p2

._ f.).lutn)L nt(ts

Ard so on. and so on. \A.,riting $,ell is a long exercise in second_guess_ , . I" ¡'arhizing-eran " kndotnon ,.ou.J,,. l"liì"ä_"j;:;""o,".lr;r .¡. ,1,¡e1¡,¡¡¡¡on rocid. sensjrj\ì\: ¿le¡rros¡. _agà"aì,ìi 'Iiiua rr,"r,,r ri,rr crrnplìcaiecl busrness Bui l . ìir rr , i .qiL'q R";;ä,;""';; ,T:::l',"1:li ' limb'ng- t! arso rronder 'r,h .n, ,¡,",1, ,-,o,, ,, i"i..:":r:"",

\\ nen 'ou \e genuinel\ commun.^ated ,,,,,, r,, n,h,',, i,oi" j"";"ì ";:ì;J;å::';l iX m:l î:ï.:îJ:î::,¡¿¿rl,.,r iun io¡ Ire, rhais doi..n,ìghr satisgln;+ìi;";;,ilï1r."r""

Some Concluding Thoughts 7. \lunùo jutrLbo is anotheru,o¡d for grunis ofthe mind. \{umbo lumbo is\iìât cor¡es out rn fi¡sr and scco"ja.,tr, *¡"" oå"i" "r,,,1_ li.,*r"'ior qaurself_that is r,,,hen , ou,¡e ,t,ll rrytng io f;;;; ä;iïi.ffiabout a suÈiect.t

Î.i::.ì.:.,_l :-lll,:h ed rrrr ting for ¡'oursetf ancl begin rvritin g for the read.-

''r: voul rnumbo jumbo*ìll start turninginto boi^ fid" p.ãr"ìì.."n,icìlcc)s that make sense. l. lír¡r¡ r r.e¡Cer. can i get

_,. ou r full meaning in a single ¡eâding, horvgv¿¡_..,t.J,,. ,u.gle rcadin.g tc oll .1,. ou "5 yçu_ro. must fare up Io r\e iacL'¡.,'ro. re "flicred.rrrh so¡re ,".;drral mrrmbo ,urn¡,.r

" "t " , ] ll]" b.r. , (.r¡edr ? Shorrr u o ,¿ "r¿ ,¡".1", .,'r",.rli' l:::l::¡'å:Til;)l?:;,'.nry*o ^P'";';;";d ;ii''"' nrst through

¡t--^.._r- ¡ _.lr (lor unconscious obscurities) and second il"^-., lli.tlì,"' lou. rvorsf enenr\ /for "1, orh.r l"pse, Thts rpnds ro

^ i - "']'ll.ì:l ,r.ngeilecr or o\¡rìr-Jrpd Jnd .,nd.rihought proseu. .1! a t¡stc3utlon, let the Drecê

.,,, ..,,"-_ì"" :. j u:;! ;;,iii :ìi:ili;,ïi":î'T.iï: :;,f :prolessio.al aurhor does and share rt r.r.jrh _,* "rJã ri"ìài'ö ,,.'"_' T rr r'..er-.red ir sêêino .I.js r¡ir.,g ¡,rpror-d. noi;;p;;;"_;i _J; .t ) .:',1-::ï-:"i it rnrghr hetfborir vo,, u.,a.'o,,i l,i"nJ. ii"o,ì,ìuo,"J'¡ nl ¿ rêln¿rli (,leorp,e Berna¡d Shar| once l¡ade to rhe actress flle¡T. r^. I Irss Te'n, hacl-"onf....d h".,"lu"t";";;;"i;;;1"ï;i :'',0,,

. of a plar. he hajsent l.Ìe¡ for criticism. SL,"r., o,.ot" ¡u"1, to ¡".,

Oh. l¡othcr the NISS , ma¡k them as much as vou like: *,hat else "r'c,r,, v lo¡? !¡rl¡ e. er\,hrng,h.t r,.li.r r"" I ."r.""rr-à"i,¡¡,ns rg r.mcs: bur if.'ou "onls,d". i, ,, .,:lliî , """¿_lii ìn'

' iinres: and a line J0 times ccnsicle¡ed is 2 p". ""nib;,t."".ì;;n,liûe 49 tjmes considered Apd t is ,h",,;"it;;;;;;;",""" " makes the dilfe¡ence ber*,ee¡ excellenc" ",rd;ã,;;;ì'

. a;)

aJ

upeners

It x ¡n the hørd, hard, rock_pile labor of seeking to u)ín, hold, or dzserce a rea.d¿r's íùterest that the pleo-:tantàgony of unt_ ir,g alain corne.s irL.

-John Mason Brov'n

What gets my interest is the se.nse that a uriter is speak- ing honestly ard. fullg of ahat he knou,s u:ell.

'.-WèndelÌ Berry

Q a¡ youreat the doctori. and you've just picked up a c opy ol Neu;sweek.\-, You rdty browse its pages. With your mind on automatic pilot, ¡,-'our e¡e checls out one article after anothe¡ searching for anlthing ìntrigúing. Since yo.u're hungry for something good, and you:re expectinivour name to be called, you're ruthless. You give each ,iory -"yË" threä sentencesto prove itself, and that's all, but erperience*---or impatience_has con- virced you it's enough. In that brief ipan your mind aìswers probably all ofthese questions I i

"Does this story ati¡act me?" "Enough to read on?" "Is the w ting easv. o¡will J have to work he¡e?', "ls the style fresh orjust so-so?" "Does the writer seem sma¡t? r,,,ell-info¡med? soi¡ited?"

25

Þ-

i l

i So it goes $'ith everytling vou read. The problem is, though. 1,ou as Ì?r $Titer are subject to the lerv sarne testing. lbu, too. will geierally be qrven onlrr th¡ee o¡ fou¡ sentences to pror.e-yourself. GrantËd, if vou,¡e u-ritin.q a sch-ool essa,r'. ¡..our reader-voÌu instructor_will finish the piece relardless ufiis rnerits butifrou har.e conrinced her in vour openei that lh j) means u orÄ. rou r e prob"bh lo.t her. jusr as she d lose r.ou ifthe roles t,er e rer'e¡sed. Sheì only human. afte¡ ,Ì1. and first impressiãns prove hard to shake lnstead of looking for the good. she'll look fàr the baá, if only to justifi' her- ínitial impression. Besides_ she'11 knou, frour experience, like vou. that the qualitr.' ol an opener tends to forecast what folloi¡,s. If, at ùe \.en outset. à $-riter seeÌlìs bored. unrvilling to use his imagination, indif- ferent to his reade¡. and unclea¡ in his thiiling_ heì apt io remain that ir ¿r -But il his opener rer.eals passion, a clea¡ perceptive mind, and a flairlur drarr irrg jn rhe readcr. lh" odds ore he ìl star ¡rue to form.

,,From ihe readers st-ndpoint then rorrr opener is critical. But itì

equ alh impo rtant io you. for openers have a rvav of governing horv lhe rest oi thc piece gets \\itien. A good opener gives ),ou mom-^ntum, confidence, and an extra incentive to urake the remaining paragraphs rvorthv of the first. Thereì also apractical erplanation. Å, goùìpeierìormaìl¡^ inclucìes a good thesis-bold. {resh, clearh' focused. Ând a good thesii tends to argLre itself because it has a built-in fon¡,a¡d lhrust. It's like a good come_ d-v situation: it ignites. _ . 9n" wav to test an opener is for dÌrech.tess of approach. An essa¡ liì<e a house, can be ente¡ed bv the f¡ont door o¡ the back door We¡e you to check the opening paragraphs ola random set ofundergraduate papers. ,u-ou'd find that the mosi skilled rv¡iters usuallv elect."hail call thåy'ont- door a,p¡troach. They march into their sub¡ect i*-ith breathtaking assurance. clearh' e¿ger to sha¡e thelr opinions. And vou can see whv. ihe,i, knou, \vlìat thel think-and ril.r1' thel..think it. L,et ne illustrate. Here's the open- er from a super undergr aduate essa,v on P¡ince Hal in Shakespeare,s I Henry IYÌ

Prìnce Hal ¡s as ha¡cl to crack as a.,r,alnut. 'I know vou a11," he says of Fa.rtaff ò- Co. in lrjs soiiloqur. pn,ling I .i bui rrùat friend- what rc¡dcr e.en-can speak wìth equal conlidence about Hal himselP His true raLure seems lìn¿llv to be as riddling as I-Iamletì or.Cleopat¡at: indeed, he seen.rs

{}-

et times to be a hvb¡ìd ofthose tr.vo characters: intnitel) \,arious. theai¡icaì, cunn;ngpdst man"thouehr ìovinq bnrr"l. equ,vo, ¿l_ihe ìrsr qoêjo,r. lt.ì Ljh le rr onde¡ that H otspu r .o c.hiÌdishll. op"n

",,J simple, ol err .u ma:s. s

Hal as the reade¡! favorite Itk also little uonder that'rre a¡c h"¡d J...socl ro decide rvhcther Hal is.c.u.lh il, rble or n,er¡lv "dmiroble

Less erperienced u,riters, on the othe¡ hand. choose the bock-dn¡,, lppr.o.h. the long rvar in -like thjs:

In tlie second scene of the fi¡st Act of\\¡illìam Shakespeare.s îhc First.Pañ of Kíng Henry the Fourlh, priDce Hal p¡esents , ,ãliÌoquv r.r.hich serr,es as a c¡ux olthis pìay Àlthough this ¡lav \r.ould appear bt the title to tell of King Henrv I\i actuallv the princ;paì áh"racre, iì the Kine! son, Hal. The pla;- reveals u,hat seems to be a ¡ema¡kable change in char acter lo¡ the Prince and follorus his exploits Ìn a crvil war u,agejagarnst his fathe¡.

This opening paragraph-essentiallv a plot summaq,.-continues for ¡rn- other four sentences. \Ä-ould r ou be eagèr to .e"d onÞ $brrld .,,ou er.en be a"ake to read on!

It's clerìr whv writers like ihis one eleci the back door approach: o They haven t taken the t¡oubÌe to fo¡mulate a point ofrieu: so thel, have lit-

tle to argue, hence little reason to arg!e it. \\¡hatì., tle point ofcotnrng to thc point uhen you don t l¡¿,, " pointJ¡ Because.thev- har,-e little to sâ\..- thev fear their reader. They. knou, he'.s apt to expose their bluff. So ther, instinctrvely delay a confrontation uith hiin as ìong as possibìe -oliên righr do*n ro ri" lo"i s".r.n"". Thel haven't,,-et lea¡ned to yaìue their reader'.s time. ln fâct. ilÌe_\,ha\-eìt i lea¡ned even to consid¿r thet¡ readet. ai leaçt in an\ s_\stematic \!,a\,. for they're stilÌ preoccupied u,.iih merelv gettrng ideas on paper.o They have a r,'ague notior that they're supposed to be *riirng for the \\¡orìd, not for a rvell-informed reader Ànd even though common sense tells thcnl othelrl'ìsq the¡, cling to that notion since it lels them rationaÌize llag¡ant padding. In the opener above, for instance, oùr \\Titer gi\'es us tlre fuÌl na¡te, ofthe author (instead ofjust "shakespeare r, the umrieldr cornplete pìav title (instead ofjust 1llerzry 1V). and the,{ct and scene labolousi ,rriteri o.,t rnstPdd ol^just T. ii .

Belou' is another example ofthe back-door approach, but thrs one is more sophisticated, more adroit. in its use ofa smokã screen. The r.r,riter be_ grns with some cautious reconnoitering olthe surrounding terrain-a gan, bít knowr as Establishìng the I-arge Critical Overljew-Ëut unfortunãtel_v

'ln this chapter. anrl ìn ihe chapters on '\Iid<lles and ..Close¡s that follo*,. r¡. ex anr¡ìes ol,trrdent rr riting rlì derl urth Shakespeare s pìars. I cbose these examples partÍ, lor iher plo.ìuence ¡:rrlv bèc-'use Shatespc¡¡e ii or¡ nåstirni"ersal a.rtho¡ and ia.tìf forirr_Dose\ o{ rÍniinriñ

Openert 27

L

I

i

:

I

i

o' danæntals

¡{¡lovers only mists and goblins knov-n as Grand Generalizations. This stu- dent grasps horv the thing is supposed to soønd, certainly, but having zero to say, she must content herself with an emplv gush-lovel)', for su¡e, but still empt1,. It's The Art of Saying Nothing Profoundly'

Shakespearet tlaml¿f, âdmired for its poetic s$e atd intriguing cha¡acte¡s, has remained a classic for over th¡ee centuries. The cha¡acte¡ of Hamlet is probably one of Shakespeare's most perplexing and most pleasing. He rs easily identiûed with because ofhis multi-faceted person- ality* and his realistic problems.

When the student came in for a conference, I helped her to read her opener from the reader's perspectíve. The erperience r.las eye-opening GraduaÌl,v she began to reâlize that an essay is on\- as good as its thesis, that the first fou¡ or five sentences are make-or-b¡eak, that a back-door ap- proach is transparently evasive, and ihai it's a delightful challenge to wake up ,u--our reader. She proved an apt learner. Her verv nelt paper showed it. Instead of reu"riting the piece on Hamlet, which now sickened her, she de- cided to sta¡t afresh on anothe¡ character in the Pla), King Cìaudius, rvhom she found inte¡estìngþ problematic. This is how her new essay began'

He hlled his b¡other He married his brothe¡'s wife. He stole his b¡oiher's c¡olln. â. cold-hearted murdere¡ he is described b1' his brotheri ghost as "thât incestuous, that adulterate beasi" (I v42). The bare facts ap- pear to stamp him an utter mo¡a.1outlaw. Nonetheiess, as his soliloquies and anguished asides reveal, no person in H¿rz)øf demonst¡ates so mi\ed a t¡ue natu¡e as Claudius, the newly made King of Denmark

Belou-a¡e some more good openers' all b1' this student's class- -rt.. -ìt oJ them w¡itten.lvell inio the semesier after the class had begun to discover what makes an opener click. Note the directness in eaãh case-the front-door approach. Note, too, the concrete detail, the sense that the writer knou's precisell' where he or she is going, ancl the salesmanship-th e xen:e-in the phrasing l'll quote the entire first opener, but to consene space I'11 quote only the initial sentences of the other trvo r

In The Tarning of th¿ Shr¿r¿, the sen'ant is really a lord, and the lordk uile is really a page, and the schoolmaster is reall;' a suiio¡, and the crazy suitor is realll a r¡'ise old fox, and the perfect beauq,' is really a shrew, and the sh¡eu is ¡eally a perfect wife, and things are not as [hey seem.

-j,J

Oparts 29 f,,en ¡h" plar itselr ¡reterds nor ro bc o ¡ìar br purting,,n d ¡ro.lucrolrtrnrn ¡ produci ion In iL ¡hrpe ..lralarier. a¡e bci.,g clunc,d bì ¡lris r

"r.r_pant role-plqving. 81. rhe examples of Sl), Krre. ,nd'Bi¿;;; ;i,ril,;.;." acquaìnts us uìth the effects ofrveaÌtl lor e. ,r ¡fl p611 €,1, ."rpe, t¡

"li. .,lushows how the eme¡gence ofan inner (p"rh"p, t.i.¡ "lruì"ì"ì-"". fr" ,",.,to haveòeen tamed. Horlever, the ..taming, oìcr,rs only "s

a .",,¡ioiù" manipuìation of lhe supposers by the po<e"r. \loreorei , h:ìe ,i ,,

". "..rol ¿5 lbe) sepr¡ bccause ofthp du¿l_rolcd ch.r,ctcrs, neither rlo.s Lh,"tamrng" suggested by the titie ever r.eaìli, take place.

The occult element leavens Slakespeare s works rrith a pinch of tlieunhrou.r and an implication that it shouÌá ¡emain so. Ht. ;;,f,i ;;;;",, anno\ing âmbigujh spldom aiìou.s more th¿n

" fl""rine glir¡Dro

", ^ Io,_bidden te¡rain befo¡e it is bulldozecl out of sigirt by coiri.,.î*iàr"1". Several examples of Shakespeare s srgni{ì"-ti,." áfth" o""uft irn_.J"t" ly come to fi¡nd: the \aìtches in Macbeth, the antics ofTitania and Oberol \n A MidÃumtner Night's Dream, the Chost in HamJer, und tlr" tigu.eìt Owen GÌendou,e¡ ìn I Hennl Iy.

"He that r.-alketh u.jth u.ise men shall be lr.isej But the cor¡Dân_ ions of fools shail s¡rart for it." King Solornon s proverb appe"r, , årl., r"¿in King Lear for ít is a wise Fool rvho u""o-puJi"s und

"å.ir.,r"l. " ,"",u-ingÌl. foolish Ìing. In the play,. the Fool assuåes n yrira .,rt"._tt_t ot teacher, loyal serr,ant, comedian. and often the punitiue uoic" oii"".. ou'n conscience.

Don't vou knorv these u,riters had fun? So much fo¡ examples. Nou, here are a ferv tips to run -!our eve over_

as r ou 'it dorrr to write \ nur ne\L opener. Keep in nrind. ¿o I ou r eaà I h"n, that openers are a cl1)lc¡ge lsrø erybudq

"nd. tl,at e.

"u ,kiile.l rrrircrrrril

sometimes spend as much as a third of their writing time hveaking iheû, opener into proper shape.

1. Before stafiing to rl,rite, do hvo things. Ftrsl ensure that rou ha.,e ¿ 5¡¡e¡n thesìs. The¡es a good wav to tell if,uou Ìrave one, but it takes couog.r.\ltite on some notepaper, ,'I contend that_..and complete the sentence\ou srudr rrJr¿t rou\'ê \\.ri .n. II sonrebocl¡ eìsos p.5¿1 1¡,.¡" ¡¡¡¡,.¡-. the sãme thesis, would yoz be intligued b,r.ii? Is it compler enough. or c.ìrrtro\.rsjal , nou;h. to ¿llorr lor leuÂtlr .rpositior? Hrr_ rou r, *li stuck ¡'q¡¡ ¡s.[ .r¡ o, ,re .,.ou pussu{oãting? Siecond. ha..,e on írar.,¿ u i,rt of concreie deiaìls ard apt q.,òtution.. unã be ,"r.1, to use thenr Re member rf r ou Ìead off rr.ith a st¡ing of abst¡act gÁeraiizations. ,,o,.rr

b

F undnru:tntaLs

reader ma)- ìúpatientll mutter "sheesh and tune ,vou out- Bui if )ou lead offçitli conc¡ete Cetails, your reade¡ \\ì11 tlúnk. "He-v', this person has reaìl1' done thei¡ homeu'ork. \tr'hat an e¡,-e for detail!"

2. Like most s'¡ite¡s. ¡.ou ma¡, choke at the very thought ofbeginning, for u'dting invoh'es confronting, head on. all of one's verbal and mental in- adequacies. lbr.r na¡,, as a result, fìnd I ourself mahng a dozen false starts If so, try doing u'hat a Pulitze¡ Púze-rvinning rePoder otce advised me to do. Pull l,ourself back from ¡our desk," he said, "take a deep breath, and sav io lou¡sell OK, no\ra \lhât is it I'm really trfing.to sa1'?'Then sim- ply sav it úalk it. I got tha-t tip from an old hand when l"\1'às a cub re- po¡ter manl years ago. It rvorks."

3. If,vou follo*' this procedure and still feel discouraged u'ith vou¡ oPener, let it stand as it is, roughed out (ífeven that), and return to it afteryou'r'e finislìed the fi¡st draft The¡e's no ¡ule that says you must \4Tite eveÐ' paragraph sequentiall,ri Remember, u'riting involves discovery Once the fìrst draft is finished, you'll probablr ha"e found se'e¡al Points that de-

. serre top billing. You mal elen discover-as I have demonst¡ated io . man\ a student through the \ ears-that your secoad paragraph is your , r.J opene¡. 'i. Use the f¡ont-door approach. Idle chat wilL dest¡o¡' your credibiliç 5. LIse natural, simple prose the sirnpler the better' lbu can come back

later and add grace notes if,vou have a mind to ("Punilive" in the I'ear ex' ample abore u as doubtless one such afterthought), but initially- keeP it simT:le. Simple prose is clear prose .A.nd simple prose, if smooth anrì ,h1thtni""l, i, r"ãd^ble prose. Let -vour ideas alone do the impressing lf thel' look banal to 1ou, there's onll one re medy: upgrade them Don'i try to camouflage their rceakness lr'ith razzfe-dazzle ¡hetoric- You'll ¡azzle- dazzle yourself right into a bog ofbuli

6. lUnless )'ou have good reason to do othe$'ise, make 1-our opener fulì- ' bodied. If it's splinter-srzed-a mere two o¡ th¡ee senteoces long-anrl ' lacking point, four reader may conclude that vou're sho¡t on ideas ancl

are only'going through the motions. Experience will have taught her, as ;ts ptotibly ta,ight yàu, lhat tl:rose conclusions are usuall¡'dead on' (of cotise there's alwa¡.s the gÌorious exception that makes a dictum like this look sill¡,. ) On the oiher hand, if -vour opener is bamÌike, lour reader may conclude that you lack a sense ofproportìon You canjust hear her groan' "Has the autho¡ no merc¡ ? Why put euerytåing in the fi¡st paragraPh?"

7¡ Consider opening uìth a dramaticallv blief sentence-sa\- tour or ljve j roords long. It uill compel you to begin with a bold asseÌtion, give )'our ' g.ateful reìder a handle on the sentences that folÌou', and ofle¡ her the

ãnchantment ofsurprise, since most oPening sentences run considerabl¡' longer-in the neighbo¡hood of 15 to 25 rvords

Opaters 3l llpossible, organize ¡,our opening paragraph so ùat the biggest punch- the strôngest statement ofyour thesis-comes at tlie e¿d {Note the T¿r¡, íng of the S,hrero example above ) Such an organization lias th¡ee advantages: ii lets you build tos,'ard a clima* it gives 1ou a qleat entn into your nexb paragraph, because ofthe springboard effect: and rt saves \,.rì from repeating ¡ourse1f.

E!-

-l /.^,ztU I .f t.*l.fu' -r'' L/L¿-*. .L.d-L¿24¿-.it-t 48 Fundnnentals

7. Instead ol rierving the opening sentence of each paragraph as a topic sentence, as you'r'e probablv been taughi to do, trv this:

Ìúore than one student has said that's the single best tip the¡rve carried alvay from their rvriting conferences u'ith me. I sa1'' this onl;' to underscore the difference it can nake in 1''our prose style. Belou' are a number of paragraph openers from a famous Atlantíc Monthlg article by' Bergen Evans called "But !\rhat's â Dictionary Fo¡?"-a revierv of N{erriarn-\\¡ebster's revolutionary Third N eu¡,: h'¿ternrLtíonal Dictionary ' The1. u'ill illustrate the bridging technique graphically,

a. l\ihat unde¡lines aìl this sound and fury'? b. So n-tonst¡ous a discrepancy in evaluation requi¡es us to examilìe brrsic

principles. c. I'et u-ild r¡,ails a¡ose. d. \'fore subth. but pe¡suasivel,-, it iras changed under the influence of mass

education and the grouth of democracy. e. .\nd the paper. hare no chojcr. f. And so back to our questions: what\ a dictionary for, and hor.', in Ì962,

can ìt best do what it ought to do? g. Even ir-ì so settÌed a matter as spelling, a dictionary calnot ahvays be

absolute h. Has he been betrarved? i. Under tliese ci¡cumstances, what is a drctional' ro do? j. Ån illustration is fu¡nislied b,¡ an editorial ìn ihe \\äshington PosÚ (Janu-

ar-'" 17, 1962). k. In part, the trouble is due to ùe lact that ihere is no standard fo¡ stanrìard

Even out of context, these sentences suggest hou' skillfullv Evans is guid- ing his readers-building bridges for us. persuading us. \4/e never come to a ,ì..t parag.^pl, .,'ondering, '1\'here am I? Hot' did I get here?-' To repeat a potûi I mad¿ a lerv rnonrents ago: Continuit\ doesnt magically happen; it's created.

..':

J ¿'-..--..-,

.-7Ltosers

The nost enlpllatic place in a clause or senteace is the end. Thís ß the climzt; and, during the norn¿ntary paute that folloøs, that last aord continues, &\ it Øefe, to re1)erberate ín the reader's mind,. It hos, in fa.t, tha LJst tL:,ord. One shoul.d, therefore thínk ttaíce about øhat one puts at a sentence-end.

-F.L. Lucas

\ [ /hat's going on in the mind of a skilÌed rvriter as he approaches his Y V lìna.l p"t"gt"ph? Let s ¡evisit ou¡ capital-punishment ;ùdenr just as

he ¡eaches that juncture. Perhaps we can lísten in Oh-oh, he looks bad- -eyes glazed, body leaden. We appear to be

calching him ât a very low moment: "This is ridiculous-my brain's turning to mush, May'be I'll just stop

here. The piece is r,irtuaìly done anyrvay-I've made mv main points. Be- sides, whoì going to know the difference?"

(Enter Conscience and Con'¿mon Sense. They beat back Fatigue.) "No, I guess I can't quit vet. BuckÌev wouldn't accept an argument

that merely stops. He'lIwant to see th e thing end, to enjov a sense ofclo- sure. He once said that's a basic aesthetic desire in all ofus. 'Everv ¡eader wants his final reward .'

"Then, of course, theret the matte¡ of g'hat he'll be able to recall. Since my memorv certainly has its limits, I'm su¡e his does, too . . If that's the case, his sense of this piece is bound to be colored b1, the last sentences he ¡eads. My opener may have disposed him to read eagerl¡,;

49

&k

I and m1, micldle paragraphs may have sustained his interest, but m)' fìnai graf ma1 rvell be the chief thing he ca¡ries ag'a)' \!ith him That's certainly the s'ay it is with the last minute of a basketball game, or the last hss at the door' Hmm. I can see that I /¿¿oe to make it memorable-as porverful as m-v

\,, ç.P oPener ifl can'" ,r.t But I rronder horv I should slant it tol'a¡d him? I suppose' if he's r<\/ .rnllLirrg Lke tre, b¡' the time he's gotten this far, he'll be ti¡ed He's bound' lr*' to'.r"1.ä-" a finaÍ gathering,.,päf -y argriment in a form that can be' grrxped handil,v. Thli rvould also leave him feeling that my argument real-

\: do"t Ìtung tog"ther' He mustn't have anli doubts on that score. I rvant him utterlv convinced.

"Bui I irragine he'll be bored;f my closer simplv recaps earlierPoints, and especiall¡- if I repeat my earlier phrasing. He'll feel I'm merely going througl the motions. He'll aiso feel that he's stopped learning things I ve got to-ieep him hooked to tl.re very end l'ræ got to leave him con-inced that m1, mind is still blazing rùth ideas."

The cÌoser ou¡ shrdent finall)' de1'-ises is half-summary, half-conclusÍon' .¿ similar to a prosecutorì closing appeal to the jury He neatþ sums up -the

high points ãf his evidence, re-e;,plaining u'h;' his argument is ¡easonable Hã oLo t"k", c^r" to point out its impoñânt imPlications' so that the read- e¡ t'ill be convinced ttiat the argument is substantial He makes the whole paragraph self-contained alrd packed so that it could sen'e as a fair substi- i,.tt" Toith" essa¡' iiself, as indàed it ma)' in his reader''s overw-o¡ked mem- ory Änd he finishes off t'ith a sentence ihat has such satisô'-ing finalitv that his last period feels unncessary'

Fi, a long paper-sa)', ten Pages or more-this formula for a closer rs icleal. In fact,"li's ãbligatory, sinie you will have gil'en,vour reader,a vol- ume of ideas to digest. Unless your Presentation has been unusually co- lre¡enl, he's apt tJbe left seeing trães but no forest He really needs a s-vstematic \\'rap-up.

with sho;te; papers' though' ¡'ou should take liberties $'ith this for- mula, particularlv ii ;o,tt ne*t-tãJ"st paragraph has already gathered up t.t.t"n,u-. åf th" threads of vour argument You cerìainll don't rvant to insult vou¡ reader's intelligence.

The¡e ¡emain, horvevel, three imperatives, no matter ho*'brief ,vour essa).

Furelamzntals

ti,

h*

Focus on your rnain point (which may be your final point)- Gratify us with at least one last new twist or phrase to make your poirtt memorable. End with emotional impact.

The fou¡ closers quoted belorv satisf;, these imperatives beautifullv. All a¡e from short essays u.ritten for the same upper-dir.ision Shakespeare course, and alì deal u'ith the same subject- KLng Lear. This_ I should poirìt out. ís no coincidence. It wasn't until these stridents got to theÍ¡ lasi essa_r' assignment of the semester-on ¿e¿r-that any of them lea¡ned to u,rite a porverful closer \\¡hen you read them, 1,ou ma;' find this ha¡d to belier.e. Each seems the product of a truly naturâl tâlent. Appearances deceive. though, \4&at looks so natural is realþ the effect ofrepeated practìce, care- ful revision, and considerable ¡eader feedback, not just from me but f¡om thei¡ classmates as well. I suspect that a semester spent u.ith Shakespeare also had something to do with it. -A.s vou read these close¡s. remember to read for manner as well as message,

,{fter his defeat and capture, Leart transformâtion of charactor is complete. To be a prisoner of his daughters should be the most humiliat- iûg ex?erience in a hng! life, vet rve ffnd Lear erpressing real happiness. Because he is \\'ith Co¡delia, the longing lor porver and lovalty has been replaced with

" ¿"rtr" ¡o¡ 1o,,'e and compassion. At last Lear sees ¿ love

\\'ithout price and pou'er. He actuaÌly looks foru'ard to being a prisone¡ with Co¡delia,

Come, let's away to prisor. We two alone will sing like birds i' th' cage. When thou dost ask me blessing, I'11 kneel dow¡ And ask ofthee forgir'eness. So rve'll live, And prav. and sing, and tell old tales, ard lâugh At gilded butter{lies . .. (\liii.8 13)

The kind oflove he no\1'wants is the antithesis ofthe worship that his other daughters promised hím. Lea¡ has dÍscove¡ed ahuman love based o¡ shar- ing and feeling, and found that it is worth far mo¡e than c¡ouns or hngcloms.

I I

The tragedy of King Lear is that læa¡ì idea.l unive¡se discove¡s itseifin a prison rather than in akingdom. Forwhen læar had the porver to Preserve love he could not see it, and *'hen he hadthe u'isdom to see love he could not preserve it.

So, by a series of occurrences very close to the core of the man, Lear, this hng becomes aware of life just as it is lost to him fo¡ever The only non-static character in the play, Lea¡ becomes the tragic one The tragedy is one like saving â man's life so that he mal"be executed But, in that saving, Lear is, if only briefl¡', rvhole. magnificent, wise

Even though Lear changes into a $'ise, comPassionate, and fìt n:ler, his so¡ro$,s begin a¡erv. The sentimentaÌist's phrase "poetic justice" holds no meaning for Shakespeare. Ruin *tought in the old hng's heart and brain is irreparable, and the tornado thal uhi s him to his doom ca¡ries \,\ith it the just arrd the unjust. læart littÌe golden pause of peace, u'hen he and Co¡delia ¡eunite, followed by the intolerably piercing scene in uhich he bears he¡ dead body out ofprison muttering tlat they have hanged his "poor fool," shorvs that even tle rirtuous suffe¡-not at the hands of the gods, r.'ho a¡e indiffe¡ent, but at the cÌaws of beastþ humans. In lúng fuar, the consequences of impmdent action were never followed out to a grimmer end.

It seems \1'e can reaìly only speculâte as to what Shakespeare is try- ing to say abont life n Kng læar. ^lhere are no religious mo¡als o¡ Eliza- bethan motifs jumPing out ai us like handy crutches Perhaps Shake- speare is tÐ4ng to con\"ev h Lear at inner human dignity in suffering Lea¡, the exalted, suffe¡s with the common. He sha¡es w-ith all of his brothe¡s tle abili.¡* to suffer' Suffering is hæ bond His abiþ to feel the pângs of ¡ejection, defeat, and total disillusionment enables Lea¡, who has ;".re. but ,lenderly knorur himself," to achieve a sPiritual stature in death denied him in life.

\\4rat F.L. Lucas, at the opening of this chapter, said about a sentence- end is probabl)' er€n mo¡e truã of an essa¡'-end A weak sentence-end can aL"ays ie reco.,ped by a strong following sentencer a weak essay-end cannot'

i Knoivinq this, manl erperìenced u'ritãrs take the precaution. during the I earlt drifting stage. of setting aside a couple of choice ideas or phra-ses for \ use in tleir closer. That s a smart policy.

Funù¿mentals

-;:9

6

;;,,

I*ss is møre, in prose as in architectul-e. '-DouaÌd Hall

In composing, as o general rule, run you.r pen through. exery otl.Ler -^ord, you Ìtaoe toritten; you hat:e no id¿a u;iot tigor it u;ill gite gour style.

-Svdne1.-Smith

Conciseness

l\ [ost of us write as if ue re paid a dime a r¡,ord. \\,e.ve been conc]i_lVl tin.'"d, I suppose. b¡ schooï assrgnnents cal.ling for more ri,or ds tìran \ve nave ldeas. I hat gets us into the habit of phreue_stretching_a har_rì habit lo break. t hen, ioo, jti easie¡ to think in long, readlr_made lhrases, rvhich have the added attraction ofsounding

"legar,iil4.,at'rec.etani ;;;;;;aL,crardoesn't feel indebted to the coine¡ J.þlãase be advised," -ár"tr"Jpl"*" find," "thanking you in advance,,, and iin refe¡ence to vou¡s of . .,)

, Thrs hâbit olrhinhng in prefab phrase, sìo,r¡ d,lllsour r"nrtrì,li¡ tolords as rvords. Itì ineritable. \\è mav hea¡ someåne sav,.at this point in

time"ar.rd pride ou¡selves on recognizing the phrase as á cliché. bLrt re,ll probablv not notice that it's also reáundaint. (\\4rat does ìn títne sxlth¿t at firis point doesn t aìreadr sav?) If we think in term, of ¡11orr,t.rr. ,,,".,r" nnlr. halt-coûscio-us ol da_r s. If ue think in terms ofphrases, u,e,re onlv l.i¿lf_ conscious ofwo¡ds.

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