Example Mode

An example represents a general group or an abstract concept or quality.

Purpose: to make the general specific and the abstract concrete.

AKA: illustration, exemplification

   Among most common methods

Sample theses:

Generalizations about trends: “The cable box could become the most useful machine in the house.”

Generalizations about events: “Some members of the audience at The Rocky Horror Picture Show were stranger than anything in the movie.”

Generalizations about institutions: “A mental hospital is no place for the mentally ill.”

Generalizations about behaviors: “The personalities of parents are sometimes visited on their children.”

Generalizations about rituals: “A funeral benefits the dead person’s family and friends.”

Ø Each forms the central assertion/ thesis, and so as many examples as needed would then support it.

Ø  

Types of examples:

1.    An extended example (haven’t we seen this before?)

2.    Multiple examples

Readers should experience a pattern, not a list!

Organization:

Ø Arrange examples in order of increasing importance, interest, or complexity.

Ø The strongest, most detailed example provides a dramatic finish.

Ø Conclusion: might want to summarize by elaborating on the generalization of your thesis.

o   (you might not even need a conclusion if your final example emphasizes your point and provides a strong finish)

Questions to consider:

1.    Are all examples, or parts, obviously relevant to your generalization?

2.    Are the examples specific?

3.    Do the examples, or the parts, cover all the territory mapped out by your generalization?

Do your examples support your generalization?