Writing Prompt:
How do you define the “good life”? Which lifestyle categories and specific examples comprise your definition?
In a fully developed essay (minimum of eight paragraphs in length), answer the questions below. Your work should include an introduction, a body of supporting evidence, and a conclusion.
Take some time to edit your work for punctuation, usage, and clarity prior to submission.
You can use personal examples in support of your definition, but you are also encouraged to locate and incorporate supporting materials from the Internet or other resources in formulating your response. If you use specific resources in your paper, cite them parenthetically in the body of the essay and include a bibliography at the conclusion of your piece.
A useful strategy to begin a definition essay might be to open your work with a broad, general definition of a concept that is directly related to your subject. Consider a hypothetical example, for instance, in which you are learning about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in a course on human growth and development. Perhaps your instructor asks you to write a definition essay outlining your personal concept of self-actualization.
Maslow has a particularly nebulous definition of self-actualization’s features, noting that it generally describes the fulfillment of the highest human needs—such as one’s personal potential. For each of us, the potential is a subjective term. Identifying and defining what “potential” is as a general concept would then create grounds for a writer to begin identifying the various categories of potential to be discussed in the body of the essay.
Identify a debatable topic. Because we often disagree on the connotative features of certain terms, it is important for the writer to establish his or her main ideas on a subject early in the process. “Heroism” can take any number of forms, of course, and a writer might very well equate the daily sacrifices of a single parent with the traditional definition of a person that acts decisively in a dangerous environment.
Cast a wide net in distinguishing your definition from any alternative views on your subject. There are any number of different types of “love,” for instance, so your definition of the term might very well benefit from the process of isolating it and contrasting it with those alternatives.
Carefully consider your argumentative approach:
You can use induction to chronicle a series of specific, relevant examples.
You can compare and contrast a series of terms or concepts.
You can reason by use of analogy, designing a suitable comparison that illustrates your view on the component parts of a whole.
Take some time to isolate the various parts that comprise your definition, and arrange your supporting details accordingly.
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