English Composition I Prof. Beamen Descriptive Essays English Composition I Prof. Beamen

Description is… Feels like Smells like Sounds like Tastes like What something: Looks like Feels like Smells like Sounds like Tastes like

Description can also describe sense impressions like lifestyles, attitudes, backgrounds. It captures people, places, events, objects, and feelings so the reader can VISUALIZE them. It is expression, in vivid language, of what the five senses experience. A common example of a descriptive “essay”: a travel brochure.

Example:“The campgrounds were filled with friendly, happy activities” -Freezes a subject in time. -Shows rather than tells. Example:“The campgrounds were filled with friendly, happy activities” BORING! Revised: “The campgrounds were alive with the smell of spicy baked beans, the sound of high-pitched laughter, and the sight of happy families sharing the warmth of a fire.” Better!

Two Types of Description Objective No trace of feelings Uses denotative language Subjective Produced to elicit feeling from readers Uses connotative language In descriptive essays, you introduce your view of the world to your readers.

Organization Choose a pattern that best supports your dominant impression: Spatially Chronologically Emphatically or by Sensory Impression

All good descriptions share four fundamental qualities: (1) An accurate sense of audience (who the readers are) (2) A clear vision of the object being described (3) A careful selection of details that help communicate the author’s vision (4) A consistent point of view or perspective from which the writer composes.

A Descriptive Essay is NOT a narrative: rather, it freezes a detail from a narrative in time. Below is a plot diagram; a descriptive essay will be missing one or more elements of this diagram.