Exploring the Exploratory Essay
Red River Valley Writing Project
Summer 2007
The Five Paragraph Essay Format
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An alternative to the Five Paragraph Format -
The Exploratory essay (also known as the familiar essay)
An exploratory essay is an essay in which a writer explores her/his way around a topic. It arises from an author’s curiosity about a subject. What is it that she/he thinks? It doesn’t seek to prove. Rather it often begins without a specific end or result in mind. The reader is along for the ride. Now this is frustrating for teachers because it is not set in form and content. But it is a natural element of inquiry that is almost completely neglected by our schools.
Theories behind the exploratory essay
“The Exploratory Essay: Enfranchising the Spirit of Inquiry in College Composition”
by William Zeiger
* Inquiry (exploration) and demonstration (exposition) are both part of the scientific method. However, in schools today most - if not all - class time is devoted to exposition. This is evident in the dominance of the thesis-support, formulaic approach to writing.
Inquiry - aims to explore and contemplate an issue. Doesn’t choose a side. It stockpiles different ideas and perspectives. Ultimately, the writer can reflect on all the exploration and then determine what to think or believe. This must come before demonstration. In terms of the scientific method, this is all the thinking, contemplating, tinkering, and testing that leads one to arrive at a hypothesis.
Demonstration - seeks to test and prove the thesis.
* A thesis-support paper depends on inquiry, yet almost totally neglects it. As it is taught today, inquiry is relegated to pre-writing (brainstorming, free writing, taking notes from sources). And this is often done after one devises a thesis! Yet, according to the true scientific model, the thesis should come after inquiry.
“. . . it becomes more and more apparent that the demonstrative composition depends on the process of inquiry not merely for its thesis, but for virtually all of its subordinate concepts and their interrelationships. ‘Toughing out’ an essay in ignorance of the methods of inquiry is tantamount to reinventing the wheel in several drafts. Writers who know that the first step in writing is exploration, and who consciously begin writing the process not in the middle but at the beginning, steal a march on the less well informed” (169).
A solution to this is to devote more class time to inquiry via the exploratory/familiar essay
Writers of exploratory/familiar essays -- Loren Eiseley, Garrison Keillor, Annie Dillard, Joan Didion, Scott Russell Sanders, Anna Quindlen, and Charles Lamb.
The trademarks of the exploratory/familiar essay:
* The author’s personality is readily apparent on the page.
* There is a sense of wonder and curiosity in the writing.
* A sense of openness to the writing since it is not a predetermined form.
* Students are free to experiment with voice and style.
* Students are free to explore their thinking. To paraphrase a famous quote - they are able
to discover what they think because they are able to (eventually) see what they have to
say.
Difficulties in this --
* Messiness.
* Muddled thinking.
* Frustrated students (they want to be told what to think not to explore).
But by exposing them to the inquiry process first, they will be better equipped to handle the demonstration process when exposed to it.
A possible progression --
Personal essay/narratives ----> Exploratory essay ---> Thesis-support essay.
My disclaimer --
I have struggled to move away from the thesis-support style essay and thinking. Many in my building still use it though. So I do teach it (film review, literary analysis, and persuasive essay). But I have tried to tweak each to allow more inquiry and personality. For example, we look at various ways to begin an effective persuasive paper (using facts, creating a scenario, using a narrative, drawing on personal experience). But I have not been really satisfied with the results.
I have relied more and more on the personal essay. But this has gotten away from me somewhat. Students have taken the freedom that form allows and really run with it. The personal essay often becomes simply a narrative. There too often isn’t enough reflection and analysis on the experience. It is to the point now where there is a chasm between the first part of my course (personal narratives) and the second part (the thesis support essays). I plan to use the exploratory essay to help bridge that gap.
A note on the student examples --
“What Dad’s Always Wanted” - a personal essay. Ashley did this in place of a thesis-
support style essay against hunting.
“The Short, Happy Thesis Paper of Francis Macomber” - a traditional (too traditional) thesis-
support style literary analysis. The format is painfully generic. But it meets the
requirements for the thesis-support paper laid out in our curriculum. The essay could
have been so much more.
“If You Don’t Stop Doing That . . .” - a bit of an exploratory essay. This assignment called
for them to explore/reflect upon an epiphany they had in their youth. One can feel
Zach’s realization - that sense of discovery - at the end of his essay.
“Pain: God Did Not Intend For Anything To Go Up There.” -- one of the first exploratory
essay assignments I tried. This was based on Montaigne’s work. I simply gave the
students the prompt “On . . .” and told them to find a topic and explore it. Ryan
explored his way around the concept of pain, finally focusing on a narrative that
illustrates quite effectively his personal connection with pain.
“How To Annoy An Older Sibling” -- an alternative take on the thesis-support form. This
had been a simple five paragraph essay, basically explain a three step process.
However, I encouraged Stephanie to liven it up with her personality, voice, and
other elements usually not allowed in a traditional five paragraph essay (dialogue,
humor, no real conclusion).
“Not My Order” -- a more traditional thesis-support persuasive essay. Ashley took some
of my suggestions about avoiding a generic introduction. She too brings a voice
and flair to the traditional essay format. After struggling with routine thesis-support
essays, I was delighted by her effort, but I would like to see her explore her own
thoughts on the issue a bit more rather than rely on data.
References:
Christensen, Mark. The Familiar Essay. United States: Heinle & Heinle, 2002.
Christensen offers an excellent explanation of the familiar essay. In addition he offers classic, popular, and student examples of the familiar essay. Very user friendly for classes.
Heilker, Paul. The Essay. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English, 1996.
Heilker systematically discredits the thesis-support form (oddly enough, using the thesis-support format).
Pirie, Bruce. Reshaping High School English. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1997.
Offers a ringing endorsement of the exploratory essay.
Reed, Mary Jane. Teaching Powerful Personal Narratives: Strategies for College
Applications and High School Classrooms. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House,
2004.
Reed offers several strategies for implementing personal narratives into the
classroom in place of the five paragraph theme. She makes a very systematic
argument that the five paragraph essay is not what colleges are seeking on their
admission essays.
Romano, Tom. “The Five-Paragraph You-Know-What.” Crafting Authentic Voice.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2006. 60-70.
Romano debunks many of the myths surrounding the five paragraph theme. Plus, you gotta love the title of his essay. The book is excellent as well.
Zeiger, William. "The Exploratory Essay: Enfranchising the Spirit of Inquiry in College
Composition." The Harcourt Brace Sourcebook for Teachers of Writing. Ed. Patricia Roberts. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1998. 165-177.
Zeiger goes into the history and development of the exploratory essay. He also analyzes several examples.
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