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Discussion Questions
1. Chapter 8 opens with the "Serve Hot" Catera ad (pages 189-190), which employs the four-part structure of complex writing (pages 191-192). Find two print ads and a television ad that also contain the four-part structure of complex writing. How do these ads compare to most advertising? How does the TV version — which will be much more difficult to find than print — use visuals to flesh out its telling but achieve the same result as the print ads in the end?
2. Find three complex or in-depth treatments (print, broadcast or online) of the same topic. (It's easier if you choose the topic and then seek articles, rather than fishing randomly for articles. Topics might vary from presidential impeachment to Internet pornography.) How are they similar? How are they different? Despite differences in approach, selection of detail and style, how do all three follow the basic four-part structure of complex writing? How does the structure allow the topic to be presented coherently and clearly? (Refer also to Chapter 3: "Writing for Audiences" and consider the role of the articles' audiences in topics' presentation.)
3. Writers develop and use various techniques for organizing huge amounts of material they gather. (Refer back to pages 94-95 in Chapter 4: "Writing and Gathering Information.") Interview a writer who regularly writes or produces in-depth, complex writing. (An alternative would be to bring at least two writers to class to discuss and share their methods of organizing material. Be sure they bring samples.) What tricks does the writer use to keep material organized? When it's time to stop gathering and to start writing, how does the writer select from all that's been gathered? How does the writer start? Does the writer see themes and narrative approaches as material is being gathered? As a point of comparison, you might read William L. Howarth's introduction to "The John McPhee Reader" (The Noonday Press, 1991). Howarth describes the extensive and intensive process McPhee uses to organize his material and structure his long articles, many of which become book-length works.
4. Similes and metaphors are discussed on page 209. Demonstrate that you understand the difference between the two and you've grasped their purpose by collecting five similes and five metaphors that you find particularly striking and effective. How do your examples "clarify and breathe life into the common or familiar" and allow you to "see, hear, smell and feel?"
5. You've been introduced to a host of stylistic devices that make writing clear and effective. Basically, you've been told to choose the right words and phrases, make sentences flow and provide details. At this point in the course, you should be able to see and understand how various stylistic devices and writing techniques all work together. Carefully read a longer, in-depth article by a writer clearly recognized for powerful writing (something, for instance, by John McPhee). As you read the article identify these elements:
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