Sunday, September 25, 2011

Courtney Adams Blog #7


One important element of an exploratory essay is to maintain the attention of your audience.  To do this, we must not settle for our original thesis rather, “Keep a problem alive through consideration of multiple solutions or points of view” (Reader 107).  As the paper progresses, different perspectives on the subject should be described. In doing this, you will prove yourself to be more broad-minded.  It will give your subject depth and clarity as it becomes interesting to different audiences.
While viewing your subject with different lenses, “The key to effective exploratory writing is to create a tension between alternative views” (Reader 108).  You must let the research you have done guide your viewpoint.  It’s somewhat like playing the believing and doubting game.  You should let the different points of view fight over your opinion as you critique and compliment each one.  You start off with one opinion then a piece of research persuades you and you’re on that side and it becomes an argument.  You must fill your paper with tension between the different viewpoints.
Instead of doing your research then beginning to write, “Your exploratory essay records the history of your researching and thinking process” (Reader 113). Another important element of an exploratory essay is to describe your research in a chronological order.  So maybe at first you had a very shallow opinion on the subject, this will be documented at the beginning of your essay.  As you become more educated you then explain how your view has been changed.  It is important to make the contrast between exploratory essays and say, a five-paragraph essay because within exploratory essays it is not only okay but also mandatory that your viewpoint changes as the paper progresses.

3 comments:

  1. playing the believing and doubting game, nice reference. but true for sure

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  2. Your first paragraph makes a lot of sense, you need all different sides so many people will want to read your writings.

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  3. I agree with describing your research in chronological order. It is better organized and shows your real thought process throughout the whole paper.

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