| my essays: effective exposition |
| Effective Exposition by Evan Greer Copyright Evan Greer, 2002 Effective exposition, is, or rather might be, perhaps, a focused stream of conscious or unconscious thought professed through the use of a plethora, a plurality, nay, a multitudinous array of rhetorical devices that entice the reader into the realm of believability. * * * Are you lost yet? Perhaps your fingers have unconsciously made their way to your temple as you try to massage away the oncoming headache that a paper with such an introduction is sure to cause. Don�t worry; these symptoms result from a normal case of ineffective expository writing. Put away the Advil. This paper deals with the techniques of effective exposition, and I promise that I will never use the word �plethora� again. Effective exposition runs like a stream. Each drop of water finds its own route through the rapids, but they all flow in the same direction and end up in the same ocean. More importantly, effective expository writing is not a narrow and unbending man-made canal that flows in a straight line without any change of scenery. If we imagine the reader as a boater on the stream, the boat ride should be exciting, but not so intense that the reader is thrown from the bow. The stream should be cohesive enough that the reader/paddler does not become stranded in a marsh or lost down a tributary, but the route should not be so straight that he falls asleep at the oars, or worse, gets out of the boat. An effective piece of exposition clearly and persuasively communicates its ideas without sacrificing elegance and thoughtfulness. Lacking a universal definition for the word �exposition,� for the purposes of this paper I have defined it as non-fiction writing designed to persuade the reader. In some cases the reader will readily accept the findings of a paper without the slightest shred of evidence, but the most effective writing argues its case so well that it can change the mindset of a skeptical reader. In order for a piece of exposition to convince a reader of its argument, it must first ensure that the reader understands the argument. Some pieces do this explicitly in a clear, cohesive thesis statement. Other forms never state the thesis, instead relying on pure evidence and emotion to inevitably lead the reader to draw the conclusion that the author intended. This thesis is the source of the stream; some streams descend from high mountain ponds, others originate from springs deep in the ground and make their short journey into the Atlantic. Regardless of what happens to the flow of stream after it leaves the �thesis pool,� the makeup of the water remains unchanged. Each word must be carefully chosen so that it best supports the thesis. Once the effective writer has ensured that the reader understands the argument, he must then begin to build his case using specific evidence. Since exposition is limited to non-fiction writing, the writer cannot simply make up evidence that supports his case. However, by choosing which evidence to include and which evidence to conveniently forget, expository writers can easily massage the facts into evidence that supports their case. Writers arguing a popular point of view should have no trouble simply supporting their ideas with facts and relying on their friendly public to agree. In cases with a less popular point of view and more skeptical readers, or those that lack credible evidence, the writing itself must be so strong that it can convince the reader of something that may not even be true. Political activists and revolutionaries typically find themselves up against the wall of popular public opinion and have always needed effective argumentative writing skills. Due to the very nature of revolution, activists must write effectively enough to overcome the views of a largely skeptical readership. Some of the most effective expository writers of our time have been activists, and their writing clearly displays its intent: to change the reader�s mind. As one of the more articulate and opinionated expository writers of our time, Professor Noam Chomsky provides us with an excellent example of clear and effective writing: The most interesting feature of the debate over the Iraq crisis is that it never took place. True, many words flowed, and there was dispute about how to proceed. But [the] discussion [was] kept within rigid bounds that excluded the obvious answer: the U.S. and UK should act in accord with their laws and treaty obligations. (Chomsky, 1) In the above paragraph, Noam lays the groundwork upon which he builds the rest of his essay. Although the essay covers everything from topics of historical foreign policy to government-media relations, the thesis is omnipresent�an inextricable and cohesive thread connecting each idea to the next. Chomsky makes careful and calculated choices with use of words, sentence flow and the firmness with which he writes. Since every word must somehow support the thesis, the experienced writer chooses his words with care. Noam uses active verbs like �flowed� and �excluded� that add to the overall flavor (and inherent credibility) of the piece. He avoids overly complex words that might make him sound more intelligent at the cost of clarity. True to the primary function of an expository essay, Noam convincingly communicates his argument using easily understandable language. He does not try to skirt the issue; he chooses words that go directly to the heart of what he is saying. Professor Chomsky does not use �I believe� or �in my opinion.� He states his thesis as an absolute truth and then sets out to prove it beyond all doubt, like a prosecutor making a closing statement. A prosecutor has the benefit of using her voice to emphasize particular points, but written words do not differ much from oration. Even when humans read silently, our minds �hear� what we are reading; for example, a short, staccato sentence sounds out of place when nestled in a paragraph of long and complex sentences. This results in the reader focusing his attention on the seemingly out of place content. Short, pointed sentences are an excellent tool for those cases where a writer wants to put a strong emphasis on a particular concept. Example: According to the most conservative estimates, 3,767 Afghani civilians have been killed by U.S. troops and bombs since we began our campaign there. Do the math. We�ve already killed more innocent Afghanis than Americans that died on September 11th. (Greer, 1) This quotation, from a letter that I wrote to the editor of the Lawrence Eagle Tribune, displays an example of throwing a short, concise sentence into the mix to draw the reader�s attention. �Do the math,� a three word sentence stuck in between two much longer ones, rivets the eye and calls for action. Not a particularly elegant sentence, it still serves its purpose by stopping the reader in his tracks, and making him think about what has just been said. The reader, who may have been lulled to sleep at the oars by the lapping waves of repetitive sentence structure, suddenly awakens as his boat bumps a rock. �Do the math for what?� he asks himself, yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes. By varying the length and form of sentences, the writer sends the reader constant wake-up calls to keep him from losing focus. This piece sets out to prove the original thesis, �The United States should not go to war with Iraq.� Out of context, the quote does not seem to support or expand the thesis, but I immediately back it up in the next paragraph: War in Iraq will be no different. The Bush Administration would like us to think that we can perform some kind of "surgical strike" and just remove the "evil" without any negative effects. This is simply not true. War is ugly. There will be atrocities, civilian deaths, and the deaths of U.S. soldiers. (Greer, 1) This paragraph contains a number of short, pointed sentences to jar the reader into thinking. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, it adds relevance to the previous paragraph by expanding on and providing support for the original thesis. This paragraph introduces a new idea to the argument�the water has rounded a bend and picked up speed but it quickly returns to its natural course. In a way, this paragraph provides belated justification for the previous one, directing the reader back into the paper�s stream of thought before he ventures too far down a tiny tributary or gives up completely and climbs onto dry land. The paragraph maximizes its effectiveness by providing real-life examples that any reader can relate to. I chose the words to appeal to people�s consciences, (civilian deaths and atrocities) and their loyalties (deaths of U.S. soldiers). The last sentence attaches faces to the numbers given in the previous paragraph. Irony and wit also find their way into the paragraph by putting quotations around �surgical strike� and �evil.� Sarcasm, irony, wit, and humor all have their place in the world of effective exposition; they serve to strip the opposing argument of before the other side has a chance to make its case. Whether these poignant jabs anger or delight the reader, this expository technique is designed to impart the desire to continue reading. These rocks in the stream get things moving again and incite the reader to paddle back to the center of the stream. The writer often most clearly expresses his own voice through irony and humor. Since the thesis comes from the writer�s mind, the writer�s voice within the essay provides an excellent tool for supporting and expanding the point. �After my own experience in that war, I had moved away from my own rather orthodox view that there are just wars and unjust wars, to a universal rejection of war as a solution to any human problem,� (Zinn, 2). Although by trade a historian, Professor Howard Zinn�s voice always finds its way into his writing, even if he is just relating facts. In his expository work, Zinn�s voice is ever-present; he rarely descends into the boring conventions of a stuffy and impersonal essay. Despite what Keys For Writers might say, this personal aspect to his writings only strengthens his point and makes the reader focus on the thesis. If the tone of a piece is impersonal and bland, the reader will start getting bored, and perhaps even begin to wonder how much second hand rowboats sell for on e-bay. Effective writing is writing that convinces the reader. In order to convince the reader, effective writing must be persuasive. In order to be persuasive, effective� * * * Almost had you fooled there, didn�t I? Well give the red pen a rest for a minute and hold off on the Advil for just one more paragraph. We�re almost to the ocean now. Effective writing techniques are a means to an end. Without a clear and thought-provoking thesis, no amount of beautiful word choice and elegant sentence structure can make the paper a success. With no pool at the top, the stream runs dry. One hand washes the other, however, and even the most interesting of ideas falls flat if the writer makes poor choices in words, sentence structure, organization and voice. Without a streambed in which to flow, the thesis pool has nowhere to go. Ideally, when our weary and waterlogged reader comes to the end of his journey, he will find that the stream does not lead him back to dry land, but to the ocean, where he will find so many thousands of streams converge, and make a choice of which to paddle next. |
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