The process of defining something seems
deceptively simple—you simply explain what it is and
what it is not. However, when you read or write an essay
that defines something, you discover that many definitions
are complex and so require complex rhetorical strategies.
As the essays in The Norton Sampler show, an essay that centers
around definitions typically has larger issues at stake.
In the essays linked below, definitions are shown to be subject
to change with the passage of time and to be dependent upon
political, social, and economic circumstances. The definitions
in these Web essays have an important impact on our understanding
of free speech and of what it means to be a refugee. What
are the key terms in these essays, and how do the authors
go about defining them in a way that makes us understand
the issues? What rhetorical strategies do they use to extend
these definitions and to show us why we need to know about
them?
In this column on Slate.com, Dahlia
Lithwick explores the
issue of wartime censorship and the rights of free speech on
university campus. Her essay begins by posing questions about
how we define free speech and censorship. She asks how these
terms may be redefined in a time of war and political controversy.
4http://slate.msn.com/?id=2071214
1. According to Lithwick, how have we traditionally
defined free speech and censorship, and how are these
definitions changed by the threat of war? Why is
this issue particularly important for universities?
2. In your opinion, is it acceptable to redefine
the notion of free speech and censorship according
to a specific time and place? To what extent should
we allow our political, cultural, and economic climate
to dictate how we define such important ideals?
Can women who are the victims
of domestic violence seek political asylum as refugees?
The INS definition of a refugee answers this question,
and nothing less than the lives of countless women
are at stake. In order to define a refugee in a way
that can save victims of domestic violence, what specific
terms must be used? In the years since the Geneva
Convention defined
refugee, what changes have made
some people want to rethink the original intent of
this definition?
4http://archive.salon.com/news/feature/2001/01/09/asylum/index1.html
3. How does Fiona Morgan, the author of this article,
work definitions into her essay? Why do you think the
essay begins the way it does instead of with a straightforward
definition? What other rhetorical strategies discussed
in The Norton Sampler can you identify in this essay?
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