Definition Essay
Due 11/18/2011
AP Language and Composition
Letitia Hughes
Option 1:
A few summers ago I experienced my first – and last – bullfight, in a small French town near the Spanish border, where Picasso once lived. When the gate to the ring opened, the beautiful, confused bull burst in like wind, radiating power as he circled amid the shouts of the spectators. The matadors hid behind walls like scared children, studying the bull carefully. The banderillero approached on his horse and pierced the bull’s neck with the banderillas – barbed swords. The swords hung from the bull; blood streamed down his shoulders. It was then I learned about querencia.
In Spanish, querencia describes a place where one feels safe, a place from which one’s strength of character is drawn, a place one feels at home. It comes from the verb querer, which means to desire, to want.
The wounded bull retreated to a spot to the left of the gate through which he had entered, to rest, it seemed. He had found his querencia: a place where he felt safe and was therefore at his most dangerous. The matador tries not to let the bull find this place, because it increases the danger to himself. For the bull, it is a place where he believes he can survive this unfair game. Unfortunately and cruelly, he almost never does. It is said that if the same bull were to fight more than once in the ring, every matador would die; once an animal learns the game and stands in his power, he cannot be defeated.
- Writing Towards Home by Georgia Heard
Your task for this option is to define querencia in your own terms. Remembering that definition entails drawing boundaries, craft a piece of writing that draws the boundaries of querencia for you. This task asks you to work with the mode of definition by exploring a term that is, quite literally, close to home.
Option 2:
Define a colloquial word as specifically and concretely as possible. Colloquial language is the discourse of everyday, ordinary, informal speech, yet it is filled with words that are new, unusual, and unique. In the process of speaking with each other quickly and informally, we create new words and use old ones in unexpected places. Words we take for granted can have meanings we’ve not thoroughly contemplated. Delving into the seemingly familiar can lead to unexpected conclusions about language and meaning. Gloria Naylor delves in this manner in her piece “The Meanings of a Word.” You might want to access this online as a sample. Think about the “Holla Back” video we watched in class as an example.
It is worth your time to play with a variety of possibilities before selecting your subject. Then it might be enlightening to do some exploration. Poke your nose in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) or a dictionary of slang. Does the word have a specific history? Has it evolved in a particular manner? Consider the contexts in which this word is used. Who speaks this word? When? Under what circumstances? How important is this word in general discourse? Does it live in the realm of sports, music, art, advertising, science, pop culture, or adolescence? Does it occupy some other territory? Seek out examples of where this word lives as if you were doing field research.
Option 3:
Identify and define a phenomenon that should have a name but doesn’t. Create the word after you define it. For example, we’ve all seen groups of middle school aged girls moving en masse through the malls. Do they form a pack? Do they form a group? Cows form herds. People form mobs. Crows form murders. Geese form gaggles. Couldn’t a group of young girls form a “giggle”?
Option 4:
Define an abstract term – for example reputation, security, marriage, terror, permanent, stubbornness, American Dream, or creativity – by making it concrete. You might develop your definition with a series of examples or employ an extended, illustrative narrative.
Option 5:
Define a common term with a unique twist; for example, family, father, mother, sixteen –year-old. Allow your audience to see a different perspective on something that is so familiar that they think they know all there is to know about it.
Option 6:
Choose a word that has changed meaning over time. What has it meant in the past and what will it mean in the future? (Example: chivalry) You may choose a word that is relatively new to our language and make predictions as to what it will mean in the future. (Example: Google)
For all options, you should remember a few items from our class discussions:
§ Definition is deceptively simple; you’re creating meaning, which is never a simplistic task. Choosing your subject, therefore, will require some thought.
§ There are a number of methods available to you with definition. Among these methods are description, comparison (analogies, metaphors), and example (anecdote). In this regard, definition gives wide latitude.
§ The evidence you provide should be concrete.
§ Avoid the whole “Webster’s defines….” It’s cliché.
§ If possible, state the definition positively, not negatively. This means do not define your term by saying what it is not, but rather saying what it is.
§ Humor is not a requirement for this paper. There is, however, room for fun here; don’t be afraid to have some.
You should develop approximately a two page double-spaced essay. Be sure to include the new format of MLA heading and page numbering. See your style guide.
The WKU essay rubric will be used to score these essays. Most professors of ENG 100 courses require this essay so hang on to it.
100 point grade First Draft
30 point grade Revision
20 point Writing Plan