Week Five

Dr. Stephen OgdenLIBS 7001

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Common Sense Approach to Definition & Classification

• There is, fortunately, a practical approach to the type of “problems” detailed in the articles for this week, for those of us who are not (or, not only) academics.

• A common-sense practice: assume a stable definition (e.g. “truck”), but see any uncertainty or issue as simply a matter of classification:– “does this vehicle belong in the category ‘truck’ ?

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DESCRIPTION• creates sharply etched word pictures of objects, persons,

scenes, events, situations

• in work/personal/academic settings, can describe

» a patient’s condition for a chart

» a product in an advertisement

» site conditions in a report

• can

» create a mood

» stimulate understanding

» lead to action

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Two Types of Description

Functional• “just the facts”: denotative• purpose: to explain, clarify• allegedly objective, observed from a

distance• common in lab reports, formal reports• logical order of ideas • perspective: description of parts,

materials, functions

Emotional• impressionistic: connotative• purpose: to convey ideas, moods,

impressions• impressionistic, subjective• common in everyday life, and in artistic

writing• highly variable order of ideas• different perspectives possible

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Elements of Description

• To help drive home your points vividly in an essay or speech, carefully use these five elements of description:

1. Sensory Impression2. Dominant Impression3. Vantage Point4. Selection of Details5. Arrangement of Details

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Sensory Impression, cont.

• appropriate words / comparisons , cont. – “… the kind of woman who plays with a full deck of

credit cards…” (Ehrenreich, 10) – an egg that “starts to disgorge a cloud of white stuff

like a medium at an old-fashioned séance” (Nabokov, 38)

• blend several sense impressions – “Ah…fresh bread” (last frame of Pekar essay)– evokes sense of touch (shape, heat), sight, smell

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2. Dominant Impression• an overall mood or feeling, such as joy, anger, terror, or

distaste • may be identified or left unnamed • can be developed throughout the description

– “Yet, the overriding sensation I had was of always being out of place.” (Said, 37)

– “Not long ago a former friend and soon-to-be acquaintance called me up to tell me how busy she was.” (Ehrenreich, 9)

• may be influenced by vantage-point

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3. Vantage Point - two types

• fixed: observer remains in one place– “Boil water in a saucepan (bubbles mean it is boiling!)”

(Nabokov, 38)• moving: observer views things from different

positions– e.g., E. Said moving through time:– “In my early adolescence….Now I have divined that…”

(Said, p. 39)

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4. Selection of Details

• A good writer selects details pointing toward the mood or feeling s/he is trying to create.

• Exclusion is as important as inclusion.• How does a writer suggest stillness or nothingness?• What are the implications of leaving out certain

details? Are there limits to a writer’s creative license? What’s a writer’s ethical responsibility when using description & narration?

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5. Arrangement of Details

• to guide reader and fulfill purpose, use a clear pattern or organization - e.g., – spatial– sequential– contrast

• can start with a striking central feature– Said’s discussion of the 2 halves of his name

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NARRATION• relates series of real or imagined events• Narration, a story, can

– tell what happened– delve into motives– offer lessons and insights (but doesn’t have to)– do all of the above.

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Narrative: Examples of Non-Literary Uses

• Used at work, at home, at school: e.g., – details in a lab or

inspection report• Any report is a form of

narration

– development of a research project

– history of an employee’s work problems• Both by the employee

and the employer

– Meeting minutes write-up

• Politics: ‘narrative’ is now an essential tool– Create a partisan story

about society, selves & opponents

• Journalism:– news stories are forms

of narrative

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Elements of Narration

• Six elements together produce strong narration:1. purpose2. action3. conflict4. point of view5. key events6. dialogue

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1. Purpose

• can be stated or unstated but always shapes the writing• may– tell what happened– establish a useful fact– delve into motives– offer lessons or insights

Not all “stories” have a moral or teach a lesson.

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2. Action• plays a central role in narrative by presenting, not just

suggesting, something that happens– suggested (or reported):• “Time seemed forever against me.” (Said, 38)

– represented directly: • “ They went to Michigan Militia meetings. They

blew up ‘things’ in the backyard.” (Moore, 84)

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Action, cont.

• Think visually (cinematically) when writing a narrative.– “…a passage on the piano might cause a sudden

transformation of her face, a dramatic elevation in her tone, a breathtakingly wide opening of arms, as she took me in with ‘Bravo, Edward’…” (Said, 38)

– “With a small spoon tap-tap in a circle and then pry open the lid of the shell.” (Nabokov, 38)

• Many experiences are “action:” e.g., thinking, feeling, deciding– “They also serve who only stand and wait.” (John Milton, “On

His Blindness,” 1652)

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3. Conflict• Real, imagined, anticipated conflicts shape our lives; see

Gk. agon - meaning “contest”• Some varieties of conflict:

1. between an individual and outside circumstances: Nabokov’s eggs & egg-cooker

2. between 2 group members: Said & mother 3. between__________________________4. between__________________________5. within____________________________

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4. Point of View - types1. First person: one of the participants tells what happened.

– uses I, me, mine, we, ours– limited to what that person knows; narrator can be

unreliable because of incomplete knowledge2. Second-person: less often used

– you is used or understood– imperative & directive; or conversational

3. Third-person: distanced “narrator” recalls.

– uses he, she, it, they– narrator can be omniscient, intrusive, or limited in

knowledge, deliberately misleading

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5. Key Events

• Strong narratives are built around key events bearing directly on its purpose. E.g.– Pekar’s paralleling the progress of his thoughts and physical

progress towards the bakery, where a resolution occurs on both levels (“quandry” resolved, AND loaf of bread obtained)

– Said’s discussion of his mother’s death as a key event, which helps to remind him of both his childhood and his own mortality.

– consider “narratives” of election candidates

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6. Dialogue• Conversation animates narrative:

– indirect/reported - narrator strongly controls presentation and mood; reader is distanced from the scene • “..called me up to tell me how busy she was.” (Ehre., 9)

– direct - generally (but not always) more vivid; also leaves more scope for reader interpretation: • narrator in strong control: “… the days when ‘Let’s have lunch’

meant something other than ‘I’ve got more important things to do than to talk to you now’…” (E,9)

• integrated into narrative: “’Help me to sleep, Edward’…” (Said, 39, in which he’s both character and narrator)

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For the narration readings (Ignatieff, Fraser, Mukherjee), consider these questions:

1. What is the author's purpose?2. Where & how does the author use specific descriptive and narrative

techniques? 3. Narration often produces a personal, "gut" reader response. Critically

analyze your own response to these essays:

1. What exactly was your response? 2. What factors (e.g.: your experiences, knowledge, the author's

story, descriptive & narrative techniques) might have combined to produce your response?

3. How did you transcend your "gut reaction" to gain a more objective reading of the text?

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