jesuit, JFK, jihad, Jim Crow laws, Jingoist, ship to God? "Reason is like an officer when the king Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Joan of Arc, a "Job's appears; the officer then loses his power and hides comforter," Elton John, John Paul II, Magic Johnson, himself. Reason is God's shadow; God is the sun. Jonah, Barbara Jordan, journalist, judge, junkie What power has the shadow before the sun?" (Rumi) (choose a particular kind), Supreme Court Justice, "If there be gods we cannot help them, but we can assist Jute, juvenile our fellow-men. We cannot love the inconceivable, but we can love wife and child and friend. We can be as honest as we are ignorant. If we are, when asked Someone who's climbing Jacob's Ladder. what is beyond the horizon of the known, we must Jesse James was formerly the Treasurer of Texas, and he say that we do not know." (Robert Green Ingersoll) was replaced by someone who also had a famous name, Warren G. Harding. How might definition H affect someone who has the same name made famous Ham actor, Hamlet, Oscar Hammerstein II, ham radio by someone else? enthusiast, the Hare Krishna movement, harlequin, Define Justice , United States Supreme Court. Hassan and Hussein (descendants of the Prophet Mohammad and founders of two Islamic sects,) K Hatfields and McCoys, Vaclav Havel, Lillian Franz Kafka, Helen Keller, Grace Kelly, Walt Kelly, Hellman, Ernest Hemingway, Henry the Eighth's Jomo Kenyatta, Jack Kerouac, the Kikuyu, Kilroy, wives, Henry Higgins, "his and hers," Hitler as seen Martin Luther King Jr., King Kong, knight in shining by a teenager, Ho Chi Minh, Billie Holiday, Sherlock armor, Koko the gorilla, the Kurds Holmes, homebody, Captain Hook, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Julia Ward Howe, howitzer, Zora Neale Hurston Distinguish, by definition, between the Kafir people of Africa and the Kafir people of Afghanistan. Define kaiser by way of its etymology. "Hell is other people." (Jean-Paul Sartre) Define the kamikaze pilot in religious and patriotic Give a deliberately stereotyped definition of a hero. To terms, not just historically. understand the stereotype is to understand, as well, what is not a stereotype. Define the Katzenjammer Kids of comic-strip fame. Is the idea of the dying hero romantic or realistic? In what sense can we consider Jacqueline Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis two different people? After considering the following quotation from Ferdinand Foch, define the term human soul: "The The Kennedy dynasty most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on The Kennedy "legacy" fire." What is a kibitzer? Using definition, argue whether hypocrites know that How does the popular perception of the king change, they are hypocrites. depending on what monarchy you're examining? What, in modern terms, is a knave? How does Kris Kringle differ, in definition, from Santa lago, Henrik Ibsen, ideologue, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Claus? Incas, Indiana Hoosier, indispensable person, insider, intellectual, Inuit, Irish, Isaac, Ishmael, Ivy Leaguer L Lao-tzu, layperson, left-handed person, Doris Lessing, People once identified as Indians are now also known David Letterman, libertine, Lilith, literati, loan shark, by such terms as first nations people, indigenous Lolita, lone wolf, look-alike, the Lost Generation, peoples, and Native Americans. What does each de- Low Churchman, Low German, Lucifer, Luke of the finition connote, especially as compared to "Indian"? Bible, Luke Skywalker, Martin Luther of the Refor- Define by comparison/contrast an Indian from India and mation an Indian from the United States or Canada. What is an innocent? Is it the same in definition as an Define the current use of the term Laodicean, connect- innocent person? How do we behave towards people ing the word to its origins. who have been tried as criminals but have been "Lawyers talk, but it is their business to talk," said found innocent? Thomas Jefferson. James Boswell said of the lawyer A particular immigrant community. that he "has no business with the justice or injustice Define a "wild Irish rose," comparing traditional and of the cause which he undertakes, unless his client contemporary use of the phrase. ask his opinion, and then he is bound to give it

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honestly. The justice or injustice of the cause is to be the following: A metaphysician, said Charles, Baron decided by the judge." How do these statements Bowen, is "a blind man in a dark roomlooking for define what a lawyer is in ways opposed to a stereo- a black hatwhich isn't there." typed definition? How do you define a lawyer? Who are the mild? What does a liberal denounce about society? How does What has come to be defined as "the model minority" in this denunciation define what a liberal is? What is an the United States? How might this definition be English liberal as opposed to an American liberal? complicated? What does a libertarian believe? The actor Ricardo Montalban insists on keeping his Define Lord Chancellor. Latin accent so as to keep his dignity. How were Define lord of misrule. earlier actors defined by their accents or their origins What is your definition of a loser? so that they became stereotyped? What would be a good example of a modern Who is the "mother of all living"? lotus-eater? What is meant, in terms of definition, by someone's What would be a good example of a modern "Lot's saying, "I'm not myself today"? Is there only one Wife"? myself for each person? What are the differences in definition among the pronouns me, myself and / as Define lowbrow. they refer to a single person? Is there any difference Define lumpen as a political term. between my self and myself? Give an elaborate definition of mystagogue. Define someone who is said to be "a mystery." Yo-Yo Ma, Lady Macbeth, Machiavelli, Madonna, Mahavira, Miriam Makeba, Malvolio, Nelson Write an extended definition of a modern mystic. Mandela, Imelda Marcos, mask (meaning persona), a Write about a mythical person as if he or she were human maverick, the Real McCoy, Golda Meir, defined by the real world. mensch, Micawber, Mickey Mouse, Arthur Miller, Define mythomaniac. minister's child, Minnesota Fats, misogynist, Martha Mitchell, a mod person, Marilyn Monroe, Monty Python, Thomas More as seen by his contemporary Vladimir Nabokov, a human nag, the Nahua people, a opposition, Toni Morrison, Moses, Grandma Moses, naiad as a real person, a naV someone who is a someone voted Most Likely to Succeed, mother, namesake, a modern (and real) Narcissus, Gamel Mother Teresa, Iris Murdoch, mutual friend(s), Abdul Nasser, Carry Nation, native, a "natural" for someone morally myopic one pursuit or another, a literary naturalist, the Navajo Nation, Navy SEAL, Nazi, Neanderthal, What does it take to be in a marching band? Queen Nefertiti, Jawaharlal Nehru, neighbor, Willie Define how Mr. Rogers's neighborhood is different Nelson, nemesis, neophyte, a modern (and real) from one that you know about. Nestor, a neurotic, a "new face" or a "new kid on the block," news anchor, a 19th-century nihilist, ninny, a Clothes make (or do not make) the person. nit-picker, nitwit, Richard Nixon, a noble, the Noble A newspaper item tells of a man who agreed to become Savage stereotype as defined in the eighteenth and another person to please passport officials who kept nineteenth centuries, a nobody, Nobody (in a "Vote giving him a name other than his own. for Nobody" drive), a nonagenarian, a nondescript "My favourite, I might say, my only study, is man." person, a nonesuch, the "Royal Nonesuch" of Mark (George Borrow) Twain's Huckleberry Finn, the Normans, nouveau The term "man" is still sometimes used to refer, riche, someone who is just a number, Rudolph supposedly, to all humanity. What does this usage Nureyev imply about women, or about the relationship Define the New Yorker in a deliberately stereotyped between men and women? way; then define a specific New Yorker. Benjamin Franklin said of humanity that there are Define nonresident better than the following definition "those who are immovable; those who are movable; (from a New York City document) does: "A non- those who move." resident individual means an individual who is not a Define who Mao's widow is, taking into account that resident." she is known more as "Mao's widow" rather than by her name. After considering the following, discuss Define media person. Who are, or what are, the media? definition according to names and nick- A Bible verse says, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall names: inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). Who are the meek? A newspaper item says that a man has 10-8 as his Give your own definition of metaphysician after noting first name.

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Will the real stand up? Pict, a carnival pitcher, "plain folks," Pocahontas, Are persons who change their names different James K. Polk, Jackson Pollock, an individual persons? Polynesian, pooh-bah, President of the United States, prima donna, prince, Prince (the artist formerly How can our names sometimes wrongly define us? known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince), Secret names are often used for protecting highly prison guard, prisoner, a modern and real placed officials and those close to them. Prometheus, Prufrock, psychotic, Puritan Sometimes, two or more persons with the same name run for the same public office. Define pandit (or pundit) in the traditional sense and in In Sweden, 40 percent of the population shares twenty its current context. names all of which end in -son. What are the criteria for defining a great painter? What would you expect of someone named for, say, Have the words patrician and plebian changed in value? Watergate? Who is No-Man? Who is Everyman? Who is Every- What does it mean when someone is described as a Peter Pan? woman? When names of certain streets named for certain What are the criteria for defining a great philanthropist? persons are misspelled, what happens to definition? What are the criteria for defining a great philosopher? Don Coryell May Become a Saint, says a headline, Can a philosopher be a philosopher without preaching referring to the coach's possibly joining the New philosophy? Orleans Saints, a professional football team. What are the criteria for defining a great poet? Take into account how some names invite puns: Define poet as William Cullen Bryant does in saying Beane, Soldier, Tree, and so forth. "Every individual is more or less a poet." What is behind a certain nickname? Can a poet be a poet without writing poetry? What's not in a name? What's in a name? Who are "the poor"? Are there legal terms that, in the Is it possible for someone to have the wrong name? United States, define who the poor are and who the wealthy are? What does it mean that the poor, by 0 definition, have to have money just to be poor? Oberon, Oceanus, a modern (and real) Odysseus, an President Ford could have named Vice-President Nelson Ojibway Indian, Oklahoma Sooner, oneself, an only Rockefeller as President in his last days in office. Are child, Oprah (Winfrey), orator, a modern (and real) there other ways in which a President might be said Orpheus, Ossian, Othello, outlaw, overachiever, an to hold an ambiguous office? Oxbridge type, Oxonian, Ozymandias What person is the most glorified professional person in the United States? In a cartoon, the old woman in a shoe gives an account "A rottenness begins in the conduct of a man who casts of what her children, now grown, are doing. Define his eye longingly on public office," said Thomas in your own terms what the "old woman who lived in Jefferson. How do you define public servant? a shoe" is like. "You optimists are all alike," says a cartoon figure to a Q sign carrier whose sign reads: Doomsday Is Near. Quacksalver, quadrille dancer, Quaker, quarterback, Define optimist. Quasimodo, the Quechua people, queen, Queen Define ordinary people. Latifah, Quetzalcoatl, quibbler, quidditch-players (from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books), quintu- What defines "the Orient"? What are old and new plets, quisling, quitter, Quixote attitudes toward this term? Define someone thought of as an "original." R What defines Orlando, the literary character, in Rabelais, ragamuffin, Bonnie Raitt, Raphael, Rasputin, Shakespeare's play or in Virginia Woolf's novel? Ronald Reagan, a literary realist, revivalist, Adrienne Rich, Renee Richards, a modern and real Rip Van Winkle, Jackie Robinson, Norman Rockwell, Eleanor Pacifist, pagan, a modern and real Pan, a modern and Roosevelt, Roseanne, the Rosenbergs, Rumi, Salman real Pandora, Dr. Pangloss, a modern and real Rushdie, the Russian people, Ruth Pantagruel, Papa Doc Duvalier, paragon, Dorothy Parker, Parnassian of the second half of the 19th Can a raconteur be boring? When? century, partisan, Dolly Parton, pastor, patriot, patron saint, a modern and real Pecksniff, Penelope, Describe a rebel without a cause. Peregrine Pickle, a peripatetic, the person inside, Who is a modern-day Renaissance man or woman? person of trust, person on the street, a whole person, Define any robber baron, especially in terms of Ameri- persona, pessimist, philistine (in the modern sense), can history. 107 Definition 97

Define the characteristics of a particular music group. It has been said, "There is no 'them,' just lots of 'us.'" Define role player. Is everyone a role player in some How are them, they, and us defined? way? Define a modern-day Thwackum, a glimpse of whom is seen in this quotation from Henry Fielding: S "Thwackum was for doing justice, and leaving mercy Sacred cow, sad sack, Saddam (Hussein), sage, saint, to heaven." Samaritan, Samson in the Bible, a sandman, the Define Transylvanian as if you were an expert about, or Biblical Sarah, Satan, scapegoat, schlemiel, Arnold an enthusiast for, horror tales. Schwarzenegger, scoundrel, Seabee, second but not least, Section Eight (as defined to 1944 in the United U States Army), self-image, self-made person, sepoy, Ravi Shankar, Shia Muslims/Sunni Muslims, Sikh, Ugly duckling, a modern and real Ulysses as a compul- Bart Simpson, 0. J. Simpson, sister, Sister, sitar sive wanderer, underachiever, undertaker, a univer- player, skipper, slyboots, smart aleck, John Smith (of salist, Unknown Citizen, Unknown Soldier, upstand- whom there are tens of thousands in the United ing citizen, upstart, Dickens's unctuous Uriah Heep, States), Joseph Smith's wives, Snoopy, soldier, son, Uriah Heep the rock band, a user, a utilitarian Steven Spielberg, spieler, Mr. Spock, a stage version of anyone (such as a hero, a villain, an Irishman, a What distinguishes U2 from other rock groups? Why drunkard), Stagedoor Johnny, Jimmy Stewart, Martha the choice of the name? Does it relate to the U2 Stewart, Stradivarius, sultan, the Sultan of Swat incident of 1960? (Babe Ruth), Billy Sunday, Superman or Supergirl, A man who won an "Ugliest Man" contest says that he suzerain, swashbuckler "looks forward to becoming still uglier." Discuss his statement in terms of definition. How might a child seeing a different Santa at every Who is one of the "undecided" after an election is over? street corner define Santa Claus? Define someone who regularly uses understatement. Is the term "senior citizen" insulting? "She is the youngest of four brothers," says a newspaper V item. Define the she of this quotation. Vagabond, valedictorian, Valkyrie, Valley Girls, vamp, Define Siddhartha the man, Siddhartha the character in vampire, vassal, vaudevillian, veep, Vermeer, Hesse's novel Siddhartha. vernacular speakers, Vice President, viceroy, victim, "For she was the maker of the song she sang," wrote a Victorian, Viking, villain, Dick Vitale, volunteer, Wallace Stevens. How do you define singer? What vulgarian makes a great singer? Define social climber. What defines a venture capitalist? Define sponge in human terms. Define Gore Vidal, taking into consideration the title of Can a sport be a sport without participating in sports? an article about him, "With Malice Towards Some "I refuse to be data-processed," said a student, who was and Charity for Few." concerned about having to fill out so much computer information. How might a computer define a student? Define style-setter. WAF, Wagnerian, waif, Mike Wallace "the jugular journalist," Walloon people, WAVE, Wednesday's child, Weird Sisters, Orson Welles, Westerner, Whig, the Tagalog people, tallyman, a modern and real Tarzan, whipping boy, Walt Whitman as Everyone, whiz, Elizabeth Taylor, teacher, a television critic, a widow or widower, a " " widow, wimp, Walter tenement dweller, terrorist, Texas Ranger, a thief who Winchell, Winnie the Pooh, wizard, Wonder Woman, steals Bibles, a modern and real Thor, Jim Thorpe, Berne Wooster, wunderkind tinker, titan, Tolstoy, top gun, tourist, trickster (as from fables and folklore), troubadour, troublemaker, XYZ troubleshooter, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Xanthippe, X-Man (whether man or woman), Yahoo, Desmond Tutu, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, twin, Yankee, Yanqui, yes-man or yes-woman, yeti, yogi, tycoon, type, tyrant, Mike Tyson you as seen by your best friend and then as seen by your enemy, your self as distinguished from yourself, Is it true that the teacher who is defined as the "mean- youth, zealot, Zen Buddhist, Zionist, zombie, Zoot est" and most demanding of the students is the one suiter, Zouave who is the most respected? What does it mean to be a teenager? Find a definition "You are what you eat." and say why it does or doesn't fit your experience.

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Human Conditions, Draw subjects for definition from the follow- Human Relations, Sociology ing items about the human condition: Augustine said that total abstinence is easier than Achilles' heel, aging, alcoholism, alternative culture, perfect moderation. American Indian Movement (AIM), angst, anti- "Anger is a short madness." (Horace) establishment, Apocalypse, backlash, bandwagon, the Beatitudes, benign neglect, the big sleep, blackout Apartheid as it existed; as it exists now. (as used during World War II), blessing in disguise, Back-to-school blues. bundling, caste, catbird seat, challenge, Christmas as In Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, Helen of Troy a symbol of the American culture, circumspection, is described thus: "Was this the face that launched a class, code-living, (skin) color, commencement thousand ships?" How would you define beauty? ceremony (as a beginning), competition, conflict, A particular kind of group behavior. consistency, contemplation, conventionalism, coordination, cost of war, counterculture, cult, the How does Emerson's phrase "the blowing clover, the Cultural Revolution Decade (China), culture shock, falling rain" relate to the human condition? death, delirium tremens, dog days, dot-corns, "Boldness is a child of ignorance and baseness." (Sir dyslexia, eclecticism (in a specific area, say religion), Francis Bacon) ecotactics, ecumenical movements, enrichment, "Boldness is an ill keeper of promise." (Sir Francis environment, escapism, ethnic purity, etiquette (as Bacon) opposed to "manners"), fad, failure (as defined by an Is there anyone or anything in the human condition that American), fatwah, feedback, Fifth Column, fin de cannot be capturedthat is, defined and under- siecle mood, fixed idea, flag-waving, the Four stoodin a book? Horsemen, generation gap, global village, gluttony, gossip, grass roots, gullibility, "hangin' out," hassle, "Being busy is a national excuse as well as a national heart, heartland, heredity, hiatus, high-tech, hip hop, passion." (Norman Cousins) hoarding (as in wartime), hoopla, human, human What is a "worthy cause" in these days when almost being, human condition, humanity, hypocrisy, idea, everything is said to be one? illumination, implication, incomplete investigation, "Character is destiny." (Novalis) inference, informality, innocence (as opposed to Define the "chasing-after-the-dream" syndrome. sophistication), introspection, involvement, jambo- ree, jealousy, jeopardy, judgment (not justice), "Give me chastity and continence," said St. Augustine, justice, Kabuki, kibbutz, kindness, kismet, knowl- "but do not give it yet." edge, kosher, life (including life after death and life What does it mean to be "color blind"? after life), light as knowledge, light pollution, lingua Common sense, someone has said, is uncommon sense. franca, love, machismo, marriage-go-round, marriage "No true compassion without will, no true wit without of convenience, marriage to one's (job, motorcycle, compassion." (John Fowles) pastime), meditation, meeting one's Waterloo, mellowness, Mexican mordida, middle-of-the-road, "Conscience is a coward, and those faults it has not moderation as excess, moral cowardice, moratorium, strength enough to prevent it seldom has justice nature/nurture, negligence, neutrality, new morality, enough to accuse." (Oliver Goldsmith) new wave, noise pollution, notoriety/infamy, obedi- What makes something or someone cool? You are cool ence, oblivion, old money/new money, over a barrel, if you oxymoron, pain, panhandling, panic, parasitism, "Courageous the pine that does not change its color paternalism, patriotism, pedantry, permissiveness, under winter snow." (Hirohito) pilgrimage, prejudice, primogeniture, privacy, private What does it mean to dance with words? Utopia, puberty, punk movement, pushiness, quintes- What defines a particular kind of dance, old or new, sence, raisin in the sun, ready for love/in love with e.g., ballet, break dancing, jitterbugging, swing, the love, recession, reclamation, relevance, responsibil- twist, or any other of your choice. How does your ity, rumor, sacrifice, scandal, "semi-happiness," choice of a particular dance define you? sense of place, sensibility, sentiment, sentimentality, September song, serendipity, the Shari'a (Islamic "Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery" moral and legal code), showdown, sluggishness, (Martha Graham). Define what you've discovered success (as defined by an American), swan song, through a particular kind of dancing. sweet sixteen, taboo, tact, carrying the torch/passing How is dating defined by your family? Your friends? the torch, troubleshooting, the ultimate adventure, "Death is a continuation of my life without me." (Jean uncouthness, urban/rural, utilitarianism, vindication, Paul-Sartre) Weltanschauung, Weltpolitik, Weltschmerz, wit/ Find a definition for dharma as used in India. Now humor/sense of humor, women's liberation, wonder/ define your own dharma. awe/amazement, xenophobia, Zeno's nine paradoxes, the concept of zero, zero population growth "Death, in itself, is nothing; but we fear, / To be we know not what, we know not where." (Dryden)

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"Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the Define what is meant by a jaundiced view of a particular lamp because the dawn has come." (Rabrindranath thing. Tagore) "Justice was invented by criminals." (Dashiell Hammett) "Deeds, not words, shall speak me." (John Fletcher) Define the spiritual experience of kensho. "You have delighted us long enough," says Mr. Bennett "Knowledge and experience bring contentment" to his daughter, who is entertaining the company in (Bhagavad Gita). How do you define these key terms? Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Define the four koans of the Zen tradition. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." Define Krishna consciousness. What in your opinion is the "whole duty" of a person? What are the different kinds of laughter? Education is a "means of knowledge about ourselves. Define the term li as it connects to Confucian philosophy. Therefore, after we have examined ourselves, we radiate outwards and discover peoples and worlds "Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he around us." (Ngugi Wa Thiong'o) had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had "To err is human, to forgive divine" (Alexander Pope). rescued the entire world." (Talmud) How would you define the key terms err and forgive? "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." "The Evil Empire." Take your pick and define. (Thomas Campbell) How does a country's flag tell us about it? What are different kinds of love? "Rightly understood, freedom is the universal license to An idea from Daniel Defoe is to love the subject for the be good." (paraphrased from lines by Hartley sake of the teacher. Illustrate and define love put in a Coleridge) similar context. "Freedom is unbelievably precious." (Soviet seaman, "Love's tongue is in the eyes." (Phineas Fletcher) now free in the United States, who once was captured by the Soviets when he tried to escape from them) "1 loved not yet, yet I loved to love. ... Isought what I might love, in love with loving." (St. Augustine) "To be furious / Is to be frightened out of fear." (Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra) How accurate is the definition of love in I Corinthians 13? Define future shock as it relates to the human condition. "Ever has it been that love is master where he will." (John Gower) Define the Golden Rule as articulated in different faiths. Define what is meant by Shakespeare's saying that one Define Graceland as depicted in Paul Simon's album by should "choose love by another's eye." that name. Mantrathe original definition and how the word is Define Hajj as a physical and spiritual experience. used now. "What is the worth of anything, / But for the happiness Karl Marx's definition and a current definition of 'twill bring?" (Richard Cambridge) Marxism. Happiness is What is a mystique? How can it be created and main- What is the first thing you think of when you hear the tained? word "heart"? What are some other words with Define different brands of nationalismin the United multiple definitions (literal, metaphoric)? States or around the world. "Heredity," says a newspaper item, "is what you believe Define "Never-never land." in when your child gets A's in school." Hiroshimawhat does it signify? Define nonviolence viewed as an activist method. Define nirvana as a metaphysical concept. Define Honi soit qui mal y pense ("Shame be to he who thinks ill of it") as the statement relates to the human What does the syllable om signify? condition. John Keats believed that reading poetry should be like What is "honourable" as it is used in the title of John le remembrance of something from your thoughts. Is Carre's novel The Honourable Schoolboy? that how you respond to poetry? How does it resonate with you? "Humanity is immense, and reality has a myriad of forms." (Henry James) "There is no crime as shameful as poverty." (paraphrase of a line by George Farquhar) What is ethnic humor? (When is it offensive and when not? Who has the right to use it?) "Procrastination is the thief of time." (Edward Young) How has the term "innocence" come to have negative "Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; and connotations? adversity is not without comforts and hopes." (Sir Francis Bacon) Can intelligence be defined as proportion? Describe a Pyrrhic victory you've encountered or Define the many faces of Islam. experienced. Describe Jain beliefs about nonviolence and how they Define a quagmire as you have experienced it. translate into everyday life.

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Define how one makes a quantum leap. Choose one value and develop the implications of What kinds of quarantines are there? your definition. Human beings have always gone on quests. Name one Western culture can mean several things. Pick one and define it. Or choose one you're on and define. meaning and define in further detail. What is quid pro quo in a particular context? Define a Zen belief system (choose one school of How would you define a quirky sense of humor? thought). Define quite nice as used in New Zealand. How does it What defines a Zen garden? differ from your usage? What culturally distinguishes the Zoroastrian community? In which situations is a quorum necessary? Define your Identity own. What defines your identity? In other words, what makes Define a quota that could affect your life. you, you? What would be a quotidian quiddity in your life at "If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it school? will define who you are" (Oprah Winfrey). Choose a Define the many things that a rainbow signifies. famous person and show how his or her public image Define how the Ramayana is a living epic. defined the person. Define rebellion, teenage style. "When I discover who I am, I'll be free." (Ralph Ellison) "Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got "It isn't where you came from, its where you're going without merit and lost without deserving." that counts." (Ella Fitzgerald) (Shakespeare) "Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also" Define the code of conduct presented in the Sermon on (Gospel According to Matthew). How can your the Mount. "treasure" define you? Define the Shinto belief system. Nonhuman Life/Creatures Define the significance of Mount Sinai in ancient Israel and present-day Israel. aardvark, aardwolf, adder, Afghan hound, albatross, The power of story as expressed here: "[O]nly the story alpaca, amoeba, anaconda, ant bear, antelope, ape, ... can continue beyond the war and the warrior. It is armadillo, auk, baboon, bacterium, bee eater, beetle, the story that outlives the sound of war-drums and bighorn, bison, black widow, blenny, brown recluse,

the exploits of brave fighters. It is the story...that buffalo, cat, chicken snake, cicada, clam, conch, saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars crab, cygnet, dinosaur, dog-faced butterfly, a cross into the spikes of the cactus fence. The story is our between a donkey jenny and a zebra stallion, dove, escort; without it, we are blind. Does the blind man dragonfly, drake, duck, duck-billed platypus, own his escort? No, neither do we the story; rather it elephant, fox, gander, heron, ibex, the mythical is the story that owns us and directs us." (Chinua jabberwock, kite, kiwi, lizard, lobster, mealybug, Achebe) mink, myna or mynah, nanny goat, okapi, prairie On seeing the Taj Mahal a poet wrote: "A mighty dog, puffin, quail, razorbill, sea horse, shark, emperor, sustained by wealth, has made a mockery of springer spaniel, squab, staghound, tick, Galapagos us, the poor" (translated from Urdu by Zarina Hock). turtle, the mythical unicorn, vulture, warthog, weevil, How would you define this monument? right whale, yellow jacket, zebra fish "The strongest reason best." (Jean de La Fontaine) Draw subjects for definition from the follow- "A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp ing items about creature life: tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with "Bull fighting is not a sport. It is a tragedy." (Ernest constant use." (Washington Irving) Hemingway) "Treason cloth never prosper: What's the reason? / For if Two headlines: Bulldogs Battle Demons Today and it prosper, none dare call it treason." (Sir John Scorpions Trounce the Eagles. Harington) Are cats wrongly maligned? "The tree will wither long before it fall." (Lord Byron) What defines hunting dog behavior? "Truth cannot afford to be tolerant where it faces Do chimpanzees really talk, or do they merely imitate positive evil" (Rabindranath Tagore). Define a their human teachers? particular context in which you can apply this maxim. Look over the first paragraph of Dickens's Hard Times "Truth is the daughter of Time." for the stereotyped definition and the natural defini- Julius Caesar said, "Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I tion of a horse. Then write a stereotyped definition of conquered). Use this claim to define something any nonhuman creature, followed by an opposing, you've experienced. and natural, definition. The term Victorian has changed in value many times What is an animal emotion? (Is it the same as a human since the reign of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. emotion?)

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Define the process of metamorphosis. brain waves, child's nightmares, compulsive behav- How did the peacock gets its reputation? ior, conscience, depression, ego, "emotional canni- Does a pet know its name? balism" (from Henry James), exploitation, fanati- cism, fixation, gestalt, the green-eyed monster, guilty Does a racehorse know it is a racehorse? conscience, hijacker syndrome, hostage syndrome, When is an animal "rare"? id, insanity, instability, instinct, intelligence quotient, What happens during hibernation? intuition, love/hate relationship, mania, manipulation, What in elephant behavior indicates that they "never narcissism, neuroticism, normality, obsession, out-of- forget"? body experience, panic reaction, paranoia, passion, personality, perversion, psychiatry, psychology, psychopath, psychotherapy, "pushing the envelope," Paradox testing the limits, rebelliousness, sanity, schizophre- Is young adult a paradox? nia, sense of the absurd, sixth sense, Skinner's "behaviorism," social friction, sour grapes, spring Is it possible to be mildly fanatical? fever, superego, triskaidekaphobia, Zeitgeist How can fast food be so good and so bad for you? An old hymn by Jane Taylor says that it is "quite a disgrace to be fine." How could this be? Ambiguity, Infinity, Explore definitions involving paradox as and the Kitchen Sink prompted by the following quotations: Draw subjects for definition from the follow- "In my beginning is my end." (T. S. Eliot) ing terms and thoughts: From William Blake: about/nearly/hardly, ambiguity, ambivalence, ana- To see a world in a grain of sand chronism, black holes, Calvary, drop in the ocean, And a heaven in a wild flower, energy, euphemism, exoticism, fat/plump, forever, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand hard side/soft side, hypothesis, imagination, impossi- And eternity in an hour. bility, infinity, insight, -ism, kaleidoscope, karma, "There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is less/few, malapropism, measurelessness, metaphys- madness." (Herman Melville) ics, mirage sale, mutually exclusive, nomadic syntax "Every exit is an entry to somewhere else." (Tom (used by the journalist Tom Wicker to refer to Stoppard) Eisenhower's rambling public pronouncements), Define how the Internet broadens your universe and yet phenomenon, rare/unusual, reality, reasonable/ shrinks it. unreasonable, semi-terrific, something that stays, sprezzatura, symbol, thief of time, to be or not to be, "One should lift up the self by the self, And should not tomorrow/yesterday, ubiquity, unknown quality, let the self down; For the self is the self's only friend, And the self is the self's only enemy." (Bhagavad unknown quantity, up/down, wacky names, want-ad terms, weather Gita) "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life A in this world will keep it for eternal life." (New Testament, Gospel According to John, 12:25) Define what coming of age means to you in your every- day life. Are there any contradictions that you see? "The way up and the way down are one and the same." (Heraclitus) Discuss the ambiguities in these defining parts: "used car" in "used car salesman"; "easy" in "easy chair"; "If there is cause to hate someone, the cause to love has "small animal" in "small animal hospital"; "match" just begun." (Wolof proverb, Senegal) in "match box"; "hot" in "hot cup of coffee"; "good" "To be praised is to be lost." (Kikuyu proverb, Kenya) in "good and angry," "your universe in the universe." "A joke's a very serious thing." (Charles Churchill) Write of a characteristic problem arising from imprecise "You can't win unless you learn how to lose." (Kareem or ambiguous language in documents. Abdul-Jabbar) Illustrate the ambiguity in each of the following; then "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love write a definition essay discussing ways to eliminate will have the final word in reality. This is why right, ambiguity where it is not intended: temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil trium- There wasn't a single man present. phant." (Martin Luther King Jr.) Visiting relatives can be dangerous. The chicken is ready to eat. Psychology and the Mind, Emotions I couldn't praise the candidate highly enough. Eye Drops Off Shelf (newspaper headline) "abnormality," after-vacation blues, anti-social, Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half (newspa- astro-soul, bipolar disorder, blood lust, blue Monday, per headline)

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She sold Mark Twain books. Discuss the change of definition of the word chauvinism Begin Conceding While Sadat Waits (newspaper since its origin. headline) "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as What aspect of America does Muhammad Ali capture in a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a this statement? "I am America. I am the part you man, I put away childish things" (New Testament, won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confi- Paul's epistle to the Corinthinians). What does it dent, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not really and specifically mean to think as a child? yours; my goals, my own; get used to me." What logic do children use in choices of wordssuch What is the most coveted award? as "snew" as the past tense of the verb "snow"? How do children know when they are children? Does a B "child" have to be a child? Why are Darwin's definitions of beauty and love What is the popular image or definition of Christ? circular and therefore incomplete? Mohammad? Buddha? "Beauty is momentary in the mind / The fitful tracing Choosing paint (especially its colors) gets tougher all of a portal; / But in the flesh it is immortal." (Wallace the time because of the great number of different Stevens) shades and the names for them. Define some colors "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." (Margaret other than the primary ones. Hungerford) An absent comma makes all the difference in this "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." (John Keats) sentence from a newspaper account of a political Are the stars beautiful up close? barbecue: "It should be an interesting day to say the "Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror." (Khalil least." Define a punctuation mark by considering its Gibran) importance. "Beauty is truth's smile when she beholds her own face In a letter to the House Committee on Un-American in a perfect mirror." (Rabrindranath Tagore) Activities, Lillian Hellman said, "I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions." "No; we have been as usual asking the wrong question. What metaphor was she employing? What is another It does not matter a hoot what the mockingbird on way of expressing her idea? the chimney is singing. The real and proper question is: Why is it beautiful?" (Annie Dillard) D "Beauty is its own excuse for being." (Ralph Waldo Take certain terms and give them new definitions. Can Emerson) you make these definitions seem to fit? When is big small? When is small big? Does the number of words define the value of a docu- According to Montaigne, the thumb is the most impor- ment? There are 1,322 words in the Declaration of tant finger. Can the head commit a revolution against Independence, and there are 26,911 words in a the body? Define the most important part of the body. certain government document regulating the sale of Show that "both sides" are not necessarily all sides. cabbages. "Brevity is the soul of wit" (Shakespeare). How would Define something that has at least two opposing names. you define wit? "Stardust," for example, is also called "atmospheric Why is Bugs Bunny an enduring part of American contaminants." culture? Ask the question, "What's up with that?" about some important something that needs definition. Then C write the definition that answers your question. To card, according to the dictionary, means "to cleanse, The power to define is the power to cure, says William disentangle, and collect together (as fibers) by the Raspberry, syndicated columnist. He gives as use of cards preparatory to spinning." What does to examples: "school districts that cure the problem of card or to be carded mean to you? non-learning not by improved teaching but by setting Note the definitions of these words, which either sound lower standards; social statisticians who cure poverty or look nearly alike: ceras, cereous, ceres, Cereus, not by improving income but by reassessing the cerous, cerris, ceruse, cirrous, cirrus. Can you offer assets of those who are impoverished. ...The some pairs of words to this collection, providing the prospects are endless. Robbers could be transmuted definitions? into income-transfer specialists. Joblessness could be redefined as full-time leisure. Racial animosity could "When it is not necessary to change," said Viscount be ethnotension.. ." Falkland, "it is necessary not to change." Distinguish, by definition, between the terms "lower "What is character but the determination of incident? depths" and "the pits." What is incident but the illustration of character?" (Henry James) When she married again, Elizabeth Taylor sold the diamond Richard Burton had given her. This is an

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illustration of the fact that things have definitions of "The future becomes the present, the present the past, different kinds at different times and under different and the past turns into everlasting regret if you don't circumstances. What are some other examples? plan for it." (Tennessee Williams) "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." What definition of women is implied in this song? Why would it be considered offensive by many women? "The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsi- Direction: Which way is east? west? north? south? bility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace." (Michael Jordan) Franklin discovered, not invented, electricity. Write comparison/contrast definitions of discovery and Nowadays, we avoid gender-specific references (actor, invention. poet, rather than actress, poetess). How is this a consequence of a redefinition of gender? How would you define distance in the context of outer space? What is the difference between gentle and genteel? How might divorce be defined, as used in the headline What were the "good old times"? Were they as good as Man Divorced from Army? people say they were? "Do one to others as you would have them do one to A newspaper asks whether government is the incompe- you," said an elementary student. tent's best friend. What could be defined as a case of "double reverse What does this German saying mean, "At night, all cats discrimination"? are gray." How big, by definition, is a drop? How many droplets When everything is grotesque is nothing grotesque? make a drop? Below is one definition of growing up from Sara Teasdale. Can you offer an alternative definition? E When I can look Life in the eyes, Does egghead imply the same thing as intellectual? Grown calm and very coldly wise, How is your e-mail persona different from your person- Life will have given me the Truth, ality? And taken in exchangemy youth. What defines empty? Are there empty spaces? H "Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with "The hand that signed the paper felled a city," said an open one." (Malcolm S. Forbes) Dylan Thomas. How do you define hand as it is used To meditate you must empty your mind of clutter. How in this statement? do you empty your mind? How do you think a woman's role is defined here: "The According to Zen philosophy, "The everyday mind is hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." the empty mind,... the mind which does not "Heaven lies about us in our infancy! Shades of the discriminate the self from the world." Define the prison-house begin to close upon the growing boy" [or everyday mind and the empty mind in this context. girl], says William Wordsworth. Define your experi- The comic strip character Pogo said, "We have met the ence of losing your carefree childhood as you grow up. enemy and he is us." In what ways are we our own "0 Lord, wandering with thee, even hell itself would be enemies? to me a heaven of bliss" (Ramayana). Define a Show by definition how contradictory and confusing the situation that makes a heaven out of hell for you. English language is. Some examples: man's laughter "History is a nightmare from which I am trying to and manslaughter (pointed out by Mario Pei the awaken." (James Joyce) linguist) and "It took a month of fast talk to convince them." "People are trapped in History, and History is trapped in them!" (James Baldwin) F "The world's history is the world's judgment." How would you define fad? How do fads define us? (Friedrich Schiller) The outstanding farmer of the year, according to a Your home is your castle. Is a king's castle his home? cartoon, is the one who had the lowest loss. Home is What's the distinction between farm subsidy and farm Is "How much can I get for it?" a definition of "senti- aid? mental value"? Define something by using the word fradnip to name it. Give definitions of "How are you?" and "How do you (A fradnip is a term used as a substitute for any other do?" term.) "Our friends, the enemy." (Pierre-Jean de Beranger) How would you define being a friend? "Ignorance is not innocence but sin," said Robert Browning. How would you define your expectations of a friend?

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What in your life has been an illusion? What happened The mind does not act separately from the body like a when your illusion turned to reality, or when your "ghost in the machine," said Gilbert Ryle. reality turned out to be an illusion? "The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make a "Impression is nine-tenths of the law," says David Rife. Heaven of Hell, and a Hell of Heaven." (John Milton) What definitions are changed by this pun? There is only one witness to what goes on in the mind in What is "in" this year? What is "out" or "not in" this thought or dream. year? "It [the mind] has memory's ear that can hear without An Irish bar in Seattle is run by Japanese people; the having to hear." (Marianne Moore) original owner died fifty years ago. Give an example that defines "mind over matter." Define an intangible something by using concrete terms "In the old days," says a newspaper item, "if you saved or by giving it a concrete aspect. money you were a miser; now you're a marvel." Define an intangible of a concrete something. February is the worst month of all, it is said, because it Istanbul was Constantinople. What different connota- brings depression, boredom, and flu. What kind of tions do different names for the same place create? month is April? What are April showers to different people of different ages? What is behind the quota- J tion from T. S. Eliot's long poem "The Waste Land": The name Jack appears frequently in nursery rhymes "April is the cruellest month"? Write an extended and fairytales. What qualities does a Jack have? definition for one of the months of the year. When is a John not a Jack (and vice versa)? How does Louis Armstrong's comment here apply to "Jealousy is all the fun you think they had." (Erica Jong) other things besides music? "We all do 'do, re, mi,' In the song title "June Is Bustin' Out All Over," what is but you have got to find the other notes yourself." implied about the month of June? Could some other month "bust out"? N One person's junk is another's treasure. Why? How do our names help define us? What does it mean to How do you define justice? say that someone doesn't "look like" his or her name? Is there someone you could call your nemesis? Why? K Discuss the difference in definition between "New- Though Arthur, Henry VIII, and Edward VII were all foundland" and "New Found Land." kings of England, their roles as kings were very Why do many Native Americans object to the term New different. How has the definition of what it means to World? be king changed over the years? What are some "new words for old deceptions"? What different meanings can a kiss have? "That noise scared my ears," said Alden Powell. What Write a comparison/contrast definition between an old definition does this quotation give to the sense of airplane and a modern kite, in which the kite comes hearing? out the better of the two. Define literally such nonliteral expressions as "Keep on "Knowledge is the prime need of the hour" (Mary your toes." Find other examples. Macleod Bethune). How is this comment true today? Write a definition essay showing that nothing is like L anything else; that anything is unlike anything else. When, by definition, might a person be said to know Write a definition essay on number(s) after reading the two languages equally well, that is, be bilingual? following: "Round numbers are always false," said Samuel Johnson. "The half is greater than the When is less more? When is more less? whole," said Hesiod. A famous performer of mental "Lift not the painted veil which those who live call Life" arithmetic was asked, "How many bulls' tails to the (Percy Bysshe Shelley). How does the poet define moon?" to which he replied, "One, if it's long life here? enough." Is it possible for something to add up to Define the many ways in which you are literate. more than it is? Is it possible for something to add up If you lose a key, is the key itself lost? What defines to less than it is? Is it possible to count pearls and being "lost"? oysters together? Is it possible for the sum of parts of something to be less than the whole of that something? Intangible though it is, love can be measured and therefore defined. How?

M What are onomatopoeic sounds really like? Define them "The map is not the territory it symbolizes." (Hayakawa) as they should be. "I hear that melting-pot stuff a lot, and all I can say is What is Optimism as Voltaire has Pangloss define it? that we haven't melted." (Jesse Jackson) Distinguish between optical illusion and other illusions.

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P Define the "road-not-taken" syndrome. What is a "roadrunner"? Is it, as Rod Powell says, a bird "Paint what you know is there, not what you see," said that is "still running" when some other creature might Gertrude Stein in reference to cubism. Define what is have stopped? Do definitions and names limit in this meant by her statement. way the things they define or name? Write a definition of what one might see in a particular photograph that is contrived to be confusing. S Write a definition showing that plain talk is the hardest Develop a definition of one of the seasons like this one kind of oral expression. from Time magazine: "Autumn: A Season for Write a definition of pleasure based on Aphra Behn's Hymning and Hawing." saying that "Variety is the soul of pleasure." What does it mean to be selfish in practice but not in What does the pledge of allegiance mean? What do its principle? individual words mean, especially the words pledge, What is the most important sense according to your allegiance, flag, nation, indivisible, liberty, justice, definition? and all? "That kitten smells black," said Diane Ephthimiou. Are Everyone has a different definition for, or understanding some things identifiable by similar ambivalence of of, the word poetry. There are as many different the senses? definitions for it as there are people. What is your Illustrate unusual definitions of the senses, as in this definition of it? quotation from Shakespeare: "The eye of man hath Was all poetry, as the saying goes, written before time not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand began? is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his A legislator said that he could get through legislation for heart to report, what my dream was." teaching poetry in prison only if he did not call it A cartoon asks, "Are you shocked at the things that poetry. What definition of poetry is so distrusted that don't shock you anymore?" What two definitions, at legislators would not want it taught in prison? least, are there of shock in this quotation? Define a "portmanteau" word. Give some examples. What is future shock? When is progress inhumane, or does progress always, What is sticker shock? by definition, help humanity? What activity do you consider to be "sick"? What is the result of reversing the principal parts of a A visitor to Northern Ireland was asked which side he proverb? (Example: What goes down must come up.) was on in the conflict there, and he answered, "I am "A proverb is much matter decocted into few words," on the side that doesn't require that I have to be on a said Thomas Fuller. side." Is it possible, by definition, not to be on a side in some issue? R Sometimes the sign is not the real message, as when a A young boy is quoted in a newspaper item as saying welcome mat is put out just for convention or when a that he likes radio more than television because he dictator says that he welcomes criticism. Define a can "see the pictures better." What definition is at sign that does not mean what it says. work in his seeing? Signs are read in a cultural context. Why might someone Define reaction. Remember that one person's reaction is from another culture find these signs confusing. not another's. There may even be many people Gone fishing. No strollers on escalators. No shoes, whose knee reflexes are controlled, for example, by no shirt, no service. Toilet tissuefacial quality. hitting their opposing knees. Garage sale. Can you think of other ambiguous or Define reductio ad absurdum to illustrate that it is an evocative signs? ambiguous term. What is a silver spoon? Is it necessarily a good thing? Do children define what they draw? Do they draw to Simple things are often the hardest to define. Illustrate reproduce, or to represent? Write a comparison/ the point by defining a door, a two-letter word, a contrast definition of the terms reproduction and color, or even the words simple and simplicity. representation. Is almost anything that is fun defined as a sin? Show by comparison/contrast definition that re-sign and Define the expression, "since God knows when." resign are opposites in meaning. Define a human being as a social security number. Show by comparison/contrast definition what a pro- fessor meant by saying that there was "entirely too Show how spelling confuses definition, as in the much student rest" on campus. following "One, two, three, Gough!" Define reverse discrimination. Discuss by definition the fact of a statue's shaking its fist at a snowy sky. Show by definition that what is right or wrong to one person is not the same to another. What constitutes a stereotype? How is this different from recognizing difference?

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Define an old stereotype, such as the one that said that a How would a prisoner probably define time? 50-50 sharing in the home was this: the wife cooked, How do most Americans feel about time and distance? the husband ate. What definitions of each are implied in these Does one have to be in prison to go "stir-crazy"? feelings? "Style is whatever makes writing distinguishable even Define what Lord Byron meant by referring to Time as where it is not distinguished," said W. D. Powell. the "Avenger." What is your definition of style? A prisoner is asked what comes after five and says "ten Define someone so lacking in subtlety as to be like the years to life." A time keeper might have said "5:01." mother, say, who sent her prisoner son a buzz-saw in A sophisticate might have said "cocktails." Consider a huge cake. different ways time is defined depending on the "There is a superstition in avoiding superstition," said person defining it. Sir Francis Bacon. What is your definition of Is the term totalitarianism applied only to communism? superstition? How is the tourist's view of a foreign locale defined? Define, in your own way, what is meant by the song Define translation. Myles NaGopaleen, the Irish title, "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life." journalist, said of it: "If I write in Irish what I Does Swiss cheese have holes to help you recognize conceive to be 'Last Tuesday was very wet,' I like to what it is? Which comes first in a definition, the feel reasonably sure that what I've written does not thing definedor merely our external impression of in fact mean `Mr. so-and-so is a thief and a drunkard."' it? Regarding translation of the Bible there is the conten- T tion of some that angels were symbolic of, rather than literal evocations of, messengers from God. What does "It takes two to tango" imply? How does definition affect translation? What is taste? What is good taste? What is bad taste? What are the many ways that one can "travel light"? What does it mean to be a team player? "We forgive you for trespassing against us," says a Does teamwork mean team work? church sign, "but you still will be towed away." What Telephone books may be used not only for locating vastly different definitions are there of trespassing? numbers but also for standing on. Does a momentary "He said true things, but called them by wrong names," function of a thing change that thing's definition? said Robert Browning. Do you define television as a literal, or a symbolic, They really do say "All aboard!" What other truths are medium? often defined almost as if they were clichés? Why, by definition, can there rarely be a television "Truth, when witty, is the wittiest of all things," said commercial that ends unhappily? Julius and Augustus Hare. Show how the titles of certain television shows can be U used interchangeably and with reasonable accuracy. Someone accidentally defined television as an "escape How would you define what an "unaskable question" is? goat." How accurate is this definition, whether or not "Unbelievable!" Define. it is an intended one? What does "understanding" mean when we understand Why is a television or a radio commercial referred to as people but not their handwriting? a "message"? How does William Butler Yeats define a unity of being How would you define "the thought of God"meaning in the following lines? "God's thought"? 0 chestnut-tree, great-rooted blossomer, Can anyonesuch as a timekeeper"keep" time? Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole? O body swayed to music, 0 brightening glance, "The time is now. ."Is it possible by definition for time to be now? How can we know the dancer from the dance? "Scientists know no time," said da Vinci. Give a "The universe is neither hostile nor friendly; it is merely definition of time as he defined it, or understood it, indifferent," said John Haynes Holmes. Do you in this statement. define the universe, in part, that way? "The time is now seventeen minutes before the hour," Define what is meant by the unspeakable or the unthink- said the disc jockey, to which a listener responded, able. "What hour?" What two definitions of time are seen V here? What is the difference in definition between time and Is an "upset victory" a victory that upsets the victor? eternity? Some films get an "R" or "NC-17" rating because of the

117 Definition I07

violence that is portrayed. How much violence is too What are some words that can do quadruple duty? much? When does depiction of violence cross the "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather line from acceptable to too graphic? scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to Who decides who is and who is not a VIP? meanneither more nor less" (Lewis Carroll). Name "One man's vulgarity is another man's lyric," a news- some words that you have redefined. Have they paper item said of the right of Nazis to march. worked for you? Discuss this fact about definition. A Game of Fictionary

Sports announcer Jack Whitaker said for a U.S. Open Without looking up the meanings of these words, define Tennis Championship, "I hope the weather stays them, using your free association and imagination well." Is it possible to define the weather as some- (fiction). Then check them in the dictionary*: thing measured in terms of its health? aperient, babbitt, corm, devi, eelyadah, flageolet, Hilaire Belloc said: "Strong Brother in God, and last galumph, hendiadys, intaglio, jipijapa, kiddush, Companion: Wine." Define or explain his definition loupe, moly, nisus, octroi, perestroika, quagga, of wine. rutilant, sampan, toff, ululate, viva voce, wergild, xenopus, yataghan, zenana "We thought that he was everything / To make us wish that we were in his place," said Edwin Arlington *You can play this game in a group, where each person Robinson of Richard Cory. How is a wish a definition? makes up a definition designed to fool the others and writes it down. The definitions are collected and read Writing to Santa Claus, Charlie Brown said, "'Tis the out loud (they're anonymous, of course), including the season to be wishy-washy." Define wishy-washy in correct one. Then you guess which one you think is this context. correct! Is a word a thought, or is it merely a reference point for one? I 0 RESEARCH AND REPORT

What Research-and-Report Writing Is the scholar who is gripped by such a comparison is already breaking some fecund ground. Research-and-report writing is nearly always formal and scholarly. Sources, both primary and secondary (from research in private papers, personal correspon- Locating Subjects for dence, verbal reminiscences, and so forth), are usu- Research-and-Report Writing ally cited in footnotes and in a bibliography. In some cases strict formats are required. The mode of ex- As implied above, research-and-report writing may pression is basically expository, though other stylis- simply be an exposition of the information gathered tic and rhetorical devices may certainly be used. on a certain subject, or it may seek to interrogate, interpret, or theorize upon that information. The sub- jects listed here are mostly of the information-gath- How to Write From Research ering variety, but, as one can see from the example of Thomas a Becket, many students will be able to Effective research-and-report writing is almost im- take flight from almost any one of them. possible without clear and accurate notes. All sources This section is readily informed, too, by ideas from should be investigated scrupulously, reported pre- other parts of this book. For example, one has barely cisely, and interpreted judiciously. A disciplined ef- to approach a random topic listed here, say, fort should be made always to give credit where it is "Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance," due and to see every idea, circumstance, and argu- before one is into the area of definition. What did ment in the round. That kind of discipline is essen- Harlem signify? What is a Renaissance? How did tial to good scholarship. This does not mean, how- the literary movement connect with the music and ever, that research-and-report writing has to be pe- other arts? What was the impact on the African dantic or dry. It can be as vigorous and imaginative American community and the wider culture? How and fulfilling as any other kind of writing. A schol- did Langston Hughes enter this world? What was arly exploration, for example, into the assassination his role in shaping the Harlem Renaissance? Sud- of Becket might lead the researcher to wonder how denly we are into argumentation. Before we know it the historical Thomas a Becket he or she discovers we are using every stylistic device and discipline we shapes up against the more literary Becket T. S. Eliot can muster to explore the complexities of an unfold- offers us, or Jean Anouilh. Using footnotes or not, ing topic.

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Individual Personalities Beethoven's Torments Menachem Begin Abdication of a Famous Royal Figure Alexander Graham Bell as a Teacher Abigail Adams: Second First Lady Bernadette of Lourdes Abraham (what he stands for and his role in the scriptures Bernhardt's First American Tour of three major religions) Leonard Bernstein Chinua Achebe Benazir BhuttoWoman Leader of an Islamic State John Adams and the Boston Massacre Trial Stephen Biko and the Anti-Apartheid Movement in Jane Addams and Hull House South Africa Adenauer's Stand Against Hitler Bismarck's Unification of Germany Adrian I and Charlemagne Elizabeth Blackwell, First Woman Doctor of the United Aesop: The Teller of Tales States Agassiz and Glaciation Captain Bligh and the Bounty Akbar the Great, the Enlightened Mogul Emperor Queen Anne Boleyn King Albert's Stand against the Germans (World War II) Bolivar's Unsuccessful Beginnings Prince Albert: Consort of Queen Victoria Boone and the Cumberland Gap John Alden: Beyond the Legend Lucrezia Borgia: All Evil? Alexander's Last Battle Was There a Good Borgia? Sherman Alexie Gutzon Borglum Ethan Allan Omar Bradley Amundsen: A Report of One of His Expeditions Matthew Brady, Civil War Photographer Hans Christian Andersen: The Teller Not the Tales Willy Brandt: More Than a Mayor Marian Anderson and Music Bertolt Brecht's Many Contributions to Music and Maya Angelou Theater Kofi Annan (Secretary-General of the United Nations) Leonid Brezhnev and the Cold War Susan B. Anthony and Suffrage The Death of John Brown Gloria Anzaldua's Experience of the Borderlands Robert Bruce's Persistence Yasser Arafat Martin Buber's Contribution to Jewish Philosophy An Arctic or Antarctic Explorer Gautama BuddhaHis Life and His Name Change Neil Armstrong Ralph Bunche and the United Nations Chester Alan Arthur: His Quarrel with President Hayes Edmund Burke in Support of Revolution The Real King Arthur Ken Burns and Documentary Film Ashoka, Emperor of India and Messenger of Peace Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton The First Astronomer Byron's Last Days Attila the Hun Augustus Caesar Crispus Attucks How Caligula Became Emperor John James Audubon Julia Margaret Cameron Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Laureate Stokely Carmichael and Black Power Marcus Aurelius Andrew Carnegie and Public Libraries Jane Austen of the Small Town Jimmy Carter's Post-Presidential Career Bach: His Occupation Not as a Composer George Washington Carver as a Scientist Francis Bacon's Legal Problems Casement's Death, Burial, and Reburial Joan BaezActivist and Singer Johnny Cash Balboa as Discoverer Castro as Revolutionary James Baldwin Catherine the Great The Veep: Alben Barkley William Caxton P. T. Barnum as a Showman The Fall of Neville Chamberlain Clara Barton and the Red Cross Neville Chamberlain's Treaty with Hitler Judge Roy Bean and "The Law West of the Pecos" Charlie Chaplin Becket's Assassination Cesar Chavez

2 0 1I 0 What Can 0 Write About?

Chiang Kai-shek and Formosa The Empress Eugenie Madame Chiang Kai-shek Walker Evans and the Documentary Tradition in How did Chiang Kai-shek Rise to Power? Photography Julia Child Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot Churchill's Loss of the Prime Ministership Dianne Feinstein Cicero as Orator Edward Fitzgerald as Translator El Cid Henry Ford and the Assembly Line Clemenceau as Peace Negotiator Bob Fosse's Dance Innovations Hillary Clinton George Fox and the Quakers Bill Clinton's Failures as President Franco as a Soldier Bill Clinton's Successes as President Anne Frank and Her Diary George M. Cohan, Showman "Fulton's Folly" Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain? Galen and Astronomy Sean "Puff Daddy/P. Diddy" Combs Galileo's Troubles Confucius's Real Message versus Commercial Distor- Indira Gandhi and India's Rule of Emergency tions of His Teachings Mahatma Gandhi and Pacifism Joseph Conrad's Self-Teaching William Lloyd Garrison Coolidge and the Boston Police Strike Bill Gates and Microsoft Copernicus and His Theory Artemisia Gentileschi Charlotte Corday Geronimo in Old Age Cortez and Montezuma Lillian and Dorothy Gish Stephen Crane's Sea Rescue Harold Godwin, 1066 A Great Criminal Reformer Theo van Gogh and His Relationship with His Brother The Fall of Richard Cromwell, Oliver's Son Vincent Tom Cruise Jane Goodall Madame Curie before She Was Madame Curie Mikhail Gorbachev and Glasnost Currier and Ives Gordon at Khartoum Dalai Lama Katherine Graham Salvador Dali's Art Grant and Lee at Appomattox The Public Personality of Salvador Dali Grant's Troubles as President Richard Henry Dana and the Change of Naval Laws The Nine-Day Reign of Lady Jane Grey David, King of the Israelites (before and after he Zane Grey's Writing Success became king) D. W. Griffith and the Making of The Birth of a Nation Darwin and The Beagle Gunter Grass The Dauphin Che Guevara Angela Davis Alec Guinness The Trial of Jefferson Davis Haakon VII, King of Norway Charles Dickens and Prison Hadrian the Builder Diderot and the Encyclopedia Dag Hammarskjold Babe Didrikson Hannibal and the Alps Frederick Douglass Hawkins and the Armada The Pardon of Dreyfus Hawthorne's Ancestor at Salem Isadora Duncan Hemingway as a Young Journalist Amelia Earhart Henry VIII's First Wife, Catherine of Aragon Edward the Confessor in 1066 0. Henry's Latin American Experience Will Eisner A Medieval Heretic Mary Ann Evans alias George Eliot Thor Heyerdahl and Kon-Tiki The First Queen Elizabeth Hindenburg and Hitler The Second Queen Elizabeth Hippocrates Erasmus and Thomas More Hirohito: Merely a Figurehead?

121 Research and Report III

Hiss and Whittaker Chambers Winona LaDuke A Historian from Modern Times "Fighting" Bob LaFollette Adolf Hitler as an All Too Human Being Mayor LaGuardia The Hohenzollern Family Lao-Tse Hans Holbein Lenin's Tomb Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Leonardo da Vinci Who Was Homer? Lewis and Clark Expedition Why Hoover Lost the Presidency Ben Lilly and Theodore Roosevelt J. Edgar Hoover's Popularity Decline Charles Lindbergh Sam Houston as Governor Lincoln as a Congressman Howe's Patent Difficulties Livingstone's Contributions to Africa Julia Ward Howe Livingstone Viewed through Postcolonial Eyes W. D. Howells, "Father" of American Literary Realism Louis XIV Charles Evans Hughes as a Presidential Candidate Toussaint L'Ouverture Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance Clare Boothe Luce The Rediscovery of Zora Neale Hurston Martin Luther Anne Hutchinson as a Religious Leader Madonna's Changing Public Image The Huxleys Magellan's Circumnavigation Ibsen and Censorship Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Transcendental Meditation Ivan the Terrible Mahashweta Devi, Bengali Writer and Activist Jesse Jackson Malcolm X Stonewall Jackson before the American Civil War Mallarme and the Symbolists Harriet Jacobs Sir Thomas Malory King James I: Coming into Power Nelson Mandela from Political Prisoner to Politician Thomas Jefferson as Inventor Horace Mann Thomas Jefferson as Naturalist How Did Mao Rise to Power? Thomas Jefferson as Translator Imelda Marcos Thomas Jefferson as Writer Queen Maria Theresa Edward Jenner Thurgood Marshall Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the Creation of Pakistan The Marx Brothers Joan of Arc in Battle Margaret Mead King John and the Magna Carta Golda Meir Andrew Johnson's Stormy Presidency Melville in Typee Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Mesmer and Hypnotism Joshua and the Battle of Jericho MirabeauA Nobleman for the People Juarez, the Lincoln of Mexico An Authority on Molluska Judith and Holofernes Monet Keats in Italy James Monroe and the Era of Good Feeling Helen Keller as a World Figure Toni Morrison John F. Kennedy Zero Mostel Robert Kennedy Mother Jones Ted Kennedy Mother Teresa Jerome Kern A Movie "Dynasty" (e.g., the Fondas, the Redgraves) Khrushchev in America A Figure behind the Scenes in the Movie World Captain Kidd The Childhood Genius of Mozart Martin Luther King Jr. James Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary Stephen King Ralph Nader Maxine Hong Kingston and Women Warriors V. S. NaipaulLiterary Great or Colonial Messenger? Jack Kirby and Marvel Comics Napoleon as General The Krupp Family John Nash's Beautiful MindFact and Fiction

122 2 What Can 0 Write About?

Carry Nation's War Against Drink Will Rogers and the Presidency Nefertiti, Egyptian Queen Eleanor Roosevelt as a Public Figure Nero and the Burning of Rome Franklin Roosevelt's First Term Ngugi Wa Thiong'o Teddy Roosevelt's Failed Campaign for the Presidency Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Activist Anwar Sadat The Last Czar Nicholas J. D. Salinger and Privacy Florence Nightingale Jose San Martin's Last Revolution Richard Nixon Charles M. Schulz and the Popularity of Peanuts Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prizes Albert Schweitzer The O'Higgins Family of Chile Georges Seurat Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Shackleton and the Endurance Paracelsus Tupac Shakur Mungo Park, Explorer of the Niger George Bernard Shaw's Alphabet The Fall of Parnell M. Night Shyamalan's Film Treatment of the Occult Pasteur before His Discoveries Leslie Marmon SilkoNative American and Feminist Robert Peel and the Bobbies Sitting Bull Samuel Pepys and His Diary Death of Socrates Frances Perkins, First Woman Cabinet Member Stephen Sondheim and American Musical Theater Eva Peron as icon Art Spiegelman's MAUS (graphic novels about the Pershing and Pancho Villa Holocaust) Petain in the Second World War De-Stalinization of Russian History Peter the Great Robert Louis Stevenson on Samoa Philip II of Macedon Martha Stewart as both Id and Superego of American Housekeeping Concerns King Philip of Spain The Piccard Brothers and Underwater Exploration Harriet Beecher Stowe and the American Civil War August Strindberg and Modern Drama Pickett's Charge Amy Tan's Sense of Chinese American Identity The Plantagenets Poe at West Point The Phenomenon of Shirley Temple Margaret Thatcher's Political Career Polk: Why Is He Considered One of Our Great Presidents? Polk's Acquisition of California Marshal Tito, President of the Former Yugoslavia Arnold Toynbee Marco Polo in China The Mystery of B. Traven, Author Katherine Anne Porter in Mexico Truman's First Weeks as President Wiley Post Chaim Potok, Rabbi and Writer Nat Turner Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Colin Powell Booker T. Washington Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger An Obscure President Young George Washington's Military Defeats before the Presidency Cornel West and Race Matters after the Presidency George Westinghouse and Transportation Elvis PresleyLegend of the King Elie Wiesel Simon Wiesenthal: Hunter of Men Sergei Prokofiev Oscar Wilde in America Pythagoras The First King William of England Ayn Rand Wilson's Wife as Acting President Rapp the Harmonist Oprah Winfrey Ronald Reagan as the Teflon President Women Nobel Peace Prize Winners (Aung Sang Suu Connie Douglas Reeves and the National Cowgirl Kyi, Rigoberta Menchu) Museum Frank Lloyd Wright Paul Robeson Robespierre and the Reign of Terror Zapata as a Revolutionary Will Rogers and Congress Zola in Support of Dreyfus

1 :".3 Research and Report 1 B 3

Places, Events, Conditions The Falkland Islands: The Quarrel Over Their Ownership Fiji Islands and Progress Aberdeen Shipping The Government of Finland Acapulco Tourism Flanders and the Flemish Language Addis Ababa Florida Keys Aegean Islands and Early Civilization The Government of French Guiana The Aegean Sea and Early Commerce The French Quarter in New Orleans The History of Conflict in Afghanistan Mt. Fujiyama and Religion The Purchase of Alaska The Gadsden Purchase Alexandria, Egypt Administering the Galapagos Islands Alsace-Lorraine and World War I Giant's Causeway Recent Amazon Exploration Granada as a Separate Country in Spain Travel on the Amazon The Grand Canyon Andersonville Prison The Great Divide The Central Andes Great Lakes Shipping Peruvian Andes Great Salt Lake The Temples of Ankor Vat The History behind the Great Wall of China Human Life in Antarctica Guadalajara Architecture Arden Forest Guam and the Military Atlantic City and Gambling Gulf War Atlantis: What Do We Know of It? The Government of the Hague The Australian Outback The Unity of Hawaii From Austria-Hungary to Austria and Hungary Hawaii and the Pineapple Industry The Government of Barbados The Hebrides Basel as a 15th-Century Religious Center Helsinki Bath, England, during the 14th Century The Heptarchy of England The Belgian Congo The Himalayas The Government of Belize Hollywood Bergen, Norway Indigenous Honduras Bhopal, India, and the Union Carbide Catastrophe Hong Kong The "Black Hole" of Calcutta Volcanoes of Iceland Branson, Missouri The Intracoastal Waterway of the Atlantic Coast Brasilia: The Foundation Volcan Iraza Britain as It Appeared to the Roman Conquerors Isle of Man Buckingham Palace Tourism and the Local Economy in Jamaica The Island of Capri Japanese Economy Chesapeake Bay Japanese Government during American Occupation Chinatown in a Major U.S. City Game parks in Kenya The Congo and Colonialism Klondike Constantinople to Istanbul Krakatoa Political History of Costa Rica The Political Status of Labrador Cypress LhasaCity on "the Roof of the World" From Czechoslovakia to Czech Republic and Slovakia Liechtenstein DarjeelingLand of Mists and Tea Plantations Lithuania and Relations with Russia Devil's Island Battle of Little Big Horn The Kingdom of East Anglia London and Taxation Easter Island: Its Care and Operation Londonderry El Salvador Population Problem Machu Picchu The Equator of Ecuador Mammoth Cave of Kentucky The Faeroe Islands The Mississippi River during the Civil War

124 1 14 What Can II WriteAbout?

Montreal and Its Two Major Languages World Peoples, Ancient and Modern Exploration of the Moon Mount Rainier as a Training Center The Acadian People Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument The Aleuts Mumbai and Commerce The Amish and Their Way of Life Nepal as Tourist Attraction Apaches in the Nineteenth Century Makeup of the Netherlands The Arabian Nomads Nevada: Not Just Divorce and Gambling The Armenian Genocide New York City's "Ground Zero" The Basques: A People Apart New Zealand Government The Bedouin Indigenous Peoples of New Zealand The Celts New Zealand's Topography Central American Indians Niagara Falls The Civilization at Chichen-itza Nicaragua and Earthquake Recovery The Druids and Sun Worship Nicaragua's Politics Early Humans in the Bering Strait Northwest Territories and the Royal Canadian Mounted Ebla People, 2400-2250 BC Police The Last of the Etruscans Norway and Neutrality A European People in Argentina Inhabitants of Nova Scotia The Hittites Habitat of Okefenokee Swamp The Hopi Indians The Founding of "Old Town" in Huns U.S. Invasion of Panama Hutus vs. Tutsis Panama Canal The Iberi People The Papal States The Incas The (Disappearing) Petrified Forest of Arizona Who Were the Indo-Europeans? Philippine Government Since World War II The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Poland as a Satellite Mayan Civilization Prince William Sound, before and after the Exxon Mediterranean Cultures and What They Share Valdez Spill The Pennsylvania Dutch Puerto Rico: What Is Its Political Status? Pueblo Indians Puget Sound: Steps toward Ecological Control The Roma PeopleTheir Origins and Migrations Quito, Ecuador: Two Cities in One The Serbs The Mystery of Roanoke Island Stonehenge South Africa before and after Apartheid The Tarahumaras Sumatra The Tasaday Indians: Then as Now Switzerland and the European Union What Civilization Was at Tikal? The Republic of Texas The Visigoths U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War The Walloons Wales: Its Origins The West Bank War, Political Strife, Yellowstone National ParkThreatened by Develop- Wartime Conditions and Operations ment? Yosemite National Park The Admiralty of Great Britain during World War II The Former Yugoslavia The Battle of Agincourt The Yukon and Adventure The "Alabama Claims" Government of Zaire After the Famous Battle of the Alamo Zululand's Birding Routes American Expeditionary Force Zurich as Center of the Reformation American Neutrality in World War II

125 Research and F eport 11 5

Angola's Civil War The October Revolution The Battle of Antietam The Office of Price Administration Bacon's Rebellion Paraguay and the Gran Chaco Barcelona and the Spanish Civil War The United States Patriot Act Anti-Aircraft Defense during the Battle of Britain Pearl Harbor: What Did the Americans Know Before? Bikini Atoll Potsdam Agreement Blackouts during World War II Prisoner-of-War Agreements A Famous Blockade Sarajevo The Boer War September 11, 2001, and the War on Terrorism War in Bosnia The Six-Day War The Boxer Rebellion The Soccer War Burma Death March Soldiers as Viewed by Walter Bagehot Cambodian Blood Purges, 1970s Taiwan and Mainland China Cavalry of the Middle Ages Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears The Cheyenne Wars Post-Vietnam Stress Syndrome The CIA: Its Early Operation Radio and World War II Conflicts in Chile Yalta: What Happened There? Civil War in Yokohama Coxey's Army Dachau during World War II Philosophical, Political, and Delaware during the Civil War Religious Groups or Movements The First Democratic Struggle AIM (American Indian Movement) Desertion during Wartime The Anabaptists Dunkirk (Dunquerque) during World War II Anthroposophy and Its Connection to Fascism Espionage The Baptists Occupation of Ethiopia by Italy The John Birch Society: Where and How Is It Now? "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight" What Was Bolshevism? The French and Indian War The Brook Farm Experiment French Revolution: The Bastille Christianity Comes to (Ireland, England, or the United Galveston in War Defense States) What Happened at Guernica? Christianity 100 AD Gulf War Syndrome Civil Rights Movement Battle of Hastings Where Does the Idea of a Constitution Originate? Hiroshima The Counter Reformation Holy Alliance The Greek Origin of Democracy The Hundred Years' War Ecumenical Government Hungarian Revolution, 1956 An Evangelical Movement British Intelligence Operations during World War I Early Feminism Ireland: The Easter Uprising The Decline of Feudalism War of Jenkins's Ear The Geneva Convention Battle of Jutland The Greenback Party KashmirParadise Torn by War Islamic Fundamentalism A Famous Liberation Struggle Early References to Jesus, Mohammad, and Buddha Not The Lusitania in Religious Books The Mercenary Soldier of Early Times Is the Concept of Liberty New? The Mexican War The MacDowell Colony Neo-Nazi Movements Mahayana Buddhism

126 116 What Can I Write About?

Marriage and Courtship in Flamingo Mayan beliefs The FrogPrince/Princess of Amphibians Monogamy and Polygamy in Religious Groups The Guidance System of (a certain insect, The Mormons bird, or reptile) The NAACP Hornbill Old-Time Religion, BC Hummingbird Polygamy Insect Colonies The Protestant Reformation Kangaroo Quakers King Snake The Shia Sect of Islam Locusts Early Sikh Settlements in the Pacific Northwest Magpies The Sunni Sect of Islam Meerkat The Supreme Court and FDR Minnows as Mosquito Controls Theosophy and Its Connections to Eastern Religions The Migration and Survival of the Mysterious Monarch The Underground Railroad Butterfly UNESCO Mongoose Wicca MonkeysAlmost Human Mosquitoes and the Spread of Diseases Nonhuman Creature Life The Nest of the The Behavior of Opossums Aardvark/Aardwolf Oyster Beds Albatross Parrots An Amphibious Creature PigsBrainiacs of the Barnyard Anaconda Piranha Ant Colony Praying Mantis Appaloosa Pterodactyl Baboon RavenGenius among Birds The Badger in Defense "Roadkill" Barracuda Salamander The Bear in Hibernation Scorpion The Beaver's Engineering Skills The Truth about Sharks Killer Bees The Shrike Beetle Invasions Spring Peeper Bird Migration Squids A Bird Type Stick Insects Boar The Virginia White-Tailed Deer The Boll Weevil and Cotton Eating Habits of the Whale The BumblebeeHow Does It Fly? The WolverineDoes It Kill for "Fun"? Canadian Wild Goose Chachalaca Bird Language-Related Subjects Cobra"King" of Snakes Creatures of the Deep African American Vernacular English The Dingo of Australia Origin of Anglo-Saxon Dinosaurs Borrowings in English from Other Languages Dogs with Herding Instincts "Code Switching" Dolphins and Intelligence How the Computer Has Changed Our Vocabulary Dung Beetle How the Connotation and Value of Certain Words Has Expanded or Narrowed (e.g., rainbow, gay, cool) The Exciting Life of the Earthworm Creole Everglades Bird Life Origin of the English Alphabet Firefly

127 esearch and Report 1 17

A Study of a Single Letter in the English Alphabet The Common ColdComforts and Cures The Major Periods of English Language Change Computer Technology to Assist People with Disabilities Esperanto, World Language Contamination On "Passing Away," "Expectorating," and "Issuing Crohn's Disease Forth"A Study of Victorian Euphemisms Danger Symptoms of The Gullah Language Depression and Its Treatment The Language of Hawaii Dermatology Icelandic Language Down Syndrome Indo-European Language Eating Disorders The Internet and Its Effect on Language E. Coli Infections Jargon: Its Uses and Abuses Epstein-Barr Virus The Language of Wider Communication (aka Standard Euthanasia English) Extraterrestrial Biology Code Languages Fertility Drugs and Multiple Births Computer Language General Health Constructed Languages Genetic Research Dead Languages Grafting as a Medical Technique Endangered Languages Heart Disease(s) Language on the Isle of Skye Successful Heart Transplanting A New Language in the Old Hemophilia Any Language Family and Its Offspring, e.g., Afro- Asiatic, Indo-European, Iroquoian, Niger-Congo, The Unknown in Human Behavior Sino-Tibetan, Uto-Aztec Hypnotism The State of the Language at the Time of the American Hypochondria Revolution Inoculation Programming Computers to Understand Human Legionnaire's Disease Language Liposuction Current Slang Mad Cow Disease Slang of Past Generations Magnetic Resonance Imaging Varieties (or Dialects) of a Particular Language Mental Illness Medical Subjects Obesity in Americans Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Acupuncture Osteoporosis Addiction and Recovery Out-of-Body Experiences AIDS Prosthetics Alchemy Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Technology Allergies Quack Medicine Alzheimer's Revascularization The First Anesthetic Reynaud's Condition Angioplasty Schizophrenia Anthrax Contamination Self-Injury (Cutting) Arthroscopic Surgery Sickle Cell Anemia The Artificial Heart Sleep Disorders Aspirin Sleepwalking Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Sports Injuries Autism Trepanning Cause of the Black Death Ultrasound Imaging Botox Treatments Water Therapy Cancer Treatments West Nile Virus Carpel Tunnel Syndrome X-Ray Dangers Cloning Technology

128 1 I 8 What Can 0 Write About?

Inventions, Devices, Operations Magnetism Migration Abacus Moon Mysteries Agricultural Machinery El Nino Air Bags Outerspace Life Air Conditioning Plate Tectonics Air Vessels Before the Plane Sand Dunes The First Automobile Saturn The First Bathysphere Seasons Automobile Brakes The Truth about Snowflakes Computer Technology Sunspots The Cosmotron Waterfalls Electric Car Winds The Elevator Zephyr Flat-Screen Technology The Flywheel Written Media, Special Books The Gutenberg Press Sikorsky's Helicopter Early Egyptian Almanacs The Hindenburg Airship Astrology Books Laser Technology Audiobooks Motion Detectors Publishing: The Creation of Bestsellers Paper Shredders Book Design The Pinhole Camera Electronic Books Pneumatic Tools The First Book Refrigerators The Change of the Calendar to Its Present Form Rocket Launching The Egyptian Calendar Seat Belts The Roman Calendar Self-Stick Notes Consumer Complaints through Newspaper Columns Solar Power The Dead Sea Scrolls Sound Systems A particular epic Submarines Hornbook Synthesizers Illuminated Manuscripts Synthetic Dyes Library of Congress The Toilet Poor Richard's Almanack The Ultimate Weapon Pulitzer Prizes: Origin and Definition Wind Power Sacred Texts of (a particular culture) Use of X-Rays in the Oil Industry Translation(s) of the New Testament Natural Phenomena Education Canyons Adjunct Faculty and Gender The Dead Sea Teaching in the Alaskan Wilderness Earthquakes Bilingual Education Programs Eclipses Boarding Schools The Results of Glaciation Chautauqua and Early Education Global Warming (Natural or Unnatural) Cherokee Education Gravity: What It Is, How It Works Culinary Institutes The Gulf Stream Curriculum Content Decisions Holes in Space John Dewey's Theories of Education Eye of the Hurricane Distance Learning Icebergs

129 Research and Report 1I 9

The Entertainer as Educator: Medieval Minstrels, Hiring Practices and the Americans with Disabilities Act Scops, and Troubadours Hmong Settlement in the Upper Midwest Paolo Freire and the Cultures of Silence The Industrial and Professional Role of Women during The GED (General Educational Development) Diploma World War II as an Option Internet-Related Jobs Home Schooling Labor Unions Educational Institutions in Ancient Cultures "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit"a Changing Image Correctional Systems for Juvenile Offenders Market Week in Knighthood Training Midwives Learning as Critical Thinking Mining in Chile Learning as Transmitted Wisdom in Traditional Cultures The Operation of an Ocean Liner Literacy and Its Many Interpretations Peonage Medieval Monks and Education Pirates The Montessori Method Quacks Multicultural Education Right-to-Work Laws John Henry Cardinal Newman's Opinion about the School Board Member Purpose of the University School Counselor The One-Room Schoolhouse School Social Worker Education through the Oral Tradition in a Particular Culture Seafolk of the Sub-Arctic Oxford or CambridgeThe College System American Seaman/Seawoman Occupations Plato's School Siberian Occupations Public School Funding Silk Industry in China Theories on the Purpose of Education Snake-Oil Salespeople Segregation: Reappearing in U.S. Schools? The State with the Best Unemployment Benefits High-Stakes Standardized Testing The U.S. Mint System Substitute TeachersExpectations and Performance Unemployment in History Teacher Certification Requirements The WPA Teaching for the Twenty-First Century Textbook Selection Processes Human-Made The Founding of the First American University Constructions and Designs Recruiting of University Athletes Any abandoned city (e.g., Bagan, Fatehpur Silcri, Machu Urban Educationa New Emphasis Picchu, Mesa Verde, Pompeii, Tiahuanaco, The Founding of West Point Vijayanagar)reasons for the abandonment The Ajanta Cave Temples Professions, Occupations, Employment The Alcan Highway Air Traffic Control The Building of the Alhambra "Big Blue"the IBM Image Teatro Amazonas The Boat People of Asia The First American East-West Trains Book Editor Angkor Vat Canadian Fishers Pressed-Metal Ornamentation in Architecture The Canadian Mounted Police The Atlantic Cable Carpet Weavers in India The Great Aztec Temple Chinese Workers as Producers of U.S. Consumer Goods The Tower of Babel Chiropractic Care The Battle Helmet in Civilian Conservation Corps The Bayeaux Tapestry Corporate Espionage Bell Founding Equal Opportunity Employment The Borobudur Temple Firefighting Bridge Building The Glass Ceiling Testing Bridge Strengths

130 120 What Can 0 Write About?

Canal Building A Viking Boat Notre Dame Cathedral The Washington Monument Cathedrals of Sir Christopher Wren The Construction (or Reconstruction) of Westminster Covered Wagon Abbey The Crystal Palace of Queen Victoria The World Trade Center Towers Deep Sea Submersible Vehicles World's Fair in Chicago, 1893 Construction of the Eiffel Tower The Dam of the Zuider Zee Brunelleschi and Florence's Duomo Sports, Entertainments, Recognitions Egyptian Obelisks (e.g., Cleopatra's Needle) Elgin Marbles The First Automobile Race The Empire State Building Women's Baseball Erie Canal Boogie Woogie Buckminster Fuller's Geodesic Dome Break Dancing The Gold Museum of Bogota The Circus The Golden Gate Classical Dance from a Particular Culture The Great Hedge of India English Channel Swims The Great Wall of China ESPN The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Figure Skating The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Baseball Hall of Fame: Its Operation Hollywood Bowl Hockey Making of Hoover Dam Ice SkatingVenue for Grace and Fury Houston Ship Channel The Kentucky Derby The International Space Station Kung Fu The Interstate Highway System The Olympic Games The Leaning Tower of Pisa Rap Music Mount Rushmore Taekwando New Mexico Fort of the 19th Century Tai Chi The Orient Express Teenage Dancing The Panama Canal Locks The Triple Crown The Parthenon Women Breaking the Barriers into the Sports World The Pentagon The X Games The Petronas Towers Yacht Racing Philae The Original Puppets Sciences, Studies, Skills, Pyramid Construction Inquiries, Observations of the Universe Early Railroad Building Acoustics Jungle Railroads: Costa Rica or Panama Aerial Photography The Richest Street in the World Determining the Age of the Earth Robots and the History of Robotics Anthropology: One Way of Studying the History of Showboats Humanity The Sphinx Timing the Ages of Humanity by Archaeology The Statue of Liberty Archimedes' Principle Stonehenge Artificial Intelligence Stradivarius Violins The Use of Astronomy to Measure Time The Taj Mahal Black Holes and Beyond Tikal Pyramids: How They Are Uncovered Carbon Dating Trails at the Grand Canyon Chaos Theory The Trans-Canada Railroad Research in Egyptology The London Underground Extrasensory Perception 3 esearch and Report I 2 1

Fingerprinting CNN Futuristics How the Comics Began Tracing Genealogy Dramatic Film Critiques of War Stephen Hawking's History of Time Game Shows Hieroglyphics The Evolution of Headlines in Newspapers Hymnology Famous Hoaxes Number Theory and Ramanujan Life Magazine and Photography Oceanography Media Conglomerates: Deciding What the News Is Theories of the Origin of the Universe Napster Paleontology Newscasters and AnchorpersonsTheir Personalities Psychology and Persona Einstein's Relativity Theory The Persian Gulf War and CNN Telepathy The First Photography Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle Political Conventions as Media Events Worship of the Heavens The History of Public Television Yoga Quiz Show Scandals The Origin of Radio Broadcasting in the United States Flora and Derivatives Early Radio Technique Reality TV Banyan Tree The 0. J. Simpson Trial The Big Thicket of Texas Subliminal Advertising The Black Forest The Sundance Film Festival Cocoa TabloidsTheir Content and Their Appeal Cotton History Great Television Debates Cranberries The Origin of Television News in the United States Dandelions How War Can Become a Media Event Deforestation The Watergate Hearings Ethanol Orson Welles's Report of an "Invasion," October 30, Giant Ragweed 1938 Gingko The Woodstock Festival, 1969 Ginseng Yellow Journalism Kudzu Marijuana Miscellaneous Poppies The Aa River Preserving the Rain Forests Absorption and Osmosis Protection of Crops without Insecticides Adenoids Reforestation The Complexity of Adoption Procedures Soybean Oil as a Processed Food Ingredient The Albany Congress Media and Media Events The Alien and Sedition Laws Chronological History of Integration in America The Abbey Theatre of Dublin How to Become an American Citizen The Academy Awards Theories about the Anasazi Early Advertising Slogans That Have Survived Annexation of Territory The First Advertising April Fools' Day The Alternative Press "Arctic Hysteria" Amateur Filmmaking Arlington Cemetery The Appeal of Radio Shows, Past and Present Auctions of Famous Peoples' Belongings Beauty Pageants Aztec Priests Cannes Film Festival The Case That Ended "Blacklisting" on Television Confessional TV Shows Carpetbaggers

132 122 What Can 11 Write About?

Cave Paintings of Val lon Pont d'Arc The Italian Renaissance Caviar Juvenile Court Chaco CanyonRecord of Lost History? The Real King of Siam (as opposed to the one in Anna A Cheese Type and the King of Siam) Chic Europe: Mainly American? Law Enforcement CollectiblesFads and Obsessions and What People A Legal System in Elizabethan Times for Protecting the Do to Acquire Their Collectibles Writer Is There Consciousness before Birth? Marriage-Ceremony Traditions Ancient Cosmetics May Day Criminal Reform The "Miss Saigon" Controversy The Deirdre Legend The New Copyright Laws Can You Spare a Dime?The Conditions of the The New Deal Average Citizen during the Depression Nuremberg Trials Divorce among Royal Members The Historical Limits of America's Open Door Policy The Welsh Eisteddfod Care of Orphaned Children Emancipation Proclamation What We Know about Ourselves The Last Emperor of China What We Don't See in Ourselves until Others Tell Us The "Eternal" City Paintings as History The Belief in the "Evil Eye" The Canadian Parliament Expeditions The Parliament of India The Fair Deal Popular Songs during the Civil War Farm Aid Culture during the Restoration Period History of Fasting Riverboat Journeys Fata Morgana How Do/Did Members of the Royalty View Commoners? Ancient Financial Credit Runaways The First Labor Union Salem Witchcraft Trials Get-Rich Quick Schemes Seven: The Magic Number of the Ancients Great Lakes Small StatesIsrael, Athens, Florence, Elizabethan Hairstyles Past and PresentDifferent Aesthetics Englandas Great Influences Hairstyles Past and PresentDifferent Cultural Inter- Snake Worship pretations The Spanish Inquisition Hairstyles Past and PresentWhat Kinds of Statements The State Lottery They Make The Stonewall Riots The Origin of Halloween U.S. Aid to Other Countries Heraldry Voodoo in Haiti The Holy City of Banaras Voting Rights of Blacks in the PostCivil War South The Holy City of Mecca Women's Suffrage Fights in Great Britain The Holy City of World Trade Holy Roman Empire Yugoslavia during and after the Reign of Slobodan House of Commons, House of Lords Milosevic The Huguenots The Ancient Yule The Ice Age The Zambezi River The Industrial Revolution ZanzibarBest-Kept Tourist Secret Inheritance Taxes An Aspect of Zuni Culture The Iron Age

133 ICREATIVE WRITING

What Creative Writing Is ity, then let the newborn beast have its head and hope for the best. Creative writing is essentially imaginative. It most The natural element of creative writing is free- often takes the form of drama, fiction, or poetry (in- dom. This is the place to let go, to let the student be. cluding songs). But given that imaginative reach, Of course that does not mean that the teacher aban- along with the language tools and techniques needed dons any new writer to a miasma of self-indulgence. to realize it, keep in mind that any form of writing Rather, the student should be guided and encouraged discussed in this book can become creative. In fact, through the certain failures, through try after try and a piece of simple exposition or an essay on cause endless errors and those very few quiet triumphs, and effect may be greatly enriched by creative ex- until he or she begins to realize that dreams can in- amples, analogies, or brief accounts of personal ex- deed come alive, take shape and grow, stand full and perience that bring the topic to life. real as any creature of bone, flesh, blood. For example, in My Family and Other Animals Here again is where we call up every writing mode (Viking Press, 1956), Gerald Durrell, the British natu- and device we can think ofnot only the modes ralist and zoologist, writes about his childhood years touched upon in this book, but other more literary on the Greek island of Corfu, recreating not only the devices as well. We bring to bear the full force of vibrant natural life of the island, but also the eccen- metaphor, alliteration, repetition, rhyme, rhythm, tricities of his family, including his famous novelist meter, and so onwith the understanding that noth- brother Lawrence Durrell. Appealing to readers of ing is sacred if it holds the student back from cre- all ages, this memoir captures the world as seen ative expression. It can be instructive and fun sim- through a young boy's eyeshis wide-eyed delight ply to experiment with such devices. But in the end in nature, his hilarious observations of his eccentric they will probably be used less for their own sake family, and his instinctive love of the local culture. than because they are evoked, called up out of the Although not a work of fiction, drama, or poetry, the material itself, whatever it may be. book lays claim to all these modes, serving as a fe- So it is indeed clear that this is not the time to licitous example of creative writing. worry too much about sentence fragments, erratic In this chapter, however, the focus is on the imagi- punctuation, or many of the other grammatical ele- native. One might call this type of writing ments that must necessarily concern us in more for- full-bloodednourished, as it must be, with an abun- mal types of composition. There is at least one handy dance of heart. rule-of-thumb for creative writing: If it works, use it. How to Write Creatively Locating Subjects for Creative Writing In creative writing, following a format can cramp a writer's style. At bottom, there is no way one can The subjects listed in this section do not pretend to tell another person how to write creatively. Probably be anything more than suggestions, ideas for ap- no teacher can do much more than inspire students proaching various forms of creative writing. They with high-quality rhetorical tools, an open atmo- could inspire almost anythinga play, a story, a sphere, a love of language, and a sense of possibil- poem or song, a character sketch, a writing experi-

123 134 I 24 What Can 0 Write About? ment. It hardly matters. More important than the even essential, in creative writing. Crafting more or image or idea is the imagination it fires. less footloose material to the demands of a narrative It is in many ways apparent from the above that line, making it fit, making it belong, can lift a com- any section in this book may be used to fire that cre- mon piece of descriptive or expository writing to- ative imagination. Special attention might well be wards something larger, give it form, harmonyturn paid, though, to the chapters on narrative and de- it, that is to say, towards art. scription. Some narrative element is often important,

135 Creative Writing 1 25

Brainstorming Fictional Themes "Oh, the places you'll go!" (Dr. Seuss) in the interim saved by the bell hocus pocus the computer and me head over heels memories in smoke bankruptcy one more, too many life in TV commercials due unto others frustration(s) of the final hour eating around a campfire being tempted to do something one doesn't want to do homeless people eating around a barrel fire expression of love smashing taboos dehumanization of sex barbarians at the gates searching for Atlantis deprivation of the mind the kindness of strangers knowing how to keep company away from the door holocaust living on borrowed time promise, no delivery moving in reverse into the future born every minute vowing a new fight repository of records found 1,000 years from now toughest break never made public until now expectations fulfilled/unfulfilled the perfect arrangement a decent interval best in the West mislaid values acquiring a new name tar-and-feathering an old (or ancient) mystery solved losing battle(s) unrecognized, unrewarded still not enough short reflection(s), long ideas daring/not daring to do private hall of fame of local characters second chance "Et tu, Brute?" on solid ground surprising discoveries about one's ancestry duplication(s) genetic destiny at the corner store the death or decline of something due walking away from the impossible expecting the unexpected out o' sight almost famous a historian of the building unexpected celebrity the last challenge a short, sharp shock admitting the truth at last marking the spot seeing the light a tinkling cymbal my own crystal ball the forgotten year/hour/day third chance the day everything changed three wishes prisoner at home witness to any reasonable offer making history suspension/suspense monkey business new world tourist trap a goodbye to walking tall/walking short final questions of commencement slinking away seizing the day crawling back open to suggestions individualism as defined in the future trying to hold on being told to leave home not able to face it whitewashing carrying on backfire of ploy impetuosity lights, camera, action repeating history beyond the limits

136 126 What Can 0 Write About? the dignity of independence the last fling recognition at last looking backward and forward switching over the secret word challenge of the spirit discovery of the first wheel unauthorized biography discovery of fire oversympathetic, considering what happened discovery of speech the real beginnings of humanity stay of execution not by choice forgone but not forgotten the white(d) sepulcher before I was five early responsibilities due to circumstances beyond our control bitter truth(s) conversation about a movie, a book, a show on television just between friends going forward a house divided disowned, disinherited mission/vision accomplished disappearing ships, planes, persons brief encounter(s) when I was old a voice still heard surrendering controlling destiny on a quest cabbages and kings hunkering down memoirs turning the tables easy way out bystander the price of glory returning best rival, best friend king of the hill last refuge short but glorious career too awed to do anything about it hair on end long-distance dating but waking up giving away secrets sour grapes keeping secrets lifeline those forgotten by time the flesh and the spirit afraid to let go/afraid not to let go long journey, bad roads still at large marked man/woman born exile unsigned all shook up riders to the sea darkness, my old friend witch watch behind the wheel/behind the eight ball parents and children shadow-boxing seeking a long-lost relative my doppelganger first sighting armed and dangerous tracking someone, as in a spy movie history as it happens the three strangers heaven-sent if I were not alive no closed doors a thousand miles of mountain road, a thousand miles of unwanted desert sand curiosity about "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair." (Shelley) the wrong person conversation between clerks in a department store secret life/double life/secret lives going backward war between and taking the plunge rescue squad doing what is expected of you, not doing what is 's mad idea expected of you my Oedipus complex covering an escape a report from letting off steam the last hurrah the beginning of consciousness

137 Creative Writing 127 the learning tree sibling against sibling captive of time a "now" story bull ring coming back to life the search for a missing letter, notebook, diary, etc. coming back as another person or thing for auld lang syne the crazy mirror (title of a children's book) the wrong connection getting through somehow a moment's surrender something to win over cross-conversation confusing the main point birds of a feather family reunion requiring introductions a fascination for the abominable Melchior's telling about following the star the switch/the sting words, thoughts, and feelings of the first people on earth a child's trip unaccompanied by adults ancient astronauts a thousand years, a thousand days the road to falling in love against one's will morally right, legally wrong awake in the dark night in a prolonged attack(s) not even for money without benefit of clergy outlaw with a cause the seasons of rebel without a clue deadlines conversation in a barber shop or a beauty shop leave cancelled for whom the bell gongs getting out after a long time one day late together again a tortoise that lost the race going home desire or will power that goes beyond death the first meeting in the Garden of Eden the incredible journey asking the unaskable the ringing phone parent talking to child overnight rematch returning home after many generations away once upon a time first theme guests of the a rock speaking of its history things that set off memories a homeless person insulted by someone for his or her the world according to dress, manner, or mere presence someone at the door prehistoric hunt as up they grew consequence of someone's not reading a letter in time long, dark night a dream of someone who helps carry the crucifixion an experience remembered more often than any other crosses up a hill only to find that he is among those one to be crucified any way the wind blows Socratic dialogue in a fictional piece rites of passagebirth, first love, maturity, death appointment/date/liaison carnival of souls account by a prisoner of the last day in a concentration a reprieve after many years of being wronged camp, after the Germans had fled surprise ending conditions of an island prison rewriting a narrative poem as narrative prose having a party of one a tent meeting paradise lost/regained a medicine show a criminal sentenced to be someone's butler facing a hard race a friendly relationship between a millionaire and his/her chauffeur from the files gold fever if I should die before I wake. invisible people a kind of glory trouble between the weatherperson and the movie critic futureworld on the TV news instant fame money in the mattress a thankless child, as in Shakespeare's King Lear

138 I 28 What Can 0 Write About? snowstorm out past curfew dialogue including a portrait of someone who makes a costly encounter threat to leave someone else police officer taking a report from a witness and from making the first phone call the accused special cruise never giving up eternity versus the moment getting to know the world by walking out of time making a deal omen link with eternity preaching fire and brimstone wandering all our ways (phrase from Sir Walter Raleigh) forbidden alliance just an act, not the real thing the source of a proverb a proverb refuted the Mexican legend of "La Llorona" unraveling lies the relationship between good fortune and ignorance foundling at the doorstep a talk with someone who has lived the history legend of the Blarney Stone cameo no room at the inn the reader over your shoulder a feeling of place the star in a grain of dust the pattern in the mosaic scenes from next (week's/month's/year's) (book/movie/ friendship between human and animal TV show) looking at what has done/is doing diving for treasure, real or metaphorical something seen on the road a peculiar case standing on the head maze(s) interest in the news coming in, going out local witches coming out born into the same life again the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle misunderstanding causing humorous results in a foreign someone in a story absorbed by a mirror, a book, or a country piece of music first day of school a single subject treated in various ways and for different first day at a new school purposes last day of school same story, different points of view the hour that stretches a day, a dog, an argument, and a reunion forgiveness writing a story from the theme of a poem breaking away close to, but not a part of, nature setting forth out of season coming back short stay in "How could you?!" the mind's eye three's a crowd the mind's I any day now inside the universe of a snowflake keepin' on keepin' on behind the sealed (tomb, door, passage) deer in the headlights #309 finding strength ghost story reason to believe a fable/parable for our time a hard-earned day a touch of class with or without you rooms without floors the great divide in touch with the sublime bridging the gap hunting with a camera instead of a rifle only connecting refusing to leave the solitary places a conversation that changed everything something seen in early England by one of Caesar's legions if I'd lived in the century the Ouija board if I lived in (another country) the Will of the Wind atonement

139 Creative Writing 129 losing my religion "Here Lies the World: RIP" overheard out-of-body experience drive on "heaven lies about us" (William Wordsworth) ain't no stoppin' some enchanted evening same as it ever was leaving "Footprints in the sands of time" (Longfellow) new day dawning Time Stands Still when the going gets tough Five Ways to Simplify Your Life meeting the day meeting on the Net overcome by events trucking on blind spot the good soldier here and now rock on undelivered letter Stepping into the Time Machine busted! I was there when happened and this is what wrongly accused I saw (e.g., at the Great Chicago Fire, the Great Plague in London, the Allied landing in Normandy). "Guilty, Your Honor" When I was born as ... keeping up appearances our eyes met across a crowded room telling it like it is if only .... in the nick of time in the shadow of outside looking in waiting in vain inside looking out riding on the subway reaching out a funny thing happened reaching in "Cast your bread upon the waters." (Bible) story in real-time a "magnificent obsession" any objections? honest I do Questions, Titles, Assignments, and beast of burden Brainstormers for the Short Story, blood, sweat, and tears like a butterfly Novel, Novella, and Fiction Sketch coming to blows Write as if you were someone else, e.g., someone who cleaning up the mess has had an experience in a prisoner-of-war camp. at last Such love, so well-expressed, is rather unusual in these behind bars times. working it out is paradise enough. walking the walk Fictionalize an event as seen by different eyes' views, for example, by a detective, a small child, a judge, a peace is every step newspaper reporter. keepin' the faith Begin a story with the picture of a family walking along ships passing in the night the dusty road during the Depression. The mother close encounters and father have a pole which they are carrying on the brink mounted on their shoulders; on the pole their clothes and the clothes of their four children are drying in the The End Zone is Near! sun. Take the story wherever it goes. The End Times Are Near! How useful is a hunch? Step right over here, folks! The more problems you have, the more alive you are, it Do Not Disturb has been said. It started with ... Imagine where humanity can go after our current

The door swung open .... evolution. Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow No one escapes feeling guilty about something. It Happened One Night Space explorers may not find the earth inhabited on "The Road Not Taken" (Robert Frost) their return. The Way It Should Have Been A Long Way from Home 140 I 30 What Can 0 Write About?

What would a space visitor to the earth most want to with the gun held shakily in his hand. "Your buddy talk about? What would we most want to ask him/ there with you robbed me two hours ago." her/it? Waving at the train was one of the delights of my The journey is more important than the destination. childhood. "It is better to remain silent and appear dumb than to Trace the history of someone found alone and injured at speak and remove all doubt."popular proverb the side of the road. "I do not believe in using women in combat, because The hotel Maid squinted against the coarse daylight, females are too fierce."Margaret Mead and, shading her eyes with a white hand spotted with "An event has happened, upon which it is difficult to huge, burnt-brown freckles, said, "Sorry, no strangers speak, and impossible to be silent."Edmund Burke allowed here." What will it be like if/when you graduate/join the Peace "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." Corps/enlist in the military/get married/make a (Charles Dickens) million dollars? "Call me Ishmael" (Herman Melville). Choose any What would you have done if you had been a young mythic figure and write creatively about that person. adult during World War II? Falling asleep for five years and waking up to find "0 holy simplicity!" said John Huss the martyr while at the stake. I (would, would not) like to look into the future. "We are always the same age inside."Gertrude Stein Dip into a dictionary of folklore and write a story "You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things suggested by one of the motifs you find there. happen to you."Mary Tyler Moore Many things might happen between now and then. "War is the unfolding of miscalculations."Barbara Write a fictional narrative developed by dialogue that Tuchman reveals cause and effect. What will be found in the time capsule for the year "My life's an open book. Time and again I have had 2788? things happen to me that belong in the pages of a How would you live if you had great personal wealth? best-selling novel. I will tell you about one of these What did you miss out on when you were young? earth-shaking incidents." (The writer may want to entitle this story or novel with the title of a famous "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple" says book or movie. The possibilities of writing with writer Jenny Joseph. What will you do? comic ironythat is, saying humorously precisely "Phenomenal Woman, / That's me" (Maya Angelou). the opposite of what is meantshould be explored.) Write about yourself as a phenomenal person. Not being therethat was the story of my life at the Is all well that ends well? moment. She was so confused she didn't know if she was going "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like to bed or getting up. a raisin in the sun?" (Langston Hughes). Write a Seeing again brought back the memory of story of a dream deferred. Write a progression, outline, or frame for a long narrative. Whatever happened to Where would you like to explore? Write about someone who has developed a self-image Find an appropriate news story in a newspaper or that clashes with his or her hometown. magazine and rewrite it as a first-person narrative. "Hometown boy [or girl] makes good." Write about a Take the title of a song and use it as the title of a story celebrity returning home. having the same theme. Examples: "All Apologies," Write a story about the Clementine of the song. "Spirits in the Material World," "My Baby Just Cares Write a narrative of someone happy with natural for Me," "Delia's Gone," "Harvest Moon," "Man on learning rather than formal learning. the Corner," "Me and Bobby McGee," "Yesterday," "When I'm Sixty-Four," "Starry, Starry Night," "Lift Write a fictional narrative about a young person having Every Voice and Sing." a first experience of doubt. The man at the table in the corner began to answer his Write a fictional account of a young person covering up own question. what he or she really feels. Every day is (opening day/the first day/the last day). Write about a fearful moment, such as a close call or a brush with death. He hesitated, then said, "No sir." Write a tall story intended to sound convincing. Write a story in which the sequence of events is criti- Show fictionally how a common danger brings people cally important. Possible subjects: a student demon- together. stration, a certain process in which you participated, or an important cultural or historical event. "Where the arrow falls, bury me."Robin Hood The truest kind of courage comes from defeating a "You can't rob me," said the grocer to the young man mountainous fear.

141 Creative Writing 1 3 1

I find happiness in the simplest things. caricature of a character out of a famous movie or book Put together with other writerseach one taking a interview with the president (when he/she is ten years certain parta novel on a certain historical incident. old) "I want what I want when I want it."Henry Blossom narrative about someone who garners automatic respect There I was, right in the middle of from individuals and groups Then I got to thinking, and I decided that maybe he was the hunter right after all. Coleridge's Kubla Khan, the person (not the poem)

There wasn't a thing I could do about it ... tomorrow's (hero/friend/enemy/stranger)

No way was I going to let this happen ... duel between Hamilton and Burr Then, in my peripheral vision, I saw it, and things would stranger in a strange land never be the same again. show-off It was too lateyou can't unfire a gun. merchant Prom night wasn't the best or worst night of my life. But out-of-towner it gave me this story that I will never stop telling ... God in the process of CreationGod as living charac- It was the first time I'd talked to my father that way in ter, perhaps an artist, who needs to create for months, maybe longer. fulfillment I would have told my mother, but I thought she would someone who knows only penitentiary life never understand. Now I see it a little differently. "I regained my freedom with a sigh" (Byron). Write I guess fences don't always make good neighbors, after about someone adjusting to life outside prison. all. someone who is lucky, told about so as to suggest that I always knew there was something about her. more than luck is involved I never would have guessed he would do something like someone who unknowingly reveals oneself while telling that. someone else's story An urgent knock startled me from my newspaper. When someone brought to life by way of a secret diary I opened the door, I could hardly believe my eyes. a character from an ad You wouldn't have known it from looking at us, or a remarkable person listening to us, but we were brothers, and that meant I had to do something to help. a modern-day Icarus I could feel it in the air that night. the death of Socrates At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. a person feeling compelled to tell his or her story My advice to you: Never win the lottery. a human being's first meeting with another human being I had never been outside my own country. I was scared, my roots but I told myself I'd meet the challenge. I turned to buccaneer face my hosts ... shadow-seeker(s) Each decision had been logical, justified. And yet the practical joker whole thing had ended in disaster. Why? Lord Randall, the figure in the ballad There's no single day on which I "grew up." But that an animal-like person Saturday was a definite step in the process. a person-like animal It's never too late. a novelistic character transplanted from the novel to a I was standing on a street corner in Budapest; I didn't story by you know the language and I'd just lost my Hungarian- someone, real or imaginary, that the world ought to English dictionary. know about "The rebels are attacking," someone shouted. someone who becomes associated both in name and "I could have sworn the gas station was here." behavior with what he/she does a character from literature placed in an uncustomary Human Beings and Types context: Humpty Dumpty as a decathlon hero, for for Creative Writing Subjects example fictional self-portrait the widow(er) of a born eccentric the leader of the expedition someone quaint your life as a movie (perhaps with you watching it) the class clown keeper(s) of the flame narrative of Thomas Jefferson's trying to decide on the martyr wording of the Declaration of Independence

142 132 What Can 0 Write About?

dual role/multiple masks The Play (on Words) is the Thing a mother or father, presented as a character in a story winged words a legacy from singing telegram someone of your invention who is involved in public stand-up comedian life, whether in politics, entertainment, military, TV theme song sports, or teachingtold about in a long comic history beginning, "The truth about has scene from your life rendered in Shakespearean dialogue yet to be told." scene from your life rendered in rap characters having dialogue drawn from their separate conversation(s) in the closet books famous people arguing with one another from their a well-known person, in a story having nothing to do quotations on a certain issue with what he or she is famous for a parody of a superintendent telling what curriculum your best friend means the person you like least, in a story sympathetic to him spoonerism(s) or her witty words your sibling deliberate gobbledygook or double-talk a favorite uncle or aunt rap song (or parody of the genre) your favorite grandparent country song (or parody of the genre) your most difficult relative punk rock song (or parody of the genre) a young adult who is dying operatic aria (or parody of the genre) a young adult who has narrowly averted a tragic death children's song (or parody of the genre) a high school student who has just become a parent note found in a bottle a student who abstains from sex before or outside of note found in the trash marriage satire on sightings of UFO's or Bigfoot a curious child a letter to a newspaper thanking someone for helping a curious grandmother or grandfather you in your campaign a courageous parent a parody of a scandal sheet a police officer an exam spoof a teacher infomercial spoof (selling something most people a social worker in a troubled part of town already own) a student whose family has fallen on hard times "Think before you hit send": Story of an E-mail a rich boy or girl Indiscretion a student whose family has known nothing but hard times parody of an e-mail exchange between friends with emotions running high your boyfriend or girlfriend the discrepancies between movie subtitles and sound your parent(s) tracks a school principal useless words passed off as useful ones your family's plumber writ of "habeas escapus" as if written by fleeing inmate how Dave Barry might describe a family gathering a letter to the editor about being ripped-off Creative Language speeches each consisting of one long sentence a narrative constructed as a series of images presented advertising voice of a person not seen in haiku form a letter from jail, camp, college, the army a narrative in which pseudo-learning shows itself by a prize-winning essay with nothing but clichés pseudo-language hackneyed proverbs rewritten with fresh language and a parody of self-conscious purple prose depth a parody imitating the language and mannerisms pastoral(s) suggested by popular self-help psychology books book epigraph or dedication a parody using advertising language to sell Zen, pragmatism, Christianity, or another tradition... the dozens a parody of "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" signifying a pompous speech by a politician, a school superinten- talking and testifying dent, a head of a fraternal organization, or a business "leaning and depending" executive

143 Creative Writing 1 33 a report of an incident in various modes: in the style of a song using the music of an old hymn newspaper journalism, in elaborate diction, in a song about not singing anymore oversimplified expression a poem about a poem that tells of something you might a parody of psychoanalytical language explaining body have thought of yourself language A New Song a parody of language that says nothing, used for writing a song about singing a book report or book review for a book you have not read a song with new verses consistent with the theme and form of an old ballad a story, poem, or song using an invented vocabulary of nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives a poem not about love/hate/beauty Write a comic-satiric advertisement for someone who a song of pride in sells term papers over the Internet. a song to mourn the passing of something Describe a non-Biblical scene with Biblical language. a commemorative poem Parody of a product recall letter intended to fulfill the a song of the open road company's legal obligation to notify customers of a a song about the call of the faraway hills dangerous defect without actually worrying them or a comic song about what's at the end of the rainbow even letting them understand clearly what you are saying. Offer proof of Santa Claus in extremely scientific jargon. Creative Writing Write a sketch showing the language of righteous for a Children's Audience indignationespecially to show how impressive, and Your version of a story from The Jungle Book therefore effective, such language can be. children and the stars Read a certain notable style of writing and parody it. You might, to begin, want to read James Thurber's Circus at Dawn parody of Henry James "The Beast in the Day of the Rotten Tomatoes Dingle" and write your own parody of James. Runaway! Choose a common subject for parody and parody some Run Away! famous lines from various poets. rectangles and circles Read passages from several authorse.g., George an oversized mole residence for human beings Orwell, J. D. Salinger, Gwendolyn Brooks, Ernest Hemingway, Emily Dickinson, William Faulkner, or There's Nothing Under the Bed After All Sandra Cisnerosand imitate them in their methods There Is Something Under the Bed, and It's Really of moving along in their narrative writing. Cool! Rework a number of proverbs around a certain theme. a trickster story in which the trickster is tricked The following example is a reworking of one of the a story or poem about what happens when one enters a most familiar proverbs: "You can send a student to fairy tale school, but you can't make him or her learn." a story that responds to the question, "What do you like stories to be about?" Song and Poetry The Orange Eggplant Spoon River epitaph The Day the Number 3 Went Missing Untitled The Private Kingdom a song of myself The Enchanted Forest a song of butterflies A Dog's Devotion a song using the theme from a folktale or an old In the Cloud(s) religious book The Woman or Man in the Moon a translation of a poem into English from a second A Living Camera language you know a view of what happened when the world began haiku an experience of deja vu a ballad a story of a dollar An Ode to My Shoestrings an independent excursion a ballad of "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" (John Keats) moving to the city using personal experience moving to the country a song of everyone moving to a new country a song about a song a glove as a character

144 I 34 What Can 0 WriteAbout? a mischievous turtle a stowaway on a ship a monster's story (titled "Monstory") told by the monster The Dog on the Airplane a fantasy in which concrete details are used And then, guess what happened? a story about a hat that has feelings and does not want to The mouse peeped out of the cupboard... be discarded Adapt a children's story from another culture to your The Big Bad Bully Learns a Lesson context. Keshia Goes to Kindergarten Take a fairy tale and give it a twist, e.g., the story of Nasser's Nightmares Cinder Fella. Henry's First Haircut a story about a dream house (into which one goes in Other Creative Exercises order to have dreams) Write spontaneously and without direction on one of a poem that responds to the question, "What do you like these: dog, brick, tree, mountain stream. poems to be about?" See how many words you can writewithout stopping, In the Sky without thinking of order, without worrying about a a story or poem telling how a certain person got his gradein fifteen minutes. name/her name Write a fictional piece or a poem that severely cuts out a view of what happens when the world ends details but still evokes a purpose. a story or poem answering the question, "Where were Write a character sketch using understatement or you the year before you were born?" overstatement. a story or poem affirming there were, and are, unicorns Write about the process of writing a short storythe variation on a nursery rhyme original impression, inspiration, and thought, the talking to the mirror or computer to push you along, a haircut misadventure and so forth. trouble with pinking shears Live what you write about (but in writing). That is, Saturday cartoon(s) become the person you write about or re-create; this, baskets as characters as better to understand her/him as a character or a a story about the king of the barnyard subject. a story about a dream into which one can enter at will Write a new proverb (one that is suggested by an old a story or poem about a comic-strip character one) and accompany it with an explanation of its origin and meaning. a cat is lost, then found For various basic techniques of creative writing, study A Hairy, Scary Hallowe'en and imitate one or more of the following: Chinua The Unwise Owl Achebe, Lord Byron, Miguel de Cervantes, Anton a pet's life story in a story or poem Chekhov, Stephen Crane, Hector St. John de a day when the little things made all the difference Crevecoeur, Jonathan Edwards, T. S. Eliot, Thomas Hardy, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Langston Hughes, a day when something big didn't make a difference after Barbara Kingsolver, Doris Lessing, Toni Morrison, all Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allan Poe, Katherine Life of a Tumbleweed Anne Porter, William Shakespeare, Salman Rushdie, A Legend Relived Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, an unconventional letter to Santa Claus Eudora Welty, Walt Whitman, Virginia Woolf. fair-minded letter from Santa Claus to a child who has Write an annoyingly happy stream of consciousness. behaved very badly Write a heartbreaking stream of consciousness. a story or poem putting fairy tale or folktale characters Write an angst-filled stream of consciousness. in unfamiliar roles Write a stream of consciousness that is confident new ending, old story without being boastful. unfinished story to be completed Write a highly dramatic and self-consciously profound a collaboration in which you and a fellow student (or discussion of a very ordinary item or eventfor several) each write a segment of the story example, the existence of facial tissue, the placing of a letter in a mailbox, or a dog scratching its ear. The Little Engine That Couldn't Write an egregiously understated account of a truly The Little Engine Whose Friends Helped Out dramatic event. The Little Engine That Could But Chose Not To Write a profile of the person whom you imagine created The House That Went to Sea this book of topics.

145 Creative Writing i 35

Write a press release announcing a new television opening line be? See the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest program (sitcom, drama, or reality show) based on *, and just for fun, try your daily life. writing your own preposterous opening line for your turbid novel, effulgent with purple prose. Doing so will Fun with the help you to reflect critically on your choice of words Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest and on writing creatively. When writing creative fiction, watch out for opening * Web sites are likely to change or disappear. If you lines that are melodramatic or overblown. A classic cannot find the contest at this URL, a name search will example of this is the famous (or infamous) "It was a help you locate it. Otherwise, hard copy versions may dark and stormy night." This line has in fact inspired a be available through your local library. fiction contest on the subjectjust how dreadful can an

146 Am CRITICAL WRITING

What Critical Writing Is because of the many approaches it opens up to the writer. Probably the beginning critic should settle for Generally, critical writing sets out to evaluate or to a simple analysis of the content and form of a given analyze a work of art. This analysis may be attempted piece of writing and an evaluation of how the form in any number of ways, but for our purposes here we and content work, or fail to work, together to achieve will divide critical writing into its two basic types the desired effect. He or she would do well to stick the theoretical and the practical. The theoretical con- close to the work at hand and to document rigor- cerns itself with general notions about the value of ously from that text any criticisms made. This disci- art as a whole (see Aristotle's Poetics, to cite one plined approach should eventually make for concrete, classic example), while the practical evaluates par- vigorously thought out, and fully felt critical writ- ticular works, writers, styles, and so forth, in terms ing, and it proves valuable for other types of writing of whatever aesthetic theory the critic may hold. as well. Critical writing and theories of criticism have been It might also be wise to let the specific critical articulated in many different ways by many civiliza- approachor combination of approachesbe dic- tions. In English studies, literary theory in the last tated in part by the work itself. For an obviously au- century alone has undergone radical transformations, tobiographical novel, e.g., James Joyce's A Portrait resulting in a whole spectrum of approaches that of the Artist as a Young Man, a biographical tack range from the textual and structural to those might be of some value. On the other hand, Kate grounded in culture, gender, or political ideology. In Chopin's novel The Awakening would call for a femi- fact, the whole notion of what constitutes literature nist reading. And studying Toni Morrison's novels or a text has come into question, so that, as literary would demand a consideration of race and identity. critic Terry Eagleton says, "literary theory can handle Bob Dylan just as well as John Milton" (Literary Theory: An Introduction). Teachers are encouraged to suggest different ap- Locating Subjects for Critical Writing proaches to their students when they analyze a text. The topics in this section were listed primarily with As Deborah Appleman puts it, "literary theories can literary criticism in mind. However, many of them sharpen one's vision and provide alternative ways may be applied to criticism in other disciplines of seeing"; indeed, "these multiple ways of seeing music, painting, film, architecture, photography, al- have become vital skills in our increasingly diverse most anything. Indeed, such works can be viewed as classrooms as we explore the differences between "texts" of their own sort which can be approached and among us, what separates/us and what binds us through the same kinds of critical lenses (to use together" (Critical Encountirs ini High School En- Appleman's metaphor) that one might use to explore glish: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents). a work of literature. The themes presented here gen- erally lend themselves to practical criticism rather How to Write Criticism than to the theoretical. This is the type of criticism most students are called upon to write and also the It will be evident from the preceding discussion that type they are most likely to come upon in newspa- critical writing is yet another mode that is complex pers and magazines.

136 14 Critical Writing I 37

We have seen many times over how thoroughly value in writing criticism. In fact, critical writing the kinds of writing outlined in this book are related. seems an appropriate place to end this book. A work- This is especially true of critical writing. Surpris- ing familiarity with the kinds of writing dealt with ingly, even research-and-report writing assumes an before will cement a reliable foundation on which to important place herea survey of almost any write criticallynot, one would hope, to mock and library's collection of critical works will reveal that tear, but to carry forward for us all the wonder and some of the most exacting and often vitally written love of language, and to enable students to look criti- criticism has been scholarly. Process, classification/ cally at the world they live in and to be construc- division, exposition, argumentation, definition, cre- tively engaged with that world. ative writingany one of these is of rudimentary

148 138 What Can 0 Write About?

Common Themes in convention Literature for Critical Analysis conversion counterparts and counterpoints adventure country versus city adversity courage and cowardice aging and the aged crime and punishment alcoholism cruelty and violence alienation cultural concerns (traditions, differences, relations) ambiguity/ambivalence cultural politics ambition curse angst dance animals danger appearance versus reality death aristocracy deconstruction art and artists deduction beauty defeat and failure beliefs and customs demons and devils betrayal dependence Biblical types depression, despair, discontent, and disillusionment birth, fertility, and rebirth despair borders and border crossings (cultural, physical, political, destruction and destructiveness psychological, social) determinism, chance, fortune, fate, and indifferent boredom and malaise universe bribery devotion bureaucracy difference capital punishment discovery, including self-discovery change and progress diversity chaos divorce charity domination, enslavement, and suppression childlikeness, childishness, and immaturity double-character, analogue, and reflection of self in children others choice and decision dreaming, dreams, imaginings, and fancies Christ, Christ complex, Christianity, and martyr complex drug addiction civilization duty class conflict, class relations emotional disturbance clergy empowerment collectivity emptiness colonialism endurance colonization enlightenment coming of age ennui common destiny entitlement communication (or lack of it) envy community (or lack of it) epiphany complacency escape comprehensiveness and infinity essentialism confession ethnic identity conflict ethos conscience evil eye conservatism the examined (or the unexamined) life consolation exile

149 Critical Writing I 39 existential angst hypnotism expediency hypocrisy and duplicity exploitation ideality, perfection, and exemplariness faith and loss of faith identity falsity, pretense, and artificiality identity politics fame illusion and innocence family, fatherhood, and motherhood immorality fanaticism imperialism farming imprisonment Faust(ianism) independence fear and terror individuality feminism initiation, experience, manhood, and womanhood folly innocence; the loss of innocence forgiveness instinct versus reason and heart versus reason freedom jealousy free will and willpower journey, travel, excursion, and voyage, including Freudianism psychological journey friendship joy frugality justice fulfillment killing gambling law games, contests, sports, competition, and trickery learning, schooling, and knowledge gender (individual identity, limitations of social concep- leave-taking tions of gender) liberation God and creation life, joie de vivre, and life spirit God and Humanity life (the meaning of) Godliness loneliness and aloneness good and evil loss government love and affection greed loyalty grief and remorse luck grotesquerie machine versus humanity group behavior macrocosm guilt manhood happiness marginalization heaven, including paradise on earth marriage hell master/servant and employer/employee helplessness materialism heroes, heroines, and leaders maturation holiday memory home mercy hope metaphysical experience hospitality as a social custom militarism and military life hubris mind and matter human and animal miracle the human condition mischief human frailty mob psychology humanity and human understanding moral code human limitation/human potential mortality hunting multiculturalism 150 140 What Can 0 Write About? music and song sacrifice the mysterious stranger sadism/masochism mystery sanity, insanity, and senility mystical experience scapegoat and victim natural force and natural disaster science as savior or downfall nature and humanity seafaring obsession, monomania, compulsion, and habit search oppression secrecy and secret world optimism self-assertion origins of the world, universe self-awareness pacifism self-deception parent/child relationship, adult/child relationship self-empowerment past, present, future selfishness patriotism sexuality and sexual conquest persistence and perseverance sickness pessimism silence playing God social criticism pleasure social status politics societal or cultural differences postcolonialism societal pressures postmodernism society in change poverty sophistication power relationships soul and soul mate prejudice spiritual crisis pride stoicism primitivism suffering profession suicide promise supernatural, magic, fairies, and ghosts prophecy survival prostitution suspicion quest technology's benefits and limitations race and racial attitudes theft and ransom reality and realness time and circumstances, timelessness, eternity, time and rebellion space redemption tolerance reincarnation and immortality tradition and insularity relativism understanding religion uniqueness repentance unity and human solidarity rescue universality and microcosm resistance, rebellion, and revolution value/value system resolution verbal traditions of specific communities/cultures respectability visions responsibility voice in the wilderness return voice(s) of the self revenge and retribution war revising history the wasted life, the empty life revolution wealth and the wealthy ritual womanhood, feminism, and the rights of women rivalry youth

151 This book was typeset in Gill Sans, Gill Sans Extra Bold, and Times New Roman by Tom Jaczak.

Typefaces used on the cover were Arial, Anal Rounded MT Bold, and Gill Sans Extra Bold.

The book was printed on 50-lb. Husky Offset by IPC Communication Services.

152 Substantially updated for today's world, this second edition of What Can I Write About? offers chapterson 12 different categories of writing, each of which is briefly introduced with a definition, noteson appropriate writing strategies, and suggestions for using the book to locate topics. Types of writing covered include description, comparison/ contrast, process, narrative, classification/division, cause-and- effect writing, exposition, argumentation, definition, research- and-report writing, creative writing, and critical writing. Ideas range from the profound to the everyday to the topicale.g., describe a terrible beauty; write a narrative about the ultimate eccentric; classify kinds of body alterations. With hundreds of new topics, this book isa valuable resource for teachers and students alike.

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