The document summarizes guidelines for writing a definition paper. It outlines elements to include such as citing different meanings of the term being defined, contrasting it with what it is not, tracing its history and origin, restoring its original meaning, explaining its formal meaning and purpose, composing a new definition along with rationale, and exploring social definitions involving new uses of old words. Students are instructed to re-read a story and research definition paper writing, compiling questions.

1. American Literature and
Composition
4 September 2012
The fact is that censorship always
defeats its own purpose, for it
creates, in the end, the kind of
society that is incapable of
exercising real discretion.
~Henry Steele
Commager

4. “Established, 1790, t0 burn English-influenced books in the
Colonies. First fireman: Benjamin Franklin.
RE-DEFINE,
RE-MODEL,
RE-FORM

5. Not long ago, American schoolchildren learned a
quaint tale in history class about the nation's first
president. It had to do with a precocious George
Washington cutting down a cherry tree against
his parents' wishes. When confronted by his
angry father, Washington had to decide whether
to lie and avoid punishment or own up to the
offense. As the tale goes, young Washington
replied that he couldn't tell a lie and confessed to
axing the tree.

6. Revise and Rewrite
Good use Not so good
• Correct factual • Falsify events
inaccuracies
• Falsify rationale for
• Adjust dates based
event
on research
• Offer an additional • Change history for
point of view (without political purposes
diminishing the actual • Change history for
facts of the history. a particular agenda

7. Lenses of Revisionism
• Economic • Racial
– Writing history to promote – Writing history to
one system over another promote one ethnic
(e.g. capitalism v group over another
communism) • Sexual
• Political – Writing history to
– Writing history in order to include or promote a
affect perceptions of particular gender
foreign policy, political
structure, and When done for the right reasons,
revising history can offer a clearer
nationalism. picture of past events. However, it is
easy to abuse the process and create a
“history” that is more fiction than fact.

8. Life blur
Ray Bradbury would probably
not be surprised at the speed
of 2012. Drivers on cell
phones speed past
pedestrians who have the
right of way-and then curse
the walkers. Family sit down
dinners are more often than
not purchased at a drive
through window and eaten in
the car. Advertisements rely
on size and titillation to
capture attention. Amusement
parks seek to draw in visitors
by promising greater thrills,
faster rides, and more
terrifying drops. Eight
teenagers die every day from
motor vehicle injuries.

9. Consider the lilies of the field

10. Consider the lilies of the field

11. Consider the lilies of the field

13. Can you focus?
pp 78-80

14. The Definition Paper

15. • Cite different meanings of X
– Clarify uses
Your essay will be a
definition paper • Contrast X with what it is not
The prompt will come • Trace the history of X
next time. – Origin
– Etymology
– Context
• Restore the original meaning of X
In the • Formal meaning of X
meantime, – Term,
– Class
– purpose
WRITE • Compose a new definition of X
THIS – Establish need
– Explain new purpose
DOWN!!! • Explain a social definition of X
– New uses for old words (sick, phat…)
• Combine any of the previous

16. Homework
•Re-read “The Sieve and the Sand”
•Research how to write a definition
paper and compile a list of questions.