Extended Definition

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Extended Definition Essay
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A Definition Essay

• Examples A definition essay may try and define .
  . .
• the meaning of an abstract concept, like love
• the true meaning and importance of honesty
• how the meaning of family goes deeper than just
  your blood relatives.

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A Definition Essay

• A definition essay attempts to define a specific
  term.
• tries to pin down the meaning of a specific word,
  or define an abstract concept.
• goes deeper than a simple dictionary definition

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A Definition Essay

• attempts to explain why the term is defined as
  such.
• could define the term directly, giving no
  information other than the explanation of the
  term.
• it could imply the definition of the term,
  telling a story that requires the reader to infer
  the meaning.

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• def-i-ni-tion (def' e-nish' en) n. 1. The act of
  defining a word, phrase, or term. 2. The act of
  making clear and distinct. 3. A determining of
  outline, extent, or limits.
• Consider the following guidelines as you write
  your definition essay
• Make your essay personal, amusing, vigorous,
  stimulating, memorable.
• Choose a generic topic rather than a specific
  topic. For example, write about churches but not
  Westminster Abbey.
• Your task is to make the definition
• fresh by using your own understanding
• and experience to illuminate the words meaning.

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• DEFINITION ESSAY -- PLANNING GUIDE
• What is the term to be defined?
• 2. Who is the intended audience for the writing?
  Is this a general audience for which terms must
  be broken down in laymen's terms or is it a
  specific/specialized audience that will know
  technical terms and will not require further
  definition?
• 3. What is the purpose for the intended
  definition?

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Three Steps to Effective Definition

1. Tell readers what term is being defined.
2. Present clear and basic information.
3. Use facts, examples, or anecdotes that readers
   will understand.

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Choosing a Definition

• Choosing a definition is a key step in writing a
  definition essay.
• You need to understand the term before you can
  define it for others.
• Read the dictionary, but don't just copy the
  definition.
• Be able to explain the term briefly in your own
  words.

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Limiting Your Term

• It's important to limit your term before you
  start defining it.
• For example,
• you could write forever on the term "love."
• To limit it, you would write about either
• "romantic love,"
• "platonic love,"
• "first love."

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Outline The Introduction

• DEFINITION THEME OUTLINE FORMAT
• Introduction Attention getter
• You may want to include the traditional or
  dictionary definition here to provide a basis for
  your personal definition.
• You may want to open with a contradictory image
  to illustrate what that term is not.
• Thesis Statement

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Outline The Introduction

• Focus on the THESIS STATEMENT
• Your thesis statement should include the
  following information
• The term to be defined
• Sentence definition of the term
• Reason(s) for giving a more detailed definition
• The kinds of additional information that will be
  used to extend the definition

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Outline The Body

• The body of an extended definition may use one or
  more of the patterns of organization to assist in
  a fuller explanation of the term.
• You must include in the body of your essay a
  minimum of 2 things to focus on from the list
  below
• Etymology Where do words come from? How and when
  were they invented? Why are there so many
  different languages? Why do many languages share
  the same or similar words for the same things?
• Counterpoints or Negation What is it NOT?  What
  can't it do?  What are its limitations?
• Process describes the steps necessary to
  accomplish a described task.
• Anecdotal Illustration Narrate illustrations
  that can clarify a group, theory, or object.

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Outline The Body

• You must include in the body of your essay a
  minimum of 2 things to focus on from the list
  below
• Description A formal one line definition of the
  word is appropriate for this technique. Ex.
  Cheese is a solid food prepared from the pressed
  curd of milk, often seasoned and aged.
• Concrete Details What are the physical
  characteristics?  What is remarkable and unique? 
• Analysis Divide the subject into parts and
  define each part separately.
• Comparison/Contrast What similarities and/or
  differences can you identify when compared to
  something else.

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Outline The Body

• You must include in the body of your essay a
  minimum of 2 things to focus on from the list
  below
• Narrative a story that helps to illustrate the
  depth of meaning in the term
• Effects Discuss the uses and consequences (both
  positive and negative) of the subject.
• Classification According to dictionary
  definitions, what classes does the subject belong
  to?
• Origins Cause Where did the subject come from?
  What is the background information? What is the
  history of the subject?

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Outline The Conclusion

• CONCLUSION
• Closing attention getter WRAP IT UP!!
• Sometimes a reference back to the opening
  attention-getter is a good way of unifying the
  entire essay
• FUTURE You should end with a comment about the
  future of the Idea/Concept/Term
• What does the future hold for the subject? 
  Speculate on its effectiveness and duration into
  the future.
• REFLECTION Include a comment about the term, or
  a summarizing statement regarding the paper
  itself, may often be included.
• End with an explanation of how your definition
  has affected you.

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Purpose of the Paper
. . . To see if you can write at length about
some topic, in a focused and sustained way.
Focused -- not rambling disconnectedly on
"everything I know about X", but discussing a
specific topic or cluster of interrelated topics
in an integrated way. Sustained -- following
through some clear line(s) of argument in some
depth. That still leaves options. You may go
'vertically' and dig more deeply into one
particular issue or You may go 'horizontally'
and be concerned to make connections, and show
how different parts of a philosophical
landscape fit together -- or a bit of both.
Whichever way you go, you should aim for a
clearly structured essay and some meaty
arguments.  
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Purpose of the Paper
 

• A definition essay defines a word, term, or
  concept in depth by providing a personal
  commentary on what the specific subject means.
• Most physical objects have a definition about
  which most people agree.
• Most people will agree on what trees, windows,
  computers, and pencils are in general.
• These objects all have specific physical
  properties that most people can agree on through
  the use of their physical senses.

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Focus of the Paper
However, abstract terms, such as love, pain, or
patriotism, have different meanings for different
individuals since such terms play on peoples
feelings more than their physical senses. C. The
definition essay provides a personal, extended
definition of such terms by linking or comparing
the term to a previous definition and by
illustrating how that term should be applied.
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Selecting a TERM for the Paper

• Select a subject carefully.
• Since such essays are personal in nature, select
  your subject based on your own need to clarify
  the term.
• PICK A TERM THAT YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT.
• For example, if you feel that the word marriage
  should be defined in a limited manner, that term
  would make a good subject for a definition essay.
• Perhaps as a student, you want to define what the
  term education means from your point of view.

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Selecting a TERM for the Paper
Select a term or subject that you know well
enough so that you can provide specific examples
to illustrate your definition. For example, if
you arent familiar with the term platonic love,
dont attempt to define it in an extended
essay. The subject of the essay must be familiar
enough to you that you can readily supply
specific examples.
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Selecting a TERM for the Paper
Dont select a subject either too broad or too
narrow to fit the parameters of your essay. For
example, the word hat may be too narrow for you
to define in an extended essay. On the other
hand, the term love may be too broad or general
since pinning it down to a single definition is
very difficult.
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Preparing for the Paper
Complete the following steps in the process of
collecting details for your definition essay 1.
Select a word that you plan to investigate. The
word should have some interest, importance, or
meaning to you personally. Example Beauty,
persistence, enlightenment, punishment etc. 2.
Begin by writing down a few simple statements
about your word "Laughter is ......" 3. Now
record the word's dictionary definition 4.
Classify your word Part of Speech noun, verb,
adjective, adverb General Type character trait,
political term, value, religion, literary term,
etc. Connotations 5. In a thesaurus, discover
words that have similar meanings. 6.
Differentiate a. Write out a series of negative
definitions (Laughter is not.....) b. Make a
list of subtle and borderline comparisons
(Laughter may seem similar to humor, but ....)
7. Identify at least two extended examples which
illustrate the word. a. b. 8. After your
research, determine a particular thesis or main
idea about your word.
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• Brief Example Woman 259 words What is a
  woman?  A woman is a female by denotation, but
  the connotations are almost limitless.  A woman
  is a marvelous creation designed for multiple
  applications.  From her controversial beginnings
  in the Garden of Eden, to her place in modern
  culture, woman has never been without her
  critics.  Despite being blamed for the downfall
  of man, woman has managed to survive right along
  with her male counterpart. 
• A woman may be classified in many ways  as a
  mother, a daughter, a sister or friend as a
  laborer or a professional but, in recent years,
  women have become harder and harder to classify
  by their roles or their careers.  Instead, a
  woman may be described as nurturing, but she is
  also competitive and a risk-taker.  She must be
  tough and resilient as well as living up to her
  reputation for tenderness and softness.  She has
  fought to overcome old stereotypes of hysteria
  and emotional outbursts. 
• Modern culture requires women to be savvy,
  well-educated, nurturing and self-supporting.  No
  free rides for this modern female.  A woman,
  however, no matter how accomplished and
  well-rounded is not a man.  She does not crave
  the remote control, she does not engage in
  "testosterone tests" shouldering her opponents
  out of the way!  No, though able to compete with
  the best, she is always conscious of bringing
  friends (and enemies) to a higher level. 
• The future looks good for woman.  She is a
  traditional part of the past, a worthy
  participant in the present, and a dynamic force
  for the future.

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• Sample Definition Essay - This Thing Called
  Love
• A wise man once said that love is a wonderful
  thing. Although this statement leaves sparse room
  for argument, it does little to define what love
  is beyond the vague realm of wonderful. It is my
  duty as a devout romantic to embark upon the
  seemingly difficult task of defining love by
  looking at the history, explaining what love is
  not, and examining the uses of love and the
  results of that usage.

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(Origin and Causes) The origin of the word is
probably the most logical place to start. As with
many words in the English language, love is a
derivative of the Latin word "causemajoraproblemus
" which means "You're miserable when you got it
and miserable when you don't." The word was
created to explain the biological phenomenon that
existed when certain individuals came into
contact with each other and either remained
together or went about their lives separately.
Regardless of the outcome, the relationship was
usually characteristic of throat lumps, knotted
stomaches, weak knees, temporary loss of
language, sweaty palms, dizzyness, sneezing, and
occasional nausea. Belligerent insanity also
resulted. History clearly illustrates this. Can
we ever forget the face that launched a thousand
ships? Federally expressing Van Gogh's ear? The
construction of Le Tour Eiffel? All of these were
results of love and love lost.
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• (Negation)
• Star-crossed lovers have stated that love is
  not hand nor foot nor any part belonging to a
  man. Matrimonial ceremonies also claim that love
  is not jealous or boastful. Let it be stated here
  that love also is not a gourmet dish, a
  domesticated animal, or a latest trend. Love is
  not a strategic defense mechanism nor the best
  kept secret at the Pentagon. Love is not another
  seasoning to bottle and stick on the dust-lined
  shelves of the spice rack. Love is not to be
  confused with adhesive tape.
• Instead, love is a great counterpart to late,
  evening thunder storms on hot July nights. Love
  goes well with cold pizza on picnic blankets.
  Love is cold, wet sand between bare toes. Love is
  a capitalistic sell-all for novels, Top-40 pop
  songs, summer movies, and greeting cards.
• In its simplest terms, love is a four-letter
  word. Much like other words of similar letter
  make up, when expressed it can evoke laughter,
  pleasure, pain, anger, and virtually any wave of
  reaction. Love also can be confused with feelings
  of indigestion and gas. Houses have been built,
  burned, and banished because of love.

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Starter Topics

• 1.  Write an essay defining a food--but include a
  thesis statement that paints a very favorable
  portrait of a much-maligned food (for example,
  Spam or Brussels sprouts) or a very negative
  picture of a popular food (for example, chocolate
  or ice cream).
• 2. Write an essay in which you define burden at a
  personal level, by giving examples of the kinds
  of things you consider burdens.  You might want
  to develop your definition essay with comparison
  and contrast, exploring the differences between a
  burden and a responsibility.
• 3.  Write an essay in which you define a family
  role, for example, the role of a stepmother. 
  Make sure to include the duties of this person.
• OR you could pick one of these . . . .

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TOPICS List (about.com)

• Peace of mind
• Kindness
• Sexism
• Gumption
• Racism
• Sportsmanship
• Honor
• Modesty
• Self-assurance
• Humility
• Dedication
• Sensitivity
• Trust
• Respect
• Ambition
• Clowns

A happy marriage True friendship Courage
Citizenship Success A good (or bad) coach
Intelligence Personality A good (or bad)
roommate Political correctness Peer pressure
Leadership Persistence Responsibility Human
rights Sophistication Self-respect Heroism
Thrift Sloth Vanity Pride Lust
Pride Beauty Greed Virtue Progress A good
(or bad) boss A good (or bad) parent Model
Paragraphs and Essays A Definition of Happiness,
by Nikos Kazantzakis A Definition of a Jerk, by
Sydney J. Harris Gifts, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Gore Vidal's Definition of Prettiness A
Definition of Pantomime, by Julian Barnes The
Meaning of Home, by John Berger The Essence of
Humanism, by William James
Right to privacy Generosity Laziness Charisma
Common sense Team player Maturity Integrity
Healthy appetite Frustration Optimism Sense
of humor Liberal Conservative A good (or bad)
teacher or professor Physical fitness Feminism
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Clowns are Scary