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Berea Writes!: Chapter 5 Methods Of Development

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Chapter 5 Methods Of Development
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“Chapter 5 Methods Of Development” in “Berea Writes!”

Chapter 5 – Methods of Development

The methods of development are different strategies a writer can use to build an essay and explain their ideas. While you may occasionally write an essay that is entirely based in one method of development, like a narrative about your life, most writing is made up of a variety of different methods of development. Using different methods of development makes your writing more interesting to read and gives you multiple ways to connect with your audience.

  1. Definition
  2. Classification/Division
  3. Exemplification
  4. Description
  5. Narration
  6. Comparison/Contrast
  7. Cause and Effect
  8. Process Analysis

Definition

Explaining the meaning of a word or phrase.

You might use definition to help your reader understand some jargon (i.e., words used by a particular group or in a specific profession that others may not understand) that you are using. If writing, for example, an open letter to your community trying to convince neighbors to use a specific kind of sod in their yards, you should probably assume that the average person doesn’t know that much about different types of sod. Rather than just using the terms “Bluegrass” and “St. Augustine” and moving on, you need to briefly define those terms.

You might also use this rhetorical method of development to redefine a term that your audience thinks it already knows. In Chris Rock’s movie Good Hair, for example, Rock redefines the typical Western definition of “good hair.” He shows that some people tend to think that “good hair” as very long and silky. As a result, these people may assume Black people’s hair somehow less attractive unless it has been treated with chemicals and/or heat. Chris Rock uses his film to show that our definition “good hair” should encompass all sorts of natural hair types.

Classification/Division

Grouping things or ideas together based on similar characteristics.

You might use classification/division to help narrow your focus in an essay or paragraph. Let’s say, for example, that you’re writing an essay asking that Berea College to change the way orientation week is run. When explaining the changes you’d like to see, you may need to divide the Berea College community into different parts: new first-year students, transfer students, returning students, faculty, student affairs staff, etc. Once the big classification of “Berea College community” is divided, you can focus on each individual group as you make your argument.

Many times you’ll use classification when evaluating something. If you want to argue, for example, that Taco Bell is a bad Mexican food restaurant, you’ll need to think about what the criteria for meeting that classification are: no margaritas, food is prepared via microwave, no free chips and salsa, etc.

Exemplification

Offering an illustration or example of the issue at hand.

The rhetorical method of development of exemplification is probably already very familiar to you. Whenever you make some sort of claim, it is often useful to include some sort of example as evidence. If I were to argue, for example, that the concept of meritocracy in American life is a myth, I would want to offer a specific example of the failure of meritocracy—like the way that so-called “blind” auditions suddenly changed the gender make-up of orchestras. Exemplifcation can overlap with other methods of development (a narrative could be an example, for instance) and are often drawn from research that you do (like citing a study of gender ratios in professional orchestras).

Description

Bringing an image before your reader’s eyes.

Description is useful for times when you need to show your audience something they are unfamiliar with. Because photographers are often not allowed in the detention centers for migrants who cross over the U.S.-Mexico border, writers and politicians have used description to help readers “see” a place that they could not actually see. Description many times goes hand-in-hand with narration in an attempt to get an audience to feel (as opposed to only think) a certain way about a topic.

Narration

Telling a story.

Most of the time, narration will overlap with exemplification and with description. You may tell a detailed story (real or hypothetical) as an example of whatever argument you’re making. Like description, you’ll typically use narration when you want to inspire some sort of emotion in your audience. If a writer wants to argue, for example, Counseling Services deserves more funding, they might tell the story of a time that they or a friend had a difficult time getting an appointment for therapy.

Comparison/Contrast

Finding a similar or different situation to compare your argument to.

The idea with comparison/contrast is to find a similar (or very different) situation to compare your argument to. If I were contending, for example, that Berea College should add a major in rhetoric to its academic offerings, I might compare Berea College to a similar school that already has a successful rhetoric program to show the benefits of adding it.

Cause and Effect

Tracing the causes behind an issue.

This rhetorical method of development is used to either discover or explain what is causing a certain phenomenon. For example, if I were to write an essay arguing that a local high school needs to address the problem of many teens getting pregnant, I might first need to explain the potential causes behind that problem: lack of sex education, inaccessibility of contraception, a concern that using contraception makes sex seem less spontaneous, etc.

Finding the causes behind a problem is especially important when you are trying to solve a problem because if you don’t, you risk treating a symptom of the problem rather than the problem itself. For example, if I think that high school students aren’t using contraception because they want to be “caught up in the moment,” then distributing condoms at school won’t actually help that problem.

Process Analysis

Explaining the steps to a process.

This method of development is useful whenever your audience needs a process broken down into steps. You’ll see process analysis used quite a bit in technical documents (e.g., for installing software, using a certain kind of tool, or putting together IKEA furniture). Process analysis can also be helpful for when you are making a proposal argument. If, for example, I wanted to argue that Berea College should add an outdoor workout station on campus, I might break down the steps to getting that to happen: finding a location, gaining approval from the College, raising funds, construction, and so on.

Assignment

Read Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an open letter MLK, Jr. directed to his fellow clergymen in Alabama after he had been arrested for leading a nonviolent demonstration.

As you read, annotate the essay whenever you notice King using a method of development. Once you’ve identified all the methods of development that you can, compare with a colleague to see if you missed any. With your partner, discuss which methods of development you find especially effective or ineffective.

Tip

If you ever find yourself stuck on generating prose for a paper and wondering if you’ll be able to reach the word count, use the methods of development. Write your main claim at the top of a page in your journal and then push yourself to develop that idea using each of the methods of development. Often times, you will discover some new section that you could add to your essay.

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