Patterns of Exposition

* Denotes new selections.

1. Reading as a Writer.


Previewing.



Previewing Techniques.



Look For Help From the Writer or Editor.



Look For Help From the Context.



Reading For Understanding.



Brent Staples, "Just Walk On By."



What Is It About?



What Does It Mean?



What Is Its Purpose?



How is the Main Idea Developed or Supported?



Reading Critically.



Responding as You Read.



Reviewing.



2. Ways of Writing.


Getting Started.



Keep a Writing Journal.



Planning.



Drafting.



Revising.



Student Essay: Sarah Lake, "Welcome to the Gym."



3. Illustrating Ideas by Use of Example.


Student Essay: Adrian Boykin, "Overcoming an Impediment: A Rite of Passage."



Andy Rooney, "In and of Ourselves We Trust."



William F. Buckley, Jr., "Why Don't We Complain?"



Mary Karr, "Dysfunctional Nation."



Issues and Ideas: Identities.



Wil Haygood, "Underground Dads."



*Mary Pipher, "Liem and Anton."



Alan Buczynski, "Iron Bonding."



4. Analyzing a Subject By Classification.


Student Essay: Heather Farnum, "Piano Recitals."



Judith Viorst, "What, Me? Showing Off?"



Judith Stone, "Personal Beast."



Michael Ventura, "Don't Even Think About It!"



Issues and Ideas: Images of Sound and Sight.



*Jody M. Roy, "The Case of the Cowboy."



Brenda Peterson, "Life Is a Musical."



5. Explaining By Means of Comparison and Contrast.


Student Essay: Amy Bell, "Perception of Truth."



Mark Twain, "Two Ways of Seeing a River."



Bruce Catton, "Grant and Lee: A Study of Contrasts."



Phillip Lopate, "A Nonsmoker with a Smoker."



Alice Walker, "Am I Blue?"



Issues and Ideas: Gender Differences.



Scott Russell Sanders, "The Men We Carry in Our Minds."



Nicholas Wade, "Method and Madness: How Men and Women Think."



*Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, "Mothers and Others."



6. Using Analogy as an Expository Device.


Student Essay: "Kevin Nomura, "Life Isn't Like Basketball."



Patricia Raybon, "Letting in Light."



*Janisse Ray, "Built By Fire."



Issues and Ideas: Humans and Animals.



Tom Wolfe, "O Rotten Gotham-Sliding Down into the Behavioral Sink."



Barbara Kingsolver, "High Tide in Tucson."



7. Explaining Through Process Analysis.


Student Essay: Karen Gaffney, "Losing Weight."



Joe Buhler and Ron Graham, "Give Juggling a Hand!"



*Jason Blume, "Developing Great Songs Ideas and Catchy Titles."



*David Fontana, "Working with Dreams."



Jim Harrison, "Going Places."



Issues and Ideas: Advertising and Appearances.



James B. Twitchell, "We Build Excitement."



Jean E. Kilbourne, "Beauty...and the Beast of Advertising."



Jessica Mitford, "To Dispel Fears of Live Burial."



8. Analyzing Cause and Effect Relationships.


Student Essay: Sarah Egri, "How a Public Document Affected My Life."



Susan Perry and Jim Dawson, "What's Your Best Time of Day?."



Cullen Murphy, "Hello Darkness."



Susan Roach, "My Father the Geezer."



Issues and Ideas: Avoiding Challenges, Taking Risks.



William Severini Kowinski, "Kids in the Mall: Growing Up Controlled."



*Sebastian Junger, "Colter's Way."



9. Using Definition to Help Explain.


Student Essay: Lori L'Heureux, "Stars."



Roger Welsch, "Gypsies."



John Berendt, "The Hoax."



*Stanley Coren, "The Nature of Dog Intelligence."



James Combs, "Phony Culture."



Issues and Ideas: Defining Values and Roles.



Stephen L Carter, "The Insufficiency of Honesty."



*Kristin von Kreisler, "Courage."



Veronica Chambers, "Mother's Day."



*Dan Savage, "Role Reversal."



10. Explaining With the Help of Description.


Student Essay: Carey Braun, "Bright Light."



*Gary Soto, "The Jacket."



George Simpson, "The War Room at Bellevue."



*Edwidge Danticat, "Carnival of the Dead."



Issues and Ideas: Place and Person.



Barry Lopez, "A Passage of Hands."



Joyce Maynard, "The Yellow Door House."



E.B. White, "Once More to the Lake."



11. Using Narration as an Expository Technique.


Student Essay: Hrishikesh Unni, "Elephants, Ivory, and an Indelible Experience."



Martin Gansberg, "38 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police."



*Geoffrey Canada, "Pain."



*Ann Fadiman, "Under Water."



Issues and Ideas: Stories and Values.



George Orwell, "A Hanging."



Wayne Worcester, "Arms and the Man."



Chan-rae Lee, "Uncle Chul Gets Rich."



12. Reasoning by Use of Induction and Deduction.


Student Essay: Sheilagh Brady, "Mad About MADD."



Wendy Kaminer, "A Civic Duty to Annoy."



Nancy Friday, "The Age of Beauty."



*Roy F. Baumeister, "Violent Pride."



Issues and Ideas: Digital Realities.



Maia Szalavitz, "A Virtual Life."



J.C. Herz, "Superhero Sushi."



13. Using Patterns for Argument.


Student Essay: Julie Richardson, "The Fight on Fat Controversy."



Issues and Ideas: "Current Controversies."



Christopher B. Daly, "How the Lawyers Stole Winter."



Richard Lynn, "Why Johnny Can't Read, but Yoshio Can."



*Stephanie Mills, "Could You Live with Less?"



*David Quammen, "Who Swims with the Tuna."



Barbara Lawrence, "Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You."



Sarah Min, "Language Lessons."



Barbara Ehrenreich, "Making Sense of la Difference."



14. Further Readings: Combined Patterns.


Margaret Atwood, "Pornography."



Leslie Marmon Silko, "Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit."



Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail."



A Guide to Terms.