Writing in English-04

Lecture4TheEnglishParagraph4.1TheTopicSentenceThetopicsentenceisperhapsthemostimportantelementintheEnglishparagraph.Webster’sNewWorldDictionarydefinesitas“theprincipalsentence,settingforththemainideasandcomingusuallyatthebeginning,inaparagraphorsectionofadiscourse,esp.ofanexpositorynature.”CleanthBrooks,acelebratedAmericanscholar,pointsoutinhisinfluentialbookModernRhetoric(1979:218):Awell-conceivedandwell-constructedparagraphisaunit,andoftenthisunityisindicatedbyakeysentence—whatiscalledthetopicsentence.Thetopicsentencestatesthecentralthought,whichtherestoftheparagraphdevelops.Wecanthinkofthetopicsentenceaskindofbackbone,aspine,whichsupportsthebodyoftheparagraphandaroundwhichtherestofthestructureisformed.1)Atopicsentencecontainsacontrollingideawhichcommitstheparagraphtoaparticulartopicorsubject.2)Atopicsentenceshould“fit”thecontentsofaparagraphratherclosely;itshouldbeneithermorespecificnormoregeneralthannecessarytoindicatethemainideaorthecontentsofaparagraph.3)Atopicsentencecannotbeasimplefact;itmustbesomethingyoucandevelop.4)Thetopicsentenceoftenappearsattheverybeginningofaparagraph.However,differentparagraphpatternscallfortheplacementofthetopicsentenceinvariouspositions.Itmayevenbeimpliedandnotstateddirectly.EXERCISE19:Underlinethetopicsentenceineachparagraphbelow.1.SeveralShakespeareancharacterswereruinedbytheirdesiresforpower.Cassiuswasonesuchcharacter.HeoverthrewJuliusCaesartopossesstheemperor’spowerbutdiedbyhavingPindarus,hisslave,stabhimwiththesameswordhehadusedtokillCaesar.Macbethwasanotherpower-hungrycharacter.Totakeoverthecrown,heassassinatedhisking,onlytobekilledlaterbyMacduff.EdmundinKingLearwasalsoruinedbyanunnaturaldesireforpower.Aftergaininghisfather’stitleandfortunethroughliesandintrigues,Edmundwaskilledbyhistriumphantbrother,thelawfulheir.3.Theinterpretationofwordsisanever-endingtaskforanycitizeninamodernsociety.Wenowhave,asaresultofmodernmeansofcommunication,hundredsofthousandsofwordsflungatusdaily.Weareconstantlybeingtalkedat,byteachers,preachers,salesmen,publicofficials,andmotion-picturesoundtracks.Thecriesofthehawkersofsoftdrinks,soapchips,andlaxativespursueusintoourveryhomes,thankstotheradio—andinsomehousestheradioisneverturnedofffrommorningtonight.Dailythenewsboybringsus,inlargecities,fromthirtytofiftyenormouspagesofprint,andalmostthreetimesthatamountonSunday.Themailmanbringsmagazineanddirect-mailadvertising.Wegooutandgetmorewordsatbookstoresandlibraries.Bill-boardsconfrontusonthehighways,andweeventakeportableradioswithustotheseashore.Wordsfillourlives.5.Whenpeoplesitdowntoeat,theyunconsciouslyrevealtheirpersonalhabits.Thecolorofthefoodthattheyorderindicatestheirtastes.Forinstance,apersonwhoordersred,yellow,andorangefoodsusuallywearsbrightlycoloredclothesandlivesinanapartmentdecoratedinlivelycolors.Thetextureofthefoodgivescluestothewaythatpeopledealwithlifesituations.Thedinerwhopreferssuchcrunchyfoodsascrackersprobablymeetstheday-to-dayconflictshead-onwhilethedinerwhoorderssoftcreamyfoodswillgotoalmostanylengthtoavoidconflicts.Finally,themannerinwhichpeopleeattheirmealsrevealstheirworkhabits.Thosethateatalloftheirfoodatthesametimeprobablyhavefouroffivethingsgoingon;thosethatfinishonedishbeforebeginninganotheronemaybecapableofhandlingonlyoneprojectatatime.6.GeorgeWashington,theFatherofhisCountryandthefirstPresident,wasborninWestmorelandCountry,Virginia,andspendhislateryearsatMt.Vernon,hisestateinVirginia.ThomasJefferson,thethirdpresident,wasalsoanativeVirginian.RaisedinwhatisnowAlbemarleCountry,Virginia,hefoundedtheUniversityofVirginia,andhishomeinlateryearswasMonticello,neartheuniversity.JamesMadison,thefourthpresident,wasborninPortConway,Virginia,andhelpeddrafttheconstitutionforthestateofVirginia.JamesMonroe,thefifthpresident,wasborn,likeWashington,inWestmorelandCounty;hewaseducatedattheCollegeofWilliamandMaryinWilliamsburgandstudiedlawunderThomasJefferson.Clearly,Virginiasuppliedmorethanitsshareofpresidentsintheearlydaysofthenation.7.StudentsofliteraturefindtheBiblearichsourceofearlyliterarytypes.Ithasseveralbooksclassifiedashistories.AmongthesearethetwobooksofKings,whichrecordthehistoryofIsraelfromthereignofKingSolomontothedestructionoftheHebrewnation.Inaddition,ithasatleastonebookofaphorisms,thebookofProverbs,whichcontainsthewisesayingsofSolomon.Italsohasatleastonebookthatscholarsclassifyasdrama—thebookofJob.Moreover,theBiblecontainsbooksofpoetry.Thebest-knownexampleisprobablythebookofPsalms.Equallybeautiful,however,isthepoetryintheSongofSolomon,whichdescribesweddedlove.Finally,theBiblehasmanyepistlesorletters.Paul’sletterstotheearlyChristianchurchesatCorinthandThessalonicaaswellasthelettersofJamesandPeterarewell-knownexamples.Inbrief,studentsofliteraturefindthattheBibleisatrueanthology.8.ThefutureofliteracyisultimatelyinthehandsoftheteachersofEnglish.Iftheyarewellenoughtrained,determinedenough,anddedicatedenoughtothecultivationofliteracy,noonecanactuallystopthemfrommakingtheirstudentsliterate.Noteverystudentcanbeeducatedtothesamedegreeofliteracy,thoughmyownlongexperiencetaughtme