Personal Reaction:
A chapter on exemplification, as one would generally assume, is all about explaining yourself. Using enough examples, placing them in the right spots, and using a variety of them in an essay. The chapter almost over-explains in attempting to get the point across: exemplification makes or breaks an essay. Good essays will have tons of examples, poor essays will have more generalization.
I personally have a relatively easy time with exemplification, but a more difficult time finding a variety of examples to back up my statements.
One of the more important issues addressed in this chapter is the choppiness that can result from having too many examples and not connecting them correctly. Too many staccato paragraphs makes for a difficult to read essay, so the best thing that can be done here is to edit, edit, edit. Edit until the essay flows, take out paragraphs, add in transitions. Edit. A. Ton.
The essays that are seen throughout the chapter do a wonderful job of making it clear how necessary exemplification can be, if the topic requires it. Carefully quoting from a similar work can add depth and persuade the reader to see from the writers point of view.
Overall, this was a fairly informative chapter. It contains a lot of information that I'll be able to refer to later, but also reiterates the importance of organization and having a clear topic.
- Devon D
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